Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup is what you make when you want something exotic tasting with very little effort! Think – classic pumpkin soup with Thai Red Curry vibes. Love the beautiful coconut undertones. It’s so good!
Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup
Everybody loves pumpkin soup. It’s comforting, it’s thick, it’s creamy, and it’s easy to make.
But sometimes, we want to make dinner a little more interesting! Enter – Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup. Use coconut instead of cream. Add red curry paste. Fish sauce instead of salt. Thai toppings.
And boom! Our reliable pumpkin soup has had a sexy makeover – and we love it!
Ingredients in Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup
We’re using a store bought curry paste today which makes things nice and easy. For the small amount we need (just 3 tablespoons), it’s a convenient option. If using homemade – I applaud you! The flavour in this will be even better, with the beautiful fresh Thai flavours coming through.
The soup
Pumpkin or butternut – Recipe works as written for both pumpkin and butternut squash (we call it butternut pumpkin here in Australia). Use one that is around 1.8 kg / 3.6 lb with the skin on and seeds in. After peeling and deseeding it will be around ~1.3 kg/2.6 lb.
Cutting and peeling – Watch the video for a safe, easy cutting technique for butternut (potato peeler for skin!), and see the Pumpkin Soup video for how I cut pumpkin (cut in wedges then cut skin off).
Thai Red Curry paste – My position on the best store-bought Thai red curry that’s readily available is fairly well documented on this website! Maesri is the best – there is just no question – and it’s the best value. $2.10 for a 115g/4 oz. You’ll need 1/2 a can – so you can make this Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup twice!
Find it at Woolies, Harris Farms and Coles (I’m in Australia), or Asian stores and online. As for other brands – they tend to have less authentic flavour and usually weirdly, overly sweet. However, for a recipe like this where the curry paste is a background rather than key flavour, any curry paste will suffice.
Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste – Recipe here. I generally make then use the whole batch in one go so I rarely have leftovers to use for things like this soup. But it’s an excellent one for freezing, and will really take this to another level. 🙂
Onion and garlic – Essential flavour base. Don’t skip these, they add great flavour.
Coconut milk – Not all coconut milk is created equal! Good ones are made with 85%+ coconut so have better flavour. Economical ones are diluted with water and have less coconut flavour. Ayam is my default (89% coconut).
Please use full fat. Fat is where the coconut flavour is! Low fat has little coconut flavour.
Fish sauce will give this soup a more authentic Thai red curry flavour than using just salt. Soy sauce can be used as a substitute.
Vegetable stock – Or chicken stock. This is the liquid the pumpkin is simmered in. Tastier than water! Use low sodium, else your soup will be on the salty side.
Garnishes
This is a great soup to have fun with toppings! Adds visual and textural interest as well as extra flavour.
Crispy fried shallot pieces – salty and oily, these are sold in jars and packets at large grocery stores these days, but cheaper at Asian stores! Terrific garnish for all things Asian. I use it liberally – it’s a frequent player in my recipes.
Red cayenne pepper – Use the large ones which are not spicy. Small chillies are spicier!
Coriander / cilantro – Lovely fresh herb used frequently in Thai dishes
How to make Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup
Fabulously straight forward, you’ll have this on the table in 20 minutes once you start cooking. Don’t shortcut sautéing the curry paste. This really intensifies and improves the flavour. Essential step for almost every curry – most especially curry paste out of a jar!
Sauté curry paste – Get the onion and garlic started first, then add the curry paste and cook it for a good couple of minutes. This caramelises it and intensifies as well as improves the flavour. Key step when using any curry paste out of a jar!
Coat the pumpkin in the tasty curry paste flavour. Give it a good couple of minutes to toast the pumpkin a bit!
Tip: See video for how I peel and cut butternut (potato peeler for skin!), and see the Pumpkin Soup video for how I cut pumpkin (cut in wedges then cut skin off).
Simmer 8 minutes – Set aside a little coconut milk to use as a drizzle for serving. Then add the rest of the coconut milk, stock and fish sauce into the pot and simmer for just 8 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft. It really does not take long.
Blitz with my favourite appliance (stick blender) until smooth. Ladle into bowls, swirl with reserved coconut milk then finish with as many or as little toppings as you’d like!
Roti for dunking
I served this Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup with roti for dunking. That flaky, buttery flatbread of Indian origin, roti stalls are a local and tourist attraction all across Thailand though most Australian’s would associate roti as a menu favourite at Malaysian restaurants.
Not to be confused with the non-flaky roti flatbread that is a staple in Indian cooking, roti is a brilliant store-bought freezer standby that you cook from frozen in a fry pan, and takes just minutes. (Though homemade just got added to my Must Try list!), fairly easily found these days in everyday grocery stores – here’s the one I used from Woolworths.
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other oil)
- 1 brown onion , diced
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste , Maesri recommended (Note 1)
- 1.8kg/ 3.6 lb pumpkin or butternut squash – peeled, deseeded then chopped into 3cm / 1.2" chunks (~1.3 kg/2.6 lb) (Note 2)
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock , salt reduced (or chicken stock)
- 400ml/ 14 oz (1 can) coconut milk, full fat, best quality (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (sub light or regular soy sauce, Note 4)
Garnishes (optional):
- Crispy Asian shallots , highly recommended (Note 5)
- Red cayenne pepper , finely sliced
- Fresh coriander leaves
- Roti (the flaky kind), frozen, pan fried – for dunking (SO GOOD!) – Note 6
Instructions
- Sauté – Heat oil in a large heavy based pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes until soft.
- Add curry paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add pumpkin and stir to coat in the flavours for around 2 minutes.
- Simmer 8 minutes – Set aside 1/4 cup coconut milk for garnish. Add stock, remaining coconut milk and fish sauce. Bring to simmer then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
- Blitz using stick blender until smooth.
- Serve topped with garnishes. Dunk in roti. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More things to make with pumpkin and butternut squash
Life of Dozer
Dozer going for his first weigh in at his new vet! Who do you think taught him that trick of hanging half off the scales…..
Without doubt this is the most amazing pumpkin soup I have ever made, and surpasses my original favourite. All my other pumpkin soup recipes are now in the bin and this is in my forever pile. Thank you!
So easy and so very, very tasty. Absolutely delicious! Thank you Nagi.
Verrrry silly question, but could I use coconut cream instead of milk?
not quite correct: first boil down 1/3 cup coconut can, fry the red curry, add shallots (not onion) then later garlic and also shrimp paste (maesri brand doesn’t have umami-rich shrimp paste – otherwise, carry on
Ha yea alright mate, think I’ll just stick with Nagis recipe…but carry on
Such a delicious soup. And very easy to make. Thanks Nagi!
Can I use Maesri brand green curry instead?
What a wonderful flavour filled soup. I made a pot of this on the weekend and everyone who tried it loved it.
Can highly recommend to anyone that wants great variation on the original.
Served mine just with crispy fried onion. Will definitely make again 🤗
Beatrix, thank you so much for letting me know that the recipetineats community will be thinking about me during my upcoming major bypass surgery. If I could ignore this surgery I would, but my vascular surgeon only gave me two options. Option #1; lose my left leg and also maybe end up on dialysis for the rest of my life or Option #2; have the surgery, keep my left leg and I still might end up on dialysis. I only have my right kidney and it is functioning at 18% and if it drops to 9% or lower after surgery then I will have to go on dialysis. If that’s the case then I’ll have to have another surgery to make a port for the dialysis.
My surgery is scheduled for Monday, August 21st and I will be in the hospital for 3 to 5 days if there aren’t any complications. I’m just worried about being away from my 2 boy 🐶 and my female 😺.
I am looking on the bright side though, last and longest time I was in the hospital was for 21 days and in rehabilitation for a month after the hospital stay. So 3 to 5 days doesn’t seem so bad!
Looking on the bright side, I will have my phone with me, so I can check out any new recipetineats recipes and see what my favorite guy, Dozer, is up too!
The weather is going to be in the mid 100’s°, but the hospital will be air conditioned…lol!!! 😃
Nagi, while I’m eating hospital food 😔 I’ll be thinking about all your great recipes and wishing that I was eating you food instead!
Enjoy your end of Winter and beginning Spring weather and I’ll dream of walking on one of your beautiful beaches.
Happy Cooking, Everyone and God bless! 😃 😊 🙂 😀 😁
HI JAN! I’m so sorry to hear about your health issues but also glad to hear you are able to have operations to help. Warmed my heart reading all these beautiful messages. We will be thinking of you on 21 August. Please give your 4 legged babies a gait hug from me. Wishing you all the very best and speedy recovery!! – Nagi & Dozer xx
This is a staple at our house! Sometimes I leave the vegetable in chunks verses processing it. It is also good with sweet potatoes or a mix of sweet potatoes with yellow gold potatoes.
Nice recipe
Delicious, just delicious. Instead of red peper on top, I used 1 teaspoon crispy chili oil en I have added a little bit lemon juice in the bowl. Gorgious. No I like butternut pumpkin too.
I made this Thai coconut pumpkin soup today, where it’s a drab, grey and chilly day in Melbourne. Thanks for the sexy pumpkin soup make over because what a little stunner of a recipe this is, (and such a pretty colour too). It has enough heat to give you that little zing in your mouth afterwards, and yet it’s creamy and coconutty (not sure that’s a word) and so delicious! I have roti in my freezer but just toasted some bread and Wow 🤩 Will have this on regular rotation now in the house.
Any thoughts about using eggplant alongside the pumpkin? Or even potato? Or should I just go full steam ahead and have a go?
Has anyone done this?
Almost forgot my rating!
Nagi this was AMAZING. The flavours elevate it way beyond your normal soup. Divine with freshly toasted sourdough and melted cheese 😈 my “soup isn’t dinner food” hating husband declared it “really tasty” which is a miracle!
😂😂😂 Michelle I’ve got one of those ‘soup isn’t a real food’ hubby’s too.
I will say when I made Nagi’s chinese noodle soup his comment was ‘this is the best soup you’ve ever made. So that’s something.
Wow! So delicious. This will now be my go-to recipe. I’m jyat loving your recipes and so is the family, thank you x
Can curry paste be substituted with curry powder + something else? Don’t have the paste readily available and would like to still make this version of pumpkin soup.
No, curry powder is completely different, with Indian vibes rather than Thai. The main ingredients in my curry paste are lemongrass, galangal, garlic and shrimp paste.
Nadia, I couldn’t find this paste until I realized it was in a can
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/45458?googleshop=true&store_code=woolworths_supermarkets_1065&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=WW-0001&cq_net=u&cq_src=GOOGLE&cq_cmp=Woolies_8458_BAU_Shopping_FB_High_WW-0001&cq_med=71700000045164926&cq_plac=&cq_term=PRODUCT_GROUP&ds_adt=&cq_plt=gp&cq_gclid=Cj0KCQjwuNemBhCBARIsADp74QTOHOMh0dE4dp520m_k5omqM2-tJeSyRwxcplSTpF-Be1g5O_cbODkaAr1MEALw_wcB&ds_de=c&ds_pc=local&ds_cr=586192578921&ds_tid=pla-1733538507076&ds_locphys=9071923&ds_pid=45458&cmpid=smsm:ds:GOOGLE:Woolies_8458_BAU_Shopping_FB_High_WW-0001:PRODUCT_GROUP&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuNemBhCBARIsADp74QTOHOMh0dE4dp520m_k5omqM2-tJeSyRwxcplSTpF-Be1g5O_cbODkaAr1MEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
hope this helps you get hold of it.
Sam
do you think this will work with Massaman Curry Paste?
I’m looking forward to trying this. I was making one similar, that called for yellow curry paste, and no fish sauce. (I grew an abundance of winter squash last summer so we were eating a lot of it.) I have one big squash left.
My mum makes a lovely Thai curry pumpkin soup…. I’ll get her to make your version Nagi (I’m 98% confident yours is better!!). But mums recipe includes finely diced kaffier lime leaves. Any thoughts?
PS: Love Dozer’s half off, half on scale trick. He sure does have a fun sense of humor!