Healthy Pumpkin Soup

Published by:
Liz Marino
| 11/09/2021 | Last Updated: 07/28/2024

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This delicious Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe is so easy to make in your instant pot, slow cooker or on the stove! Healthy and vegan!

A bowl of Creamy Pumpkin Soup on a grey background

This pumpkin soup is so incredibly thick and has a creamy texture and is the perfect fall soup that’s naturally gluten free, dairy free, whole30 friendly, and vegan. We can’t get enough of it! 

Typically creamy soups are loaded with lots of funky ingredients, heavy cream, and loads of cheese. This soup doesn’t have that, but still has perfect fall flavor! It gets all the creaminess from broth + veggies. 

Whether you need to make this lower salt, lower carb.. there’s a substitution for basically everything below! Plus you can bulk up the veggies by adding more carrots, celery, or onions. 

There’s nothing better than healthy pumpkin recipes in the fall, and while most people’s go-tos are Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Bread, or the traditional Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte, this soup recipe is sure to be one of your new favorites! 

Liz’s tips for healthy pumpkin soup

  • Be sure to use pumpkin puree in the soup and not pumpkin pie filling! Pie filling has added sugars and spices, while pumpkin puree is just pumpkin.

ingredients

Creamy Pumpkin Bisque Recipe ingredients in small white bowls: pumpkin puree, carrots, celery, onion, olive oil, vegetable stock, garlic, honey, paprika, cinnamon, ground ginger, dried thyme, turmeric, salt & pepper

Substitutions

Is this pumpkin soup better with fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin? I’ve only ever made this recipe with canned pumpkin. I’m sure fresh pumpkin would be delicious, but it is so much work!

Olive Oil: You can substitute olive oil with melted butter, avocado oil, or vegetable oil.

Vegetables: Feel free to add more carrots, celery, or onions. You can chop the vegetables roughly because this soup gets blended up!

Pumpkin: You can also make this soup recipe with canned butternut squash or check out our Butternut Squash Soup, Roasted Squash Soup, or Sweet Potato Soup. For a carrot base, try our Carrot Ginger Soup Recipe.

Spices: Feel free to add more or less of any of the spices to your taste.

Broth: Vegetable Broth keeps this recipe vegan, but if you want to substitute it for chicken broth, that could work.

Pasta: I haven’t tried adding pasta to this recipe. I would try this pasta fagioli soup recipe instead!

How to Make healthy Pumpkin Soup recipe

Garlic, onion, carrots, and celery sautéing in olive oil in a large pot for Pumpkin Bisque
  1. Heat oil in a large pot. Sauté carrots, celery, onion, and garlic
All ingredients for creamy pumpkin soup in a pot, uncooked and not yet mixed
  1. Stir in pumpkin puree, stock, spices, and honey.
Pumpkin soup in a pot blended and cooked
  1. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend until smooth. 
A close up ladle of Pumpkin soup over a pot of pumpkin soup
  1. Serve and enjoy!

How to make this recipe for Pumpkin Soup in the Instant Pot

  1. Set your instant pot to sauté for 5 minutes. Heat oil and sauté carrots, celery, garlic, and onions for about 5 minutes until they’re translucent.
  2. Add pumpkin purée, vegetable stock, spices, and honey. 
  3. Cover the pot and set to sealing, manual, high pressure for 4 minutes. 
  4. Once cooked, allow the pot to naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure. 
  5. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend until smooth. 
  6. Serve as is or top with coconut milk, heavy cream, or any of our recommended toppings below.
A bowl of Creamy Pumpkin Soup on a grey background

What to serve with the Best Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Our favorite Pumpkin Soup Toppings

Your soup can easily be taken to the next level depending on your toppings, garnish, or add-ins. Here are some of our favorites:

  • coconut cream or heavy cream
  • chives/green onions
  • crackers
  • bacon 
  • croutons
  • toasted pumpkin seeds
  • fresh herbs
A bowl of Creamy Pumpkin Soup on a grey background with a spoonful getting taken out of it

Storing and reheating

Storing: This soup will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container.

Can you freeze Pumpkin Soup? Let leftover soup cool to room temperature before transferring it to a proper storage container and putting in the freezer. You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months.

We like these containers for freezing soup.

We have more tips on how to freeze soup!

Reheating: You can reheat your soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Other healthy soup recipes:

We love healthy soup recipes. You can get our free Healthy Soup Ebook here or check out these 40+ Heart Healthy Soup Recipes. Here are some other healthy soup recipes you may like:

A bowl of Creamy Pumpkin Soup on a grey background

Pumpkin Soup Recipe with Canned Pumpkin

Recipe by: Liz Marino
5 from 5 votes
This delicious Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe is so easy to make in your instant pot, slow cooker or on the stove! Healthy and vegan!
Prep Time : 5 minutes
Cook Time : 25 minutes
Total Time : 30 minutes
Serves : 4 1.5 cup servings
(hover over # to adjust)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup carrots diced
  • cup celery sliced thinly. About 2 stalks
  • ½ cup onion diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 2 15 oz cans pumpkin puree
  • 1 quart vegetable stock low or no salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper add more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

StoveTop Instructions:

  1. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent – about 5 minutes.
  2. Add pumpkin puree, vegetable stock, spices and honey. Bring to a boil.
  3. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend until smooth.
  5. Serve as is or top with coconut milk or heavy cream.

Crockpot Instructions

  1. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent – about 5 minutes.
  2. Add sautéed vegetables to the crockpot with pumpkin puree, vegetable stock, spices and honey.
  3. Cover and set to low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours
  4. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend until smooth.
  5. Serve as is or top with coconut milk or heavy cream.

Instant Pot Instructions:

  1. Set your instant pot to Sauté- 5 Minutes. Heat olive oil. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent.
  2. Add pumpkin puree, vegetable stock, spices and honey.
  3. Cover and set your instant pot to Manual setting, High Pressure for 4 minutes.
  4. Once cooked, allow the pot to naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
  5. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend until smooth.
  6. Serve as is or top with coconut milk or heavy cream.

Video

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 276mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5462IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Recipe Rating




7 Comments

  1. Mary Jane Olsen says:

    I love your ingredients for this soup! I just made a pumpkin soup recipe that I was not so thrilled with, since it turned out too thin. I like that you used 2 15 oz cans of pumpkin, not just one, and added carrots, with great spices like paprika, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and thyme also. I love adding honey for a warm sweetness, that’s also very mild. I’m looking forward to seeing what other soup recipes you have, as I’m a soup enthusiast! My family likes soup, but they also like other things more often. I could eat soup every day and be happy, but I’ll also be interested in your other recipes. Thank you for sharing them online.

  2. 5 stars
    Made this tonight 🙂 easy and yummy .
    Her recipes are always easy , with directions , substitutions and tips . Thanks again Liz for a great recipe .

    1. The Clean Eating Couple says:

      So glad you liked it, Paula! Thank you!

      1. 5 stars
        I am SO excited to try this recipe! Question, I know honey is usually not part of the Whole30 meal plan (I’m a newbie with this food plan!) What would you recommend in substituting the honey for? Apple sauce or fruit juice, maybe? My apologies if you addressed it above and I missed it!

        1. The Clean Eating Couple says:

          I would just skip the honey if you’re doing Whole30. You could actually add 1/4 cup chopped apples with the onion/carrot/celery for sweetness!

  3. 5 stars
    Loved this recipe. Perfect for fall. I topped mine with pumpkin seeds which added a nice crunch and ate it with side green salad with light blue cheese dressing which I thought was a nice combo.