Is it too late in the year to talk about pumpkin soup?
I love pumpkin soup so much because you can add all the orange vegetables to it, and nobody will notice. Also, it gets all creamy and dreamy without you actually having to add anything that’s creamy and dreamy!
I mostly make pumpkin soup without cream, because it really doesn’t need it. It has so much flavor and silkiness all by itself already. Even my husband has to admit how good this is, and that means a lot coming from him, talking about pumpkin soup.
Recipe tips
- Pick a delicious pumpkin. I used a really fun one (I mean, fun as far as pumpkin goes… I’m not that crazy.): A Blue Ballet one. OK, that’s a winter squash. Guilty. You can definitely use a winter squash like Kabocha or Hubbard for this soup if sugar pumpkin in savory dishes makes you feel weird and you’d rather have it in some pumpkin bread.
- No color, no flavor: Give the ingredients time to roast before adding the stock. That way you get those deep, golden flavors which really make this soup worthwhile.
- Season to taste. I wrote down my suggested seasonings, and while they are amazing, it’s no dealbreaker if you hate ginger and really want to leave it out. I mean, I’ll be sad. But I’ll understand.
- Be careful when you blend it. I have burned myself more than once with hot soup, and it’s not fun. Place a clean dishtowel over the soup if you’re blending it with a stick blender. I you’re using a regular blender, read up on what your manufacturer has to say about hot liquids, before you splatter hot soup all over your sweet face and the just-cleaned kitchen.
Step by step photos
All good things start with butter (shhhh… you didn’t hear it from me), so melt some in your largest Dutch oven.
Once the butter is melted and bubbly, let’s add all those beautiful vegetables.
Sure, you could do just pumpkin. But it would be awfully lonely in there. So it gets some company in the name of onion, sweet potato and carrot.
Now let’s get these roasted.
Don’t be afraid of adding a little color. It’s where the flavor magic happens! Accio flavor.
Once the veggies are all starting to roast, add some salt and spices.
I do ground nutmeg, cumin, ginger and black pepper. You can add cayenne for some heat, but my kids are very vengeful when it comes to spicy food and I value no more than the necessary havoc around mealtimes.
Look, now comes our secret ingredient.
Don’t tell anyone. I add brown sugar to my pumpkin soup.
Why? I like the taste of it.
It’s not like the pumpkin needs more sweetness. But for some reason, that spoon full of brown sugar really adds something to the soup. So, in it goes.
Now comes the hard part… Resisting to stir all the time.
I know it’s hard. Bear with me. Roast those veggies without stirring all the time.
It will be fine.
I know I’m stirring in the photo.
Stop it. Hands away.
Now in goes the liquid!
Yes, that’s water. No, it doesn’t taste bland.
Chicken stock is pretty amazing, too.
But chances are, I forget to defrost any chicken stock. So it’s nice to have a recipe that works perfectly fine for the more meal prep challenged among us.
I’m well aware of the alleged person who got furious because there was a “legit leaf” in her bowl at Chipotle.
Do not worry. That leaf is legit and it’s called bay.
Friend, meet bay. Bay, meet friend.
Great. Now let’s add some bay leaf to our soup for more incredible flavor.
Now it’s time to simmer this magic pot of soup.
15 minutes will do, so enough time for the dishes and a little dance.
As if I’m the only person singing and dancing over a sink of dirty dishes.
Now all that’s left to do is blending…
… until the soup is nice and smooth.
Now is the point where you’ll need to try the soup and decide if you want to add cream or not.
It’s absolutely up to you. IF you add cream, warm the soup gently for 2-3 minutes with the cream stirred in, but don’t boil it.
Either way, serve the soup hot and steamy from the pot.
With some crusty bread on the side. That’s a cliché, but also a must.
More hearty soups
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
Easy Pumpkin Soup
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion roughly diced
- 1 carrot peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 small sweet potato peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 pounds pumpkin peeled and deseeded, roughly chopped
- 5 cups water OR chicken stock
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg or less if you’re not a huge fan
- Salt + pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- Cream to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté the vegetables:Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, sweet potato and pumpkin and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Season the soup:Season with brown sugar, nutmeg, cumin, ginger, salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables for another 3-4 minutes, stirring from time to time, until they are starting to soften and brown.
- Cook the soup:Pour the chicken stock over the vegetables. Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Blend the soup:Take the pot off the heat and blend the soup until smooth. I like to use a stick blender when I'm short on time, but you can use a regular blender according to your manufacturer's instructions for hot liquids.
- Finish the soup:Add the soup back over medium heat and heat through. Stir in cream to thin to your desired consistency, if desired. Warm for 2-3 minutes, then serve hot.
Nutrition
More recipe information
P.S: If you didn’t use your entire pumpkin, you might want to chop up the rest, throw it on a sheet pan and roast it until soft. Then blend it and make these muffins – you won’t regret it.
Cintra says
Best pumpkin soup ever
Nora says
I’m so glad, Cintra!
Julie Denham says
I am making this soup for the second time, the first time was a huge success thank you.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Julie!
Kris says
So easy and FAST. Pretty yummy too! I made it with regular boring pumpkins left over from my fall decor. I was scared that the sweet potato and carrots and the brown sugar were going to make this on the sweeter side but it definitely is not! It’s perfectly balanced- will be making it again once we’re done with our fall pumpkin decorations!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Kris!
Liz Hunter says
This pumpkin soup is really good. Mine needed to brown longer and cook longer. I thought it needed salt and pepper but that’s all I would change. Thank for the great recipe
Doug says
So so nice you must try this . yummy
Kerry says
I haven’t made the soup yet, but just have to say how much fun it was to read what you wrote about it!
Helen says
Thanks for sharing, family loved it! 😍 I added garlic & turmeric as well. Also stirred through a little thickened cream at the end. It’s delicious already but just for that extra creaminess. Yum!! 😋
Mutsa says
Super easy recipe to follow, so tasty at the end. Thank you!
Lynn says
I’m not a big fan of pumpkin, but this was actually delicious. I loved the smoothness of it.
Mary says
Is it possible to make this with pumpkin purée? We’ve already tossed our pumpkins because they were molding, but I love pumpkin soup and would love to do it with pure pumpkin purée and chopped sweet potatoes.
Nora Rusev says
Hi Mary, yes I think that would work well. I would use a 28oz can pumpkin. Hope you’ll enjoy the soup!
Laura says
so easy to make and the carrot and sweet potato make the color so beautifuL! I also added 2 small regular potatoes to make it thicker and it tasted perfect that way.
Nora says
glad you enjoyed the soup, Laura!
Lisa Sharpe says
Great base recipe, but made some changes: used canned pumpkin bc didn^t have fresh – used 4 c vegetable stock – added garlic powder – skipped brown sugar – stirred in about 1/2 cup half and half before serving, and served with unsweetened whipped cream (something my grandmother taught me, sounds weird but its so good)
Nora says
thanks for sharing your changes, Lisa! sounds delicious made your way 🙂
Helen says
Delicious pumpkin soup recipe! My 15 month old granddaughter absolutely loved it as well so thank you! ☺
Nora says
So glad the soup was enjoyed this much, Helen! My young kids both love it, too.
Pat D. says
easy, cream, looks like photos. was surprised how well the nutmeg made this taste, definitely don’t skip if you’re going to make this soup.
Nora says
yes, nutmeg is so good in this soup! Thanks for your review, Pat!
Beth says
super yummy and perfect for a cold day. used 1 cup cream in place of some of the stock and it was perfect
Nora says
That sounds delicious with the cream, Beth! Thanks for your review, I appreciate it.
Ann says
This is a lovely recipe for pumpkin soup! I have been using it since last year and my whole family loves it – even the kids, which is close to a miracle!!
Nora says
Glad to hear this, Ann! Thanks for your review, too.