I Tried Ina Garten's and Ree Drummond's Butternut Squash Soups—This Is the One I'm Making From Now On

There was a clear winner.

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Every fall when the evenings dip below 65˚F, I start to crave warm soups. My family takes soup season pretty seriously—you will find at least three kinds of soups in between my fridge and freezer. 

One kind always in rotation is butternut squash soup. It’s easy to make, you can flavor it in different ways, and it has that quintessential cozy fall feel that I look for in a good soup. 

I rarely follow a formal recipe. I just sauté some alliums in a little fat, add the squash, a little stock, some aromatics, simmer, then blend. So simple, right? 

It is, until a friend sends you a text requesting “the best butternut squash soup recipe.” As much as I wish I could give them a view into my mind where I file all of my best work (a flawed system, I know), what they really want is a written recipe to follow. 

I take recipe rec-giving seriously, so I searched online for a butternut squash soup recipe that aligns with what I make. Ina Garten’s recipes are reliable so I compared it to Ree Drummond’s, which is simple and classic. I made and enjoyed both, but I had a clear favorite—one that I will recommend to anyone that asks for the best.

Read More: The One Easy Way To Tell if a Butternut Squash Is Ripe

Simply Recipes / Molly Adams

Ina Garten’s Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

While I have nothing against apples or apple juice or cider, I was worried that they would make Ina's soup far too sweet. 

The soup starts out with sautéing onions in a combination of butter and olive oil. The onions cook for a long time with some curry powder, which unleashes the most delicious aroma in your kitchen. 

Once the onions are softened (but not brown!) you add the squash, diced apples, and just enough water to allow you to bring the mixture to a simmer. This reduces for about 40 minutes, or until the squash is very tender. It will look like there is not enough liquid, but the apple releases a ton of moisture. When blended, the soup is pleasantly thick. You thin it out to your desired consistency with a little apple juice or apple cider. 

Ina’s is a super hearty soup with a faint hint of apple. The sweetness was balanced by the curry powder. I felt it needed something creamy, so I added a few dollops of sour cream and a few pumpkin seeds on top for a little crunch.

Get Recipe with Title: Ina Garten’s Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Simply Recipes / Molly Adams

Ree Drummond’s Butternut Squash Soup

When I first read Ree’s butternut squash soup recipe, I was sure the classic flavor combination of thyme, sage, and chicken stock was going to make this a clear winner. However, I found the soup to be way too runny.

The recipe calls for one medium squash and six cups of chicken stock, which is quite a bit of liquid. If you are cooking a soup for a long time, much of that liquid will evaporate, but in the case of this recipe, it resulted in a very watery soup.

That said, I did really like the flavors of the fresh sage and thyme and I liked the addition of cream, which gave the soup a rich flavor. If I were to make this recipe again, I’d either use two medium squashes and keep the liquid the same, or I’d reduce the chicken stock to about two to three cups so the soup has a heartier consistency. 

Get Recipe with Title: Ree Drummond’s Butternut Squash Soup

Simply Recipes / Molly Adams

The Winner: Ina Garten’s Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

When I added another squash to Ree’s soup, it was a closer race, but as written, Ina’s soup recipe is far superior. If I was making Ree’s version on a whim and had to make a trip to the store to grab an extra squash as a fix, I wouldn’t be too happy. 

While I was hesitant to embrace a sweeter soup, I really loved what the apple added to Ina’s recipe. It gave it a touch of tartness, which was nice with the earthy squash. 

The apple juice is added at your discretion, so you can easily control the sweetness as well as the consistency of the soup. If you don’t keep apple juice at home or want something a bit more savory, you could easily add chicken stock or even water instead. Ina wins—and so will you if you try her recipe.

Simply Recipes / Molly Adams

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