Lightly Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Roasted Garlic
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Lightly spiced pumpkin soup is a favorite around here and I always like to make it myself if I have 15 minutes to spare for the prep . Roasted pumpkin and garlic are two of the main flavors, along with onion, cumin and nutmeg. Once everything has been blended, the soup is smooth and thick, and you can add a drizzle of cream when serving if you like.
I prefer my pumpkin soup slightly on the sweet side, and I love roasting the pumpkin because it helps bring out its natural sweetness. I also add onion, garlic and chicken stock to balance out the flavor. I usually serve mine with some crusty bread so I can mop up every last bit!
Lightly Spiced Pumpkin Soup at a Glance
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 55 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Servings: 5
- Cuisine: International
- Main ingredients: Pumpkin, garlic, onion, chicken stock, cumin and nutmeg
- Best cooking method: Oven roasting followed by stovetop simmering
- Storage: Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days or freeze without the cream
Why You’ll Love This Spiced Pumpkin Soup
- The pumpkin and garlic roast together, so you can prepare both in the same dish.
- The soup gets its smooth consistency from blending the vegetables. Cream is an optional topping (but highly recommended!)
- There’s no chili in there, making it a good choice if you enjoy aromatic spices and prefer mild food or if you’re making it for kids who will like the sweetness but not necessarily want spices from the hotter end of the spectrum!
- You can cook the soup ahead and have it for lunch for several days.
Pumpkin Soup with Spices Ingredients
- Pumpkin: Choose a cooking pumpkin, such as a sugar or pie pumpkin. You’ll need two pounds (900g) of flesh after peeling and removing the seeds, so make sure you buy a pumpkin heavier than this. The amount of waste varies with the variety and size.
- Garlic: Leave the cloves in their skins for roasting, then peel them before adding them to the soup. Roasting mellows their pungency. I like to make extra and mix it with mayonnaise for aioli!
- Yellow onion: Chop it finely so it softens during the simmer. Check a piece before blending.
- Chicken stock: A lower-sodium stock gives you more control over the final seasoning. Vegetable stock works too.
- Cumin and nutmeg: Ground cumin has an earthy flavor, while nutmeg goes well with the sweetness of pumpkin. Measure both carefully, especially the nutmeg.
- Cream: This is optional. You can also add some sour cream or a little shredded cheese instead.
How to Make Lightly Spiced Pumpkin Soup
- Prepare the pumpkin: Peel it, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into similar-sized pieces.
- Roast the pumpkin and garlic: Roast both until tender, removing the garlic first if need be.
- Cook the onion: Soften the onion in oil, then add the cumin and nutmeg.
- Add the soup ingredients: Add the roasted pumpkin, peeled garlic and chicken stock, then simmer briefly.
- Blend: Blend until smooth with an immersion blender or countertop blender.
- Serve: Taste, adjust the seasoning and add cream or sour cream before serving if you like.
Tips for Smooth Pumpkin Soup
- Keep the spices moving: Stir continuously during their brief cooking time with the onion. Lower the heat if they begin to catch.
- Check the onion: It needs to be completely soft before blending. A powerful blender won’t remove the flavor of undercooked onion.
- Adjust the consistency after blending: Simmer a thin soup a little longer, stirring often, or loosen a thick soup with a splash of water or stock.
- Blend safely: Take the pot off the heat before using an immersion blender and keep its head submerged. For a countertop blender, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for hot liquids and work in small batches. Never blend hot soup in a sealed personal blender.
Substitutions and Variations
- Try butternut or carrots: Use the same prepared weight of peeled, seeded squash if you want to make spiced butternut soup. Roast the squash until fork-tender, checking the pieces as they cook. Spiced carrot soup, using carrots, or spiced lentil and carrot soup are good too, if you want to swap the pumpkin for carrots or use carrots and add some cooked lentils.
- Vegetarian or vegan: Choose vegetable stock. It’s also easy to make into a vegan pumpkin soup if you omit the cream and other dairy toppings.
- Add extra heat: Stir in a little cayenne or chili powder, tasting as you go. The base recipe has no added chili.
- Coconut topping: A spoonful of unsweetened coconut milk is an option instead of cream. It will contribute its own flavor.
Equipment
- Large baking dish: Choose one with enough room to spread out the pumpkin and garlic.
- 6-quart stockpot: Gives you room to simmer the soup and blend it without filling the pot to the rim.
- Immersion blender: Lets you puree the soup directly in the pot.
- Chef’s knife: For preparing the pumpkin and chopping the onion.
- Kitchen scale and measuring cups and spoons: Weigh the prepared pumpkin and measure the stock, oil and spices.
- Tongs, wooden spoons and ladle: Check and lift out the hot garlic, stir the soup and serve it.
- Cutting board: Use a stable board when cutting the pumpkin.
What to Serve with Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Bread is my usual choice, especially for mopping up the last of the soup. Warm rolls, buttered toast or a cheese sandwich all work for lunch. For an appetizer, serve a smaller bowl before the main course.
Add the optional cream at the table so everyone can choose their own amount. If you prefer sour cream or shredded cheese, use either of those as the topping.
How to Store
- Refrigerate: Divide leftovers between shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F (32°C). Keep at 40°F (4°C) or below for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat: Heat in a saucepan, stirring frequently, until the soup reaches 165°F (74°C) throughout. Add a little water or stock if it has thickened.
- Freeze and thaw: Freeze the soup without its dairy topping for up to 3 months for best quality. Leave room for expansion in the container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat and stir well.
- Make ahead: Cook and blend the soup in advance, following the refrigeration guidance above. Add the cream or other topping when you serve it.
Spiced Pumpkin Soup FAQs
Yes. Use about 3 cups (26 oz/735g) plain canned pumpkin puree in place of the 2 pounds (900g) fresh pumpkin. You’ll need 2 standard 15-ounce cans, with a little left over. Add a little less stock at first, then add more if the soup is too thick. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling – that’s already spiced and sweetened!
No. I recommend that you peel the pumpkin for this soup. Some varieties have edible skins, but tough peel may leave fibrous pieces after blending. Weigh the flesh after removing the skin and seeds.
Pumpkin pie spice isn’t the same seasoning as cumin and nutmeg. It usually contains cinnamon and other baking spices, which will give the soup a different flavor. I always prefer to use the individual spices in the recipe.
Pumpkins can vary in flavor, and stock varies in saltiness. Taste the blended soup before adding more spices. It may simply need more salt. If so, add a little at a time, stirring and tasting between additions.
Lightly Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900g) pumpkin flesh, weighed after peeling and removing the seeds, cut into small, evenly sized pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cooking oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 US cups (950 ml) chicken stock
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Water or extra chicken stock, only if needed to adjust the consistency
- Cream, for serving (optional)
Equipment
- Large baking dish
- Large soup pot
- Immersion blender or countertop blender suitable for hot liquids
- Chef’s knife and cutting board
- Kitchen scale
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Stirring spoon and ladle
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Put the pumpkin pieces and unpeeled garlic cloves in a large baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and toss to coat.
- Roast for 20 minutes, then check the garlic. Use tongs to gently squeeze the cloves and remove them once soft. Leave any firm cloves to roast a little longer, checking them as they cook. Roast the pumpkin for about 10 minutes more, or until fork-tender. Let the garlic cool enough to handle before peeling it.
- Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, cumin and nutmeg with a little salt and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Add the roasted pumpkin and chicken stock. Peel the roasted garlic and add it to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, until the onion is completely soft.
- Take the pot off the heat and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. If using a countertop blender, follow its instructions for hot liquids and work in small batches.
- Check the consistency. Add a splash of water or stock if the soup is too thick, or simmer gently for a little longer if it is too thin. Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper. Rewarm as needed and serve with the optional cream.
Notes
- The pumpkin weight is the prepared flesh, not the whole pumpkin. Buy more than 2 pounds (900g) to allow for the skin and seeds; the amount of waste varies.
- Allow about 55 minutes for cooking. The pumpkin and garlic must be tender after roasting, and the onion must be soft before blending. Allow longer if needed.
- For vegetarian soup, use vegetable stock. For vegan soup, use vegetable stock and omit dairy toppings.
- Sour cream or a little shredded cheese are optional alternatives to the cream topping.
- Refrigerate in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Keep at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat to 165°F (74°C). Freeze before adding dairy for up to 3 months for best quality and thaw in the refrigerator.
More Pumpkin and Fall Soup Recipes
This thick and creamy pumpkin soup has maple syrup and cream if you enjoy a sweeter soup. For a soup with rice and a little chili heat, try my pumpkin rice soup with ginger. You might also like carrot and chestnut soup which has cooked chestnuts, carrots, celery and herbs or, for a kick of chili, my spicy pumpkin soup.
