Roasted Butternut Leek Soup is my FAVORITE butternut squash soup (and I have a few different versions of butternut soup on Babaganosh!). Roasting the butternut squash and leeks caramelizes them to bring out their sweetness and flavor. Give a try and let me know what you think!
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Roasted leek and butternut soup
I'm a big fan of using leeks in soup because they add a lot of flavor (see my mushroom leek soup and asparagus leek soup). But what's different about this soup is that I roast chopped leeks along with cubed butternut squash. This might be my new favorite way to make soup because it caramelizes the leeks so nicely to bring out their sweetness. It is also is much more hands-off than sauteing leeks in a soup pot, making for an easier weeknight soup. Win-win!
The result is a rich savory soup that has an unbelievable natural sweetness. I seriously can't get enough of this soup and always end up wiping my bowl clean with a piece of bread. Speaking of which... please serve this soup with a nice thick chunk of toasted bread. This here is the ultimate Fall soup situation that I can't stop thinking about.
More Fall soups you might like: Pumpkin Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds peeled and cubed butternut squash (a medium-large squash)
- 2 leeks, tough green ends removed
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream (that's double cream or heavy whipping cream. You can also use sour cream or full-fat yogurt)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
- optional garnish: fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, a spoonful of sour cream, toasted bread
More Fall soups you might like: Sweet Potato Sausage Soup
Equipment
- Large baking sheet (17x13 inches or larger, or use 2 medium baking sheets) and parchment paper
- Salad spinner (this is a MUST-HAVE for me to wash and dry leeks. See my cooking tips below.)
- 2.5-4 quart pot (don't use a 2-quart one like I did, it is barely big enough)
- Immersion blender or a regular blender
More recipes using leeks: Sweet Potato Leek Latkes
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Trim off the tough green ends of your leeks (save those for homemade stock, or use them in a recipe where you sauté the leeks for soup so the green ends soften, like in my sweet potato leek soup). Slice the leeks in half length-wise, then chop into 2-inch pieces. Separate the pieces a bit so you can get any sand and dirt out easier. Rinse the leeks thoroughly in a salad spinner 3 times, discarding the water every time. Spin them dry in a salad spinner to remove as much liquid as possible. This will help the leeks caramelize when they roast. If you don't have a salad spinner, I recommend rinsing the leeks 3 times, patting them dry, and spreading them out on a large cutting board to let them dry a little before using.
Place your diced butternut squash, washed and dried leeks, and garlic cloves onto your baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Spread the oil and seasonings all around. Roast for 15-20 minutes at 400F, or until the leeks start to caramelize and brown.
Carefully transfer the roasted vegetables into your soup pot. Add 2 cups broth and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the butternut squash is very soft.
CAREFULLY puree the soup with an immersion blender (or a regular blender).
Stir in heavy cream. Taste the soup and see if it needs any more salt. Serve hot, garnishing with fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of cream or sour cream.
More hearty cold weather soups: Creamy Mung Bean Soup with Spinach
Kate's cooking tips
- Be sure to wash the leeks very thoroughly, as dirty and sand gets trapped between all the layers. I highly highly recommend a salad spinner to get the leeks dry, otherwise they'll end up stewing in their juices instead of caramelizing in the oven.
- This soup can be made without the oven. Just sauté diced leeks and garlic for about 7-10 minutes, or until they start to brown and caramelize. Add the butternut squash and broth, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or so until the butternut squash is cooked. Add salt, pepper, smoked paprika, heavy cream.
- Another option is to roast the butternut squash for 20 minutes, and during this time wash and chop the leeks, sauté the leeks and garlic in a soup pot, then add the roasted butternut squash and broth and continue cooking. It's a small time saving-tip since you can do the leek prep while the butternut squash is roasting.
- I sometimes make this soup with chicken bone broth to add some protein and more nutrition to the soup.
- Some delicious options to add more flavor to this soup: stir in some curry powder or curry paste while simmering (like my coconut curry butternut squash soup), use full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream for a dairy-free version, add a drizzle of chili crisp oil for some spice, add red lentils and some extra broth to make it more filling (like in my red lentil butternut squash soup).
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Roasted Butternut Squash Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds peeled and cubed butternut squash - (a medium-large squash)
- 2 leeks - tough green ends removed
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper - or to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth - or vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves - (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
- optional garnish: fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, a spoonful of sour cream - and toasted bread for serving
Special equipment
- large baking sheet (17x13 inches or larger, or use 2 medium baking sheets)
- Parchment paper (for easier cleanup)
- Immersion blender or a regular blender
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the leeks in half length-wise, then chop into 2-inch pieces. Separate the pieces and rinse the leeks thoroughly in a salad spinner 3 times, discarding the water every time. Spin them dry in a salad spinner to remove as much liquid as possible. (See notes below if you don't have a salad spinner.)
- Place your diced butternut squash, washed and dried leeks, and garlic cloves onto your baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Spread the oil and seasonings all around. Roast for 15-20 minutes at 400F, or until the leeks start to brown and caramelize.
- Carefully transfer the roasted vegetables into your soup pot. Add the broth and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the butternut squash is very soft.
- CAREFULLY puree the soup with an immersion blender (or a regular blender).
- Stir in heavy cream. Taste the soup and see if it needs any more salt. Serve hot, garnishing with fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of cream or sour cream.
Notes
- If you don't have a salad spinner, rinse the chopped leeks 3 times, pat them dry, and spread them out on a large cutting board to let them dry a little before using.
- This soup can be made without the oven. Just sauté diced leeks and garlic for about 7-10 minutes, or until they start to brown and caramelize. Add the butternut squash and broth, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked. Add salt, pepper, smoked paprika, heavy cream.
- Another option is to roast just the butternut squash for 20 minutes. During this time, wash and chop the leeks, sauté the leeks and garlic in a soup pot, then add the roasted butternut squash and broth and continue cooking.
- Some delicious options to add more flavor to this soup: stir in some curry powder or curry paste, use full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream, add a drizzle of chili crisp oil for some spice, add red lentils and some extra broth to make it more filling.
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kate Vaynshteyn
Wednesday 19th of November 2025
This is my favorite butternut squash soup recipe! The roasted leeks give it so much flavor. Give it a try, I hope you like it as much as we do.