Roasted Pumpkin Soup Recipe (With Video)

Prep Time:

5 mins

Total Time:

40 mins

Servings:

4

Our roasted pumpkin soup is wonderfully comforting, delicious, and healthy. It tastes creamy and smooth but is dairy-free and vegan—it owes its silky texture to pureed roasted pumpkin. Even better, prep is quick and easy; just cut up the pumpkin, onion, and garlic, then roast hands-off in the oven. Puree the roasted vegetables, add the stock, and you’re almost there. Reheat the silky puree, thinning it to the consistency you want. Serve it garnished simply with toasted pepitas to amp up the pumpkin flavor. Just a few simple ingredients produce such a satisfying soup—and one that captures the best flavors of fall.

The Best Pumpkin to Use

Choose a sugar pumpkin that feels heavy for its size and does not have any soft spots. Store it at room temperature until making the soup.

If you can't find sugar pumpkins, you can use other winter squash. Butternut squash, kabocha, calabaza, and Hubbard are the best alternatives.

Directions

Preheat oven, cut pumpkin and toss with oil:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut pumpkin into 2-inch pieces. Combine pumpkin, onion, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Add oil and 2 teaspoons salt; toss to coat, then spread in a single layer.
Roast pumpkin:

Roast until pumpkin is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes, rotating pan and tossing vegetables halfway through. Let cool, then remove skins.
Place vegetables in saucepan and add stock:

Transfer vegetables to a medium saucepan; heat over medium. Pour in 2 cups stock.
Puree, add remaining stock:

Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. With the blender running, slowly add remaining 3 cups stock, and puree until smooth.
Heat, and serve:

Bring soup just to a simmer. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm until serving.

Storing

Transfer the soup to airtight containers and cool completely before refrigerating. The soup will last for four to five days. Reheat it thoroughly on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Freezing

Pumpkin soup is easy to freeze. Make sure the soup has cooled before freezing in freezer-safe airtight containers (Freeze in batches rather than one large container, so you can thaw what you need for one meal.) Leave some room at the top of the containers as the soup will expand as it freezes.

Pumpkin soup will last two to three months in the freezer.

Avoid freezing pumpkin soup that contains cream or additions like nuts or croutons.

How to Serve Roasted Pumpkin Soup

This soup is so good that it doesn't need much more than some crusty bread to go with it. These are our favorite simple garnishes—use one or a combination:

Toasted pepitas
Toasted nuts such as hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans
Croutons
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Dollop of sour cream (for a vegan topping, use coconut cream)
Chopped cilantro or parsley—and a drizzle of heavy cream

Make It a Meal

If you want to turn the soup into a heartier meal, pair it with a favorite sandwich such as a grilled cheese or a turkey sandwich (bonus points if you use leftover Thanksgiving turkey!).

Frequently Asked Questions

What thickens pumpkin soup?

There are several ways to thicken pumpkin soup. The easiest method is to reduce the soup by cooking off some of the liquid. Alternatively, use a slurry of all-purpose flour or cornstarch and water; add a teaspoon or two of either thickener to a small bowl and stir in 2 to 3 teaspoons of the soup to create a slurry. Then stir the slurry into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the thickener to work and to make sure any raw flour flavor cooks off.
Why is my pumpkin soup gritty?

Your pumpkin soup might be gritty because the pumpkin was not cooked enough. This is the most common cause of gritty pumpkin soup. If it is not roasted sufficiently to become soft, the pumpkin will not puree smoothly, and the result can be a gritty soup.
Why is my pumpkin soup watery?

Your pumpkin soup might be watery if you didn't use a sugar pumpkin. Some varieties of pumpkin have a more watery texture than others. We call for a sugar pumpkin for this recipe because it works so well for soup. If you use a more watery variety of pumpkin, it would produce a thinner, more watery soup.