This creamy Pumpkin Soup recipe is full of savory flavors, with just a touch of sweetness from pumpkin puree. It’s the perfect soup for enjoying on a chilly fall day!
We focus so much on the sweet side of pumpkin—pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and those ever-popular pumpkin spice lattes—that sometimes we forget that pumpkin has a savory side too! Case in point? This pumpkin soup.
Pumpkin on its own is savory, with a bit of sweetness—kind of like butternut squash. This means you can play up its sweet side in baked goods and desserts, or you can bring out its savory side like in a creamy, perfectly spiced pumpkin soup. Add some crusty French bread or a piece of homemade cornbread and you’ve got a cozy, delicious fall meal!
Best Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Because pumpkin is all about what you add to it, we go to town when it comes to the spices here—but don’t worry, you probably have most of them in your pantry already!
There’s ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, which pair beautifully with pumpkin (as you probably know from all those tasty fall dessert recipes!). Then, we add cardamom, another cozy spice that can go sweet or savory. Curry powder really makes this soup special, though. It brings all the different flavors together for a pumpkin soup that will really wow you.
Of course, as with most soup recipes, there’s some room for improvisation here. Feel free to play around with the spices and make the recipe your own. Just don’t skip the bread on the side for soaking up all that pumpkin-y goodness!
Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Olive oil – Coconut oil or another oil you like to cook with is fine here.
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Chicken stock – Vegetable broth can be used to make this pumpkin soup vegetarian.
- Pumpkin purée – Grocery store sold out? Here are some pumpkin puree substitutes.
- Bay leaves
- Ground ginger
- Cinnamon
- Ground cloves
- Cardamom
- Curry powder – Use mild curry powder if you don’t want your soup spicy.
- Heavy cream – You could use half-and-half or whole milk to reduce calories, but the soup won’t be as creamy. Another option is full-fat coconut milk; when paired with vegetable stock, this recipe is vegan.
- Salt and pepper
Garnish
- Pumpkin seeds – Also known as pepitas.
- Crème fraîche – If you can’t find this, you can use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
How to Make Pumpkin Soup
1. Cook the Onions and Garlic
Set a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and once it begins to shimmer, stir in the onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are softened and translucent.
2. Mix the Spices
In a small bowl, stir together all of the spices, making sure they’re well-blended, with no small lumps.
3. Simmer
Pour in the stock, then stir in the pumpkin puree, bay leaves, and spices. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Finish
Remove the soup from the heat, then stir in the heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaves. Divide the soup into bowls and garnish with the crème fraîche and pumpkin seeds.
Tip: There will be bits of onion in this soup, but if you’d like a completely smooth texture, you can puree the pumpkin soup in a blender. An immersion blender works too, but the soup won’t be completely smooth.
How to Store Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat it over low heat in a large saucepan; let it come to a simmer, but don’t let the soup boil.
FAQs
This particular recipe for pumpkin soup is fairly hearty and indulgent, but you could lighten it up by using lower-fat dairy or almond milk as a substitute for the heavy cream and skipping the crème fraîche. That said, pumpkin is quite healthy because it’s packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and the curry powder in this recipe has turmeric, which is an anti-inflammatory powerhouse.
Pumpkin soup is often served with bread on the side for dipping, but other good options include a green salad or roasted vegetables. Grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon would also be delicious!
If your soup is too thin, there are a few ways you could thicken it up. One option is to simmer the soup for a longer period of time to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Another option is to add a thickener like flour—just be sure to whisk it with water in a small bowl first to form a slurry, then add the slurry to the soup. Finally, you could add some canned white beans to the soup before pureeing it. This will also help to boost the soup’s protein content.
No, cream-based soups don’t freeze well. The cream will separate from the rest of the soup and create an unappetizing texture. If you want to freeze this pumpkin soup for later, leave out the cream and add it after the soup has been thawed and reheated.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Potato Soup Recipe
Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 2 15 oz cans pumpkin puree
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 2 tsp curry powder
- ½ cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds toasted
- ¼ cup crème fraîche
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a dutch oven or large stock pot on medium-high heat until the oil is hot and starts to shimmer. Add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper, then mix together. Let cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
- While the onions cook, combine the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and curry powder in a small bowl, stir together with a fork so that all the spices are well mixed and there are no clumps.
- Once the onions and garlic are cooked, add the chicken stock, followed by the pumpkin puree, bay leaves and spice mixture. Whisk all together to make sure everything is thoroughly combined. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure the bottom does not scorch. Lower heat until just simmering and cook for 15 minutes more to let the flavors meld together.
- Turn off the heat, add heavy cream, then salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves.
- If a more creamy texture is desired, use an immersion blender, or use a blender to puree the soup in batches.
- Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche and sprinkle of the toasted pumpkin seeds.
