Easy Pumpkin Soup

5 from 8 votes

A creamy, velvety pumpkin soup made with one can of pumpkin, a head of cauliflower, and coconut milk instead of heavy cream. It's a healthy vegan dinner that comes together in one pot and freezes for months!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword easy pumpkin soup, healthy pumpkin soup, pumpkin soup, pumpkin soup recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings cups

Calories 94kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

½ tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 large cloves)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 head cauliflower, florets diced (about 5 cups of florets total)
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree (about 1.75 cups total)
1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
Pinch of cayenne, or more to taste
½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk (or substitute with heavy cream)
Optional garnish: toasted and salted pumpkin seeds, sliced green onions, chives, or sour cream

Instructions

Sauté the onion: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Add the aromatics: Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute, just until fragrant.
Simmer the soup: Add the cauliflower, broth, and pumpkin. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, then cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is completely tender.
Make it creamy: Stir in the coconut milk, maple syrup, salt, and cayenne.
Puree until smooth: Remove the pot from the heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender. To use a countertop blender instead, work in batches, filling the jar no more than halfway and venting the lid. Be careful with the hot soup.
Finish and serve: Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving. Garnish with optional toppings.

Notes

Shake the can and go full-fat. The fat separates and settles, so shake hard before opening to get it into the soup rather than just the thin water underneath. Lite coconut milk works but makes a noticeably thinner soup.
Blend only once the cauliflower is tender. Florets that still have bite will leave the soup grainy no matter how long you blend.
To use fresh pumpkin, substitute about 1.75 cups of roasted pumpkin puree for the can. Use a sugar or pie pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin, and reduce the broth slightly since fresh puree holds more water.
For a non-vegan version, use chicken broth in place of vegetable broth and heavy cream in place of coconut milk.
To adjust the sweetness, use 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or brown sugar instead of 1. A pinch of cinnamon leans fall-spiced, and extra cayenne adds heat.
To swap the cauliflower, use about the same volume of diced carrots and simmer until fork-tender. The soup turns sweeter and deeper in color.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or cool completely and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently over low heat. Avoid boiling, which can cause the coconut milk to separate.

Nutrition