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Recipes » lunch » Butternut Chai Soup

Butternut Chai Soup

By Kate Morgan Jackson

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This easy recipe for butternut chai soup is full of cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices, and features a pretty drizzle of apple flavored cream on top! A warm and flavorful soup that is as delicious as it is pretty.

butternut chai soup

I fell head over heels in love with chai tea several years ago when my friend Susan took me by the hand, led me into Starbucks, bought me a chai tea latte, put it in my hands and said, “Trust me.”

Ever since then I have been a complete sucker for anything with the word “chai” in the title. And I also love butternut squash, so this recipe had to happen.

When you think about it, butternut is a close cousin to pumpkin, chai spices include a lot of the sweet and spicy flavors you find in pumpkin pie…so it kind of was a match made in heaven.

And to (literally) top it all off, the recipe also calls for a quick and wonderful topping that you make by stirring together a little sour cream, a little apple cider and a little cinnamon.

You drizzle a little bit on the top of your soup just before serving it, and if you want to get super elegant you can take the tip of a knife and swirl it gently through the creme to make a little design.

It’s kind of like Spin Art (remember that, all you children of the 70’s?).

So there you go, butternut chai soup. If anyone comes across a recipe for chai pizza, call me!

 

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Butternut Chai Soup


  • Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Lunch
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This easy recipe for butternut chai soup is full of cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices, and features a pretty drizzle of apple flavored cream on top!


Ingredients

For the drizzle sauce

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the soup

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1 inch cubes (see note)
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Firs make the drizzle: Mix sour cream, apple cider and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cover and pop it in the fridge to mellow out while you make the soup.
  2. Put the butter in a deep pot over medium high heat.  Add onions and stir until they are tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and ginger. Give it all a good stir.
  3. Stir in butternut squash, celery, chicken broth and apple cider. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until the butternut squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Move it to a cool stove burner to cool off a bit.
  4. Pour the butternut mixture into your blender and puree until it is smooth (you may have to do this in batches, depending on your blender.
  5. Return to the soup to the pot and stir in milk and salt. Turn on the heat to medium and bring to a simmer.
  6. Serve soup with a generous drizzle of the sour cream mixture (pro tip: drizzle a circle on top and then run the point of a knife through it to make a design!)

Notes

You can usually find already cut up butternut squash in the produce section of your supermarket, but if you want to tackle your own butternut here is a handy method from my friends at The Kitchn.

1529.3 g761 mg8.5 g4.7 g0.2 g18 g2 g3 g26 mg

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Kate Morgan Jackson

Hi there!  I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover.  I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN!  My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too.  And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!

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Originally Published March 8, 2010 and Updated
to this Even More Delicious Version on July 25, 2019

Good for: Christmas/Holidays, Comfort Foods

Last Post:
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Comments

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  1. Beth S. says

    March 8, 2010 at 12:33 am

    The same thing happened with me re: the chai latte. I never understood the Starbucks addiction because I can't drink coffee, but then I realized that they have tea lattes too and so I ordered the chai latte and now I am COMPLETELY addicted.

    I can't get enough of anything with chai in it.

    Reply
  2. Sarah says

    March 8, 2010 at 12:45 am

    Beautiful picture

    Reply
  3. Veronica Miller says

    March 8, 2010 at 2:16 pm

    How in the world did you manage to draw a flower (is that an iris?) on the soup with cream? That is so beautiful, it's ridiculous!

    Reply
  4. Kate Morgan Jackson says

    March 8, 2010 at 2:19 pm

    Thanks! The cream flower was a complete lucky accident — I was swirling the cream around with the tip of a knife and that's what came out!

    Reply
  5. Nutmeg Nanny says

    March 8, 2010 at 3:58 pm

    The flower is so beautiful! I see above me that you say it was an accident…great accident :) I agree with Veronica it looks just like an Iris.

    Now onto the soup….delicious! I enjoy chai but rarely ever order it. Not sure why. I gotta give this soup a try before the warm weather gets here (a girl can dream right?) :)

    Reply
  6. grace says

    March 8, 2010 at 8:23 pm

    that's purty, kate! not only that, but i LOVE chai, and i think the butternut squash is the perfect medium for those spices. very nice indeed.

    Reply

Hi, I’m Kate! I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I’m so glad you’re here!

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