Savor fall flavors and make this pumpkin soup recipe.
Made with either homemade or canned pumpkin puree, it’s a perfect blend of sweet and savory. Onion is combined with the sweetness of carrots, warm spices, and a creamy pumpkin base.
Garnish with crisp bacon and croutons for the perfect meal!
Fall Favorite Pumpkin Soup
- Filled with cozy fall vibes, this pumpkin soup recipe is ideal as a starter for holiday feasts or a main with bread for dipping.
- It’s a make-ahead marvel, with flavors that only get better over time.
- Packed with the goodness of antioxidants and fiber from pumpkin.
- Kid-friendly and adult-approved for all taste buds.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Soup
- Pumpkin – A can of pumpkin is the savory base for this recipe, but you can use blended roasted fresh pumpkin.
- Vegetables – Carrots add a touch of sweetness. Other squash varieties can be added, like butternut or acorn squash.
- Soup Base – Heavy cream, broth, and butter make the base for this pumpkin soup. Swap in a coconut milk as a dairy alternative.
- Spices & Seasonings – Bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg, and salt and pepper round out the flavor profile. Add a teaspoon of DIY pumpkin spice if you’d like.
- Bacon – The salty complement to a sweet and savory soup. Diced ham or sliced smoked sausage are also excellent options.
Toppings – Lots of colorful, crunchy, and tasty toppings make each serving of pumpkin soup a work of edible art! Homemade garlic & herb croutons, sliced green onions, or a few sliced jalapenos make pumpkin soup new every time!
How to Make Pumpkin Soup
- Fry bacon and set aside. Cook onions in bacon fat.
- Add broth & seasonings and simmer to blend flavors.
- Stir in pumpkin and cream and simmer (as per the recipe below).
- Puree soup until smooth with a hand blender.
- Garnish with a swirl of cream or sour cream and any variety of toppings listed above.
Serving Suggestions
Crusty bread, savory scones, fall harvest salads, grilled cheese sandwiches, and roasted vegetables beautifully complement the creamy and rich flavors of pumpkin soup.rn
Leftovers
Keep leftover pumpkin soup covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to 8 weeks. Reheat on the stove to medium heat.
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love
Did your family love this Pumpkin Soup recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Easy Pumpkin Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons butter optional
- 1 medium onion diced fine
- ½ cup shredded carrot
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream plus extra for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley divided
- ½ cup croutons optional garnish
Instructions
- In a soup pot over medium high heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel line plate, leaving the 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet. If the bacon grease is less than 2 tablespoons, add butter to make up the difference.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the carrot and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Add the chicken broth, brown sugar, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin and cream and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaf and using an immersion blender or hand blender, puree until smooth.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of parsley and pour into soup bowls. Garnish with cream, croutons, crumbled bacon, and remaining parsley.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Soup
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After years of making various Pumpkin soup recipes, this is the tastiest and the best. I believe the addition of only 4 slices of bacon; brown sugar; thyme; nutmeg; bay leaf; and parsley elevate this soup. We are a family that enjoys all varieties of soups; so added butternut squash as an addition;; and then followed the remainder of the recipe to the letter. I would highly recommend this soup, it is tasty and delicious!
Have cooked numerous pumpkin soup recipes, this one is the best I have ever tasted. Only make two minor changes: added the bacon crumbled into the soup and; added 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice into the soup, because this family loves everything pumpkin. Thanks, Holly, for sharing your recipe.
I’m so glad you loved it!
My family loved this soup! I used a can of evaporated milk instead of cream to reduce the fat, and garnished with a spoonful of sour cream and some pepitas instead of croutons. I will make this recipe again- perfect for chilly weather!
very good!
Because I grow our own pumpkins, I always have plenty of puree in the freezer ready for any recipe, anytime. For this, I chose to use some that was smoked (needed for another recipe) and I think it really added a great flavor, especially when the bacon was apple wood smoked, too. All the veggies and thyme were from our own garden and the chicken broth was homemade. Needless to say, this was full of flavor and a big hit. Definitely a keeper!
It’s the perfect recipe for those winter knights that you want to lounge and have something warm and delicious to eat.
Definitely agree! It’s so delicious.
Easy and very good soup! Made it exactly as the recipe was written and it was savory, seasoned just right. My hubby was skeptical but he liked it! Thanks for a great recipe
So great to hear, Peg!
This soup was delicious! My kids even loved it! Very easy to make and has great flavor!
My husband and I loved this soup. I plan to serve it Thanksgiving. I added a little curry. It was very quick and easy to make. I grated carrots and potatoes for soup.
I’m so afraid of the Thyme and Bay leaf!
I have such picky eaters. What impact would it have if left out? And those flavors strong?
It will change the flavor but it will still be delicious.
I am thinking of making this for my upcoming (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner, but would need to double or triple it to have enough for everyone. Do you see any problems with just multiplying the ingredients by 3?
It should work great for all the base ingredients. When it comes to the spices, especially the salt, I would recommend starting with doubling the amount and taste testing from there.
Wow, this recipe is DELISH and would make a great starter for a holiday meal without being hard on the budget. (I have to confess, however, that I added S&B curry powder and a squeeze of ginger paste to mine to satisfy the spice monster that lives within.)
That sounds delicious, Vicki! Thanks for sharing.
Something seems to have happened to my question…..it was “is the bacon added and pureed with the soup or just a garnish?”
The bacon is added as a garnish however, the bacon fat also flavors the soup. Enjoy!
Thanks, Holly……keep these wonderful recipes coming!
Hi, can I just use butter instead of bacon grease please? This recipe sounds awesome, but I no longer buy bacon “health reasons”!
Thank you so much.
Ferryal
You certainly can.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It hit the spot on a really cold day!
Easy and delicious. The perfect fall soup!
Can you freeze this soup?
Hi Maureen, I have not tried freezing this soup but I think it would work well.
This was DELISH!!! Didn’t have carrot do I subbed for more puréed pumpkin. YUMMMMM!!!!