Warm and cozy, every bite of this creamy pumpkin soup tastes like a bountiful fall harvest! Thanks to apples, apple cider, onions, garlic, ginger, and pumpkin, each bowl boasts a blend of sweet and savory autumn flavors.
Table of Contents
If you love pumpkin recipes, don’t miss these one-bowl easy pumpkin muffins, these 2-ingredient pumpkin muffins with cake mix, and these one-bowl baked pumpkin donuts, too!
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- Use Libby’s canned pumpkin puree for a delicious and easy pumpkin soup. Just make sure that you’re buying the pure pumpkin (rather than pumpkin pie filling, which looks very similar on the shelf).
- For even more flavor, roast fresh pumpkin and make your own puree at home. Sugar pumpkins (also called “pie pumpkins”) are the best pumpkins to use for soup. These pumpkins are smaller than the big carving pumpkins that you see on Halloween, and they’re packed full of flesh (which makes them great for cooking). You’ll need 2-3 fresh sugar pumpkins to yield about 5 cups of puree.
- If starting with fresh, whole pumpkins, cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, rub the flesh with olive oil, and place them cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in a 425°F oven until very tender, about 30-35 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and mash or puree.
- Apples add a touch of fall sweetness to the soup. I use a combination of Honey Crisp and Pink Lady apples, but any variety will work.
- Use heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor and texture. Lower fat varieties will have a thinner, more watery consistency.
- The total amount of salt necessary will depend on how salty your broth is. Make sure that you taste and season as you go. The soup needs a good amount of salt to balance the sweetness in the apples, pumpkin, and cider, so don’t skimp!
- Garnish with plenty of tasty toppings for extra flavor and texture. Herbs, nuts, seeds, cheese, sour cream, croutons, and bacon are all delicious options.
Directions
Truly, it’s the best pumpkin soup recipe you’ll ever taste! Plus, with help from canned pumpkin, a pot of the homemade comfort food is ready in less than an hour. You’ll find step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Sauté the onions, apples, garlic and ginger in butter until soft.
- Add the pumpkin, cider, and 2 cups of the broth.
- Boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor. Add extra broth, if necessary, to thin.
- Stir in cream.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Ladle into bowls. In spite of its vibrant orange color, the creamy pumpkin soup is rather plain-looking on its own. You’ll definitely want to dress up the bowls with a little garnish for extra flavor and texture right before serving. For instance, try a drizzle of heavy cream, a dollop of sour cream, minced fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives, thyme, or sage), toasted pumpkin seeds (“pepitas”), chopped toasted nuts (such as almonds, pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts), crispy bacon, a dash of paprika, freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, crumbled feta, goat cheese, or blue cheese, or croutons.
Serving Suggestions
Pair the creamy pumpkin soup with flaky biscuits, easy cranberry orange muffins, easy pumpkin muffins, cast iron cornbread, a house salad with candied pecans, or a loaf of cranberry walnut no-knead bread.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It’s a great make-ahead option for busy weeks.
- How to Reheat: Place the soup in a pot and warm over a low flame, just until heated through. Be careful not to let the soup boil.
- How to Freeze: It’s best to freeze cream-based soups before adding the cream. Otherwise, you risk the creamy base separating when thawed (which results in an undesirable texture). If you’d like to prepare this pumpkin soup in advance to store in the freezer, just follow the recipe, but leave out the cream. Cool in freezer-safe containers, leaving an inch of headspace. When ready to thaw, place the soup in a pot over low heat. When liquefied and simmering, stir in the cream, being careful not to let it boil.
Did you make this recipe?
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Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Warm and cozy, every bite of this easy creamy pumpkin soup tastes like a bountiful fall harvest!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 large Vidalia onions (or 3 small onions), chopped
- 4 apples (any variety), peeled, cored and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (about 1 tablespoon total)
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger), or more to taste
- 3 (15-ounce) cans pumpkin puree (or about 5 ¼ cups of fresh pumpkin puree from 2-3 fresh sugar pumpkins)
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2-3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1-2 cups heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk, at room temperature
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped nuts, chopped fresh herbs, an extra drizzle of cream, dollop of sour cream, crispy bacon, croutons, cheese
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and apples; cook until soft, about 7-8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger; cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.
- Add the pumpkin, apple cider, and 2 cups of broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Puree soup with an immersion blender or puree in batches in a regular blender or food processor, adding extra broth (if necessary) until the soup reaches the desired consistency.
- Stir in 1-2 cups of cream, depending on how creamy and rich you like your soup. Taste and season with plenty of salt and pepper. The total amount of salt necessary will depend on how salty your broth is (or isn’t), but be sure to taste and season as you go, because too little salt will leave you with a flat-tasting soup.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with optional toppings.
Notes
How to Roast Fresh Pumpkins: If you want to roast your own pumpkins to make pumpkin puree for this recipe, start with 2-3 medium sugar pumpkins. Cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, and rub the flesh with olive oil. Place them cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet that’s lined with parchment. Roast in a 425°F oven until very tender, about 30-35 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and mash or puree.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 181kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 197mgPotassium: 352mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 17177IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg
Recipe Variations
- Vegan: to make the soup vegan, use olive oil instead of butter, vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
- Swap out some of the pumpkin and replace it with roasted and pureed butternut squash, acorn squash, or other winter squash.
- Spicy: add a dash of cayenne or garnish with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Curry powder adds great flavor and spice to the soup. Start with a small amount, taste as you go, and add more if necessary.
- Herbs: fresh herbs add nice dimension to the soup. Try sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley or chives.
- Spices: warm spices like ground cinnamon and nutmeg are also a great addition to the cozy soup. Ground cumin would also be a nice savory option.
- Smaller batch: this yields a large pot of soup (about 12 cups)! If you’re cooking for a small family, you can cut all of the ingredients in half.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Easy One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread
3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
26 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in October, 2021. It was updated in September, 2024.
Would apple juice work instead of the cider? I sometimes see drink boxes or little cans of apple juice while the only way to buy cider is a big bottle. I shouldn’t drink too much juice so the cider would be apt to spoil. If I can’t find either juice or cider in small containers, what would you recommend as a replacement liquid? I like the idea of using curry powder for seasoning. How much would I start with? A tablespoon full?
Hi, Marion! Yes, apple juice is fine as a substitute. If you can’t find a small can of juice, you could use extra broth. You just might want to add a little bit of brown sugar for that hint of sweetness.
I would start small with the curry powder, since it can have an overpowering taste. Maybe 1/2 teaspoon to begin with, and then add more if you want.
Thanks!
Made this for the 2nd time this fall pumpkin season! I added dash of nutmeg this time, but as is other wise… daughter/husband/granddaughter (11 months old) over for the day… served with a grilled cheese sandwich after a sunset walk along the lake on a chilly fall Maine night… so nice!!… maybe some snow here tonight! Fall colors about done… but nice as always.
That sounds like a wonderful evening! Thank you for including our recipe. We’re so glad it was a hit!
Is that apple cider vinegar? I enjoy all of your recipes.
Hi, Sheila! Not vinegar — just regular apple cider (like the juice). 🙂