A little sweet and a little savory, this pumpkin soup is sure to get rave reviews at your fall gathering! Served hot or cold, this soup is great for Thanksgiving or for any cold weather.
Savory pumpkin dishes are just as good as the sweet ones! We love to make pumpkin chili, pumpkin crescent rolls and this soup during the fall.
Don’t Knock it Til You’ve Tried It
I’m not going to lie. I was a little hesitant trying pumpkin soup for the first time and that’s mostly because I just had no clue how it would taste.
Now that I’ve had it, I’ll never deny the sweet and savory flavors that fill pumpkin soup. It’s comforting. It’s creamy. It’s simply delicious and can be customized in so many ways.
This soup starts with sugar pumpkins (butternut squash is an alternative if needed) because they’re perfect for roasting and pureeing. Add a few more spices along with chicken broth and heavy cream, and this simple pumpkin soup is a bowl of heaven!
How to Make Pumpkin Soup
You can make things easier if you decide to use store bought pumpkin puree, but we think roasting the sugar pumpkins is what makes this soup so delicious.
As mentioned above, butternut squash can be used too, but be sure to peel, seed (remove strings too) and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat, add the butter. Once hot, add the cubed pumpkin or squash. Toast until lightly brown on all sides, taking care not to burn, about 5 minutes.
Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Saute for 3 minutes, then add the cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, thyme, maple syrup, and chicken broth (vegetable broth is our second choice if chicken broth isn’t handy).
Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree soup until thick and creamy. Return soup to the pot if needed to warm up and stir in the cream (half and half works too).
Serve hot, garnish with pumpkin seeds, if desired. Serve with crusty bread, toasted croissants or even with croutons sprinkled on top.
If you want to make this a SLOW COOKER version, we do recommend using pumpkin puree instead (it’s harder for the pumpkin/squash to be roasted in the slow cooker). Just cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours and still use your immersion blender or food processor to make it nice and creamy.
Changing it Up + Storing
We love that this easy pumpkin soup has a little sweetness, but it can be easily changed to all savory by omitting the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and syrup.
Just add a little more salt and garnish with sour cream, green onions and bacon bits. Trust us – it’s delish!
If you have extra, be sure to STORE in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Just REHEAT in the microwave or on the stove top.
For more savory pumpkin recipes, check out:
Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3-4 lb sugar pie pumpkin - or butternut squash, peeled, seeds/strings removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 yellow onion - sliced
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- pinch thyme
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 (32 oz) box low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- roasted pumpkin seeds - for optional garnish
Instructions
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat, add the butter. Once hot, add the cubed pumpkin or squash. Toast until lightly brown on all sides, taking care not to burn, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Saute for 3 minutes, then add the cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, thyme, maple syrup, and chicken broth.
- Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree soup until thick and creamy. Return soup to the pot if needed and stir in the cream.
- Serve hot, garnish with pumpkin seeds, if desired. Serve with crusty bread or toasted croissants.
Nutrition
How much canned pumpkin should we use if doing the slow cooker route? Thanks!
Hi Nancy, you can use 3-4 cups pumpkin puree for the slow cooker.
Has anyone served this soup cold?
This has me so excited for fall! I love the warm flavors.