It is finally beginning to get cooler here. The mornings are pleasant and the evenings are getting a bit chilly. And when the weather is such, you automatically begin to crave for something that will keep you warm! Seriously what can be better than soups, stews, and chilis right? And so soups like carrot ginger soup, broccoli cheese soup, a simple vegetable soup, tomato soup, French onion soup, minestrone soup, egg drop soup, mushroom soup, and lentil soup are going to be making more of an appearance in our house. These are our family favorites and I hope to share all these yummy soup recipes until the soup season lasts.
My son had a field trip to the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago, and he came home with a sugar pumpkin, all excited! I knew I was going to make some fresh vegan pumpkin soup with coconut milk! I’ve shared this soup recipe earlier here, but I thought the pics needed a serious upgrade. So here it is, my creamy pumpkin soup using the whole pumpkin. I hope the pictures are tempting enough for you to try 🙂
Best spices and herbs for this soup
A mix of few spices and herbs can really elevate the taste of this simple soup.
You can add a mix of ground cumin, coriander, turmeric powder or curry powder spice mix. If you like spicy pumpkin soup, add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. I also love adding a pinch of cinnamon, and nutmeg. Remember nutmeg is pretty volatile, if added in the beginning all that aroma will be lost, so always add towards the end of cooking, the same applies for cardamom too. As far as herbs are concerned, again, anything goes well with this soup, sage, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves are all great options. But you want to avoid combining the wrong spices and herbs. Choose a few and keep it simple. You don’t want to overpower that delicate flavor of the pumpkin.
How to make this soup with fresh pumpkin?
I am not a fan of using canned pumpkin puree for this soup so this recipe is made with fresh pumpkin. it comes together in 5 easy steps, most of it being passive time to prep up your ingredients. That’s all there is to make this curried pumpkin soup. The consistency of the soup is thick, but not super thick. If you are wondering how to thicken this soup, even more, use coconut cream instead of coconut milk, or add a potato, along with the pumpkin and carrots or add a cornstarch slurry by dissolving a tablespoon of cornstarch in about 1/4 cup of cold water. You can use water if you want to make this soup without vegetable stock, though I highly suggest throwing in a bouillon cube for some flavor.
What does this vegan pumpkin soup taste like?
Pumpkin, on its own, is quite bland. It is the other ingredients that you add which will determine the flavor of the soup. For this recipe, I’ve used warming spices, which work in sync with Fall. A bowl of this soup will really warm you up from within. It is mildly spiced and yet has a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar. It tastes sweet and savory, with fresh flavors. This is a great soup base recipe, add your favorite spices or herbs, or none at all if you are making it for kids.
A few variations
Thai– Skip the spices and use 1 tbsp, or more or less of Thai red paste in step 2, sauté it well. Butternut squash and pumpkin soup– Swap half of the sugar pumpkin with butternut squash. Pumpkin and sweet potato soup– Add one, peeled and cubed sweet potato along with the cubed pumpkin. Roasted pumpkin soup- Cut the pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds and fibers. Drizzle a little olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Place the pumpkin, cut side down on a baking tray. Bake at 400 degrees F, for about 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Scoop out the roasted pumpkin flesh and use in step 4 in place of cubed pumpkin. You may add or omit the carrots. Butternut squash soup– Swap the sugar pumpkin entirely with butternut squash. You may use pre-cut butternut squash to make this quicker.
Sides that go well with this soup
A nice crusty bread with butter is great along with a bowl of some piping hot soup or some herb garlic knots, cheesy garlic bread or cheese quesadilla would also be good choices. A nice salad with Fall harvest veggies and some bitter greens like spinach, kale, arugula complements this creamy soup really well.
Is this homemade pumpkin soup healthy?
I’m not a health expert nor a certified dietician, but I can tell you that this homemade soup from scratch is made with clean ingredients. This is a pretty low fat or low-calorie soup recipe, I’ve not added any cream, except some for the garnish. So it is quite healthy and good for you plus tastes amazing! Better than any commercially available soup!!
How long will this soup last?
It will last for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze the soup for later. Store it in an airtight container or ziplock bags once the soup has cooled down completely and freeze up to three months.
You may also like these vegan soup recipes
Hot and sour soup (vegan) Sweet Corn veggie soup
How to make vegan pumpkin soup – Step by step instructions
Step 1: Saute chopped onions Heat oil over medium-low heat in a heavy-bottomed pan, add 2 cups of chopped onions, sauté until translucent.
Step 2: Add ginger and garlic Next, add minced ginger (1/2-inch) and garlic (3-4 cloves), sauté until fragrant.
Step 3: Add the seasoning Add the spices ( 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and coriander each along with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric) except for nutmeg, sauté over medium heat for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Add diced pumpkin cubes and carrots Add 8 cups of chopped pumpkin cubes, 2 medium diced carrots, sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
Step 5: Add the stock, brown sugar, bay leaves, salt, and ground pepper Add 3 cups vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 2 bay leaves, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
Step 6: Puree the soup Discard the bay leaves. Blend the contents in the pot using a hand blender until smooth. You may use a blender to puree the mixture too (be cautious whilst blending hot liquids, and do it in batches).
Step 7: Add coconut milk and ground nutmeg Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, mix well, check for seasonings and adjust accordingly. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Step 8: Serve Dish out the soup in serving bowls and garnish with some more coconut milk or cream, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate arils, and chopped chives.
Notes
You may skip adding coriander, turmeric, and cumin powder, and add 1 tablespoon or more of curry powder instead. Post updated with new pictures.
★ If you try this recipe, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Feel free to share your feedback and suggestions at [email protected]. Thanks so much 🙂 You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter
