This quick and easy Spicy Pumpkin Soup recipe combines the wonderful flavours of pumpkin, ginger, cumin, turmeric and garam masala, with just a touch of chilli… The result is a delicious and nutritious meal that can be on the table in under 30 minutes! (No pumpkin? No problem! You can sub with butternut squash – it’s just as delicious!)
Perfect for chilly evenings
Pumpkin pairs so well with spices, and this quick and easy Spiced Pumpkin Soup recipe combines the wonderful sweetness of pumpkin with fresh ginger, cumin, turmeric, garam masala and just a touch of chilli… The result is a wonderfully warming and delicious soup that can be on the table in under 30 minutes – perfect for chilly evenings.
How to make Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Spicy Pumpkin Soup is so easy to make!
Simply fry onions, garlic, chilli and spices, then add the chopped fresh pumpkin, vegetable stock, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes then blend until completely smooth. Finally add coconut cream (optional) and ladle the soup into bowls.
(Full recipe in the recipe card below.)
How to cut a pumpkin for soup
Don’t be daunted by cutting up your pumpkin – it’s much easier than it looks!
All you need to do is:
- Cut the pumpkin into large wedges using a big knife
- Use a large spoon to remove the seeds and stringy bits
- Cut the wedges into slices
- Cut off the skin
- Cut the slices into cubes
Best pumpkin for pumpkin soup
You use any kind of pumpkin or squash to make this Spiced Pumpkin Soup. You can even use a carving pumpkin! (Carving pumpkins don’t tend to have the best flavour, but the spices and other flavours in this soup will help compensate for that.)
However, for best results, I recommend using what is sold as a ‘culinary pumpkin’ – these are the type of pumpkin that are bred to have the best flavour, so will give you the most flavoursome pumpkin soup.
Can’t find a pumpkin?
If you can’t find a pumpkin for this recipe (or when it’s not pumpkin season), you can use butternut squash instead. Butternut squashes are typically easier to get hold of and this soup is just as delicious made with butternut squash!
What to serve with pumpkin soup
This pumpkin soup is delicious served with crusty bread – especially homemade soda bread!
What to drink with pumpkin soup
Aromatic white wines, such as Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Gewurztraminer or Viognier go best with the spicy flavours in this soup. A Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc would also work well.
I don’t recommend pairing red wine with pumpkin soup but a fruity rosé would be OK.
Make it your own…
This delicious spicy pumpkin soup is very easy to adapt. You could…
- Use curry powder or curry paste instead of the chilli and spices
- Use cayenne pepper instead of the chilli flakes
- Use butternut squash or sweet potato instead of the pumpkin
- Replace half the pumpkin with sweet potatoes, carrots or parsnips
- Add 100g (3½oz) red lentils at the same time as the pumpkin
- Use chicken stock instead of the vegetable stock (if you don’t need this to be vegan)
- Use double (heavy) cream instead of the coconut cream (if you don’t need this to be vegan)
What to do with leftover pumpkin soup?
Place any leftovers in a lidded container in the fridge, where they will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, tip into a saucepan, along with a small splash of water. Reheat over a medium heat until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively, you can reheat this soup in the microwave.
Can you freeze pumpkin soup?
Pumpkin Soup is such a great ‘fill the freezer’ recipe… I usually make a double quantity of this soup. We eat half freshly made and half I divide into individual portions and freeze for a near instant meal when I’m in a hurry or have no energy to cook! Far healthier (and cheaper!) than a ready meal or takeaway.
Place the cooked and cooled soup in a lidded container in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 3 months. (Or freeze in individual portions, for maximum flexibility.)
Reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
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Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions diced
- 1 cm ginger grated (or 1 teaspoon pre-chopped ginger – see Note 1)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (or to taste)
- 1 kg pumpkin cut into 1cm cubes (see Note 2)
- 500 ml vegetable stock (from a cube is fine – I used 1 x Kallo organic vegetable stock cube)
- Salt and pepper to taste (See Note 3)
- 50 ml coconut cream (optional)
- Pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Place the olive oil and diced onions in a fairly large saucepan and gently fry the onions for 4 minutes, with the lid on, until softened but not brown. Stir occasionally.
- Add the ginger, garlic, garam masala, cumin, turmeric and chilli flakes and fry for 1 more minute on low, stirring frequently. Add a small splash of water if it gets too dry.
- Add the chopped pumpkin, vegetable stock, salt and pepper and turn up the heat. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on, or until the pumpkin is quite soft.
- Tip the soup into a blender and blitz until completely smooth. PLEASE TAKE CARE AS THE SOUP WILL BE VERY HOT! (See Note 4.)
- If necessary, return the blended soup back to the saucepan and warm back up to your desired temperature. You may also wish to check the seasoning at this point too. If the soup is a little thick for your tastes, add a little extra water at this point to achieve your desired consistency.
- Optional: Turn off the heat and stir through 50ml coconut cream and/or add a swirl of coconut cream to the soup once you’ve put ladled it into the bowls.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with pumpkin seeds (optional) and serve with homemade bread.
Notes
- To make this soup even easier, you can use ready chopped frozen ginger – which is easy to find in most supermarkets.
- For best flavour, use a culinary pumpkin. Peeling and cutting a pumpkin is not as hard as it sounds! Scroll up to see step by step instructions and photographs.
- I prefer to only add black pepper to this soup, as the salt content of the stock cube makes this soup salty enough for my tastes.
- If you prefer, you can use a stick blender or potato masher - or leave the soup un-blended.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Christine says
Hello, I was wondering if I can use ground ginger in this recipe as that’s what I have in the house? If so how much would I use?
Thank you
Eb Gargano says
Absolutely! I recommend you use 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of ground ginger in place of the fresh ginger. Enjoy! Eb 🙂