Easy Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe is the one I make when it turns cold suddenly and I want something warm on the table in under half an hour. Twenty five minutes, one pot, and a whisk.
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
What I love most is that there’s no blender involved. Most pumpkin soup recipes have you roasting a whole pumpkin, scooping it out, and pureeing it in batches. This one starts with a can of pure pumpkin that’s already smooth, so you whisk everything together and it comes out velvety without any of that. The brown sugar and cinnamon are what make it taste like fall instead of just tasting like squash.
Ingredients & Equipment
- Butter
- Minced garlic
- Brown sugar
- Chicken broth
- Water
- Salt
- Pepper
- Pure pumpkin
- Evaporated milk
- Cinnamon
- Heavy cream and croutons for serving, optional
Full measurements for each ingredient can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll also need a few things from your kitchen:
- Large pot
- Whisk
- Can opener
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Ladle
Step By Step Directions
This recipe makes 4 servings. It takes 5 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cook time.
Step 1. Add the butter to a large pot and melt it over medium heat. Whisk in the minced garlic and brown sugar and keep stirring for about a minute, until the brown sugar has liquified.
Step 2. Add the chicken broth, water, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Stir, then reduce the heat to low and let it cook for 15 minutes.
Step 3. Carefully add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, and cinnamon. Whisk well to combine.
Step 4. Cook for 5 more minutes, whisking occasionally.
Step 5. Garnish bowls with a swirl of heavy cream and croutons if you’d like.
Pumpkin Soup with Canned Pumpkin
Making pumpkin soup with canned pumpkin is the whole reason this recipe takes 25 minutes instead of an hour and a half. The pumpkin is already cooked and already pureed, so all you’re doing is building a flavorful base and whisking it in.
Here’s the part that matters most: buy pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. They sit right next to each other on the shelf in nearly identical cans. Pie filling has sugar, spices, and thickeners already added, and it will make this soup cloyingly sweet. The label you want says “100% pure pumpkin” and the ingredient list says pumpkin.
One 15 ounce can is exactly what this recipe needs, so there’s nothing left over to figure out what to do with. Canned pumpkin is also available year round, which means you can make this in February when there isn’t a pie pumpkin to be found.
How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Soup
If you want to make roasted pumpkin soup from scratch, you can absolutely use this same recipe as your base. It takes longer, but roasting brings out a deeper, caramelized flavor that canned pumpkin doesn’t have.
Use a sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin. The big ones grown for jack o’lanterns are watery and stringy and they make disappointing soup. A sugar pumpkin is small, usually 2 to 4 pounds, and dense.
Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, brush the cut sides with olive oil, and roast cut side down at 400°F for 40 to 45 minutes until a fork goes in easily. Let it cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skin, and puree it in a blender or food processor until smooth. You want about 2 cups of puree to replace the can.
From there, follow the recipe exactly as written. A 3 pound sugar pumpkin usually gives you a little more than you need, and the extra freezes well for the next batch.
Variations
- Pumpkin soup with coconut milk. Swap the evaporated milk for a 13.5 ounce can of full fat coconut milk. It’s my favorite version and it’s what I make when someone dairy free is eating with us.
- Vegan pumpkin soup. Use the coconut milk swap above, replace the butter with olive oil, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. The whole recipe is vegan with three changes.
- Thai pumpkin soup. Use coconut milk, add 1 tablespoon of red curry paste with the garlic, and finish with lime juice and fresh cilantro.
- Pumpkin curry soup. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of curry powder along with the cinnamon.
- Pumpkin sausage soup. Brown 1/2 pound of Italian sausage first, set it aside, and stir it back in at the end. This turns it from a starter into a real dinner.
- Pumpkin carrot soup. Simmer 2 peeled and chopped carrots in the broth during that 15 minute step, then blend before adding the pumpkin.
- Pumpkin and sweet potato soup. Same method as the carrots, using 1 peeled and diced sweet potato.
- Make it savory. Leave out the brown sugar and cinnamon and add 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika and a sprig of fresh thyme instead.
- Add heat. A pinch of cayenne or a few dashes of hot sauce cuts the sweetness nicely.
- Toppings worth having. Toasted pumpkin seeds, croutons, crumbled bacon, a swirl of cream, or fresh sage fried in butter for about 30 seconds.
Leftovers & Storage
Store leftover pumpkin soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It thickens as it chills, so add a splash of broth or milk when you reheat it over low heat on the stove.
It freezes well for up to 3 months. Evaporated milk holds up better in the freezer than fresh cream does, so this one comes back close to how it started. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat slowly, and whisk it as it warms to bring it back together.
Tips & Tricks
- Read the can twice. Pure pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling look almost identical on the shelf. This is the single most common way this recipe goes wrong.
- Evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed. Another pair of cans that get mixed up. Sweetened condensed milk is thick and syrupy and would make this a dessert.
- Don’t skip the brown sugar minute. Letting it liquify in the butter with the garlic builds the base flavor. Dumping it in with the broth isn’t the same.
- Whisk, don’t stir. A whisk breaks up the pumpkin as it goes in. A spoon leaves you with lumps you’ll be chasing.
- Add the pumpkin off the boil. Turn the heat down before it goes in. A hard boil after the milk is added can make it look curdled.
- Taste before serving. Depending on your broth, it may want more salt or another pinch of cinnamon.
- It’s rich, so serve it small. Four servings means four real bowls, but this also works as a starter for six or eight in smaller cups.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pure pumpkin? No. Pie filling already has sugar and spices in it and would make this far too sweet. Look for a can labeled 100% pure pumpkin with pumpkin as the only ingredient.
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned? Yes. Roast a sugar pumpkin at 400°F for 40 to 45 minutes, scoop out the flesh, and puree it. You need about 2 cups to replace the can. Use a sugar or pie pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin.
Can I use regular milk instead of evaporated milk? You can, but it won’t be as rich or as thick, since evaporated milk has had most of its water removed. If that’s what you have, use 1 1/2 cups of whole milk and expect a thinner soup, or use 1 cup of heavy cream instead.
Is this soup sweet? It’s mildly sweet from one tablespoon of brown sugar and a little cinnamon, more like a butternut squash soup than a dessert. If you want it fully savory, leave both out and add smoked paprika and thyme.
Do I need a blender? No, and that’s the point of this version. Canned pumpkin is already smooth, so a whisk is all it takes.
Is this a pumpkin bisque? Close enough that you’ll see soups like this one called pumpkin bisque soup all the time. Bisque originally meant a smooth, pureed cream soup, and that’s exactly what this is. The canned pumpkin does the pureeing for you, so you get the texture without the work.
Can I make this ahead? Yes. Make it up to 3 days ahead and reheat gently over low heat. The flavor settles in nicely overnight. It’s also a good one to make the morning of a dinner and reheat before guests arrive.
Can I make this vegetarian? Yes. Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth. That’s the only change needed.
More Easy Soup Recipes
Instructions
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Add the butter to a large pot and melt it over medium heat. Whisk in the minced garlic and brown sugar and keep stirring for about a minute, until the brown sugar has liquified.
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Add the chicken broth, water, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Stir, then reduce the heat to low and let it cook for 15 minutes.
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Carefully add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, and cinnamon. Whisk well to combine.
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Cook for 5 more minutes, whisking occasionally.
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Garnish bowls with a swirl of heavy cream and croutons if you’d like.
Notes
Storage: Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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