Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Chowder with Kale, White Beans and Thyme
A cozy vegan butternut squash chowder made creamy with roasted squash and white beans blended with oat milk, then filled with potatoes, kale and fresh thyme.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Serves
- 6
Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Chowder with Kale, White Beans and Thyme is a vegan dinner recipe made with butternut squash, olive oil, salt. It takes 65 minutes of hands-on time, serves 6, and each serving has 320 calories, 13 g of protein and 11 g of fiber.
This chowder gets its body from roasted squash, not cashews or flour. Half the squash goes into the blender with a can of cannellini beans and oat milk, which makes a velvety base. The other half stays in caramelized chunks next to tender potatoes and kale. Roasting at high heat first gives the squash a deeper, nutty sweetness, and a splash of cider vinegar at the end brightens the whole pot.
A seasonal produce + texture (half-blended roasted butternut squash base with kale and cannellini beans for a creamy, cashew-free fall chowder, instead of sweet corn, jalapeño and potato) take on our 30-Minute Vegan Corn Chowder with Potatoes, White Beans and Jalapeño.
Ingredients
Roasted squash
- 6 cups840 gbutternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 1 medium squash)
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil
- ½ tsp3 gsalt
Chowder
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil
- 1 large150 gyellow onion, diced
- 2 80 gcelery stalks, diced
- 4 cloves12 ggarlic, minced
- 1 tbsp4.2 gfresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp2.3 gsmoked paprika
- 2 medium426 gYukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 4 cups960 glow-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 0.2 gbay leaf
- 2 cans480 gcannellini beans, drained and rinsed, 15-oz cans; one is blended, one stays whole
- 1 cup240 gunsweetened plain oat milk
- 4 cups84 glacinato kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
- 1 tsp5 gapple cider vinegar
- 1 pinch0.2 gground nutmeg
- 1 tsp6 gsalt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp1.2 gblack pepper
To serve
- ¼ cup32 gtoasted pumpkin seeds, for serving (optional)
- ¼ tsp0.5 gred pepper flakes, for serving (optional)
Kit: rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, large Dutch oven or soup pot, blender
Tips
- Cut the squash cubes the same size and leave space between them on the pan. Crowded squash steams and won't brown.
- Waxy Yukon Golds keep their shape as they simmer. Russets break down and make the chowder thicker and less chunky.
- Want it thicker? Before adding the kale, mash a few potato cubes against the side of the pot.
Swap ideas
- Use 1 tsp dried thyme instead of fresh
- Same herby flavor from the pantry. Add it with the garlic so it has time to soften.
- Use 4 cups baby spinach instead of kale
- A softer, milder green. Stir it in at the very end and cook just until it wilts, about 1 minute.
- Use chickpeas instead of cannellini beans
- A nuttier flavor and firmer bite. The blended base comes out slightly less silky.
- Use unsweetened soy milk instead of oat milk
- Just as creamy, with a more neutral flavor. Bring it to a gentle simmer only, so it doesn't separate.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
320kcal per serving
Everything else · 6 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 0.9 g 5%
- Sugars
- 7.4 g
- Sodium
- 1106 mg 48%
- Potassium
- 1484 mg 32%
- Calcium
- 276 mg 21%
- Iron
- 6 mg 33%
- Vitamin C
- 60 mg 67%
- Vitamin B12
- 0.06 µg 3%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Squash, winter, butternut, raw, Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Salt, table, Onions, raw, Celery, raw, Garlic, raw, Spices, thyme, dried, Spices, paprika, Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw, Soup, vegetable broth, ready to serve, Spices, bay leaf, Beans, white, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Oatly Original Oatmilk (Nutrition Facts per 1 cup / 240 ml: 120 kcal, 5 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 100 mg sodium, 16 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 7 g sugars, 3 g protein, 350 mg calcium, 0.3 mg iron, 390 mg potassium, 0.4 mcg B12). Converted to per 100 g assuming ~244 g per cup (density ≈ 1.02 g/mL); vitamin C not listed, treated as 0., Kale, raw, Vinegar, cider, Spices, nutmeg, ground, Spices, pepper, black
Method
Heat the oven to 425°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Toss the squash cubes with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt, then spread them out in a single layer. Roast, flipping once halfway through, until fork-tender and browned at the edges, 25–30 minutes.
While the squash roasts, heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent but not browned, 7–8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, thyme and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the potatoes, broth and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, until a knife slides easily into the potatoes, 12–15 minutes.
Put half the roasted squash, one can of beans, the oat milk and about 1 cup of hot broth from the pot into a blender. Remove the center cap from the lid, cover the opening with a folded towel, and blend until completely smooth, 30–60 seconds.
Pour the purée back into the pot. Add the rest of the roasted squash, the second can of beans and the kale. Simmer gently, stirring often so the bottom doesn't catch, until the kale is tender and the chowder coats a spoon, 5–7 minutes.
Take out the bay leaf. Stir in the vinegar, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt and the pepper, then taste and add more salt if it needs it. If the chowder is thicker than you like, add a splash of broth or water.
Ladle into bowls and top with toasted pumpkin seeds and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if you like.
Storage: Cool the chowder, then refrigerate it in airtight containers for up to 4 days. It thickens as it sits, so add a splash of broth or water when you reheat it on the stove. You can freeze it for up to 3 months, but the potatoes will turn a little softer after thawing. Keep the pumpkin seeds separate so they stay crunchy.
Questions
- How much protein is in creamy vegan butternut squash chowder with kale, white beans and thyme?
- Each of the 6 servings has 13 g of protein, 11 g of fiber and 320 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is creamy vegan butternut squash chowder with kale, white beans and thyme vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does creamy vegan butternut squash chowder with kale, white beans and thyme take to make?
- 20 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of cooking, so 65 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make creamy vegan butternut squash chowder with kale, white beans and thyme ahead?
- Cool the chowder, then refrigerate it in airtight containers for up to 4 days. It thickens as it sits, so add a splash of broth or water when you reheat it on the stove. You can freeze it for up to 3 months, but the potatoes will turn a little softer after thawing. Keep the pumpkin seeds separate so they stay crunchy.
- What can I substitute in creamy vegan butternut squash chowder with kale, white beans and thyme?
- Use 1 tsp dried thyme instead of fresh — same herby flavor from the pantry. add it with the garlic so it has time to soften.. Use 4 cups baby spinach instead of kale — a softer, milder green. stir it in at the very end and cook just until it wilts, about 1 minute.. Use chickpeas instead of cannellini beans — a nuttier flavor and firmer bite. the blended base comes out slightly less silky.. Use unsweetened soy milk instead of oat milk — just as creamy, with a more neutral flavor. bring it to a gentle simmer only, so it doesn't separate..
- Does creamy vegan butternut squash chowder with kale, white beans and thyme contain gluten?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 9, 2026 ·American
