This vegan pumpkin soup is creamy, delicious, comforting and so satisfying! Here’s an easy recipe to make the best, homemade pumpkin soup from scratch.
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 🙂
Table of Contents
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.
- Sauté onions until they soften a bit.
- Ginger, garlic, and seasoning go in next, sauté the spices until fragrant.
- Then add in the pumpkin and carrots.
- Followed by the vegetable stock, bay leaves, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Let this cook until the pumpkin is tender.
- Next, blend everything to a smooth, creamy consistency and finish it off with coconut cream or coconut milk.
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
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 🙂
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Pumpkin Soup | How To Make Pumpkin Soup (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1.6 lbs / 750 grams cubed sugar or pie pumpkin, approx 8 cups of cubed pumpkin
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into coins
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil or any other cooking oil of choice
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 inch ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup coconut milk or coconut cream
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar/maple syrup, optional
- Salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the garnish
- roasted pumpkin seeds, as required
- coconut cream or milk, as required
- pomegranate arils, as required
- chopped chives
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium-low heat in a heavy bottomed pan, add onions, sauté until translucent.
- Next, add minced ginger and garlic, sauté until fragrant.
- Add the spices except for nutmeg, sauté over medium heat for 30 seconds.
- Add chopped pumpkin cubes, carrots, sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Add vegetable stock, light brown sugar, bay leaves, salt and ground pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
- 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).
- Add coconut milk and ground nutmeg, mix well, check for seasonings and adjust accordingly. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- 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.
- Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
Priya srinivasan says
Beautiful setup! Yes it is the season for soups and this pumpkin soup with coconut milk sounds yumm! Would love to serve it with a crusty toast for a wholesome dinner!!
Ruchi says
Amazing clicks dear Freda… Soup looks simply amazing .. Recipe is great , simple and fuss free. Surely wanna give a try this winter.
Sasmita Sahoo Samanta says
The soup looks so flavorful and delicious !! Love the clicks and use of coconut milk here 🙂
Freda Dias says
Thanks, Sasmita 🙂
Jayashree says
I must confess I have not tried a pumpkin soup. Seeing all these on the internet, I am tempted to try soon. Lovely clicks.
Jagruti Dhanecha says
Hearty and delicious pumpkin soup is anytime for me, what a great looking colour as well. Lovely Clicks Freda!
Freda Dias says
Thanks, Jagruti! That means a lot coming from you 🙂
Pavani says
Pumpkin soup looks very creamy and delicious. I love the idea of adding coconut milk .love the colour of soup.
Uma Srinivas says
What lovely combo of ingredients. I love soups, especially in this season. I love the fact that this is a vegan soup!
Freda Dias says
Thanks, Uma 🙂
Meghna says
Love the soup, the gorgeous golden color, the super creamy texture , ummm yummy 😋
Freda Dias says
Thanks, Meghna 🙂
Lathiya says
What a gorgeous looking soup…it really looks hearty …I loved that you added coconut milk. which adds the flavor…
Freda Dias says
Thanks, Lathiya 🙂
Sujata Roy says
Your presentation and click both are awesome Freda. Soup sounds comforting and delicious. I love coconut milk in anything. And this soup definitely becomes more delicious by adding coconut milk and cream. Lovely share.
Freda Dias says
Thanks, di 🙂
Padma Veeranki says
Love all the gorgeous looking colours in the scene…As such I love pumpkin soup and the addition of coconut milk takes it to the next level…Perfect for the season!!
Freda Dias says
Absolutely! Pumpkin and coconut milk is a delicious match indeed! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Lata Lala says
Give me a bowl of this and I am good to go. The pumpkin soup looks super yummy and adding coconut milk to this would have enhanced the flavour for sure.
Beautiful clicks.
Freda Dias says
Thanks, Lata 🙂
Mayuri Patel says
An inviting hearty and comforting soup. I love pumpkin soup with the spices. Love the idea of garnishing with seeds and pomegranate. I usually garnish it with some salsa for added taste.
Jolly says
Nothing beats hot soup in the Winter time and pumpkin soup seems to be a favorite of many people. I love your pictures – very well done!
Freda Dias says
Thanks, Jolly 🙂
Vidya Narayan says
Firstly Kudos to Ethan for bringing you such a great produce which you have superbly executed. The combination of pumpkin and coconut milk is amazing, as South Indians, we love both. A healthy, hearty winter treat!
Freda Dias says
Hehe 😀 thanks, Vidya 🙂 It’s much loved in Goa too 😃
Priya Suresh says
A bowl of this silky, warm soup will definitely makes me comforting. A prefect soup to enjoy while the weather is nasty outside to keep ourself warm.
This Cake is Desi says
Looks great , this must taste great, pumpkin and coconut yumm
asundaysundae says
Pumpkin and coconut! Looks like a perfect match!
Mary Frances says
Hmmm interesting use of sweetness and spice in this, sounds like a great unique spin on a classic soup!
milliethom says
This looks like a wonderful soup, full of lovely flavours!
Lina says
Yummmm….this is too good…☺
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Lina 🙂
ideenbarimani says
This looks incredible!!!
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much 🙂
Megha Agrawal says
Wow, It looks too tempting, great clicks. Will have to definitely try it out.
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks heaps Megha 🙂
nourishedpeach says
Sounds luscious…yum!!!
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Melissa 🙂
Traditionally Modern Food says
Never thought about adding coconut milk in souo.I can imagine the flacours
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks Vidya 🙂
Mio's Hot Food says
If you make it with vegetable stock , it will be probably best vegan soup 🙂 Great recipe 🙂
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Oh yes Mio!! vegetable stock would be great too 🙂 Thanks so much, glad you liked it 🙂
noorainsobiya says
Salivating all over again!!
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
hehe!! thanks dearie <3
CHCooks says
I make plain pumpkin soup and I love it a lot. Adding coconut milk should give this recipe a richness as well as sweetness! Yumm Freda 🙂
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Oh yes dear 🙂 do give the addition of coconut milk a shot 🙂 Thanks so much 🙂
Neethu says
Wow a healthy treat..?????
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Neethu 🙂
youthfoodblog says
Love coconut milk soup. Very exotic!
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Chris 🙂
Love Served Daily says
Amazing flavors there. Delicious
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much dear 🙂
lapetitepaniere says
Freda, your soup is beautiful and looks delicious and flavorful too! 🙂
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Linda! Glad you liked it 🙂
Loretta says
A great curry infused soup and so great for the season.
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Loretta, true!! apt for this season 🙂
Chitra Jagadish says
Wow comforting soup and apt for weather….
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Chitra 🙂
MyCulinarySaga says
So hearty ?!
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Trupti 🙂
Lynz Real Cooking says
This really looks amazing!! wow it sounds so full of yummy spices! I love this Freda!
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thank you so much Lynn dear ?☺️?
Lynz Real Cooking says
yummm
Linda Fernandes says
Woooooow it’s so gorgeous & tempting
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks Linda sweetie ?☺️☺️
apuginthekitchen says
Freda that soup looks incredible and I love the spices you used.
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Suzanne 🙂
Smiling Notes says
Yumm!! I feel like having this right now!! Also, your presentation is just perfect dearie 🙂
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thank you so much for the appreciation sweetie ?
Mr. Militant Negro says
Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thank you for re blogging , Sir:)
Mr. Militant Negro says
My pleasure Ms. Freda, Enjoy your Thursday.
Nandini says
Looks so delicious 🙂
Freda @ Aromatic essence says
Thanks so much Nandini ! That means a lot 🙂