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This easy pumpkin soup recipe is rich and creamy with complex savory flavor, and comes together in just 20 minutes. It makes one cozy serving, but is easy to scale up to feed your family.
Pumpkin soup is one of my favorite seasonal comfort foods and I make several different varieties of it. This one is fairly basic, but it delivers big!
This creamy pumpkin soup is aromatic with onion, garlic and fresh ginger.
A lot of pumpkin soups call for brown sugar or maple syrup, but here’s no need for added sweetener here. Instead, we use touch of a spice called fenugreek to add a hint of caramel-y maple flavor without adding sugar or sweetness.
The ace-up-our-sleeve that adds depth and complexity with just one simple ingredient is pumpkin pie spice mix.
This will become your go-to recipe when you have just half a cup of pumpkin left in the bottom of the can! What better way to use up leftover canned pumpkin?!
Cooking for One – Easy Pumpkin Soup to the Rescue!
A lot of people tell me they either don’t know how to cook for one person, or don’t enjoy cooking for one. Here are few simple tips to make it as easy as possible:
- Plan ahead so you can make leftovers and store them in individual portions in the freezer. For example, make a double or triple batch of this soup and freeze the extra portions for a quick meal!
- Make enough protein so you have it ready for multiple meals, but only have to cook it once. For example, roast a chicken and have roast chicken dinner the first night, BBQ chicken salad another night, and chicken noodle soup after that.
- Wash and chop produce on the day you grocery shop and store it in the fridge, so during the week you’re ready to cook with it.
- It also really helps to have recipes for one that you really love! This easy pumpkin soup is a great option during fall and winter months. Here are tons more recipes for one!
The Best Easy Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Pumpkin Soup Ingredients
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas. For the full recipe (including ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Butter – to sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger
- Onion, garlic, and ginger – for savory depth of flavor and aroma
- Chicken bone broth – or you can use chicken stock or chicken broth; or to make this vegetarian, use vegetable stock or vegetable broth
- Pumpkin puree – this soup is the perfect way to use up a little bit of leftover canned pumpkin
- Pumpkin pie spice mix – this is a blend of a few different warm spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger
- Fenugreek – this spice is used to make imitation maple syrup because it has a natural smoky caramel flavor with notes of molasses, maple, and brown sugar; it’s optional in this soup, but highly recommended!
- Salt and black pepper – to season our soup
- Heavy whipping cream – or you can use full-fat coconut milk
- Roasted salted pumpkin seeds – this is a delicious crunchy garnish for our soup
How to Make Pumpkin Soup with Canned Pumpkin
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, but not brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Add the broth, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice mix, fenugreek, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Carefully puree the soup in a blender or using an immersion blender. Add the cream.
- Taste and add additional salt and black pepper as desired. Serve with the pumpkin seeds on top.
Variations
- Paleo Version: Use ghee or olive oil instead of butter, and full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream.
- Vegan Version: Use olive oil instead of butter, vegetable stock or broth instead of chicken bone broth, and full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream.
Storage
Store any leftover creamy pumpkin soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Easy Pumpkin Soup Recipe FAQs
Is Canned Pumpkin Healthy?
In general, fresh fruit and vegetables are thought of as a healthier, more nutritious choice than canned. However, that is not the case with pumpkin!
Canned pumpkin is loaded with nutrition, such as vitamins (vitamin A in particular), minerals (like potassium and iron), and fiber.
What is the Difference Between Canned Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pie Filling?
Let’s start with the similarities. Both canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling are sold in a can, and they’re usually right next to each other on the shelf at the grocery store.
Canned pumpkin is cooked, pureed pumpkin with nothing added.
On the other hand, pumpkin pie filling is cooked, pureed pumpkin with added ingredients, such as pumpkin pie spice and sugar.
Make sure you get canned pumpkin (aka pumpkin puree) and not pie filling for this soup recipe.
Do I Have to Cook Canned Pumpkin?
Canned pumpkin is pumpkin that is already cooked and pureed. It doesn’t need to be cooked further.
However, you can use canned pumpkin to make any number of things that are cooked, such as pumpkin bread, cake, cookies, pasta sauce, etc.
What Can I Make with Canned Pumpkin?
One of the things I love most about canned pumpkin is its versatility. Canned pumpkin is great in both sweet and savory recipes!
In addition to this easy pumpkin soup recipe, here are a few more of my favorite recipes that utilize canned pumpkin:
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Snack Cake with Brown Butter Buttercream
- Spiced Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Brown Butter, Sage, and Pecan Topping
- No Bake Vegan Spiced Pumpkin Tart with Chocolate Ganache (Paleo)
- Spiced Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Pumpkin Cream
More Savory Pumpkin Recipes
- Savory Pumpkin and Cheese Stuffed Shells from An Edible Mosaic
- Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce and Pecans from Julia’s Album
- Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Wedges from Where Is My Spoon?
- Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Empanadas from Katie’s Cucina
Let’s Connect
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media.
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Easy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh-grated ginger
- 3/4 cup chicken bone broth or chicken stock, chicken broth, vegetable stock or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree canned or homemade, but not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix
- 1 pinch fenugreek optional (see Notes)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon roasted salted pumpkin seeds optional (for garnish)
Instructions
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, but not brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Add the broth, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice mix, fenugreek, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Carefully puree the soup in a blender or using an immersion blender. Add the cream.
- Taste and add additional salt and black pepper as desired. Serve with the pumpkin seeds on top.
Notes
- Fenugreek: This spice adds subtle caramel and maple flavor notes without adding sugar. You can omit it if you like, and instead use 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup.
- Paleo Version: Use ghee or olive oil instead of butter, and full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream.
- Vegan Version: Use olive oil instead of butter, vegetable stock or broth instead of chicken bone broth, and full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream.
- Storage: Store any leftover creamy pumpkin soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on October 29, 2018 and updated on November 21, 2023.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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