Creamy coconut ginger pumpkin soup is deliciously nourishing. The warmth of fresh ginger adds a lovely kick to the sweet base of coconut and pumpkin. Make it with your favourite chicken broth or stock, or use a vegetable stock base for a plant based, vegan soup.
Originally published May 2018 | Re-tested, edited, updated June 2023
PLEASE READ THIS RECIPE UPDATE:
- I received quite a bit of feedback about the amount of ginger I suggested to add to this recipe. Many reviewers commented that it was too much. I have made the soup again (and again, and again!) and I think that it was quite a generous amount and also, I provided a poor estimate of the size of the ginger piece required. I have accordingly scaled down the amount of ginger and updated the description. Please note the amount of ginger required is now 20 grams, a small thumb-sized piece. If you read comments prior to May 2022, they have used a bigger quantity of ginger.
- I have also edited the method so that the pumpkin chunks are now roasted in the cinnamon and cumin, rather than adding them to the soup afterwards. I think this improves the flavour as the spices get roasted with the pumpkin – yum! This update was added in June 2023.
This bright coconut ginger pumpkin soup is not only warming temperature-wise; the ginger gives you a spicy warmth too and makes you feel so good inside. Ginger is an incredible spice, and is a traditional remedy for common complaints including colds, indigestion and nausea. Perfect for incorporating into an autumnal soup.
What you will need to make this creamy coconut pumpkin soup
- Pumpkin (some are referred to as squash) – any variety will do! If you have a favourite type of pumpkin then use that. I tend to use butternut (a.k.a. Butternut squash), Jap or Kent pumpkin for making soup. Kent pumpkin was used to make the soup pictured.
- Chicken broth or stock – you can substitute vegetable stock for a vegan/vegetarian soup. If you are watching your salt intake, a low sodium broth will work.
- Coconut milk – for ultimate creaminess I do recommend using a full fat coconut milk, but reduced fat coconut milk will still work really well. I try to use pure coconut milk without any added gums or thickeners. To be clear, I’m referring to canned coconut milk, not coconut milk from a carton that you might use for cereal or coffee.
- Fresh ginger – an absolute essential ingredient in this soup, you only need a small amount and trust me the flavour is totally incredible. Together with the coconut, this takes the pumpkin soup to a whole new level.
- Ground cumin and ground cinnamon – these dried spices complement the pumpkin perfectly and also work to really transform a simple soup into something special.
- Extra virgin olive oil – use this to roast the pumpkin. Coconut oil will also work but my preferred oil for roasting is extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Oh and don’t forget, you’ll probably want a lovely thick slice of toast to have alongside the soup!
See the ingredient card for the ingredient quantities.
How to make ginger pumpkin soup with a blender
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180 C and line a large tray with baking paper.
Step 2. Peel the pumpkin and cut into even-sized chunks. Place on the lined baking tray. Sprinkle over the cumin, cinnamon and add a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss it all around with your hands to coat the pumpkin. Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is super soft and starting to caramelise at the edges.
Step 3. While the pumpkin is cooling a little, peel the ginger and gather the rest of the ingredients. I have included a photo below showing you the approximate size of the ginger piece you should use. The piece of ginger, peeled, is pictured next to a teaspoon to help you visualise the required size.
Step 4. Place cooked pumpkin, chicken broth/stock, coconut milk and ginger into the blender jug. Blend until super smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5. To serve, heat a portion of the soup in a saucepan over the stove (or microwave the soup if that’s more convenient for you). Enjoy!
Cooking tips, swaps and serving suggestions for coconut pumpkin soup
It is so incredibly easy to make this coconut ginger pumpkin soup. All you need to do is roast the pumpkin and then…blend! Literally, that’s it. The rest of the ingredients don’t need cooking, so you simply whizz everything together until smooth.
- I usually make this soup in my Vitamix which actually has a cool “soup” function that heats up the soup, too.
- If you do not have a similar high speed blender, I would recommend putting the ingredients in a large saucepan and using an immersion blender aka a stick blender. They are quick and easy and as a bonus, the soup is already in a saucepan so you can warm it on the stove right away!
- I don’t recommend making too many swaps or substitutions to this recipe. The ingredients list is very short and each of those ingredients serves a purpose! The only swap that really works is swapping the chicken stock for a vegetable stock, if you want to make a vegetarian/vegan soup.
Serve this healthy pumpkin soup with a thick piece of toast, obviously. I also really like to add some shredded chicken or roasted chickpeas on top to boost the protein content. You could also serve it with some boiled eggs for a protein hit. This will help the soup become a more balanced, satisfying meal!
I really hope that you enjoy this creamy, spiced, wonderfully delicious coconut pumpkin soup. Years and years since originally posting this recipe, I am STILL OBSESSED. It’s glorious! Please let me know if you make it – drop me a comment or take a snap and share it on Instagram.
p.s. make extra roasted pumpkin and you can also prep this Honey Roast Pumpkin Quinoa Salad!
PLEASE NOTE: As outlined above at the beginning of this blog post, I have reviewed, re-tested, re-measured and finally tweaked the method for this pumpkin soup recipe. Please note many of the reader comments below do relate to the original recipe and I have since made edits to improve the clarity of my instructions and most importantly… improve the end result of the soup!
Coconut and Ginger Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram pumpkin – any variety will do, I used Kent pumpkin for the soup pictured
- 500 mL chicken broth or stock – substitute vegetable stock for a vegan/vegetarian soup
- 250 mL coconut milk
- 20 grams fresh ginger (1 SMALL thumb sized piece)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for roasting the pumpkin – can also use coconut oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (350℉) and line a large tray with baking paper.
- Peel the pumpkin and cut into even-sized chunks. Place on the lined baking tray. Sprinkle over the cumin, cinnamon and add a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss it all around with your hands to coat the pumpkin. Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is super soft and starting to caramelise at the edges.
- While the pumpkin is cooling a little, peel the ginger and gather the rest of the ingredients.
- Place cooked pumpkin, chicken broth/stock, coconut milk and ginger into the blender jug. Blend until super smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, heat a portion of the soup in a saucepan over the stove (or microwave the soup if that’s more convenient for you). Enjoy!
Notes
*Nutrition Facts are calculated using an average general value for chicken broth, standard sodium content. If you use a low-salt broth, or change it to a vegetable broth/stock, then this can dramatically change the sodium content. As always, Nutrition Facts are an estimate only, based on the data pre-loaded into the software.
*I also like to add a few teaspoons of turmeric powder to this soup sometimes, try it 🙂
*If you do not have a jug blender, the soup can also be blended together using an immersion (stick) blender. Simply pop all ingredients into a big saucepan and use the immersion blender to combine everything. Then you can just heat the soup up from that saucepan!
Nutrition
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