Pumpkin Soup is a breeze to whip up with canned pumpkin and bursting with delicious fall flavors. Pair it with crusty buttered bread for the best meal!
If you have fresh pumpkin, I’ve included easy directions to make the soup from scratch!
Pumpkin Soup With Canned Pumpkin
Some soup recipes can take a lot of time (looking at you, potato soup!). But this soup is quick, easy, and just as flavorful. It couldn’t be simpler to make and might be the best Pumpkin Soup ever!
Instead of roasting a whole pumpkin, I use canned pumpkin puree, making it come together fast and with hardly any effort—score!
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: This gives the soup a nice rich flavor base.
- Sweet onions: These onions are mild and less sharp, with a natural sweetness.
- Garlic cloves: Fresh garlic delivers the most flavor.
- Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves: Warm spices that complement the pumpkin perfectly.
- Fuji apple: Adds natural sweetness and balances the savoriness.
- Pumpkin puree: Canned pumpkin is a time-saver and blends smoothly into the soup.
- Chicken stock: Use a high-quality stock for the best flavor.
- Fresh thyme: Adds a subtle earthy note; dried thyme works in a pinch.
- Maple syrup: Use pure maple syrup to enhance the natural sweetness.
- Heavy whipping cream: For a creamy finish; swap for coconut milk if needed.
Quick Tip
To make a butternut pumpkin soup, use butternut squash (often called butternut pumpkin), or try this butternut squash soup!
How To Make Pumpkin Soup
- Sauté Onions and Garlic: Melt butter in a large pot and sauté chopped onions and garlic until soft.
- Add Spices: Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until fragrant.
- Combine Ingredients: Add chopped apple, pumpkin, chicken stock, thyme, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
- Blend Soup: Puree the soup in batches until smooth.
- Finish and Serve: Stir in the cream, adjust seasoning, and serve with optional garnishes.
Quick Tip
Use a strong blender for a smooth, creamy soup. You can also use an immersion blender, but it won’t get it as smooth. When blending, start slow to avoid spills, secure the lid tightly, and be careful of steam. Blend in batches if needed. Here are some more tips and best practices for blending soup!
Pumpkin Soup FAQs
Crusty bread, dinner rolls, or honey wheat bread are great for dipping. Pair with a simple salad like Italian or spinach.
Roasted, salted pepitas add crunch and flavor. You can make or buy them.
The blended pumpkin and onions naturally thicken the soup. To thicken, simmer for longer. To thin it, add more stock and adjust the seasoning.
Use quality canned pumpkin and stock. Add a sweet apple and maple syrup for balance; more syrup can add extra sweetness.
Variations
Switch Up Your Pumpkin Soup!
- Without cream: Taste before adding cream—you may like it without! Try half-and-half or coconut milk for a twist.
- Lighter: Skip cream or use lite coconut milk. Swap half the butter for olive oil.
- Vegan: Use coconut milk and vegetable stock.
- Vegetarian: Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Sweeter: Add more maple syrup to taste.
- Savory: Reduce maple syrup or add a pinch of cayenne.
- With bacon: Cook bacon first, use the grease to sauté onions, and top with crispy bacon.
Storage
Pumpkin Soup Storage
- Freezing: Cool completely, store in labeled freezer bags, and freeze flat. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Fridge: Lasts 3-5 days with chicken stock, up to a week with vegetable stock.
More Soup Recipes:
- Cauliflower Soup with loads of veggies!
- White Bean Soup with fresh pesto
- Carrot Soup with coconut milk
- Easy Tomato Soup with canned tomatoes
- Broccoli Potato Soup with carrots
Pumpkin Soup
Equipment
- Large pot
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 pounds sweet onions peeled and coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 large Fuji apple coarsely chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin see note 1
- 6 cups chicken stock see note 2
- 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- Pepita seeds optional
- Crusty buttered bread optional
Instructions
- Peel and coarsely chop onions to get a packed 4 cups. Coarsely chop apple to get a heaping 1 cup. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
- Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, apple, and pumpkin. Stir, then pour in chicken stock, thyme, and maple syrup. Stir again. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Puree the soup in a blender until smooth (work in batches if needed). Return soup to the pot and stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more maple syrup or salt if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with a swirl of cream (see note 3) and pepitas. Serve with crusty buttered bread.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use food processor instead of blender?
It won’t be as smooth, but should work okay!
Made this last night and was a HUGE success, everyone went back for more!
YUM
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
I made this Pumpkin Soup with a couple of changes because of what I had in my pantry. I used 2 small chopped Jonathan apples , instead of a large fuji. I used 1 can of pumpkin and 1 can of sweet potato puree. I used Chicken Better than Bouillon (4 heaping tsps) with 4 cups water instead of packaged chicken broth. Also I stirred in a whole can of evaporated milk instead of the cream, and I used 2 TBs Coconut sugar instead of the Pure Maple Syrup because I was out. Also, I stirred in 1 cup of potato flakes at the end to thicken it and to make it a little heartier. I know it can be strange to say you really liked it when I altered it quite a bit, but for me, I try to use what I have in my pantry in a pinch. The roasted pumpkin seeds on top really topped it off. Thank You for this recipe, it was my first time making or eating Pumpkin Soup and we really enjoyed it. It’s nice to be able to make a homemade soup with just basically items from your pantry that you have on hand!
Delicious! Thank you so much for sharing all this! 🙂
As your sister I have to say, this is my all time favorite soup! I genuinely don’t think it gets better! It’s the perfect combination of flavors! Trust me, give this one a try!