Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Add Preferred SourceThis Creamy Pumpkin Soup is smooth, cozy, and incredibly easy to make. With canned pumpkin as the base, there’s no need to peel or roast anything—just a few pantry staples and you’re on your way to a rich, satisfying bowl. It’s the kind of soup that works as a starter, a main dish with bread, or something warm to sip on during cold evenings.
If you love pumpkin soups as much as I do, then you need this recipe in your back pocket. It’s made with canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) and is ready in under 30 minutes. It’s thick, creamy, hearty and oh-so good.
I love serving this soup at Halloween or for Thanksgiving. It looks so pretty with a swirl on top, and I’ll tell you below how to make that amazing swirl. Ready to impress? This pumpkin soup really delivers!
Ingredients
- Butter – I almost always cook with salted butter, but you can use unsalted.
- Onion – Yellow or white both work. You want to avoid using red onion as it’ll color the soup.
- Garlic – Freshly minced for best flavor. Don’t use jarlic; it just doesn’t have the punchy flavor you need.
- Pumpkin puree – Use plain pumpkin puree, not pie filling.
- Vegetable broth – To keep this soup vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth. Chicken broth or stock will also work.
- Heavy whipping cream – Makes the texture velvety and adds a touch of richness.
- Kosher salt – I always cook with kosher salt, but you can use table salt. If you do, just reduce the amount by about half and then season before serving.
- Black pepper – Freshly ground adds a light kick.
- Ground nutmeg – Use freshly ground nutmeg. I buy whole nutmeg and grind it with a microplane grater. It has so much more flavor doing it this way!
- Ground cinnamon – A touch of cinnamon adds such a lovely warm flavor to this soup.
- Pepitas – Or pumpkin seeds. Optional garnish
- Sour cream – To make the optional swirl.
How To Make Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Start by melting the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until soft and slightly golden, about 5 minutes. I use a nonstick soup pot with built-in measurements so I can keep track of liquid levels without using extra tools. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
Add the canned pumpkin, stock, heavy cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir everything together until smooth. A flat whisk works great here to blend ingredients evenly and prevent lumps, especially when using thick pumpkin puree. Bring the soup to a low simmer and let it cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing sticks to the bottom.
Once it’s ready, blend the soup directly in the pot using a handheld immersion blender with speed control. It’s a lifesaver for soups like this—you get full control over how smooth or textured you want it without moving hot liquid between containers.
Ladle the soup into bowls and finish each one with a swirl of cream. To make the swirl, mix 1/4 cup of sour cream with about 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. Add this to a piping bag with a small tip, or place it into a zipper-top bag and make a small cut at one corner of the bag to create a hole.
Make a swirl on top of the bowl of soup, then drag a toothpick through it to make the lines. Sprinkle with some pumpkin seeds and you’re all done!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Let the soup gently simmer rather than boil so the flavors stay balanced.
- Taste before blending to see if you’d like more salt or spice.
- For a dairy-free version, swap the cream with full-fat coconut milk.
- An immersion blender makes cleanup faster and keeps everything in one pot.
Make It A Meal
Serve this soup with crusty bread, garlic toast, or even a grilled cheese sandwich. It also pairs well with salads that include fruit or toasted nuts, adding balance to the creamy texture.
Storage
Let the soup cool before transferring to containers. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, warm over low heat, stirring occasionally. If it thickens too much, just add a bit of broth or water.
Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Canned Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces pumpkin puree or 2 14-ounce cans
- 2 ½ to 3 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream plus more for serving
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper more to taste
- 1/4 cup sour cream optional garnish
- 1/4 cup pepitas optional garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté the onion for 5 minutes until soft
- Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Mix in pumpkin puree, stock, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon and simmmer on low, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Stir occassiuonally.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth and creamy.
- Serve hot with a creamy swirl if you like.
- To make the swirl, combine the sour cream with 2 tablespoons of water or cream. Add it to a zipper-top bag and snip off one corner. Make the swirl and sprinkle with pepitas if you like.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Let the soup gently simmer rather than boil so the soup doesn’t get grainy and break.
- Taste before blending to see if you’d like more salt or spice.
- For a dairy-free version, swap the cream with full-fat coconut milk and the butter with olive oil. This also makes the soup vegan.
- An immersion blender makes cleanup faster and keeps everything in one pot.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
