Name: Thai Curried Pumpkin Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 small white onion, peeled and diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons red curry paste; 4 cups vegetable stock; 1 cup coconut milk; 2 (15-ounce) cans pumpkin purée; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; optional toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, pepitas, sliced red onions, and/or sliced Thai bird chiles

This Thai Curried Pumpkin Soup recipe only takes about 20 minutes to make, it’s naturally vegan and gluten-free, and it is full of the best warm and cozy curry flavors.

This week, I made another pilgrimage across the city to stock up on a very special item for our little Spanish pantry…

…canned pumpkin purée. ♡

Any expat living in Europe (or in most other countries abroad) will be the first to tell you that those convenient little cans of Libby’s — which I used to so casually toss in my cart back in Kansas City — are impressively hard to track down across the ocean! To my knowledge, there’s actually only one store in Barcelona that sells imported canned pumpkin. And of course, you’d better believe they work their little monopoly and charge for it accordingly. But hey, for our little household that can’t stop making healthy pumpkin muffins, pumpkin rolls, and pumpkin cookies this time of year, a pumpkin-stocked pantry is a must.

I immediately put our new stock to use this week, testing out a new recipe for pumpkin bread (recipe coming soon!) and making a homemade (and healthier) pumpkin spice latte. Then for dinner, Barclay and I decided to fiddle around with a more savory curried pumpkin soup recipe. And wow, it ended up being a total hit.

First of all, the whole recipe was a breeze and came together from start to finish in less than 20 minutes, thanks to using canned pumpkin instead of roasting a fresh one from scratch. It also happened to be naturally gluten-free and vegan, thanks to the addition of some creamy coconut milk and good vegetable stock. And best of all, those warming Thai curry flavors paired perfectly with the pumpkin, resulting in the coziest blend of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors that we both loved.

It’s exactly the kind of quick, easy, and healthy dinner recipe that I love this time of year. So the next time you’re at the store — or the next time you expats make a pilgrimage across town to those special import stores — pick up a few cans and let’s make a batch together!

Thai Curry Pumpkin Soup Ingredients:

To make this curried pumpkin soup recipe, you will need:

Oil, onion and garlic: Which we will use as our base sauté for the soup.
Red curry paste: Or green or yellow curry paste, whichever you have on hand.
Vegetable stock: Or chicken stock, if you prefer.
Canned pumpkin puree: Yessss.
Coconut milk: I used full-fat coconut milk to make mine extra-creamy, but low-fat coconut milk would work too. Or, you’re welcome to sub in heavy cream, or any other non-dairy milks that you prefer.
Ground cumin, ginger and sea salt: For seasoning. Feel free to add more of any of these, to taste.

Plus, of course, toppings! You know me, I always fall in the-more-the-merrier camp when it comes to toppings on soup. A few I’d strongly recommend here include:

chopped fresh cilantro: a must, really, to add some freshness
pepitas: or any other favorite nuts, to add some crunch
sliced red or green onions: these are always a must with me and curry
lime wedges: a good squeeze of citrus will really brighten this soup up!
Thai bird chiles: thinly-sliced, if you would like some extra heat (or you can also add crushed red chile flakes)

You will also need some sort of blender to puree the soup (if you’d like). I recommend using either:

a hand blender: my preference
a traditional blender: works great too!

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How To Make Pumpkin Soup:

Guys, this one’s so easy! Simply…

Sauté the garlic, onion and red curry paste. Sauté the onion oil until softened. Then add the garlic and red curry paste, and sauté for two minutes more.
Add the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Stir to combine.
Puree the soup. Then use either a hand blender or traditional blender to puree the soup until it is smooth. (If using a traditional blender, then transfer soup back to the stockpot.)
Add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Then cook until the mixture reaches a simmer.
Taste and season. Give it a taste, and add extra salt, pepper, and/or extra red curry paste if needed.
Serve warm. With a generous sprinkle of your favorite toppings.

Possible Variations:

Want to mix things up? Feel free to…

Roast your own pumpkin. In place of canned pumpkin puree, feel free to roast and puree your own! Here is a brief tutorial.
Add protein. If you would like to add some protein to this soup, chicken, shrimp, beef or tofu would be delicious.
Make it milder. If you don’t like much heat in your food, I would recommend starting with just 1 tablespoon red curry paste, and then add more to taste. And if the soup gets too spicy for you, just add more coconut milk and vegetable stock. :)
Make it spicier. If you do like spicy food, feel free to add more red curry paste, and/or a few thinly-sliced Thai red bird chiles.

What To Serve With This Soup:

If you are looking for some side dish inspiration, I would recommend:

A big green salad: Something like my…
- Everyday Salad
- Roasted Chickpea, Cauliflower and Arugula Salad
- (or see here for our full list of salad recipes)
Extra veggies: Any of these will roast up quickly in the oven while your soup cooks.
Bread or potatoes: Any of these would also be delicious for dipping in the soup ;)

Enjoy, everyone!