Velvety Autumn Pumpkin Soup (Printer-friendly)

Velvety pumpkin soup with warming spices and cream—perfect comfort food for chilly autumn days.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2.2 lbs pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and diced
02 - 1 medium onion, chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

→ Liquids

05 - 4 cups vegetable broth
06 - 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream or coconut milk

→ Spices & Seasonings

07 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes, optional
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnishes

12 - Heavy cream or coconut milk for drizzling
13 - Toasted pumpkin seeds
14 - Fresh parsley or chives, chopped

# Directions:

01 - In a large pot, heat a splash of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, approximately 3 minutes.
02 - Stir in the garlic and carrot, and sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Add the diced pumpkin, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and chili flakes if using. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Pour in the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the pumpkin and carrots are very tender.
05 - Remove the pot from heat. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth, or carefully transfer to a blender in batches.
06 - Stir in the cream or coconut milk, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reheat gently if necessary.
07 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of cream, toasted pumpkin seeds, and fresh herbs if desired.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • It tastes restaurant-quality but comes together in under an hour, which means you can absolutely make this on a random Tuesday.
  • The spice balance is genuinely sophisticated without being intimidating, and you control how warming or mellow it feels.
  • One batch feeds you for days, and it freezes beautifully so you can pretend you're always this prepared.
02 -
  • The spice-to-pumpkin ratio matters more than you'd think—start with the amounts listed and adjust upward because it's easier to add more warmth than to dial it back.
  • If your soup tastes flat after blending, it's almost always because it needs more salt or a tiny pinch more nutmeg, not because you did something wrong.
03 -
  • Don't skip measuring the nutmeg—it's easy to overdo it and end up with soup that tastes like you've accidentally made pumpkin pie, which, while not terrible, isn't the goal here.
  • Immersion blenders are genuinely worth their counter space for this recipe because they eliminate the awkward dance of transferring hot soup in batches.
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