Better Homes And Gardens Pumpkin Soup Bowl

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!}

Close up of dunking crusty bread into thick and creamy pumpkin soup in a rustic white enamel bowl.

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 justa 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!

Thick and creamy pumpkin soup in a black cast iron pot, fresh off the stove, ready to be served.

What goes inPumpkin 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 thebest pumpkin to use and recipe notes forcanned 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!

What goes in pumpkin soup

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.

Bestpumpkin for pumpkin soup

Use any type of eating pumpkin you want ORbutternut squash (which is calledbutternut 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!

A classic, super easy pumpkin soup that's fast to make. No cream required to make a luscious creamy pumpkin soup! On the table in 20 minutes! recipetineats.com

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 make Pumpkin Soup

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

Thick and creamy pumpkin soup in a rustic white enamel bowl with a silver spoon, ready to be eaten.

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

Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Servings 4 - 6

Tap or hover to scale

Recipe VIDEO above. Just a touch of cream adds a hint of luxury to this super easy pumpkin soup! If you don't have cream, use milk or add a knob of butter. Make this with any type of pumpkin OR butternut squash / butternut pumpkin (same thing!). FLAVOUR VARIATIONS - see list in post above (includes quantities).

▢ 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)

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!

1. Pumpkin - ~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.

Butternut Squash is also ideal in this. It's called Butternut Pumpkin in Australia.

To make this with canned pumpkin puree, you will need 2 cans. Add it in place of the fresh pumpkin and follow recipe as is.

2. Cream -cream will add a layer of richness to the mouthfeel. But it is truly still delicious even made without - I often make it with just milk. To add a rich finish, I sometimes stir through a bit of butter instead!

3. Pureeing - 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. Flavour variations - see in post for list of suggestions, including quantities.

5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings and made with cream.

Serving: 561 g Calories: 189 cal (9%) Carbohydrates: 22 g (7%) Protein: 3 g (6%) Fat: 11 g (17%) Saturated Fat: 6 g (38%) Cholesterol: 40 mg (13%) Sodium: 723 mg (31%) Potassium: 912 mg (26%) Fiber: 1 g (4%) Sugar: 9 g (10%) Vitamin A: 22095 IU (442%) Vitamin C: 25 mg (30%) Calcium: 81 mg (8%) Iron: 2.1 mg (12%)

* Originally published June 2014, photos replaced in 2018, brand new improved video added in September 2019, minor housekeeping 2020 (no change to recipe).