Bursting with proper Thai flavors, this gourmet pumpkin soup is surprisingly easy. It’s made with roasted winter squash, a bundle of aromatics, spices, and coconut milk. Blend them all together and you have a rich and indulgent soup with gourmet Thai flavor. The best part is it only gets better with time. Let the soup chill in the fridge overnight, then dig into the best leftovers you’ll ever have the next day. If you love Thai food and soup season, this recipe is a match made in heaven.
Why this recipe works
As close to authentic Thai flavors as it gets.
You can find “Thai pumpkin soups” made with pumpkin puree and curry paste, and that’s all fine and dandy if you want a 10-minute recipe. But c’mon – that’s not really a Thai soup. The authentic Thai flavors in this soup come from a careful blend of aromatics, spices, curry paste, soy sauce, and classic Thai ingredients like lemongrass, lime leaves, and Thai basil. They work together to create a deeply layered soup that will blow your mind.
A streamlined process with gourmet results.
Usually, peeling and dicing winter squash takes a fair amount of time and puts unnecessary stress on our wrists (which, let’s face it, makes cooking much less fun). To avoid that, here, the pumpkin is simply sliced in half, rubbed with oil and spices, then roasted as-is. While you wait, prep and sauté the aromatics and spices. That’s it! This streamlined process makes it easy to scoop the tender flesh out of the peel and blend it in a blender. No peeling or dicing involved! Plus, with all the other flavors involved, the soup needs just 10 minutes to simmer!
Creamy yet indulgent.
My magical and fan favorite Thai Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas is a creamy and indulgent masterpiece, and this Thai soup is no different. Coconut milk and pureed roasted pumpkin become a luscious sauce when blended together, tasting like super cozy fall comfort food rolled in one aromatic Thai package. And just because it feels indulgent and rich, it doesn’t mean it’s lacking in nutrients. The aromatics, chiles, and spices are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Pumpkins are also rich in antioxidants and beta-carotene, which our bodies turn into vitamin A. This helps protect your eyes, immune system, and can lower your risk of certain cancers. Fun fact: Both white pepper and black pepper contain piperine, which activates the compound curcumin (it’s what gives turmeric its yellow color and anti-inflammatory properties). This makes it up to 2,000%(!) times easier for your body to absorb! PS: If you have my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, the Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup and Lemongrass-Ginger Kabocha Squash Soup feature similar Thai-inspired flavors you will love!
Ingredient notes
Pumpkin or winter squash. You could totally make this with a roasted sugar pumpkin to maintain its classic pumpkin soup appeal, but we found that the best flavor came from roasted kabocha squash. It’s velvety smooth when blended and has a delightfully nutty flavor. If you stock up on extra kabocha squash, make my Thai Kabocha Squash Curry the following week. Substitute: We haven’t tried other pumpkin varieties but think they’d work nicely, including red kuri squash or Thai pumpkins. Roasted butternut squash works well, too! Red curry paste. For a ton of Thai flavor in one convenient package. Maesri red curry paste is our favorite brand because it’s vegan-friendly and packs in the heat. Aromatics. Ginger, garlic, and shallots are all commonly used in Thai cooking. Here, they’re sauteed in coconut oil to give the soup a punchy and savory baseline of flavor. Spices. You need cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and white pepper. Cumin and coriander may sound surprising, but they’re commonly used in many Thai curries. Here, cumin adds warmth while the coriander enhances the citrusy flavors. Substitute: I love using white pepper for its unique sharp yet bright flavor, but if you don’t have it, use freshly cracked black pepper instead. The Thai trio: lemongrass, lime leaves, and Thai basil. These bring the quintessential flavors that make Thai curries so irresistible and take this from good pumpkin soup to great pumpkin soup. So, if you have a local Southeast Asian or East Asian grocery store, seek these ingredients out! Substitutes: Lemongrass: you can try lemongrass powder (we love this one from Burlap and Barrel). DO NOT use lemongrass essential oil (it’s not edible!). Fresh lime leaves: order dried lime leaves online, which work well; there is no other real substitute, but you can stir in some lime zest and lime juice to taste after blending the soup. Thai basil: use cilantro (different flavor but still nice). Coconut milk. This brings body and richness to the soup, adds a luscious finishing mouthfeel, and balances the chile heat. It’s a must in many Thai curry and soup recipes, like my Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup. Soy sauce. A star ingredient in many Thai recipes, soy sauce infuses a savory depth of flavor throughout the soup. I use Thai soy sauce, which is saltier than regular grocery store soy sauce. If using regular soy sauce (e.g., Kikkoman), use 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon.
Step-by-step instructions
Roast the pumpkin. Slice the sugar pumpkin (or winter squash) in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush the flesh with the oil and spice mixture, then place it flesh side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast until the pumpkin is very soft. Make the soup. Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass until soft, then add the spice mix to toast for 30 seconds. Deglaze the pot with a little coconut milk. Once it begins to bubble, stir in the curry paste. Cook the curry paste and stir frequently for a few minutes to prevent it from sticking. Now pour in the rest of the coconut milk, the broth, lime leaves, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture up to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend the soup. Scoop out the warm roasted pumpkin flesh from the skin and place it in a blender. Pour in the coconut milk mixture. Blend the soup until it’s smooth and creamy (working in batches if needed). Let the blended soup rest for a few minutes so the flavors have a chance to mingle. Then transfer to bowls and top with the optional peanut chile crunch.
Tips for making this recipe
Toppings = even better soup! Take each bowl of pumpkin soup over the top with the peanut chile crunch if you like spicy food. It takes minutes to make and is the perfect nutty, crunchy, spicy, and salty topper. For a non-spicy option, garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds and/or fresh lime leaves, very finely slivered. If you’re looking for a protein topper, you can try the pan-fried tempeh crumbles in my tempeh kecap recipe or crispy lentils in my butternut squash soup recipe. And as always, a creamy soup is even better with a toasted slab of good-quality bread. Find the right amount of spice. Despite being made with only 2 tablespoons of red curry paste, the soup still turns out to be quite spicy. The curry paste we use, Maesri, is spicier than standard grocery store curry pastes (like Thai Kitchen). If you want to use the same brand (Maesri) but yield a less spicy soup, lower the amount of curry paste to 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons. If using a more standard curry paste, 2 tablespoons will yield a soup with moderate heat. Crush the spices whichever way you can. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, roughly crush the cumin and coriander seeds with the back of a heavy mug or a cast iron skillet; or, add them to a ziploc bag and roll back and forth with a rolling pin or smash with a mallet. Give the soup a breather. Once it’s ready, let the blended soup rest for 15 minutes (or longer). This gives all of the amazing Thai flavors a chance to mingle together. Resting also gives the soup a chance to thicken. If you like soup on the thinner side, use 4 cups broth instead or thin out the texture with broth when reheating. If you love this Thai Pumpkin Soup as much as we do, please rate and review the recipe with your feedback below :) It’s always very much appreciated :)
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
