Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Soup is creamy, hearty, and perfect for the fall season! It is a classic dish that is made with fresh pumpkin, resulting in a rich and full of flavor soup. Watch the recipe video below and see how easy and festive this dish is!
I just love autumn because I can make a lot of delicious pumpkin recipes. This soup is perfect to serve with Dinner Rolls. It could also be a good appetizer and side dish for your holiday dinner table along with savory main dishes like Dry Brined Turkey that is perfect for Thanksgiving! Add Broccoli Cauliflower Salad to the menu for that serving of healthy veggies!
Pumpkin Soup
This is the best pumpkin soup recipe that is thick and creamy, with a silky texture and all the fall savory flavors that you love. It is gently spiced and made with caramelized onions and minced garlic. It is rich and creamy that it can be a main dish on its own.
At the same time, it is still light enough to not be overwhelming.
A warm bowl of this soup for the cold nights of fall and winter is so comforting. I like to serve this creamy soup with a hot buttered crusty bread and topped with some roasted pumpkin seeds and fresh parsley.
This is an easy recipe to prepare and most of the ingredients can already be found in your pantry. Also, leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavors get together! Why don’t you give it a try and you will see why this is the best pumpkin soup ever!
Is Pumpkin Soup healthy?
Yes! The main ingredient is rich in vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. With all the nutrients that it has, it only has 50 calories per cup.
It is particularly rich in vitamin A which is responsible for good eyesight. Together with this vitamin, it also has lutein and zeaxanthin which fight degenerative diseases of the eyes.
It can be a good source of vitamin C and E which help strengthen the immune system and fight cancer. Read more about its health benefits at this link.
Since the pumpkin itself is healthy, then, we must keep the rest of the ingredients on the healthy side as well. That is why we are incorporating low-sodium vegetable broth instead of the regular ones which have higher sodium content.
Ingredient list:
To make this easy and delicious soup, you will need the following ingredients:
- Fresh pumpkin: Peeled and cut into larger chunks. I like to roast a whole sugar pumpkin (see the instructions in the video attached) and then use it here. However, feel free to use pre-cut, canned pumpkin, or even pumpkin puree instead.
- Fresh onion and garlic: Do not skip them, as they are the secret ingredient here, and add a ton of flavors.
- A bit of olive oil
- Fresh ginger
- Seasonings: Such as red curry paste, ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, nutmeg, seas salt.
- Vegetable broth: For a tastier pumpkin soup, do not skip the stock/broth. Also, you can use chicken broth as well.
- Heavy cream: This makes the soup thick, creamy, and super delicious. I mostly go with cream. However, you could also use milk, or half and half.
- Roasted seeds and fresh cilantro or parsley: For garnishing.
How to make Pumpkin Soup:
- Prep work: First, peel and cut the pumpkin into cubes until you make about 6 cups as this recipe calls for. Set aside.
- Sauté: Next, in a large pot over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic, and ginger in olive oil until the onions are see-through. Then, stir in the curry paste.
- Add the fruit: In a small bowl, mix a cup of broth with peanut butter until smooth. Add this to the pot. Then, stir in the cubed pumpkin, salt, and more broth.
- Boil: Let the whole thing boil, then, reduce to a simmer and cook until the pumpkin is soft enough when pierced with a fork.
- Season: Add the spices and then, the cream.
- Blend: Transfer the soup into a heat-resistant blender or food processor in batches. You can also puree it using an immersion blender. Then, put it back to the pot to season some more and to thin out the consistency with more broth.
- Serve: Top it with a dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro, peanuts, and heavy cream.
Variations and substitutions:
- Fresh herbs: Feel free to use your favorite blend of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, fresh thyme, etc.
- Coconut milk: To make it dairy-free, substitute the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk.
- Seasoning: Also, use your favorite dried seasoning or aromatic spices. Some great alternatives would be garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, turmeric, or that red curry.
- Kabocha squash or butternut squash: I love using sugar pumpkins as they are sweet and savory, and work just perfect here. However, you can also make it with kabocha squash, or butternut squash instead.
- Instant Pot: If you have an electric pressure cooker, then try this Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup.
- Make it sweeter: For a sweeter flavor, add one tablespoon of maple syrup or brown sugar.
What type of pumpkin is best to use for this soup?
You can use butternut squash, sugar pumpkin, or any hard kind. Soft ones can make your soup too thin.
Also, AVOID using the Halloween carving pumpkins. While they are edible, they are not ideal or tasty enough to be used in this soup.
How do you thicken Pumpkin Soup?
You can allow it to simmer without the lid to let some of the water evaporate. Or, you can add in heavy cream and blend the soup like what this recipe calls for.
You can also add a bit of slurry by dissolving a small amount of cornstarch or flour in water and then, adding it directly as the dish is simmering.
Best Topping Suggestions:
Aside from those mentioned in this recipe, add some crunch and variation in the texture by topping it with any of the following:
- bacon
- croutons
- chorizo
- seafood like fried prawns or scallops
- roasted veggies
How to store it?
- Refrigerate: First, let it cool completely at room temperature. Then, refrigerate leftover soup in an airtight container. It will keep for 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: Put it in an airtight container, allowing a bit of headspace to anticipate the expansion of the liquid as it freezes. Consume within 2 to 3 months. Preferably, there is no cream if you will put it in the freezer. Simply add it in when you reheat it.
- To reheat: Simply heat it on the stove after thawing overnight.
More Pumpkin recipes:
Recipe Tips:
- For a richer flavor, you can roast your own pumpkin and use it that way here. Also, check out this recipe for the roasted butternut squash.
- To save time, feel free to use canned pumpkin puree.
- You can keep the seeds when preparing the fruit. Roast them and eat them later, or use them as a topping for this dish.
- You can incorporate more veggies in this, like carrots and potatoes.
- Also, if you like your soup runnier, simply loosen it with a touch of water or broth when reheating.
- For extra richness, just melt some butter and add it to the mixture. Or, you could also add a swirl of cream as well.
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth plus more if needed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 6 cups diced pumpkin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- Freshly ground black pepper
Toppings:
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Pumpkin seeds
- Drizzle of cream
Instructions
- Peel and dice the pumpkin, measure, and set aside.
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Stir in the curry paste for about 30 seconds.
- Add the pumpkin, salt, and remaining vegetable broth. Stir well until combined.
- Bring the soup to a low boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pumpkin is fork-tender.
- Add cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust.
- Add the cream and stir to combine.
- Using a ladle, transfer the soup carefully into a blender, make sure the blender is heat resistant. If needed, do this in batches, careful not to overfill the blender. Blend on LOW speed until completely smooth. You can also use an immersion blender, to blend the soup directly in the pot.
- Add the soup back to the pot, taste, and adjust for salt and black pepper. If needed, thin out the soup with a bit more broth.
- Serve the soup topped with cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of heavy cream.
Nutrition
Video
