This one-pot Vegan Pumpkin Soup is a deeply satisfying and comforting meal for fall! It’s made with classic fall ingredients, like pumpkin puree and maple syrup, while caramelized onions and coconut milk take it up a notch.
Want more cozy and creamy soups? Try my Vegan Potato Leek Soup, Easy Vegan Potato Soup, and Vegan Zuppa Toscana recipes as well.
I can’t get enough of this creamy vegan pumpkin soup recipe! It has everything I want in a perfect fall soup; a silky smooth texture, comforting winter spices, and lots and lots of pumpkin. Just like my Vegan Butternut Squash Soup, it’s a necessary part of any fall or winter menu!
Why I love this recipe
- It has everything you need in a perfect cold weather soup: pumpkin, warm spices, and creamy coconut milk.
- Caramelized onions make it irresistibly savory and comforting!
- It’s incredibly easy to make in one pot with either canned pumpkin puree or roasted fresh pumpkin.
How to make vegan pumpkin soup
Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook until they’re golden brown and caramelized. A pinch of white sugar and salt will give them more flavor and help them achieve a gorgeous color.
Once the onions have caramelized, saute the garlic in the same pot.
Stir the salt and warm spices into the onion and garlic mixture. From there, pour in the pumpkin puree and broth. Give it a good stir.
Bring the soup up to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
After it’s done simmering, you can smooth out the soup by blending it with an immersion blender or a regular blender (in batches).
Do you like soup with a little bit of texture? Then only blend part or half of the soup, depending on your preference.
To finish, stir the maple syrup and coconut milk into the now creamy pumpkin soup.
Spoon into bowls and top with a drizzle of coconut milk or plain vegan yogurt, pepitas, crumbled tofu bacon, and/or chopped parsley. Serve with fresh bread on the side and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
You can make this with roasted pumpkin, but it’s more work. To make roasted pumpkin soup, cut a 4-pound sugar pie pumpkin into wedges (remember to remove the seeds and pulp) and spray them with olive oil. Lay the wedges on a baking pan and roast in a 400ºF oven for 20 minutes or until they’re tender. Peel the flesh from the skin, then use them like you would pumpkin puree.
The best substitute for coconut milk is cashew cream. It’s thick and creamy just like full-fat coconut milk but won’t add any overwhelming flavors. You can also use non-dairy milk as a nut free alternative but the soup won’t be as luxurious or creamy.
Let the leftover pumpkin soup cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the soup defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or in a pot on the stove.
Vegan Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- (2) 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk the white part
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until caramelized. I like to sprinkle them with a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt as they cook. They should be golden brown in color.
- Once the onions have caramelized, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
- Now add the salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Stir into the onions and garlic.
- Pour in the pumpkin puree and broth. Stir everything together well. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot. Or transfer to a regular blender in batches, then return to the pot.
- Stir in the maple syrup and coconut milk. Serve with fresh bread if desired and enjoy.
Notes
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May also serve with a drizzle of coconut milk or even plain vegan yogurt. Pepitas are also a nice crunch on top.
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You can use fresh pumpkin if you want, it’s just more work. Get a 4 pound pie pumpkin and cut into wedges (of course remove all seeds as well). Roast in the oven at 400 degrees, sprayed with olive oil, for 20 minutes or so, until tender. Peel flesh from the skin and use like you would the pumpkin puree.
- Store leftovers in a covered container for 3-4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
This pumpkin soup recipe was a hit at our friend’s birthday party. I will be making this again for sure! You know it’s a good soup when even children loved it.
That’s wonderful to hear, Janette! I’m thrilled the soup was a hit! 🙂
This recipe is perfection just the way it is! I have been making it on repeat for a couple weeks now, and the family can’t get enough. It also works with so many things! Sprinkle of roasted pepitas on top, or shredded coconut. I added some coconut bacon on top once too. Perfect for dipping a grilled cheese, and i even used it in place of pasta sauce one time. Keeping a jar of this on hand in the fridge is highly recommended. Thanks for this go-to, Nora!!
I’m so glad you love it! Thanks so much for the wonderful review!
I broke a cardinal rule and tried this recipe for the first time for a family Christmas event yesterday. I used Hubbard squash puree that I froze last month, Better than Bouillon vegetable base for the broth, and swapped the individual spices with a teaspoon of 5-spice powder I haven’t been going through quickly enough. Based on other comments I used the baking soda trick to caramelize the onions in less than 10 minutes, which had the bonus effect of breaking the thin mandoline slices down so completely that I didn’t bother with the blending step at the end, and also left the syrup out in favor of letting people sweeten it to taste.
The end product got rave reviews from the whole gathering! Thank you for this excellent, simple, healthy recipe!
Hi Dawn. Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and your fabulous review! I’m thrilled the soup was a hit!
Great recipe, my wife loved it when it was done. I use the instant pot, but only used the sauté setting, as the pumpkin was already puréed. I just kept changing the temperature setting on the custom bar as needed for the sauté. When caramelizing the onions, I added a little less than 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda, that helped break down the onions and caramelize faster. so I only had the sauté for about 5 to 8 minutes at the most to get the brown caramelized onions. we then followed the recipe as written. It came out as good as expected, and as I said, before, my wife loved it, which is the best taste test, I can have.
Hi Chuck. I’m so thrilled the soup was a hit! I appreciate that you shared your cooking experience and ideas, and your wonderful review! Thank you!
Good eats! The carmelized onions and a fresh local pumpkin made this a very full flavored soup. I also liked swirling in the coconut milk. I fed 3 kids with this recipe. What a delicious fall meal!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and review, Tina! I’m thrilled you loved the soup!
This was so yummy! And freezes well, thank you!
Made this tonight and it was amazing! Creamy and flavorful. Will be making this again. 🙂
Loved the soup. I do try to avoid coconut milk so I did use 1/2 cup cashews that I soaked ~ 1 hour. I did not add any plant based milk. The soup was thick which I like. We made your vegan biscuits and had a very delicious, warm meal. Thank you for all your recipes. They are all so good. You are our go-to cook for vegan recipes.
You are welcome, Sheryl. Thank YOU for your fantastic review and comments! Your words are encouraging, and warm my heart! I appreciate you using my recipes!
I made this for dinner and it is SO good! Absolutely satisfying on a cold night. I made it according to directions as best as I could, except I could not find my nutmeg and I chose not to add maple syrup. But I really don’t think I missed them though. I like savory more than sweet and really am considering not using cinnamon next time either. Also, I don’t thnk it changed the flavor, but my wife gave away one of my yellow onions so I only had one large yellow onion. To make up for it I replaced the *missing* onion with a few nice shallots. Took my time and cooked it all down to a beautiful golden brown. They sort of made me want to make a vegan French Onion soup instead, but I stayed the course. I topped it with roasted pumpkin seeds and coconut milk and served it with some beautiful sourdough toast with vegan butter. It is definitely a “do again and again.” Thank you, Nora for some of the best vegan recipes anywhere. Happy cooking!
Hi Jack. Wow, your soup sounds amazing, and beautiful! The shallots sound like a fabulous addition! I really appreciate you using my recipes, and am so glad you are enjoying them! Your feedback is so encouraging. Thank you for that, and for your stellar review! Happy cooking!
Hi Nora,
I have been following and making your recipes for awhile now. Have you ever thought of using cashews and plant based milk for the creaminess in your recipes. Sometimes I use white beans. Coconut milk isn’t one of the healthiest items to use especially if someone is fighting against hear disease.
Hi Meaghan! You can certainly substitute cashew cream (or just blend some cashews with some of the soup, maybe 1/2 cup or a little more) instead of coconut milk. Plain vegan yogurt also works (perhaps a cashew or almond based one) or even unsweetened plant milk of some sort for a less rich option. There are lots of choices if you need to avoid coconut. Hope that helps!