Nothing screams Fall like a spicy pumpkin soup with curry flavors. It's creamy (thanks to the pumpkin and some coconut milk), healthy, and the coziest thing to curl up with on a cold winter day. It's a great make-ahead meal you can eat the whole week and it tastes even better the next day! If you're wondering what goes with this recipe, check out this post I just wrote on what to serve with pumpkin soup!
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💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- Vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, but you won't even realize it. This soup caters to a range of dietary preferences!
- Comes together with limited hands-on prep time. The oven does all the roasting to bring out delicious flavors, while you enjoy yourself!
- Great make-ahead meal, leftovers taste even better. Soups like these are my favorite, since I can have them all day, every day. Make a big batch and enjoy all week.
- Tastes like Fall! I was not a big fan of pumpkin until I moved to the US, and now Fall is basically all pumpkin fever (just ask this delectable vegan pumpkin banana bread I just made).
📋 Ingredients and notes
You'll need a medium-sized pumpkin, onion, garlic cloves, avocado oil, roasting spices (cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, and garam masala), salt, black pepper, and vegetable stock.
Notes and Variations
- Pumpkin options. I use roasted sugar pumpkins to maximize flavors (but any edible pumpkin works!) If you want to use canned pumpkin, substitute 2-3 14.5oz cans of pumpkin puree (make sure it's not pie filling!) Once you blend, you can add more puree if you want a thicker texture. If pumpkin is hard to find, kabocha squash makes an excellent substitute.
- Adjusting spice levels. I use Kashmiri chili powder (it's what I have readily available in my Indian spice box). However, to adjust it down, you can substitute with cayenne or replace with red chili flakes if you don't have red chili powder on hand. You can also add coconut milk to tone down the spices if you wish. You can skip the garam masala, use curry powder, or check out my Thai-curried butternut squash soup for a more Thai-inspired flavor profile.
📖 Make spicy pumpkin soup!
Honestly, this spicy pumpkin soup might be one of the easiest soups you've ever made. I make this in a Dutch oven so I can make it one-pot but you can also roast the pumpkin on a baking sheet!
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Slice your pumpkin in half. Remove and save the seeds for roasting. Drizzle avocado oil and rub in the spices on the flesh of the pumpkin. If you're using pumpkin puree, skip this step.
- Place the pumpkin skin side down in a Dutch oven or baking sheet. Chop an onion into halves and place them in the Dutch oven or baking sheet, with four cloves of garlic. Or six. More garlic never hurt anyone.
- Roast the pumpkin, onion, and garlic cloves for 40 to 45 minutes. If you're using pumpkin puree, skip this step.
- Remove carefully and place on stove top and use medium heat (or transfer contents from baking sheet to a large pot). Add vegetable broth and coconut milk (optional) and bring to a boil. Use either an immersion blender, or allow to cool down before blending (if your blender doesn't have a heat-safe container or soup mode).
- If your blender has a heat-safe container (like a Vitamix), allow the roasted pumpkin to cool down for 10 to 15 minutes and transfer directly into the heat-safe container along with the broth.
- Blend until smooth.
- Your spicy pumpkin soup is ready! Top with toasted pumpkin seeds or a drizzle of coconut milk or other herbs as you like!
👩🏽🍳Top tips and FAQs
I like using sugar pie pumpkins (sweet pumpkins), which are small and round. You can also substitute with kabocha squash. You want to pick pumpkins with a firm skin without any blemishes or bruises (check the bottom of the pumpkin to make sure it's firm, not spongy). I like picking ones that feel heavy for their size with intact stems.
Store fresh pumpkins in a cool, dark, dry place (I usually place them in my pantry). You want to avoid sunlight accelerating the ripening process and avoid moisture to prevent mold formation.
Remove fleshy strings and dry the seeds first. Then, toss with avocado oil, salt, pepper, and any other spices of your choice. Transfer to a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 mins at 350F.
For thicker soup, add a bit of canned pumpkin puree after blending to adjust to your consistency! You can also add a bit of cornstarch (typically 1 tablespoon, first mixed into a couple of tablespoons of cooled pumpkin soup, then stirred back into the full pot).
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
To store this soup, simply allow it to cool to room temperature. Then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also portion the soup and freeze in a freezer safe bag for up to 1-2 months.
If you're freezing the soup, make sure to bring the portion you want to eat to the fridge the night before consuming. Reheat using a microwave or on stovetop. If you forget to do that, place the soup in a microwave safe bowl and heat it in 1-2 minute bursts, breaking it into chunks along the way. Then, once it's broken down, reheat on stovetop.
Oh, and if you're wondering about sides and toppings, check out this post on what to serve with pumpkin soup!
If you like this recipe, check out my other Fall recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pumpkin, medium sized pumpkin, check notes for substituting puree
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala, optional
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder, substitute cayenne or red chili flakes and adjust to your spice tolerance!
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 onion, medium sized
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- ½ cup coconut milk, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Slice your pumpkin in half. Remove and save the seeds for roasting. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of avocado oil (one per side), and rub in the spices on the flesh of the pumpkin (i.e., 2 teaspoons each of cumin powder, coriander powder, and optional garam masala, as well as 1 teaspoon of red chili powder). Place skin side down on a baking sheet. Chop up an onion into halves and place them on the same baking sheet, along with four cloves of garlic.
- Optional: If you plan to roast your seeds, remove any fleshy strings and dry them first. Then, toss in avocado oil with salt, pepper, and any other spices of your choice. Transfer to a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 mins.
- Roast your pumpkin, onion, and garlic cloves for 40 to 45 minutes.
- Once the pumpkin is roasted, allow to cool down (if your blender cannot accommodate hot foods) or proceed to the next step if you have a blender that has a soup setting.
- Scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin, the roasted onions and garlic, and add to the blender along with 4 cups of vegetable stock and ½ cup of coconut milk (optional). Blend until smooth.
- If your blender does not have a hot soup setting, then add the ingredients to a large Dutch oven or pot and bring to a mild simmer. Let it cool down and then blend.
- Your spicy pumpkin soup is ready! Top with toasted pumpkin seeds or a drizzle of coconut milk or other herbs as you like!
pumpkin soup really tastes amazing during winters. with added spiciness, it is so heavenly.
The weight of the pumpkin here is just a whole raw pumpkin, right?
That is correct!
The soup was delicious, I added a little cornstarch as you suggested because I like mine thick. Thanks for a great recipe/
The garam masala spice really makes this recipe amazing - a perfect combination addition to the creamy pumpkin flavour. Loved it!
Love the spice blend in this yummy soup!
This was my first time making, or eating, pumpkin soup. It's really good! We loved the warm spices with the pumpkin. This was creamy comfort food perfection!