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Pumpkin Soup

This pumpkin soup recipe is Fall in a bowl! It’s luxuriously creamy, rich and velvety, layered with flavor from roasted pumpkin, onions, garlic, Granny Smith apple, coconut milk, warm and earthy cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and sweetened up a bit with a kiss of maple. The ingredients simmer together in a fragrant aromatic bath then all get blended together to create the most hypnotic pumpkin soup you ever tasted – without any guilt! This creamy pumpkin soup recipe is also make ahead friendly and freezer friendly for stress free dinners or lunches throughout the week. Now get ready to curl up and warm up with big bowl of velvety roasted pumpkin soup!
Course Appetizer, Main Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

Soup

  • 1-2 sugar pie pumpkins to equal 4 pounds/64 ounces
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large white onion chopped
  • 1 Granny Smith apple peeled and chopped into 1” chunks
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp EACH ground ginger, ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp EACH turmeric, ground coriander, ground nutmeg, ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper more or less to taste
  • 1 14 oz. can coconut milk ( I love Chaokoh)
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Roasted Seeds

  • Reserved pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp EACH ground cinnamon, sugar, sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper

Instructions

To Roast Pumpkins

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (for easy cleanup). Halve the pumpkin(s) and scoop out the seeds (reserve seeds for roasting). Slice each pumpkin halve in half to make quarters. Brush the flesh of the pumpkin quarters with olive oil.
  • Place pumpkin quarters cut sides down on the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes at 425 OR until the flesh easily pierces through with a fork. Set aside to cool for a few minutes (you can use this time to clean the pumpkin seeds) then peel the pumpkin skin off of the pumpkins; discard the skin.

To Roast Seeds (Optional)

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil sprayed with cooking spray. Rinse seeds and pat very dry. Add seeds to the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with vegetable oil. Season with cinnamon, sugar, sea salt and chipotle chili pepper; stir until evenly coated. Spread seeds out evenly on baking sheet in a single layer. Cook for 25-30 minutes (or longer) depending on how “crunchy” you like your seeds.

To make soup

  • While the seeds are roasting, make the soup. Melt butter with olive oil in a Dutch oven/soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and apple and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until onions are softened.
  • Add garlic and all spices/seasonings; sauté 1 minute. Add pumpkin flesh, coconut milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Cover the pot, leaving a 1-inch gap. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and replacing the lid.
  • Working in 2-3 batches, transfer soup to a high-powered blender to puree, taking care to let smoke escape or it will explode (I leave a corner open and cover with a paper towel). I find my blender gives a smoother, more desirable consistency than an immersion blender.
  • Transfer pureed soup back to the pot. Stir in maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Season to taste with additional salt & pepper if desired or additional maple syrup. Ladle into bowls and garnish with coconut milk, seeds and cilantro if desired (optional).

Notes

Storage

Store pumpkin soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.  Pumpkin soup reheats beautifully, so it is perfect to make in advance. You can reheat individual servings in the microwave or heat larger quantities on the stove or crockpot until warmed through – see detailed instructions in post.  

PREP AHEAD

You can prep almost all of the ingredients for creamy pumpkin soup a day ahead of time so then it’s just dump, cook and eat! 
  • Roast pumpkin: roast the pumpkin according to recipe directions and store the flesh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to three months.
  • Roast seeds:  roast the pumpkin seeds according to recipe directions and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
  • Prep aromatics:  chop the onions and mince the garlic and store them in separate airtight container in the refrigerator
  • Seasonings:  you can measure out all of the seasonings and store them in a plastic aright bag.

SLOW COOKER PUMPKIN SOUP:

You can also make this pumpkin soup recipe in the crockpot.  Keep in mind that less liquid is evaporated in the slow cooker, so you may want to start with less broth or your soup won’t be quite as thick. To make:
  1. Roast pumpkin.  Roast the pumpkin according to the recipe directions.
  2. Combine ingredients. Add all of the ingredients to a 6-quart slow cooker.   
  3. Cook until tender.  Cook until the onions and apples are tender, approximately 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high. 
  4. Blend.  Working in 2-3 batches, transfer the soup ingredients to the blender and puree until smooth.
  5. Garnish.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds, coconut milk, etc.