Butternut Squash Soup

Michael Eisenwasser

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A creamy butternut squash soup portioned for the low-FODMAP serve size.

Prep 15 min

Cook 40 min

Serves 10

Gluten-freeDairy-free-option

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 1 lb (450g) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Green tops of 4 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 cups (960 ml) low-FODMAP chicken broth or low-FODMAP vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) light canned coconut milk, or 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme, or 2 sprigs fresh
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• Fresh sage leaves, fried in plain oil, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Build the Base

1. Warm the garlic-infused oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
2. Add the carrot and scallion greens. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the carrot softens slightly.
3. Stir in the ginger and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Simmer

1. Add the butternut squash cubes. Stir to coat in the oil.
2. Pour in the broth. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, salt, and pepper.
3. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and partially cover. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash falls apart when pressed with a spoon.

Blend and Finish

1. Turn off the heat. Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender, or transfer in batches to a countertop blender and vent the lid.
2. Stir in the coconut milk or heavy cream and the lemon juice. Warm through over low heat for 2 minutes. Do not boil after adding dairy cream.
3. Taste and adjust salt. Serve with a drizzle of garlic-infused oil and fried sage leaves if using.

Tips & Substitutions

• Portion to about 3/4 cup per bowl, 10 bowls per batch. Monash rates butternut squash low-FODMAP at 1/3 cup (~45g) cooked per serve. This recipe uses 1 lb (450g) raw squash across 10 servings — roughly 45g raw squash per bowl, which lines up with the Monash serving size. If you split it into 8 bowls instead, each serving creeps into Monash's moderate range, so stick with 10 for the strict low-FODMAP version.
• Carrots add volume without adding much FODMAP. Carrots are low-FODMAP at generous serves per Monash, so loading up on carrot and keeping butternut modest gives you the orange color and sweetness without pushing the squash count any higher.
• Ginger is low-FODMAP at every tested serve. Monash lists ginger as low at all tested amounts. A tablespoon of fresh grated ginger brings a subtle warmth that cuts through the richness.
• Light coconut milk for dairy-free, or heavy cream. The recipe uses 1/2 cup total across 10 bowls — about 2 teaspoons per serving — so the per-bowl amount sits well within typical Monash low-FODMAP thresholds for both. If you sub in full-fat coconut milk, keep the same 1/2 cup total; don't increase it.
• Use a broth without onion or garlic. Swanson, Pacific, and Better Than Bouillon almost all contain one or both. Homemade, Fody, or Gourmend are good options. See the full rundown in the low-FODMAP chicken broth guide.
• Use commercially prepared or safely made garlic-infused oil. The oil must be fully strained (no garlic pieces remaining), and home-infused versions should follow food-safety guidance on refrigeration and shelf life to avoid botulism risk.
• Roast the squash first for deeper flavor. Toss the cubes with 1 tbsp oil, salt, and pepper, then roast at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes before adding to the pot. Cut the simmer time to 15 minutes if you do.

Why This Works

Butternut squash has a small serving size. Monash rates butternut squash low-FODMAP at 1/3 cup (about 45g) cooked per serve. Go much over that and the FODMAPs add up quickly. This recipe splits 1 lb (450g) of raw squash across 10 bowls, which lands each serving at roughly 45g of raw squash per bowl — aligned with the Monash serving size. If you want bigger bowls, the honest answer is to make a half-batch for 4 and call that the strict low-FODMAP version; don't go back for seconds on the 8-bowl split.

Carrots and broth add volume. The pot is 1 lb of squash, 1 1/2 cups of carrot, and 4 cups of broth. That ratio pulls each per-bowl squash amount down while still producing a thick, orange, squash-forward soup. Carrots are low-FODMAP at generous serves, so they're the easiest way to bulk the batch without adding FODMAPs.

Garlic-infused oil plus scallion greens adds the onion and garlic flavor. Fructans don't dissolve into oil, so the oil carries garlic flavor without the FODMAPs. Scallion greens cover the onion note — use the green parts, not the white bulbs. Same idea as the tomato soup and the chicken broth.

Light coconut milk or heavy cream both work at 1/2 cup total. Spread across 10 bowls, that's about 2 teaspoons per serving — well under typical Monash low-FODMAP limits for either. Heavy cream works in small amounts because the higher the fat content of a dairy product, the lower the lactose per serve. Whole milk at the same volume would push past the lactose limit for most people.

Ginger is an easy way to add flavor. Monash lists ginger as low-FODMAP at every tested serve. A tablespoon of fresh grated ginger brings warmth that balances the squash's sweetness without changing the FODMAP math.

Storage

Refrigerate in sealed containers at 40°F (4°C) or below for up to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often — cream and coconut-milk soups can break at a hard boil. Freeze the blended base without the cream or coconut milk for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat, then stir the dairy in fresh. Portion into 3/4 cup servings before freezing so you can pull exactly one bowl at a time and keep the serving size consistent.

Not sure about an ingredient? FODMAP Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with FODMAP ratings to help you cook with confidence.