Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Pumpkin Spice Croutons

This thick and creamy gluten free acorn squash soup is pure fall comfort food. Toss in some homemade pumpkin spice gluten free croutons and you have the perfect autumn squash soup!

(This post is sponsored by Franz Bakery. All fan ravings and opinions are my own.)

Have you ever had a soup that just seemed to explode with flavor on your tongue? This is that soup for me. I have many thoughts about why this homemade roasted acorn squash soup turned out so flavorful, but I honestly think it is because I roasted and caramelized the acorn squash before adding it to the soup.

Soup is comfort food to me when the weather starts to get chilly; it has a rich, earthy flavor that is best with fresh, in-season winter squash. Check out my fun Acorn Soup Web Story, too!

You get two recipes today! I include both dairy-free and vegan options so anyone can enjoy this soup!

When Franz Bakery asked me to create a recipe using their Gluten Free 7 Grain Bread, I wanted to show you a fun new way to use their bread. (If you are craving something more traditional, I made a delicious Ricotta and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast recipe with Franz.)

Why this acorn squash soup recipe is so great:

It is easier and cheaper to make your own croutons. You can season them any way you like, and this pumpkin spice flavoring is perfect for fall!

We used to add croutons to salads and soups all of the time. Well, homemade croutons are much easier to make than you think! These easy pumpkin-spiced gluten free croutons are the perfect compliment for this creamy acorn squash soup.

Anyway, I can't say enough good about Franz Bakery. They make their gluten free bread in a dedicated gluten free facility, away from their regular bakery.

If you haven't tried their bread yet, you can order them online...or if you are one of the lucky ones, your Costco will have some.

Ingredient notes:

• acorn squash (large) - I love the sweetness of acorn squash. You can use butternut or kabocha squash instead.
• vegetable broth - I like to use low-sodium vegetable broth, but either is fine to make this vegan acorn squash soup recipe.
• onion - I prefer yellow onions for this recipe
• .garlic - You can use minced cloves or jarred minced garlic.

How to make gluten free croutons:

You will love how easy gluten free croutons are really easy to make.

1. Pull out a few slices of Franz gluten free bread. (I had about 4 cups of bread cubes when I was done.)
2. Cut the slices into squares. Add them to a bowl.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and toss with the bread cubes.
4. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice and toss to coat. You can use all types of spices and seasonings to make breadcrumbs.
5. Bake for 15 minutes at 300º F.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Allow the croutons to cool after baking.

How to Roast Acorn Squash:

As I mentioned earlier, the reason this soup is so good is because of the roasted acorn squash. I slow-roasted the squash in order for it to soften and caramelize.

1. Preheat your oven to 350º F degrees.
2. To slow roast your acorn squash, cut your squash in half.
3. Scoop out the seeds.
4. Brush olive oil on the yellow-orange flesh and sprinkle salt on it.
5. Place your acorn squash in a pan face up.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the acorn squash is soft. (Note: baking time will vary by the size of your acorn squash.

Step-by-step recipe directions:

The squash is so tender it almost scoops like ice cream :-). Scoop out the flesh and add to a soup pot with the other ingredients. Cook until everything is soft.

Step 1: In a pot, add the garlic, oil, and onion. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until the onions become clear in color.

Step 2: Scoop out the roasted acorn squash and add to the pot. Pour in the vegetable broth and seasonings.

Step 3: Cover and bring to a boil. After boiling for 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to simmer and cook an additional 10-15 minutes so the flavors can all mesh together.

Step 4: Once everything is cooked, use an immersion blender to puree all of the soup to make it creamy and smooth. (This is one of the easiest products to use, but you do want to be careful not to splash hot liquid onto your skin!)

*If you don't have an immersion blender, feel free to use a Vitamix or blender.

Step 5: Once the soup is blended, add the parmesan cheese. It will be really creamy. Ladle it into soup bowls.

Top with the homemade gluten free pumpkin spice croutons!

Tips and Recipe FAQ:

If you love winter squash, don't forget to check out all of my best winter squash recipes!

More delicious gluten free winter squash recipes:

• How to Make Gluten Free Croutons
• The Best Gluten Free Winter Squash Recipes You Need For Fall!
• Quick and Easy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

Reader Rave:

I made this and AMAZING used store bought croutons family loved it, two thumbs up."

Susan M., Pinterest user

📖 Recipe

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Homemade Croutons

Sandi Gaertner

An easy vegan roasted acorn squash soup recipe with crunchy homemade pumpkin spice croutons.

4.92 from 34 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Gluten Free Soup Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings 6 bowls

Calories 86 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 acorn squash (large)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 3 cups vegetable broth
• ▢ 1 onion (diced)
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon chipotle (powdered, feel free to use more!)
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ginger (powdered)
• ▢ Optional ¼ cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
• Slice the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
• Brush with olive oil (one tablespoon) and sprinkle a tiny pinch of salt over the halves.
• Place face up on a baking sheet and bake the squash until the top looks caramelized. (About 30 minutes)
• In a pot, pour in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
• Add the diced onion and garlic and saute until the onion is soft.
• Scoop out the acorn squash pulp and add to the pot. Pour in the vegetable broth and seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil.
• Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then turn the temperature to low and simmer another 10 minutes.
• Use an immersion blender (or regular blender) to liquefy the ingredients. 
• Add optional parmesan if you don't need this soup to be vegan. Top with homemade croutons.

Notes

1. You can use canned pureed acorn squash or roast your acorn squash fresh.
2. Trader Joe's carries a great canned pureed squash that is delicious in this recipe. If you use canned, this recipe is ready in under 20 minutes.
3. When making the gluten free croutons, you can season them with pumpkin spice, or any other seasoning, making this recipe so flexible!
4. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a Vitamix or regular blender. Just be careful if you use a blender with a plastic container to make sure it can handle the hot liquid without melting. 

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 86kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 668mgPotassium: 276mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 526IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

(*This post was updated from an old 10/2017 post.)