This is a classic, easy pumpkin soup that is very fast to make. Thick and full of flavour, this is THE pumpkin soup you will make over and over again. Don’t forget the hot buttered crusty bread for dunking!
Pumpkin soup recipe originally published in 2014. Updated with fresh new photos and the addition of a recipe video!
A PUMPKIN SOUP YOU’LL MAKE AGAIN AND AGAIN….
Especially in winter, there’s nothing better than dunking crusty bread into a big bowl of creamy pumpkin soup. And there are millions and millions of recipes “out there”, so why would you consider using this one?
Well, here’s the thing. There are many fancied up versions of pumpkin soup “out there”. Gourmet ingredients, spices, exotic spins.
But you don’t need all those frills to make a truly great classic pumpkin soup. And that’s what this recipe is – 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.
A SUPER EASY PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE
This is a pumpkin soup recipe you’ll make over and over again. It’s incredible easy – just plonk pumpkin, onion, garlic, broth and water into a pot, and boil rapidly for 15 minutes, then blitz smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste then add either milk OR cream – whichever you prefer.
IS CREAM REALLY NECESSARY???
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.
Plus, this soup has added extra flavour from the onion and garlic. Without this, I’d probably say yes, cream is a must.
So in my recipe, it’s an optional extra.If you’re really busting for some extra richness and you don’t have cream, add a knob of butter – it works a treat!
4 steps. A bit of chopping, plonk it all in a pot, blitz, season then serve.
And this is what you end up with – a thick creamy 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
PS If you’re not a fan of chopping pumpkin, try my No Chop Roasted Pumpkin Soup. It’s so crazy good!
MORE SOUP RECIPES TO WARM YOUR SOUL
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Potato and Leek Soup
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch
- Lentil Soup (no bland lentil soup around here! 😂)
- See all Soup recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Recipe VIDEO above. Especially in winter, there’s nothing better than dunking warm crusty buttered bread into a big bowl of creamy pumpkin soup. This classic recipe is incredibly easy, and if you have a stick blender it's a one-pot-wonder.
- 1.2 kg / 2.4 lb pumpkin (any) , unpeeled weight (Note 1)
- 1 onion, sliced (white, brown, yellow)
- 2 garlic cloves , peeled whole
- 3 cups / 750ml vegetable or chicken broth , low sodium
- 1 cup / 250 ml water
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup / 125 - 185 ml cream, or half and half (Note 2) or 3/4 cup / 185 ml milk (any type, I use low fat)
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Cut the pumpkin into 3cm / 2.25" slices. Cut the skin off and scrape seeds out (video is helpful). Cut into chunks.
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Place the pumpkin, onion, garlic, broth and water in a pot - liquid won't cover all the pumpkin. Bring to a boil, uncovered, then reduce heat and let simmer rapidly until pumpkin is tender.
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Remove from heat and use a stick blender to blend until smooth. If you don't have a stick blender, use a blender - see notes.
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Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir through cream (never boil soup after adding soup, cream will split).
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Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle over a bit of cream, sprinkle with pepper and parsley if desired. Serve with crusty bread!
1. ~2.4lb / 1.2kg pumpkin before peeling and removing seeds. Approximate is fine - use the liquid levels in the video as a guide for quantity.
To make this with pumpkin puree, you will need around 2.5 cans of puree.
2. I usually make pumpkin soup without cream because I don't always have cream on hand. So I usually make this with milk - also because I find this satisfying enough as it is because it's so thick and has such a great flavour. You can use any type of milk you want - full fat, low fat, almond, soy etc.
Half and half is an American dairy product that is half cream, half milk. In Australia, our equivalent is pouring cream. Any kind of cream is suitable for this recipe. Basically, the higher the fat % and thicker the cream, the richer the finished soup.
3. If you don't have a stick blender, you can use a blender BUT you must make sure that the soup is cooled slightly before blending it, otherwise you will find out the hard way that hot soup + blender = soup explosion (literally, the lid will blow off the blender when you start blending it).
4. RECIPE COMMENTARY: The idea with this recipe is that the pumpkin is boiled uncovered so you're left with the right amount of liquid at the end such that once pureed, the soup is lovely and thick. You don't need the liquid to cover the pumpkin, the steam and bubbling will cook all the pumpkin through. I don't think using onion + garlic is common in other recipes but I promise you, it adds that extra savoury flavour that really makes this a truly great pumpkin soup, despite being so crazy easy.
5. Easy Pumpkin Soup Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings and made with milk.
* Originally published June 2014, recipe slightly streamlined and video added in 2017, photos replaced in 2018.
LIFE OF DOZER
Gazing out over his kingdom…..
Thank you for the recipe! It was absolutely delicious. I added two bay leaves while it was simmering, and a generous sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice. Then, serving it up, we just happened to have fresh parmesan on hand so I grated some of that into our bowls and that really just rounded it out so well! It was a hit, even with our two year old. I wanted a recipe that used real pumpkin and half and half, and was pretty quick to make, and this fit the bill all around!! Of course, I found it took me much longer than five minutes to dice up our pumpkin.
Great to hear you enjoyed this Leighann! N x PS Pumpkin can be TOUGH can’t it!! 😂
this is my first time ever making or eating pumpkin soup and I loved it! I did add a little bit of cinnamon and Nutmeg and a touch of brown sugar to mine just to give it some of those fall semester. I didn’t add too much. So yummy!
That’s terrific to hear Carrie! Glad you enjoyed this! N x
I really like this soup! I also added sage. I wanted a little more sweetness so I added carrots and roasted the veggies at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. I also made a brown butter and fried the sage leaves and added that to the pot. It was awesome!
That’s terrific to hear Kevyn! Glad you enjoyed this! N x
Hi nagi how long will this keep in my fridge? Thankyou!
Gosh – I’d keep it even for 5 days! 🙂
My version calls for butternut squash- but any version of this veggie works
quite well. I like to roast the onions and garlic for about 15 minutes at 450F/230C
and then add the cubed squash/pumpkin for another 15 minutes. Sage works well
with this soup as does schichimi togarashi (Japanese hot pepper spice blend).
The carmelization of the veggies is worth the extra time!
I agree caramelisation adds great flavour! Did you see the roasted pumpkin soup? 🙂 N x
What kind of pumpkin is used in the video?
Kent or Jap pumpkin 🙂 But ANY is fine, I use all types!
Have you tried this with kabocha squash? It’s my newest obsession 🙂
I added too much pepper how can I fix the problem
Hi! Would canned coconut milk work in this recipe instead of cream? Thanks!
Oooh yes!
Hi. If using puree you reference 2-1/2 cans. What size cans?
Please advise
Thank you !
Hi Lisa! The standard sizes 14 oz 🙂
Wait… It says 2 1/2 CUPS of canned pumpkin purée in your notes. Did you mean 2 1/2 CANS (14oz each)?
2 1/2 cups or cans?
Thank you! 🙂
CANS! Thanks so much for picking that up Mandi, fixed! N x
What is the broth that is mentioned in the recipe?
Chicken or vege stock