Meet my favorite pumpkin soup recipe. It’s super creamy (thanks mostly to the pumpkin, with a little help from coconut milk or cream) yet plenty healthy, too. It’s gently spiced, but I made sure that the pumpkin flavor shines above the rest.
This dairy-free pumpkin soup would be a welcome addition to your holiday table. It would be equally at home with a soup or sandwich from fall through winter.
It’s easy to make and the leftovers taste even better the next day. So, you could certainly make the soup a day in advance. Don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list—this soup only requires basic pantry ingredients!
This soup was inspired by my recent trip to Portland. While I was there, I went to lunch with my baby brother and our friend Bill. I’ve written about Bill over the years—in summary, Bill beat leukemia with the help of my stem cells. He’s the toughest guy I know.
Now we’re friends who share the same immune system and we finally got to meet a few weeks ago. (More about that here and by the way, you can join the registry over here.)
We shared lunch and an afternoon at Multnomah Falls. It was a damp, gray fall day in the Pacific Northwest and it was perfect.
Bill picked The Picnic House for lunch. You really have to go next time you’re in Portland. “Unique” doesn’t begin to describe it—the restaurant feels like an old school theater inside, with different scenes set up in every corner and amazing food everywhere the eye can see.
I was tempted to order every item on the menu, but after much deliberation, I finally settled on a small soup, salad and sandwich. I might just have to recreate all three of them for the blog (so good), but homemade pumpkin soup seemed most timely.
I can’t say that my version is exactly the same, but it is equally satisfying and fresh. It’s utterly delicious in its own right.
Pumpkin Options
This pumpkin soup recipe includes instructions on how to roast fresh pumpkin, for maximum pumpkin flavor. Canned pumpkin purée also works well, if you’re in a time crunch. See the recipe notes for details!
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments. I’m always so eager for your feedback. If you’re craving more cozy fall soups, don’t miss my butternut soup, lentil soup or minestrone.
Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes? This is for you. Happy holidays!
Watch How to Make Pumpkin Soup
Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 70 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 bowls 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Roasted and blended
- Cuisine: American
This pumpkin soup recipe is creamy AND healthy! It calls for roasted pumpkin for maximum flavor. This roasted pumpkin soup recipe would look lovely on your holiday dinner table, and leftovers would go great with sandwiches or salads the next day. Recipe yields 4 bowls or 6 cups of soup.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- One 4-pound sugar pie pumpkin
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 large or 6 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- Tiny dash of cayenne pepper (optional, if you like spice)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Carefully halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds (you can roast the seeds if you’d like—see note—but you won’t need them for this recipe).
- Slice each pumpkin halve in half to make quarters. Brush or rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, cut sides down, onto the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes or longer, until the orange flesh is easily pierced through with a fork. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add onion, garlic and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, peel the pumpkin skin off the pumpkins and discard the skin.
- Add the pumpkin flesh, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper (if using), and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Use your stirring spoon to break up the pumpkin a bit. Pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.
- While the soup is cooking, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, golden and making little popping noises. You want them to be nice and toasty, but not burnt. Transfer pepitas to a bowl to cool.
- Once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. You can use an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot. I prefer to use my stand blender, which yields the creamiest results—working in batches, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!). Securely fasten the blender’s lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer the puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with the remaining batches.
- Taste and adjust if necessary (I thought the soup was just right as is, but you might want to add more coconut milk for extra creaminess/milder flavor, or maple syrup to make it a little sweeter).
- Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle pepitas over the soup and serve. Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
Notes
Soup inspired by the pumpkin soup at The Picnic House in Portland and roughly adapted from my curried butternut soup.
Make it dairy free: Use coconut milk, not heavy cream.
Make it vegan: Use coconut milk and maple syrup.
Change it up: Kabocha squash works instead of pumpkin, and I bet butternut squash would work well, too.
If you want to use canned pumpkin: Instead of roasting the pumpkin, you can substitute two to three cans of pumpkin purée (15 ounces each). Just skip steps 1 and 2, and add two cans of pumpkin purée in step 4. You’ll still want to blend the soup for the best texture; add more pumpkin purée at that point if you’d like thicker soup.
How to roast pumpkin seeds: Pick off all the flesh bits from the seeds and discard them. I like to do this in a colander under running water. Pat the seeds dry with a tea towel or paper towels. Toss the seeds with a little olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and any other seasonings that sound good (I tossed my pumpkin seeds with 1 teaspoon brown sugar and ½ teaspoon curry powder). Toss to coat. Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the pumpkin seeds in a single layer. Roast for 13 to 16 minutes, until the seeds are fragrant and toasty.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
I just love how bright this soup is. Totally perfect for fall!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Gorgeous soup and what a lovely story! I remember when you first talked about Bill on your blog, love!! : )
Kate
Thanks, Abby! xo
Kathryn McLamb
I am going to HAVE to try this! Love, love , love pumpkin :)
Katelyn
I signed up for be the match after you told your (and Bill’s) story. Couldn’t be easier! Thank you for sharing your stories and recipes with us.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kate
Katelyn, thank you for joining the registry! That means a lot to me. :)
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
Ok this is going to sound weird, but I can almost taste the smoothness of this soup just by looking at the photos. It looks amazing! One day I’d love to do a food tour across the US (or maybe the world?!) and visit all the restaurants recommended on my favourite food blogs. This would be on the list for sure!
Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life
Oohh this has me craving my Mama’s creamy vegan pumpkin soup! There’s nothing like a touch of spice as the perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of pumpkin. I’ll have to give your spice blend a try when pumpkin soup weather next rolls around :)
Your photos of the falls are lovely, and it is so beautiful that you have a friendship with Bill. What a beautiful gift that has bloomed out of your gift to him.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Such a gorgeous soup, love that creaminess! And I just went back to read Bill’s story – so cool, thanks for sharing!
Anne
Let’s just say, hypothetically, that one has a lot of canned pumpkin in the house related to over-excitement when a new Costco opened in town. What are your thoughts on using it in this recipe? How much? Thank you for any thoughts you have! Worst case scenario, I buy a little pumpkin and use the canned in your awesome pumpkin oatmeal waffles.
Kate
Hey Anne, I’m sorry I didn’t answer your question sooner! Yep, I bet you can use canned pumpkin here. I just converted pounds to ounces and I think you’d need a few cans to make up for the sugar pumpkin. I’m guessing my four-pound pumpkin turned into a three to three and a half pound pumpkin after removing the skin and seeds. So you’d need 48 to 56 ounces pumpkin puree, which seems like a lot, but pumpkin is so watery that it sort of disappears into the liquid, so that’s probably about right. Hope my rambling makes sense! Please let me know if you try it.
Molly
Just curious if anyone did use butternut squash or canned pumpkin. Thinking of making this for first course for a dinner party next weekend but can’t find any sugar pumpkins! Thank you
Kate
Sorry Molly, I haven’t heard back from anyone about that! If you can find kabocha squash, those would work great, too. Buttercup might as well.
Kate
Or a 2-pound butternut should do! I found that pumpkin is way more watery than butternut, so I needed twice the amount of pumpkin.
Lynne
Thank you for sharing your inspiring story. It is wonderful to know that you got to meet Bill and share a friendship with him. You truly are a good person.
Your soup sounds like an absolute winner ! A definite on my list.
:-)
Kate
Thank you, Lynne! :)
Maryea {happy healthy mama}
This is the first time reading about Bill and I have goosebumps and tears right now. This recipe looks amazing, too. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Evelyn
I’ve read the story of you and Bill when you posted it, but reading it again made me awe-inspired and contemplative (again). And how wonderful you’re still seeing each other now and then!
Your soup looks delicious, and a good, soft-spicy pumpkin soup is always a treat! But the thing about your post that quite struck me a bit, are the colours in the upper picture, which suddenly and quite strong reminded me of my favourite children’s book, Monica Furlongs Juniper (or ‘A Year And A Day’). There is a wonderful scene where the protagonist must choose colours for a woollen cloak she’s going to make, and the colours she finally chooses, night blue, undyed white wool, dark amber and soft yellow, decorated with green/grey moon stones, resemble your picture exactly, and flung me back into the wonderful world unfurling in the book.
I hope this doesn’t sound too incoherent for you, but I wanted to thank you for a lovely recipe, and for reminding me of a literary happy place (even if that probably wasn’t your intention).
PS: It’s freezing outside, and as we speak, your vegan pumpkin chili is simmering and bubbling away, leaving a much-obliged warmth and a comforting cinnamon smell around the house :)
Kate
Hi Evelyn! I’m sorry it’s taken me a while to get back to you. I was such an avid reader as a kid. I don’t recognize the cover of Juniper but maybe I’ve read it! I’m glad my photo brought you back to a happy place.
Wendy
See….I knew there was a reason I felt a connection to you. My son is fighting leukemia, and unless you have it come into your world, front and center, it’s not something you can remotely relate to. Now, if possible, you’re even more wildly cool than I already thought. Good for you–good for Bill–kicking cancer’s butt is no easy feat. I love hearing the positive stories–we know there are far too many of the others. Thanks fellow sister in this wacky world of food and leukemia. Have a great Thanksgiving! Oh, this soup looks amazing…I will let you know how popular it was after I make it.
Kate
Thank you, Wendy. I’m so sorry to hear that leukemia has afflicted your family. I’m a big believer in the power of modern medicine and positive thoughts, so I’m sending all the happy healing vibes I can muster to your son right now. He can do it!
Ella
Next time you’re in Portland you have to try out Harlow! Their food is so, so good. Bill’s a rockstar. And I’m glad you enjoyed your time in the PNW!
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
r.a.
Thank you for the uplifting story of your stem cell donation. I hope many will be inspired to join the registry. I have been on it for a few years but I am about to age out. My youngest son recently signed up and my youngest daughter is considering. We know a family who had a grandchild in desperate need of a match made more difficult to find because he was racially mixed and he had a negative blood type. He finally had a less than 10 of 10 match transplant and like your recipient has become his donor’s clone. Want to give a great gift to someone? Please join the registry to give a second chance to someone to enjoy life!
Kate
Thank you, R.A.! I’m so glad your kids are aware of the registry. It’s really very important. I’m so glad your family friend got the transplant he needed. The more people we can get on the registry, the better!
Isadora
These photos are so gorgeous, Kate! They look like they could be a painting! That waterfall is also amazing! I’ve never been to Portland but have always wanted to go. That is pretty awesome that you donated stem cells and that they were able to help someone so much :) This soup is now on my to-do list :)
Millie | Add A Little
This looks so tasty and comforting Kate! I love the recipe!
Baby June
Aw, that is such a great story! Stem cells rock, it’s so cool that you donated some :) The soup looks incredible too!
The Queen of Dreaming
This soup looks soooo good! Can’t wait to try it!
Mary Shoppings
Omg it really looks yummieee! :-)
Merrilee
It’s delicious! Love the photos and love the recipe- thanks. Going for second serving now.
Kate
Thank you, Merrilee! So glad you enjoyed the soup!
Joanne
Meeting Bill must have been such an amazing experience after all you have been through “together”. I find that there are never enough pumpkin soup recipes in this world and I can’t wait to try your take on it!
maria eugenia sanz
Estupenda receta, no soy de platos veganos totalmente, pero esta crema tiene una pinta maravillosa.
un saludo
Kate
Gracias, Maria!
Anne
I tried this with canned pumpkin and it worked like a charm. I had two of the large cans of pumpkin puree that needed using up so I had to play it a little fast and loose with the quantities of all ingredients, but it turned out smooth and filling and delicious. It’s been frozen and reheated without any adverse effects, too. Winner winner pumpkin dinner!
Kate
Awesome! I am really glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing your recipe notes, Anne!
Sylvia
Hi Kate,
I love your recipe and I link it on my blog!! It’s my fav creamy vegan soup of this week :)
Kate
Thank you so much for sharing my soup, Sylvia! :)
Jennifer
This is delicious. My husband & 8-year-old daughter liked it, too. The little bit of cream & the little bit of spice play very well together. YUM.
Kate
Thank you, Jennifer! Glad to hear it.
Emily
Hi Kate, this soup is SO good – WOW! I love the spices and coconut milk in this. This is a simply perfect fall soup!
I used the puree from a batch of several sugar pumpkins I roasted previously and it turned out great. I’m sure this would be fine with canned pumpkin puree as well, but since I started roasting & pureeing my own pumpkins this season, I don’t think i’ll ever go back (unless I’m in a pinch). The flavor and freshness just can’t be beat! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us :)
Kate
Thank you, Emily! So glad you enjoyed this one!
sarahw
Lived this! Thank you. I like the way you tell a story, and somehow that is gold when choosing which recipe to go with. I used kombucho pumpkins we got from the farm today. Instead of doing a veg broth I made my own, bay leaf, 2 carrots, more onion and garlic, tad more salt. I used a coconut cream. Only thing ill do different – and that will be soon, is perhaps put more cayenne. But that’s my preference. Thanks a million…it’s truly inspiring to find great vegan recipes.
Kate
Thank you, Sarah! I appreciate your kind words. Your version sounds awesome. :)
Megan
Hi Kate,
I loved this soup! My family and I all really enjoyed it. I think that the cloves really add another flavor dimension. Thanks so much so yummy!
Kate
Hey Megan! I’m glad to hear that. Thanks for letting me know!
Claire
I’ve made this soup twice now, once with pumpkin and once with squash – and I honestly think it’s the nicest soup I’ve ever had – Thankyou for a great recipe :)
Kate
Yay! Thanks, Claire!
Elizabeth
So pumpkins are super hard to come by where I am from, so is it possible to use the creamed pumpkin in a can? Recipe looks delicious!!! Its making super hungry:)
Kate
Yes, check the recipe notes! Another reader said canned worked well for her.
Laura Hutchison
What’s the best way to make ahead in the day and finish off quickly? Can I just make the whole recipe and let it sit on the stove and and reheat? Or should I stop somewhere in the process and finish off? I assume since there is no dairy I can leave on the stove for a few hours and don’t need to refrigerate. Planning on making for Christmas Eve to have after church and there will be no room in the fridge.
Kate
Hi Laura! You could roast the pumpkin in advance and chill that until you’re ready to cook the soup, in which case you’d have soup on the table in 25 minutes. Or, you could keep the soup hot in a crock pot so it’s safe to eat when you get home. Otherwise, you could make the soup up to two hours in advance and re-heat on the stove. Longer than two hours and you’re pushing the “danger zone” for food safety.
Anne Cohen
I have yet to try this recipe. I’m looking forward to trying this! Looks very delicious!
Jeanette Blonski
Hi Kate,
I just found your website looking for a soup recipe using a Calabaza Pumpkin. This Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup looked the best, make it and it’s SO DELICIOUS!!! The toasted pumpkin seeds are a fabulous touch. I’m going to make this soup frequently now. I will look thru your recipes and no doubt be making more of them now that I’ve discovered you. You might have just gotten yourself a new groupie. Thanks for this great recipe and I’ve just provided my e-mail so you can send me your newest recipes!
Julie Brehm
Oh my gosh!! Best soup I’ve made in a long time! I live in Reno, NV and it’s finally Fall like weather. I figured it was a good time to make a comfort soup, and this Roasted Pumpkin Soup hit the spot! Thank you for the recipe! I will definitely be sharing with my family and friends
Kate
Woohoo, that’s great to hear! Thank you for sharing, Julie. :)
Ella
Made this today as I have been craving pumpkin soup. When I lived in the dorms for college about once a week and only in October, the dinning halls would have pumpkin soup, it was my favorite soup they made. This comes pretty darn close to how I remember it, only thing missing was small pieces of bacon.
I did add some sugar at the end, as the soup was just a bit bitter, likely just due to the pumpkin I used and not anything wrong with the actual recipe. Supper yummy.
Kate
Thanks, Ella! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I don’t think my dorms ever offered pumpkin soup, so I’m a little jealous!
Martha
This soup is DELICIOUS!! I will definitely be making it again. Do you know if it freezes well?
Ilona
You keep saying squash, too confusing
Kate
Sorry about that! Pumpkin is a type of squash. I just changed it to pumpkin throughout the instructions.
Janet
This is wonderful, my first pumpkin soup and will be staple for the fall season
Liva
Delicious!!! The perfect soup for a fall day. I used ginger honey, the subtle ginger is a nice addition. I used some frozen pumpkin puree left over from Halloween, and due to this, the colour came out quite dull. Otherwise, amazing!
Brett
I substituted with 4 cups of canned puree, allspice for cloves, and chicken broth for veg stock. Perfect!
johnc
Made this last night and it was terrific. doubled the recipe all but the spices and only 2 additional cups of broth. Loved by adults and kids! Was perfecto with cashew sour cream (1 cup cashews soaked overnight, blended with enough water to make a thick cream ~1/4cup, a squeeze of lemon juice or lactic acid powder, and salt to taste). Thanks for sharing!
Eden
Oooo!!
Cashew sour cream!!!???
My husband and I are making this tonight from fresh pumpkins.
So excited
Janie
This went into my “gold” notebook of favorite recipes as soon as dinner was over tonight. It’s wonderful! Made it with a local sugar pumpkin, roasted, with whole coconut milk. Didn’t add any maple syrup. What a treat. Thank you, Kate!
Damjana Dzeko
Hi Kate!
Made your Roasted Pumpkin Soup doubled recipe-I used 1) 3.5lb Pumpkin and 1) 796mL can of 100%Pumpkin Purée. I also added 1tsp pumpkin pie spice and everyone raved about it! Everyone has asked for the recipe! Thank you for this delicious recipe! Damjana Dzeko
Nancy W
Hi Kate,
thanks for the great recipe! I roasted my halloween pumpkins and was very happy to find a recipe that I had all the ingredients on hand for…I used the coconut milk and maple syrup and veg broth…roasted the pumpkin the other night so it was easy and delicious.
Tess
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I got a pumpkin in my CSA and thought “ummmm….” I searched your site for pumpkin recipes and I have to say, this is now one of my favorites. Super flavorful and silky (even with an immersion blender!).
Marcie
Delicioius! Used two small pumpkins leftover from Halloween decorations, and didn’t bother with the maple syrup. Also, I blended some of the soup and left some chunky. Wonderful recipe. Thanx, Kate.
Phyllis
Hello there and thank you for that fantastic recipe!
I made this soup tonight (sans the cloves I didn’t have) and it is absolutely delicious! I had a huge pumpkin left over from Halloween that I wanted to use up. This did the trick! I roasted the pumpkin seeds with a little 9 Spice Mix I had from OhSheGlows, but used your directions (without the oil-really not needed) and they turned out delicious also.
Thank you so much for the delicious recipe. I will make this again and again. It’s a favorite now!
Thanks again!
Katherine
I have made this soup at least ten times over the course of the Fall and Winter and have used canned pumpkin every time… I never blend but I add the vegetable broth very slowly and cook on very low so it maintains the thickness. It’s my new favorite Fall/Winter soup recipe — and so healthy! Thanks for sharing! It’s also the first time I’ve ever commented on a recipe that I’ve made so that is saying something!
Terri
I had some leftover canned pumpkin from making muffins so I used it for this soup. Great choice! It is as you said – the canned pumpkin doesn’t have the depth of flavor as roasted fresh pumpkin. I ended up using 1 1/2 cans pumpkin, doubled the spices and substituted smoked paprika for the cayenne. It may have been creamier with the canned coconut milk but I didn’t have any, so I used 2 cups homemade coconut milk with the fat on top (I keep it on hand for my smoothies. Recipe at wellnessmama.com) and 2 cups broth. It was yummy! Even my husband, who doesn’t normally like these kinds of soup, enjoyed a bowl for lunch. Thank you, Kate, for a delicious recipe! I rated it 5 stars for ease of preparation, common ingredients, delectable taste, and ease of substitutions.
Kate
Thank you so much, Terri! What a thorough review. I’m glad everyone enjoyed it!
Tania
I made this for dinner accompanied with nicely roasted garlic bread sticks. Everyone loved it. It was a perfectly balanced light meal! thank you so very much for this! I however used chicken broth power as we don’t have canned broth in my country.! Also no papitas. but it was still rich and creamy! please do share more soup recipes :)
Kate
Thank you, Tania! I’m glad your version worked out so well.
Tania
Hi Kate,
planning to make this in a big quantity, can i grill the pumpkin wrapped in foil? i have a big BBQ grill which would serve the purpose.
Kate
Hi Tania, I’m really not sure because I’ve never tried grilling pumpkin. You could probably roast multiple pumpkins in the oven on two large rimmed pans with the racks in the upper third and lower third of the oven.
Jadzia
I’ve made this for dinner a few times now and love it!! Sooooo creamy and delicious! Thanks Kate :)
Kate
Wonderful! Thanks, Jadzia.
pooja
Made this pumpkin soup and loved it. It was amazing !! Thank you Kate
Kate
Wonderful! I hope it was comforting and delicious, Pooja.
Jesse
I love the fact you think coconut milk is dairy free. Lmao. Good recipe though.
Kate
Coconut milk is absolutely dairy free. Have a nice day!
Angela
Busy making this soup now….kitchen smells wonderful!
Denise Firestone
What about using a long neck pumpkin?
I have one and would love to make this soup.
Kate
Hi Denise, I’ve never cooked with a long-neck pumpkin. If you know that you enjoy that variety’s flavor once cooked, and it’s about the same weight as specified here, that would be a good candidate!
Asimina
Hello – I would love to make this … but I’m diabetic and haven’t eaten sugar for a month ( blood sugars are doing great! ) so my question is: is there anything I can sub for the honey / maple syrup and if so how much … or can I just omit ? .. maybe compensate with more of / different spice? Thank you so much!
Kate
Hi Asimina, I’m sorry for the slow response. You can omit the sweetener in this soup. It’s just a small amount added for flavor complexity, but I think you’ll still love it without. Congratulations on your stable blood sugars, that’s amazing!
Asimina
Thank you very much for your reply :)
So I actually made this soup before I got your response and made it as written. I decided to use the honey as it wasn’t very much. Im am in LOVE with this soup and have been texting the link to friends and family and anyone els that will listen to me praise it!
So so good … people if you haven’t made this yet get crakin cuz it’s yum-O!
Oh and here was a plus – no blood sugar spike!! Yahoooo!
Julie
I am a fan, but this recipe did not come out well for me. I followed it exactly and it just tastes like an Indian spiced onion soup. No one else would eat it so I had to throw it away.
Kate
Hi Julie, I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the soup. Did you weigh your pumpkin when you bought it, by chance? If it was significantly smaller than mine, that would explain why the spice flavor came through so strongly. Spices usually mellow out overnight, so there’s a good chance you might have enjoyed the soup more the next day. All that said, maybe our taste buds just disagree on this one.
Lisa
Super delicious! Fresh pumpkin is worth the effort. I made the soup using the full fat coconut milk, added a little extra of the spices and only used 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Will definitely make again soon and will lessen the maple syrup to 1/2 tablespoon. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
TJ Dwyer
This soup was AMAZING! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I had small (just over 2 pounds) sugar pie pumpkins. I halved the recipe and used one because I was only cooking for myself last night. (I’ll still have enough for most of the week’s dinners!) Guiltily, I actually used Coconut Cream because the cans are so much smaller and I only needed a little bit. Fantastic! I also used Maple Syrup, because I’m g-free/vegan. The toasted pepitas were an AWESOME touch. I used a lot more spice (including more cayenne.) It really came together quite easily from roasting the pumpkin through blending (I used my immersion blender.) As a P.S. … I’ve been roasting pumpkin seeds my entire life. As a kid it was always oil and salt. I’ve gotten (slightly) more creative as I aged but stayed close to the salt & oil “recipe” because I like it so much. HOWEVER, I was SO intrigued by your use of Brown Sugar & Curry. So I tried it and they were out of this world! Thanks again!!
Kate
You are so welcome, TJ! It is a delightful soup and especially right now. Thank you for your comments! If you wouldn’t mind leaving a star review, I would be grateful. :)
TJ Dwyer
Forgot the stars! Thanks again!
Kate
Thank you, TJ!
Amber Rousseau
I loved this soup! I did use more of the spices and added thyme, which turned out really good.
Jodi
I made this soup almost exactly as written except I had a small ” pumpkin” that turned out to be something that looked like a small round pumpkin but when I roasted it the pulp was very similar to spaghetti squash. it was marked pumpkin at the store. So I used it anyway and halved the recipe for my husband and my Sunday dinner. I didn’t have coconut milk so I used Trader Joes coconut cream instead. I didn’t have pepitas so we sprinkled sunflower seeds on the soup for some crunch. We thought pine nuts would work too. The soup is delicious. Very yummy served with a green salad on a rainy cool evening. The recipe is pretty adaptable so I would say use whatever squash you have and adjust spices accordingly. All your recipes are wonderful really!
Kate
Thank you, Jodi for sharing!
Frantz
Wow! I tweaked it by using 6 tbs of maple syrup and 1 tsp of thyme. I used veggie broth and cream (1cup) . Next time I may start w 1/2 cup of creme like the recipe called for :)
Linda Martin
Hi I want to make some pumpkin soup and your recipe sounds delicious. I have one problem – I have already roasted my pumpkin and taken the skin off so I don’t know how much cooked pumpkin to use in this recipe.
Kate
Sorry, I may be too late—I’d just blend in most of the cooked pumpkin (if you think it was a medium-sized sugar pumpkin to begin with) and add more if you’d like a more creamy texture.
Lorraine
Hi – I made this with a small sugar pie pumpkin and it was DELICIOUS! My sister just gave me 2 litre bag of cubed carving pumpkin. I’m thinking I’ll roast 4 or 4 1/2 cups of it, based on this info from Www.thespruceeats.com. What do you think?
Measurements and Equivalents
Plan on purchasing 1/3 to 1/2 pound of pumpkin per serving as a side dish. Much of the weight will be discarded in the peel and seeds.
• 5 pounds fresh pumpkin = about 4 1/2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin
• 1 pound fresh pumpkin = about 1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin
• One 15-ounce can pumpkin = 1 3/4 cups mashed pumpkin
• One 29-ounce can pumpkin = 3 1/2 cups mashed pumpkin
Janie
We loved this soup! It was just perfect for a chilly, rainy fall night. Opted for the coconut milk to make it vegan and omitted the maple syrup at the end because it seemed perfect without it. The best part is that my pumpkin was large enough that I had to freeze some of it after roasting, and now it will be easy to make this again and again. One small addition I made was to add 1/4 cup of raw cashews to cook along with the onion, garlic and salt (learned from a recent NYT butternut squash soup recipe). They blend up nicely with the rest of the soup and add extra creaminess. This is worth re-posting every November for its utter perfection and for the story about Bill. Thank you so much, Kate!
Kate
Fantastic, Janie! I really appreciate your comment and star review :)
Sg Natale
I needed to make this as described except without onion. To my taste, garlic ruined it, even though I like that ingredient in many things.
May try again without it.
Kate
I am sorry you are disappointed. Omitting the onion would likely impact the flavor the garlic provided. I recommend keeping the onion, unless you have an allergy. If you don’t like that much onion, you could always pair it back.
Kristen
Thanks for the recipe Kate! It looks so good — the pumpkin is roasting right now in the oven! I ended up skipping the olive oil on the roasting pumpkin, and just cut the pumpkin in half and laid it flat-side down. I find it steams itself when I roast it like this. Can’t wait to try the finished product!
Cheers!
– Kristen from Rise & Brine
Kate
How did it turn out Kristen? Thanks so much for the review!
Kristen from Rise & Brine
So so tasty (and spicy because I seem to need to put hot pepper in everything)! I can’t believe it was so easy to make, and healthy :)
Shari
Looking forward to trying this recipe but wondering what temperature to set the oven when roasting the pumpkin seeds (I want to do that, too). Thanks!
Kate
Hi Shari, I think the recipe note presumed that you were roasting at 425.
SUSAN A ELLIS
Pumpkin soup is excellent and fast. Toasted my pumpkin seeds with a little olive oil and salt. This with a veggie burger was a great lunch today. PS-Love Portland and those falls, went last year.
Kate
Great combination, Susan! Thank you for sharing and for your star review.
Anastasia
How would you suggest to do this as a crockpot meal? I’d be using canned pumpkin. Any thoughts would be appreciated :)
Kate
I have added notes on if wanting to use canned pumpkin at the end of the recipe, under the instructions. Take a look there for quantities. :) Make sure you sauté the onions and veggies called for to get the rich flavor. Then, you can cook the soup in the crockpot. Once it’s done cooking, you will still want to puree it. I haven’t tried it in the crockpot yet, so let me know how it goes! But, the sauté step is critical so don’t leave that step out.
Meg
Followed instructions as was written except for using canned pumpkin and mine came out so gross and bitter. I tried adding more spices, maple sugar, and even sugar but nothing can save this soup. So disappointed.
Wendy
So following a dream in which I bought a pumpkin (However, the pumpkins were only being sold quartered at the farm market in my dream. I had to try to hold the four quarters together to buy the pumpkin, with seeds leaking out everywhere. Typical stress dream.), I decided to just follow whatever my stupid subconscious was trying to tell me and bought a pumpkin at the store. I stared at the pumpkin for a week, trying to figure out what the heck to do with it. This soup recipe to the rescue! A lot of steps but I had all the ingredients in stock, and it tasted great. My daughter now refers to it as my prophecy soup. :-) Thanks Kate!
Kate
Interesting! I’m glad this recipe came to the rescue. :)
Andy
Greetings from Great Britain.
I made the vegan version of your recipe and it was absolutely delicious
Thank you and keep writing
Kate
Thank you!
Cath
I desperately wanted to like this recipe, as I making it for a friend who just moved into a new house. Unfortunately, I am disappointed with the results, i followed the recipe to a tee but am left with a bitter garlic taste that doesn’t quite match the sweet cinnamon flavors. I am left wondering if I should even give her the soup, or make a whole new soup. Ahwell, you win some, you lose some.
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that, Cath! Were you using fresh garlic? If your garlic is old, has bad spots or is sprouting, that can cause a bitter taste to the garlic.
Pamela Hudson
Just made this in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Our pumpkins here are not quite as yellow so the color of my soup isn’t as nice, but the flavor is fabulous! We’ve started rainy season here, so this soup absolutely hits the spot. Thank you!
Kate
I’m glad to hear that! Thanks for the review, Pamela.
Shweta
Perfect soup for the sick souls and the winters! It’s just so warm with spices and they blend perfectly well. I think I loved the addition of coconut cream/ milk! However, if we need to make it more healthy and not add in coconut cream, what should it be substituted with? Love this recipe :)
Kate
I would keep the cream with it as it really makes the other flavors the best. It’s only 1/2 cup for the whole soup so per serving doesn’t add that much. You could omit it, but I wouldn’t recommend it. :)
Jude
What a easy & delicious recipe…..thanks Kate!
Kate
You’re welcome, Jude!
Ruth McCoskey
Thank you for posting this recipe. I bought 3 small sugar pie pumpkins last week and was wondering how to make a soup out of one of them. They’re a little on the small side so I was thinking about adding a small butternut squash to the mix. Should allow for an interesting flavor. I haven’t made this yet but from the ingredients list I’m giving it 5 stars. It is very similar to the acorn squash soup I make that we love.
Kate
Thank you, Ruth!
Adrianna
This soup…was SO delicious! I bout a pumpkin pie pumpkin on accident which was only about 2.4 pounds, so I halved this recipe. It turned out AMAZING and I have such a hard time finding a good pumpkin soup recipe! The pinch of cayenne compliments the rest of the spices. I used heavy cream instead of coconut milk because I already had it. I put the whole thing in my ninja blender (half the recipe fits perfect) and it is the creamiest, loveliest soup! Thank you C & K, another recipe in the book for me! (Your recipes never disappoint, you’re my go to!)
Kate
Thank you for sharing your variation, Adrianna! I’m happy you love this recipe.
Adrianna
5 star recipe! I have made this soup TWICE in 3 days…that’s how much I love it. I started with a smaller pumpkin on accident (it looked like a 4lb pumpkin but was 2lbs!) Also it was a “pumpkin pie” pumpkin which i’m guessing is the equivalent of a “sugar pie” pumpkin. So I halved your recipe- to a T. I looked at the spices and thought – huh, this looks like not enough…BUT I didn’t alter it (because generally your recipes are A+ with no alternations). And I’m glad I didn’t change a thing because WOW was this soup spot on! I did use heavy cream- only because we didn’t have coconut milk. My boyfriend and I ate the soup within 2 days…so on day #3 I had to make it again! This is my go-to pumpkin soup recipe now! Now i’m just waiting until you come up with a healthy pumpkin pie recipe to make my fall favorites complete!
Thanks again Kate!
Kate
I love that, Adrianna! Thanks so much for sharing.
Camila Almeida
I added a pinch of curry and red pepper flakes to it and it was delicious! An absolute hit!
Kate
Thanks for the review, Camila!
Becky
Pumpkin soup was an excellent recipe. Thank you so much!
Kate
You’re welcome, Becky! Thanks for your review.
Jessica Howard
Our mountain market does not carry pumpkins that you can bake :-( so I opted to roast a butternut squash and combine that with 1 can of pumpkin puree. I ended up with pan roasted butternut squash seeds to mix with my pantry pepita’s. Really great recipe and I hope to do it again with pumpkins we can bake!
Kate
I love how you worked with what you had and that it turned out well! Thank you, Jessica for sharing and for your review.
Lori Yanuck
OMG. LOVE IT!!!!! Yummy!!! Thank you <3 I thought the list of ingredients were interesting and all flavors I love…..I used the cull fat coconut milk…and I an thrilled with this recipe. I added the maple syrup at the end as I split it up for the family…and some didn’t think sweet would be “soup”. Either way YUMMY!!!!
Kate
Fantastic to hear you love it, Lori! Thanks for taking the time to share.
Trish
Just made this soup and it’s amazing soo easy definitely will be one of my favorite recipe thanks for sharing
Kate
Great, Trish! Thanks for trying it.
Martha B.
I made this soup tonight to serve as lunch tomorrow for a bunch of hungry college kids we will be hosting. It tastes awesome! They’re going to love it! I roasted a pumpkin and a butternut squash, used chicken broth, extra black pepper instead of cayenne (didn’t have any) and added 1/2 stick of butter when I emulsified with my stick blender. This soup is rich and delicious! Perfect for these chilly fall days here at West Point.
Kate
Daring to host a bunch of college kids! Packed house! What did they think of this soup, Martha?
Martha B
They definitely liked it! I was clearing lots of empty soup bowls after they ate. I heard one cadet tell her friend, “I need to learn how to cook like this!”
Mike
I have been making this recipe every year now since 2016 when we buy pumpkins for carving. It works just fine with the pieces left from carving 4 or 5 pumpkins. It tastes great, I add Goya Spicy Adobo and some butternut squash. Thanks for this recipe, all the other ones I could find called for canned pumpkin and I wanted to use the pumpkin meat we always have after the massacre.
Kate
That’s great! Fun to have a go-to recipe you love. Thanks for sharing, Mike.
Ali
I am sorry to say that is the worst thing I have ever attempted in my kitchen. I’ve just gone dairy free so followed your recipe with coconut milk. There was too much of every spice. I added your directions for everything minus the cloves, adding 1/8 a teaspoon just seemed too much so I put in less than half a teaspoon, 3 cloves to be exact. I shudder to think how many you’d need to put in to satisfy 1/8 of a teaspoon. There was too much of every spice, it was utterly inedible. It looked so lovely so I was particularly disappointed, especially as I went to the expense of buying a blender just for this recipe.
I’m sorry to say but this was utterly repulsive and I ended up throwing the whole lot out wasting £20, not including the cost of the blender. Such a shame.
Kate
I’m sorry you felt that way, Ali! Thank you for trying it.
Angela C.
What would you recommend for sides? (Besides salad.) I like dipping torn bread into soups, what kind of bread would complement this soup?
Kate
I nice bakery fresh baguette would be delicious! You could do a grilled cheese too. This one one from my blog: https://cookieandkate.com/2014/balsamic-roasted-broccoli-and-red-pepper-grilled-cheese/
Oh, I like the sound of that!
Clint
What a delicious recipe! I just made this last night for everyone on Halloween! I was pretty shocked at how good it was, especially since it was my first time. I ended up doubling the recipe because the pumpkin I bought was MASSIVE. I only used half the pumpkin, yet I still got double. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Kate
What a great dish to serve for halloween! Thanks so much for sharing, Clint. I appreciate it.
Karen
I was looking for a roasted pumpkin recipe for the day after Halloween and this sounded lovely. I’ve just joined Slimming world so I had to tweak slightly. I used frylite instead of olive oil, lite coconut milk and missed out the honey/syrup. I used 1/4 tsp paprika. It was beautiful, creamy and sweet and I had a big bowl for my dinner for 1 syn! I will be sharing your recipe with my friends. Thankyou.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Karen! I appreciate your review and variation.
Lynda M Shaha
I am very anxious to try THE ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP. Don’t know that I will use the pepitas but am sure to enjoy the soup anyway. My husband and I really love soup and like to try new recipes. Will let you know how we like it. I have not made it yet. Perhaps tomorrow.
Lynda
Kate
Let me know what you think, Lynda!
Lynda
Kate,
I made the Pumpkin Soup today. My husband and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me a Root Soup at one of our local restaurants.
Will certainly make it again. Deliciousiso!
Lynda
Lynda
We very much enjoyed it. It reminded us of a Root Soup from one of our local restaurants. Certain too make it again.
Lynda
Kate
I made this soup and it was very good. It reminds me of a soup at one of our local restaurants. It is is called Root Soup. We very much enjoyed and had enough to freeze.
Thanking you I am.
Lynda
Diane Disney
I used a pie pumpkin. Why is the soup brew. I followed every instruction to the letter.
Kate
I’m sorry you were disappointed, Diane! I’m not sure what you mean by soup brew? Love to help if I can!
Barbara Lipian
Oh my heavens!! The Pumkin soup was wonderful. Love the recipe! Going to try the toasted pumkin seeds next.
Kate
I’m so happy you enjoyed this soup, Barbara. Thanks so much!
Joyce Layton
The Roasted Pumpkin Soup is so delicious and filling. The toasted pumpkin seeds are the perfect garnish and add the perfect touch. Loved it!
Kate
I’m glad you loved it!
Erin
This ended up tasting extraordinarily bland….like baby mush. Any suggestions as to how to make it taste better? I’m not super keen on just adding a tonne of salt…
Kate
Hi Erin, I’m sorry to hear that! Soups do need a decent amount of salt for flavor. If it needs some kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Nicole
I made this to try on thanksgiving this year, 2018. I doubled the recipe and used 4 cans of pumpkin purée. I like a little more robust soup so I also added more cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup than was called for. I also added a little too much cayenne pepper but it actually turned out amazing! Definitely will use again, maybe this will work in the crockpot so I can come home from work/ class to a yummy bowl of soup.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Nicole!
Kate
I roasted the pumpkin yesterday. Made the soup today. Absolutely gorgeous! Will be making again-thank you! I only added a swirl of coconut cream and omitted the maple syrup. Will try both with the leftovers tomorrow…
Kate
You’re welcome, Kate!
daniel brake
I made this recipe tonight, although I used a pumpkin puree I made last night while “clearing out” the fall decorative pumpkins. This is my first time of taking advantage of the pumpkin myself (I dont cook often)– a shortsighted mistake I shall not make again! The combination of savory and sweet, and the texture of the pumpkin and onions make this a fantastic dish. I am excited to share it with the family, and think this will become a seasonal tradition. Thanks Kate!
Kate
Thanks for sharing Daniel!
Karen
OMG, this soup was amazing! I was at a friends house with 7 month old twins. The babies ate it and cried for more. Who could be a better critic than babies….
Kate
That’s adorable! Thanks for sharing, Karen.