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Curried Pumpkin Soup

Velvety smooth and brilliantly hued, this creamy vegan pumpkin curry soup recipe is deeply beloved in our homes.

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Curried pumpkin soup topped with pumpkin seeds, slivered jalapenos, and drizzled with coconut milk

The Creamy, Savory Pumpkin Soup All Your Autumnal Dreams Are Made Of

Velvety smooth and brilliantly hued, this vegan pumpkin curry soup recipe is deeply beloved by everyone we've ever served it to. The soothing, savory aroma that it emits as it simmers goes hand in hand with all of the other markers of fall in our homes—if the leaves are turning, and jack-o-lanterns have begun to appear on neighbor’s porches, then our families know that someone’s probably in the kitchen making a big pot of this curry-spiced pumpkin coconut soup. Creamy, with layer upon layer of spice and squash sweetness, this soup is a feast for the senses, and there’s no more delicious way to welcome the season.

ingredients for curried pumpkin soup including butternut squash, pumpkin, spices, chicken broth, onions and coconut milk

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What’s In Pumpkin Curry Soup?

The rich and complex flavor of this pumpkin soup comes from the squash itself, plus a few key spices. Nothing fancy—just whole foods, treated with a bit of care, and simmered into one big pot of fall soup. Here’s everything you’ll need to make the pumpkin soup recipe:

  • Sugar pumpkin
  • Butternut squash
  • Olive oil
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Curry powder
  • Nutmeg
  • Ginger
  • Vegetable stock
  • Coconut milk
Ceramic bowl filled with pumpkin soup topped with jalapenos, coconut milk, pumpkin seed and black pepper

Pumpkin Soup with Real Pumpkin—Yes, You Can Do It!

But don’t chop up that jack-o-lantern just yet! Decorative pumpkins that we carve are NOT the same as the type of pumpkin you use to make a soup like this. For this pumpkin soup recipe, we’re calling for the most classic culinary pumpkins: sugar pumpkins, also known (for reasons you can probably deduce yourself) as pie pumpkins. Sugar pumpkin skin shouldn’t be too tough—if you have a good, sharp, sturdy vegetable peeler, that is the best way to peel the pumpkin. Simply trim off both the top and bottom ends, so that you have a good flat surface to rest the gourd on, and then peel the skin off. You can do the same thing with your butternut squash.

Is Pumpkin Soup Healthy? Is pumpkin soup healthy?!

Yes! A million billion times yes. This vegan pumpkin soup recipe is creamy and rich, savory and a bit sweet—it’s all kinds of satisfying, but it’s also incredibly good for you. Low in calories, but nutrient dense, pumpkin is a wonderful thing to eat! It’s loaded with vitamin A and C, as well as fiber, zinc and potassium. It’s basically a superfood. So yeah, go on and have a second bowl!

raw pumpkin, raw butternut squash and spices in a large soup pot
cooked pumpkin and butternut squash in a large pot for pumpkin soup
curried pumpkin soup in a large soup pot being blended with a hand blender
curried pumpkin soup blended in a soup pot
coconut milk being stirred into a pot of pumpkin soup
pumpkin soup blended in a large pot with a wooden spoon

How Do You Make Pumpkin Soup From Scratch?

Once you’ve peeled and cubed the sugar pumpkin and butternut squash, the rest of this soup recipe is a total breeze. Here’s how to make creamy pumpkin soup magic:

  1. Begin as always! Sauté onions in oil for a bit, then add garlic. We like to make this soup in a Dutch oven, but you can also use a stock pot.
  2. Add the cubed pumpkin, squash, curry, nutmeg, ginger, red pepper, salt and pepper and stock.
  3. Bring the whole beautiful thing to a boil and then simmer until the pumpkin and squash are cooked through. This will take about 20 minutes, and will make your house smell incredibly good.
  4. Puree the soup in a food processor or with an immersion blender.
  5. Pour in the coconut milk, give it a stir, grab a bowl and eat up!
curried pumpkin soup topped with coconut milk, pumpkin seeds, slivered jalapenos and black pepper

Tools You’ll Need:

More Fall Soup Recipes To Try This Season

Thanksgiving Planning, Already?

Psssst. This creamy pumpkin soup makes a wonderful Thanksgiving starter. It also makes a wonderful anytime meal—a light lunch or dinner, served simply with a salad or some bread. If you try it, we’d love to hear how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

Curried Pumpkin Soup

  • Serves: 6
  • Prep Time:  1 hr
  • Cook Time:  20 min
  • Calories: 176

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs sugar pumpkin, seeded, skinned and cubed
  • 1 1/2 lbs butternut squash seeded, peeled and cubed
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper (optional)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper (more for serving)
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (more for serving)
  • jalapeño, seeded, sliced (optional)
  • cilantro (optional)
  • pumpkin seeds (optional)

Method

  1. Prepare the pumpkin and butternut squash, if you have a sharp peeler, it actually works quite well to use it to remove the skins from the squash. Cube the pumpkin and squash flesh into 2-3” chunks.
  2. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or heavy soup pot, sauté onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes.
  3. Add the pumpkin, squash, curry, nutmeg, ginger, red pepper, salt and pepper and stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until squash is tender and can be pierced with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.
  4. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender in small batches.
  5. Once your soup is nice and creamy return it to the pot. Add your coconut milk, additional salt and pepper if needed and warm it back up over medium heat.
  6. Serve with pumpkin seeds, a swirl of extra coconut milk, sliced jalapenos and a little cilantro. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories176
  • Protein2 g
  • Carbohydrates28 g
  • Total Fat8 g
  • Dietary Fiber5 g
  • Cholesterol0 mg
  • sodium107 mg
  • Total Sugars8 g

Curried Pumpkin Soup

Questions & Reviews

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  • Teagan

    For more flavor, can the pumpkin and squash be roasted first?

    You can you just won't need to do the simmer step as long but you'll want all the flavors to simmer for at least a bit without over cooking the squash too much. Hope you enjoy Teagan!

  • Mary

    If I make this a day ahead is it best to leave the coconut milk out and add it just before serving? Thanks!

    Either way is fine! Hope you enjoy Mary!

  • Pam

    Can this soup be frozen?

    Yes!

  • Julaine

    To save time, can this be made with canned pumpkin and squash and if so, how much should I use?

    4 cups of canned pumpkin/squash will do the trick. Hope you enjoy Julaine!

  • Eleanore

    If using canned pumpkin how much would equal 2 1/2 pounds of "sugar pumpkin, seeded, skinned and cubed" ?

    We haven't tried it but you could. Probably about 2.5 cups of canned pumpkin.

  • Rachel

    This is a comforting soup. I’ve heard freshly grated nutmeg is the best but I had the ground nutmeg. I’ll try that next time. I still really enjoyed.

    Thanks Rachel, so happy you loved it!

  • Megan

    This was absolutely delicious! Just what I wanted.

    Thanks Megan, so happy to hear you loved it!

  • poppy

    absolutely jaw dropping , made me n the kids have a terrific mouth tasting experience.. i used my last shillings to occupy these ingredients! Would try this dish asap!!!

    So happy you all enjoyed it!!! Thanks for trying it out!

  • Sheila

    I made this soup today as pumpkins are in season and doubled the recipe. I followed it as suggested using only pumpkin, however I found the curry was too much and it added a bitterness to the soup. To make the adjustments I added a full can of coconut cream and half a can of coconut milk. I will make this again but just pull back on the curry to half the amount and add slowly to my taste next time. Great fall soup, velvety texture.

  • Kellie

    We had this for supper tonight. I had no butternut squash, so used the whole, cubed fresh pumpkin and about half a small can of pumpkin puree. It needed just a little sugar at the end. The jalapenos were great as a topping. I shaved them thin and also topped the soup with toasted wonton noodles a an extra drizzle of coconut milk. Fantastic!

    yay! Glad you made it work!