This is THE pumpkin soup recipe you will make now and forever! It’s thick, creamy, and irresistible, a classic easy pumpkin soup made with fresh pumpkin that’s fast to make, and only 189 calories per serving. Don’t forget crusty bread for dunking! (Or up the ante with crusty cheese bread).
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Pumpkin soup
Some recipes should be kept simple as nature intended them to be, and in my opinion, Pumpkin Soup is one of those dishes. The natural flavour of pumpkin is good enough that you need very little to make a beautiful, creamy, full flavoured soup.
And while sometimes it’s nice to have a dolled up version with all the bells and whistles, 99% of the time, this simple recipe is how I make it.
It’s just a great EASY Pumpkin Soup recipe, a classic version that has everything it needs and nothing it doesn’t to be can’t-stop-eating-it delicious!
The secret ingredients to make pumpkin soup tastier is onion and garlic!
What goes in Pumpkin Soup
To make this great quick and easy pumpkin soup, you will need:
Pumpkin – Peeled and chopped into large chunks (or purchase it pre-cut). See below for the best pumpkin to use and recipe notes for canned pureed pumpkin option;
Onion and garlic – the secret ingredients that adds extra savouriness into the soup flavour!!
Stock/broth and water – for a tastier pumpkin soup, don’t skip the broth!
Milk, cream or half and half stirred through at the end. Here’s my view on cream. Does it make it better? Yes, insofar as adding richness to the soup. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. You do NOT need cream to make the soup thicker. All the thickness comes from the pumpkin itself. I usually make Pumpkin Soup with milk instead.
If you don’t have cream but want extra richness in your soup, just add a touch of butter!
Do you have to peel pumpkin for soup?
Yes, you do. The skin is too tough and won’t puree properly so you’ll end up with hard bits in the soup.
Best pumpkin for pumpkin soup
Use any type of eating pumpkin you want OR butternut squash (which is called butternut pumpkin in Australia). DO NOT use Halloween carving pumpkin used to make Jack-O-Laterns. While they are edible, they are not that tasty!
US: sugar pumpkin or butternut squash.
Australia: common ideal types include Jap/Kent, Jarradale, Queensland Blue or Butternut Pumpkin (which is called butternut squash in the US)
If you’re not a fan of chopping and peeling pumpkin, try my No-Chop Roasted Pumpkin Soup!
How to make pumpkin soup from scratch
Place peeled pumpkin, onion, garlic, broth/stock and water into a pot;
Boil rapidly for 15 minutes until pumpkin is very tender;
Use a stick blender or transfer to blender to blitz smooth; and
Adjust salt and pepper to taste, then add either milk OR cream – whichever you prefer.
The secret ingredients are the garlic and onion. It makes all the difference to add extra savouriness!
How to add flavours to pumpkin soup
While plain pumpkin soup is my favourite and the way I serve it most often, sometimes it’s nice to change things up by adding other flavours! Here are a few suggestions:
Curried pumpkin soup – stir in a touch of curry powder once you blitz it, add little by little
Thai red curry – start by sautéing 2 tbsp red curry paste in 1/2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes until really fragrant, then proceed with recipe ie add liquids and pumpkin etc. Then instead of using cream, use coconut cream. Garnish with coriander/cilantro. SO GOOD!
Ginger– saute 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger in 1/2 tbsp oil or butter, then proceed with recipe.
Lightly Spiced – stir in 1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander and smoked paprika.
Turmeric – 1 1/2 tsp each ground turmeric, coriander and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Storing pumpkin soup
Pumpkin soup will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, or can be frozen for 3 months – just thaw then reheat using your chosen method.
If your soup is too thick, just loosen it with a touch of water when reheating.
If it’s too thin (unlikely, but could happen!), then just simmer on the stove for a while to let it reduce – this will thicken it.
Soup Dunkers
A soup this thick and creamy demands bread for dunking! Try one of these:
4 steps. A bit of chopping, plonk it all in a pot, blitz, season then serve.
A thick and creamy pumpkin soup that’s full of flavour. Sweet pumpkin flavour, savouriness from the broth, garlic and onion.
You’ll be mopping up every last bit of this with your bread!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Pumpkin Soup – Classic and Easy
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg / 2.4 lb pumpkin (any type) OR butternut squash, unpeeled weight (Note 1)
- 1 onion , sliced (white, brown, yellow)
- 2 garlic cloves , peeled whole
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth/stock , low sodium
- 1 cup water
- Salt and pepper
Finishes:
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup cream , half and half or milk (Note 2)
Instructions
- Cut the pumpkin into 3cm / 2.25" slices. Cut the skin off and scrape seeds out (video is helpful). Cut into 4cm / 1.5" chunks.
- Place the pumpkin, onion, garlic, broth and water in a pot – liquid won't quite cover all the pumpkin. Bring to a boil, uncovered, then reduce heat and let simmer rapidly until pumpkin is tender (check with butter knife) – about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use a stick blender to blend until smooth (Note 3 for blender).
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir through cream (never boil soup after adding cream, cream will split).
- Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle over a bit of cream, sprinkle with pepper and parsley if desired. Serve with crusty bread!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
* Originally published June 2014, photos replaced in 2018, brand new improved video added in September 2019, minor housekeeping 2020 (no change to recipe).
MORE SOUP RECIPES TO WARM YOUR SOUL
Life of Dozer
Gazing out over his kingdom…..
A foolproof recipe tried and true. I impulsively picked up some kind of squash (I don’t speak the local language that well, so I don’t know what type I purchased), tossed it into a pot, and finally got to debut my new immersion blender.
It all boiled up nicely and with a few pinches of salt, pepper, and other spices around the kitchen, I was in Heaven. With winter rearing its ugly head, I learned how to make this just in the nick of time. I’ve proudly packed a cup for lunch tomorrow and am gonna brag all day about how good this stuff was. Thanks so much for the simple recipe.
Isn’t it fun just grabbing some random not quite identified ingredient in a foreign grocery store and seeing how it turns out??!! 😂N x
Can I freeze this ? And would you add the cream once thawed so you can get it nice and hot again without separating cream?
Made it yesterday, the most delicious soup I’ve ever tried!
Yes Georgi, that’s probably safest if freezing it. N x
HI, If I use the canned pumpkin am I supposed to boil that in the water and broth? Would I just add the water, broth, and canned pumpkin puree in the blender? Thank you
No that won’t work sorry Chelsea as you have onion and garlic that needs cooking! N x
In terms of “Jack o’ Lantern” pumpkins – there are now heirloom varieties that have become popular in the US and Canada. Those are the ones that are flattened, have blueish/grey skin, or skin that is rough – those are the ones you’ll want to use those for this soup. The standard carving pumpkins that you and your kids can pick from a pumpkin patch are crap – stay away from those. Kabochas would be excellent for this soup, too.
Hello, would it work to combine chicken and vegetable broth to get the appropriate amount of broth?
Yes Kelly that would be fine. N x
Cooked this for the second time, was perfect 👌🏼
Thanks Nagi xx
Ps I follow a lot of your recipes and all have come out gorgeous 🙂
This really is the easiest to make and the most delicious pumpkin soup . I added some Bulla light cooking cream and it was perfect .
I’ll toss out my other pumpkin soup recipes after trying this one . Thanks Nagi 😀
So tasty! We added the red curry paste and more garlic/ginger and it was delish!
Hi Nagi, is it possible to blender all the ingredients first then cook & boil them together? I’m asking coz I only have a food processor & don’t have a blender or stick blender. And I would prefer not to wait for the soup to cool slightly before blending it into a puree & then having to heat it up again in order to enjoy a bowl of hot soup 😅
Thanks.
No sorry Melanie! You’ll kill your blender trying to blend raw pumpkin! N x
But she said she has a Food Processor and NOT a blender. I’d say Yes, you could try this. However, have fun trying to peel your Pumpkin first. It’s up to you though.
Can I omit the broth? Thanks!
Not for this one sorry Samantha! However if you have stock powder you can use that with water to make up the broth – N x
Hi Nagi, do you think i can use leek instead of onion?
Sure can Rebecca, the flavour will be more subtle. N x
Hi, I wanted to know what can I do if I don’t have a blender to blend the soup, is there anything else I could do to make it a soup texture.
Hi Fiona, you’ll need a blender, stick blender or food processor to make this smooth. N x
My goodness this was delicious! this was an absolute hit. My boyfriend who comes with a picky eater starter pack said this was perfect 🤩 this is going in my recipe book! Thank you Nagi!! Xx
Made this for dinner and everyone loved it!
Did anyone made this with canned pumpkin puree? The recipe calls for 2 tins but was the size of the tins?
15 ounce!
Could you add bacon ?
You sure can, and everything is great with bacon!!! N x
Can I omit cream or milk from the recipe?
May i know what cream are you referring to?
Hi Jas, I really like the soup with either in it – you could even use coconut cream/milk here for something slightly different! N x
I usually spend an age roasting pumpkin al la Jamie Oliver, which is still a lovely soup, but for a quick fix this hit the spot- super flavourful. My only change was home made stock which I made yesterday, and I used milk not cream.
Delicious Nagi. Made a double batch last night (plus home made garlic bread for the essential dunking), hoping to keep leftovers for tomorrow night after a big work day in our house. Plan ruined, kids devoured the rest of it for breakfast. Ha ha.
Love how flavoursome this soup is without having to use many ingredients.
I added 3/4 cup cream. Delicious!
Would love it to be a bit thicker though? If I leave out the water next time do you think that would be enough to thicken it a bit?
Hi Leah, yes you can just omit the cup of water to yield a thicker soup 🙂 N x