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Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Quick and easy spicy pumpkin soup made with pumpkin purée, onions, fresh ginger, chicken stock, cream, and a mixture of curry, cumin, and coriander.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Elise Bauer

Ah, fall, a perfect time for a spicy pumpkin soup! This soup comes together quickly, and has warm notes of ginger, curry, cumin, coriander, and black pepper. Great flavor additions that enhance not detract from the pumpkin.

What gives the soup its heat? Not chili this time, but some freshly minced ginger. I love the zing ginger brings to the soup. (If it's too much for you, just scale back.)

Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Elise Bauer

This recipe is a major upgrade from a soup we posted in 2006. I was never quite satisfied with that soup. This one nails it. If you liked the original, I think you'll love the new and improved version! (BTW, you can still find the original on the Internet Archive here.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings
To make pumpkin purée, cut a sugar pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lay face down on a tin-foil lined baking pan. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Purée in food processor. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 2 teaspoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • Small pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 3 1/2 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin purée
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • Yogurt (for garnish)
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds (for garnish)

Method

  1. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger, spices:

    Melt butter in a large (5 to 6 quart), thick-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes.

    Add the minced garlic and ginger, cook another minute.

    Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and salt. Cook for another 2 minutes.

    spicy-pumpkin-soup-method-1a
    Elise Bauer
    spicy-pumpkin-soup-method-2a
    Elise Bauer
  2. Add stock, bay leaves, and pumpkin purée:

    Add the chicken stock and the bay leaves. Add the pumpkin purée and the water. Stir to combine. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add more stock or water to thin it.

    Increase heat to high. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

    spicy-pumpkin-soup-method-3b
    Elise Bauer
    spicy-pumpkin-soup-method-4a
    Elise Bauer
  3. Purée soup:

    Remove bay leaves. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup.

  4. Stir in cream:

    Right before serving, stir in the cream. Add black pepper and adjust seasonings to taste. Add more salt if necessary.

    Drizzle with plain yogurt that has been thinned with a little water and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds to serve.

    spicy-pumpkin-soup-method-5a
    Elise Bauer
Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Elise Bauer