These 27 best toppings for butternut squash soup will take your recipe to a whole new level. Although savory, and creamy all on its own, garnishing your soup with a simple herb like parsley or some caramelized onions will tantalize your taste buds!
This popular creamy fall soup can be made as a starter meal, for lunch or dinner and you can also experiment with different ingredients to take your soup from good to great!
These toppings go well with your traditional butternut squash soup but make sure to check out my easy low-calorie version or this roasted butternut and cauliflower soup recipe.
Why Add Toppings To Your Butternut Squash Soup?
Well, besides garnishing your soup to make it look more yummy, toppings can actually add extra crunch and texture to your soup. Using ingredients like pumpkin seeds or croutons can actually add more flavor to your soup.
Another reason to add toppings to your butternut squash soup is that instead of a big bowl of yellow, using fresh parsley, chives, or cilantro can add extra color.
Finally, toppings can take your soup from bland to rich and creamy so it’s always great to experiment. Trying different topping ideas like cinnamon butter sautee apples, dried cranberries, or pears can add a sweet flavor to this savory starter meal.
27 Best Toppings for Butternut Squash Soup
Some of the toppings below are calorie-densed, fortunately though, you can find healthy, low-fat versions on Amazon. For example, instead of getting salted toasted nuts, get low-sodium, or for the dairy toppings, try low or zero-fat options.
Popular Toppings
Some of the most popular soup toppings are bacon bits, crackers, and croutons. These toppings can added to almost any soup recipe to add extra flavor. Bacon bits or crumbles are crispy, salty, spicy, and have a smoky flavor so imagine how it’ll make your soup taste!
Toasted croutons not only add crunch to your soup but also bring out savory flavors especially if buy them. You see, store-bought croutons are made with a variety of spices like parsley flakes, crouton seasoning, garlic powder, and Italian cheese. However, you can always make your own.
Adding crackers to your soup also gives it an extra sweet and salty crunch, I use Ritz crackers for my soups but you can use any brand you love.
- Smoked crispy brown bacon bits or crumbles
- Crushed Ritz crackers or any salted crackers you like
- Toasted croutons
Nuts & Seeds
Salted and spiced nuts and seeds are very delicious, they add crunch, flavor, and nutrients to your recipes. Now you can always go with unsalted versions to reduce your sodium intake but I do recommend toasted spiced nuts for your butternut squash soup.
You see, nuts and seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids which are great for your heart, eyes, brain, and overall cell function. So you get the health benefits and the mouth-watering flavors when you add them to your soups.
Some of the best seeds that taste great with butternut squash soup are pumpkin, sesame, hemp, and sunflower seeds. As for the nuts, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans are some of the best options.
- Toasted pumpkin seeds
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Toasted hemp seeds
- Toasted sunflower seeds
- Toasted pecans or walnuts
- Toasted chopped almonds
- Toasted chopped hazelnuts
- Toasted crushed pistachios
Fruit Toppings
Fruit toppings will add a little bit of sweetness to your savory creamy butternut squash soup but that’s not all. Fruits like apples, pears, and cranberries are rich in dietary fiber which helps reduce constipation and improves digestion.
Sauteed or caramelized pears are the perfect fall treat and using them as a topping for your butternut squash soup will add a touch of warm flavors and sweetness.
Dried cranberries provide a sweet and tart flavor while sauteed apples using butter and cinnamon will remind you of apple pie.
- Cinnamon, butter sauteed apples
- Dried butter-sauteed cranberries
- Sauteed Pears
Fresh Vegetables & Herbs
Topping your butternut squash soup with fresh herbs like chives, parsley, or cilantro can add robust flavors to your soup. I personally love topping my soups with parsley and mostly use cilantro as an ingredient but it all comes down to what you prefer.
Experimenting with different vegetables like caramelized onions, beans, and legumes is a great way to add extra taste and essential nutrients to your soups.
- Chives
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh parsley
- Caramelized onions
- Roasted chickpeas
- Beans
- Legumes
Dairy Toppings
As I mentioned above, if you want to lower your calorie intake, make sure to opt for low-fat or zero-fat versions of cream and cheese. That’s because most dairy products are full fat and although more delicious, they make you gain weight.
With that being said, cheese is some of the best toppings for soups and they go well with butternut squash soup. You can use any type of cheese you like but I personally like bleu cheese crumbles, parmesan, and hard cheese.
As for cream, you can try sour cream or heavy cream but I usually just go with coconut milk because it adds that rich tropical flavor to my soup recipes.
- Cheese
- Bleu cheese crumbles
- Parmesan
- Hard cheese
- Heavy cream
- Sour cream
- Coconut milk
Try this tasty butternut squash and sweet potato soup recipe
Conclusion
I really hope you found this post helpful. If you did, please don’t forget to save it for later. You can also find me on Pinterest for more awesome recipes and tips. Until next time, saty awesome mama!
