This pumpkin and sweet potato soup is a creamy and vibrant twist on some of the other spiced pumpkin soup recipes you might find out there. Dairy-free and gluten-free, it's a delicious way to warm yourself through as the days get shorter and temperatures begin to drop.
Featuring a flavourful combination of garlic, ginger, chilli, coconut milk, coriander, and lime, it strikes a nice balance between hearty comfort food and setting your taste buds alight.
For more vegan pumpkin recipes, check out this Halloween pumpkin soup and butternut squash risotto (that you can make with any squash including pumpkin).
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- Nutrition 🍠🎃
- Ingredients 📋
- Step by step 📷
- To serve 🍽️
- FAQ ❓
- Recipe 👨🍳
Is pumpkin soup healthy?
Pumpkins are packed full of healthy nutrients including beta-carotene, which has been shown to boost the immune system (see also this carrot and ginger soup). The sweet potatoes in this recipe are also high in beta-carotene, meaning you'll get a double hit of that good stuff.
While the full-fat coconut milk results in a creamy final soup, it's admittedly quite high in fat. For a low-calorie version, use reduced-fat coconut milk or simply replace with additional stock.
What you'll need
This recipe relies on fragrant flavours and spices for a creamy soup that'll fill you up and get the taste buds going. You'll need:
- Pumpkin and sweet potato as the star ingredients
- Fragrant flavours in the form of garlic, ginger, coriander, and lime
- Full-fat coconut milk for top-drawer creaminess
- Chilli powder or cayenne pepper for a kick
Preparing the pumpkin
To prepare the pumpkin, begin by cutting it in half (1). You'll need a sharp knife and a bit of elbow grease, so take care as you do this.
Next, take a spoon and scoop out all the stringy flesh and seeds from the centre (2). You can save the seeds for roasting as a snack or garnish for the final soup.
With the open sides face down, trim away the tough outer skin (3). Again, you'll want to take your time and be careful as you do this.
With the skin removed, cut the pumpkin into long slices and then chop each of these into smaller pieces (4).
How to make pumpkin and sweet potato soup
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper and soften on a low/medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Once starting to soften, add the garlic and ginger and cook for another couple of minutes.
Next, add the pumpkin and sweet potato. Stir well and cook for another few minutes (5), before stirring in the chilli powder and chopped coriander stems (if using).
Add the stock, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin and sweet potato pieces are tender and cooked through.
With 5 minutes to go, stir in the coconut milk and continue to simmer on a low heat. Once the pumpkin and sweet potato are cooked through, turn off the heat and add the chopped coriander leaves (save some for serving).
Blitz thoroughly using a hand blender or larger blender, working in batches if necessary (6). Add the lime juice (start with half and add more to taste), adjust the seasoning, and serve.
Serving suggestions
I topped this off with an extra squeeze of lime juice, the roasted pumpkin seeds, fresh chilli, and fresh coriander.
For added creaminess, you could also add a dollop of plant-based crème fraiche or a drizzle of homemade cashew cream.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! You can roast the seeds of pretty much any squash including pumpkins. They make for a great snack or topping for this soup and other dishes.
You could make this with any variety of winter squash, as well as replace the sweet potato with extra squash. If you're wanting to cook with a Halloween pumpkin, see my separate post on Halloween pumpkin soup with carving leftovers.
To make this recipe 100% gluten-free, use a vegan stock that is certified or labelled as such.
You can refrigerate this for up to four days.
Store this soup in the fridge in airtight containers or resealable bags for up to six months. Defrost and reheat thoroughly in the microwave or in a pan with a splash of extra water if necessary.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Halloween Pumpkin Soup (Using Carving Leftovers)
- Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto
- Smoky Butter Bean Soup
- Vegan Scotch Broth
- Celeriac Soup with Apple, Lemon & Thyme
- Easy Vegan Pea and Mint Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Cheese Soup
- Mushroom and Tarragon Soup
You can also check out my full list of vegan soup recipes.
Creamy Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) pumpkin (unpeeled weight – see notes)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes (approx. 1 lb / 500 g)
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder (plus more to taste)
- 5 cups (1.2 litres) vegan stock
- 1x 14 oz (400 ml) tin coconut milk
- Small handful fresh coriander
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To prepare the pumpkin, cut it in half and scrape out the seeds (save these for roasting). With the open sides face down, trim away the tough outer skin then cut the pumpkin into long slices and chop each of these into approx. 1-inch chunks. See process shots in main recipe post above for details.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper and soften on a low/medium heat for 5-6 minutes.
- Once starting to soften, add the garlic and ginger and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Next, add the pumpkin and sweet potato. Stir well and cook for another few minutes, before stirring in the chilli powder and chopped coriander stems (if using).
- Add the stock, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin and sweet potato pieces are tender and cooked through.
- With 5 minutes to go, stir in the coconut milk and continue to simmer on a low heat. Once the pumpkin and sweet potato are cooked through, turn off the heat and add the chopped coriander leaves (save some for serving).
- Blitz thoroughly using a hand blender or larger blender, working in batches if necessary. Add the lime juice (start with half and add more to taste), adjust the seasoning, and serve with roasted pumpkin seeds and fresh coriander.📸 Recipe steps >📖 Table of contents >
Notes
- Halloween Pumpkin Soup (Using Carving Leftovers)
- Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto
- Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup
- Smoky Butter Bean Soup
- Vegan Scotch Broth
- Celeriac Soup with Apple, Lemon & Thyme
- Vegan Cauliflower Cheese Soup
- Mushroom and Tarragon Soup
Nutrition
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Dean
Delicious combination of flavours, will be making this again.
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers Dean, great to hear you enjoyed it!
Helene
I found I was out of coconut milk, so couldn't add it. I rated this soup 5 stars anyway, because even without the coconut milk, the addition of the garlic, fresh grated ginger, chillie flakes & coriander (I used dried coriander root), was genius. It was SO nice.
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers for the review – that's a nice reminder to make this one again myself!