This vegan butternut squash and pear soup is velvety smooth and deliciously sweet. Made with leeks, squash, full-fat coconut milk, Bartlett pears, and fresh thyme, it’s a wonderful combination of fall and winter flavors. Warm up with a bowl of this soup and a slice of crunchy bread!
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This soup is the delicious product of combining squash, pear, and coconut flavors. Sounds dreamy, right? And it really is! You’ll be in veg heaven when you indulge in this one, folks (plus warm and cozy).
I love eating soup on the reg during the cold months, especially since it’s a such an easy vehicle to get in more veggies! Think about it, would you ever try combining butternut squash, leeks, and pears in one dish?
Ok, maybe you would have, but luckily I thought of it for you. And now you have a nourishing, plant-based dish to try that will help you increase your fruit and veg intake.
Soups are also pretty low maintenance. You mainly just need to chop up your ingredients, get them going in a pot, and let it sit while you catch up on emails or visit with friends.
How to Make Butternut Squash and Pear Soup
Making this soup is a breeze. First, you need to gather your delicious ingredients, including: coconut oil, a bunch of leeks, a medium-sized butternut squash, a few pears, a quart of vegetable stock, a can of full-fat coconut milk, fresh thyme, and of course some pumpkin seeds for garnish!
Once you get everything together, the protocol is pretty standard as far as soups go.
- Chop up your leeks, squash, and pears. Sauté them in coconut oil in a large soup pot.
- Pour in your veggie stock, bring everything to a boil, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk.
- Transfer the soup in batches to a blender or use an immersion blender to make it smooth!
- Serve with fresh thyme and pumpkin seeds.
Health Benefits
Not only is this soup delicious, but it’s also incredibly good for you! Squash and pears are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals to keep you healthy. But pumpkin seeds in particular are the real MVP in this recipe.
These seeds are high in zinc, a nutrient the promotes optimal immune health. Getting enough zinc, especially during the winter, will help you stay healthy throughout these cold months ahead.
Expert Tips
- Season this soup with salt and pepper throughout the cooking process. I usually add about ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt to increase the flavor while the soup is cooking.
- Butternut squash and pear soup stores well in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat on the stove or in the microwave.
- You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months. Let the soup cool before transferring to freezer containers. Leave a couple inches of space at the top before securing the lid, since the soup will expand while freezing. If you reheat it from frozen in a saucepan, start at low heat and increase the heat as it begins to defrost, stirring occasionally.
- I love to eat this soup as a light main course with crunchy bread and a salad on the side. It also tastes delicious on the side of pork tenderloin, baked fish, or another lean protein.
- I recommend using an immersion blender to blend this soup. You can also use a regular blender, like the Vitamix, but remember to blend the soup in batches. Leave the lid cracked to let steam escape, and don’t fill the blender all the way.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
If you love this vegan butternut squash and pear soup as much as I do, you may also enjoy the Carrot and Celery Soup with Thyme Pecan Crumble, Roasted Parsnip and Pear Blender Soup, and Apple Ginger Kabocha Squash Soup.
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Please rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments section. For more veggie inspiration, subscribe to the weekly newsletter.
📖 Recipe
Butternut Squash and Pear Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 cups leeks - white and light green parts, thinly sliced and washed
- 1 butternut squash - peeled and diced
- 3 Bartlett pears - peeled, cored, and diced
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- Sea salt - to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- 1.5 cups pumpkin seeds - for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the leeks, and saute for ~5 minutes until translucent and fragrant. Add the pears and butternut squash, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I usually use about ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt throughout the cooking process).
- Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until squash is tender. Remove from heat, stir in coconut milk.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. You can also transfer it in batches to a regular blender, but be sure to exercise caution, as it will be very hot. Do not fill the blender all the way, and remember to crack the lid to let steam escape.
- Stir in the fresh thyme, and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm garnished with pumpkin seeds and more thyme if desired.
Notes
- Feel free to sub fresh sage in place of thyme.
- Store leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, or in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, until heated through.
- To freeze, let the soup cool before transferring to freezer containers. Leave a couple inches of space at the top of the containers before securing the lids, as the soup will expand during freezing. You can reheat the soup from frozen in a saucepan over low heat, or let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. The soup will last for 3 months in the freezer.
- Serve as a light main course with crunchy bread and a salad or on the side of pork tenderloin or baked fish.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2018. It was updated with expert tips in October 2020.
Enjoy your week! – Lizzie
Dora
I had a bunch of pears about to go rotten, I google pear soup and saw your recipe. I made it tonight and it was bowl-lickin delicious! Thanks for the recipe! I followed it exactly. I’m going to use your recipe for our neighborhood harvest dinner.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Dora, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!! I hope it is a big hit for you at your neighborhood dinner! Thanks for your 5-star review.
Melissa Griffiths
So making this! Looks and sounds so delicious!
Lizzie
Awesome!!! I’d love to hear how it turns out for you when you make it! Thanks for stopping by :-)!
thebrookcook
I make butternut squash & apple soup every winter– I think this year I need to change to the combination with pears- yummy!
itsavegworldafterall
It turned out to be a delicious combination! Thanks for stopping by 🙂