This is a classic, easy pumpkin soup made with fresh pumpkin that is very fast to make. Thick, creamy and full of flavour, this is THE pumpkin soup recipe you will make now and forever!
Don’t forget the hot buttered crusty bread for dunking! {Bonus: pumpkin soup is super healthy with just 189 calories per serving!}
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
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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 (750ml) vegetable or chicken broth/stock , low sodium
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- Salt and pepper
Finishes:
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup (125 - 185 ml) 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 soup, 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
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Potato and Leek Soup
- Creamy Carrot Soup – this is so amazing!
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch
- Lentil Soup (no bland lentil soup around here! ?)
- See all Soup recipes
Life of Dozer
Gazing out over his kingdom…..
I have made this recipe before and I was delicious! I’m short on the pumpkin, can I add the difference in potato or sweet potato do you think?
Hi Ashlee, just sub the difference with sweet potato – you won’t tell the difference 🙂
Delicious. Followed the recipe pretty much as written, except I didn’t have any onion so I added some onion salt instead. Used milk instead of cream and it still came out rich, smooth and creamy. Best pumpkin soup I’ve tasted and extremely easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe!
Love hearing this!! Thanks Tim!! N x
I couldn’t find a lot at the supermarket but I did manage to buy some pumpkin so I made this soup. Ooh la la!! So good. And even better the next day. And thicker. Great for social isolation and lowering the carb intake whilst being a couch potato.
I’m so glad you loved it Miranda!! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Lovely recipe! For my taste buds it was a teeny bit sweet, so next time i make it i will just leave the maple syrup out, but overall it was creamy and delicious and a nice easy to follow recipe 🙂
Sorry you found it slightly sweet – I suppose that can be due to the type of pumpkin too. I’m so glad you enjoyed it though Arpita!
This was so good! I love that it was really quick to make, used real ingredients and tasted so good. I wish I could add a photo because it looked amazing too.
And homemade is always better than store bought Toni! N x
How many people would this serve. I’m a bit bad at determining serving sizes.
Hi Mackenzie – servings is listed in the recipe card just under the title – this serves 4-6. N x
Made this a couple of weeks ago. The taste is just superb exactly as a pumpkin soup should be. Was so damn good, next day I made triple batch to freeze in portions.
Easy and absolutely delicious – I have it sometimes for lunch with cheese and chive scones. YUMMM!
Sounds fabulous!!! N x
I am a new member and I have tried some of your recipes and they are so tasty and of course delicious. Also, so easy to prepare and cook or bake. Well done keep up the good work. Trish xxxxx
Thanks so so much Trish, I truly love hearing what people think ❤️
Hi Nagi, We love your recipes, and I use them often, especially CHARLIE! Could you please specify the actual volume or weight of the pumpkin required when using the tinned pumpkin? In Canada there are several different sizes to choose from. Thank you so much.
Hi Alexis – you need 1.2kg/2.4lb of pumpkin so it’s the same weight equivalent in cans 🙂
This is great. Thank you! So easy but so yummy!
Thanks so much for the feedback Catherine ❤️
Thank you for sharing this recipe. This recipe its very helpful to us. Now my mother has been using this recipe to make this food. I’m waiting for the next recipe. Thanks You
Really quick and easy and SO delicious. Thank you
It is the best pumpkin soup ever!!!
Thank you Nagi.
Greetings from Greece.
Wahoo, thanks so much Anastasia!
This was delicious. I used the tumeric, coriander, cayenne flavourings and topped with full cream. This will be my go to pumpkin soup recipe. Thanks!
Sounds great MJ!!