A warming potato and pumpkin soup recipe to soothe the mood on a cool fall night. A fragrant mix of textures and flavors, this creamy autumnal soup makes a perfect starter or light supper.
A steaming bowl of potato and pumpkin soup in October or November never gets old; each year, I happily anticipate the pumpkin season. And the dish that makes me the happiest is pumpkin soup.
I’ve cooked so many versions of a creamy and nourishing pumpkin soup over the years, and I loved every one of them.
Check out the Spicy Pumpkin Ginger Soup, the Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup, the Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup, the Pumpkin Orange Soup, or the Vegan Roasted Pumpkin Soup.
Each one of them is a delight; delicious, comforting, creamy pumpkin potato soup recipes that will lift your spirits.
Table of contents
Recipe ingredients
Pumpkin:
- I use either Hokkaido pumpkin (also-known as red kuri squash) or butternut squash; I find that they are the best flavored. If you choose something else, make sure it’s a flavorful kind as well (for instance, sugar pumpkins).
- Please don’t use the large Halloween pumpkins; they are only suitable for decoration.
Potatoes: You will need potatoes for the soup and the croutons. The croutons for the topping are, of course, optional, but I would not want to miss them; they are so good, and they fit this cozy dish perfectly.
Heavy cream: It makes the dish rich and smooth, but if you want to save on calories, you can replace it with milk, half-and-half, or evaporated milk.
Vegetable broth: Use a good-quality brand. If you like, you can replace it with chicken broth or chicken stock.
Spices: Fine sea salt or Kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper to taste), and rosemary.
Roasted pepitas: They are an optional but highly recommended topping.
Other ingredients: Olive oil, white onion, and garlic.
How to make potato and pumpkin soup?
Potato croutons:
- Start with the croutons.
- Preheat the oven to 225°C/ 440°F.
- Peel and cut the potatoes into 1.5 cm/ 0.6 inches cubes.
- Toss them with oil, chili flakes, rosemary, salt, and pepper (1).
- Roast for 40-45 minutes, tossing them a few times in between. They should be crispy on the outside and tender inside (2).
- While the potatoes are in the oven, make the soup.
Soup:
- Prepare vegetables: Halve, deseed, and cube the pumpkin (3,4). If using anything else but Hokkaido, peel the pumpkin as well.
- Peel and cube the potatoes. Chop the onion and peel the garlic cloves but leave them whole.
- Sauté: Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and cook the onions for 2-3 minutes until translucent (5). Add the garlic, pumpkin, and potato, stir and cook for about 5 minutes (6).
- Simmer: Add the vegetable stock and rosemary sprig. Bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat down, and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Roast pepitas: In the meantime, roast the pepitas if they are not already toasted.
- Blend: Remove the rosemary sprig and process the soup with an immersion blender (Note 4) (7).
- Pour in the cream. Reheat gently without letting it come to a boil again (8).
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Remove the rosemary sprig before serving.
Expert Tips
- Hokkaido pumpkin not only has the best flavor, but it doesn’t need peeling, either. Butternut squash or any other pumpkin sort needs to be peeled.
- Don’t forget to toss the croutons 2-3 times during roasting. Otherwise, they might stick to the roasting tin.
- Make a vegan pumpkin soup by replacing the cream with a non-dairy alternative; my favorite alternative is coconut milk.
- Blend the soup: Please don’t overdo it when blending soups containing potatoes; the potatoes might turn gluey. Stop as soon as the soup is smooth.
- When blending hot liquids, it’s preferable to use a hand blender to avoid the risk of the blender’s lid exploding.
- However, if you are careful, you can also use the stand blender.
- Let the soup cool slightly.
- Blend it in batches.
- Place a folded towel on top of the kitchen gadget and hold it steady.
- Increase the speed gradually.
- Pour the creamy soup into a pot and repeat with another batch.
Recipe FAQ
Sure. I often replace the rosemary with some grated ginger and curry powder. It changes the flavor of the soup completely, but we love it.
Yes, use a 15 oz/ 425 g can. NOT pumpkin pie filling.
Add the unsweetened pumpkin puree after the potatoes are cooked, stir well, and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
It’s full of nutrients and good carbs, high in fiber, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. The beta-carotin in the pumpkin boosts the immune system.
If you want to lower the fat content, you can use milk or evaporated milk instead of heavy cream.
Refrigerate the soup in an airtight container; it will be fine for 3-4 days.
Store the leftover potato croutons in a separate container.
Reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. If too thick, add a splash of milk or broth to loosen it.
Reheat the potatoes in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.
How to serve?
Serve it with the croutons and the roasted pepitas.
First course: The recipe is great for any fall or festive menu. In this case, it will be enough for 8 people.
Main course: You will have enough for about 4 people. Serve the pumpkin potato soup with crusty bread or/and a salad.
Try our Spelt Bread (No-Rise, No-Knead Bread), Oat Bread without Yeast, Flaxseed Bread, Easy Yogurt Soda Bread, or Buckwheat Bread.
More pumpkin recipes
Creamy Potato and Pumpkin Soup
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
Potato croutons (Note 1):
- 450 g potatoes 1 lb
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pumpkin and potato soup:
- 1 kg pumpkin 2.2 lbs, Note 2
- 800 g potatoes
- 1 onion large
- 2 garlic cloves large
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 liter vegetable broth 4 ¼ cups
- 1 sprig of rosemary Note 2
- 125 ml heavy cream ½ cup
- 2 tablespoons pepitas roasted
- fine sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
Potato croutons:
- Preparations: Preheat the oven to 225°C/ 440°F. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1.5 cm/ 0.6 inches cubes.
- Season: Place them into a roasting tin and oil, chili flakes, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat all over.
- Roast for 40-45 minutes, tossing the potatoes 2-3 times in between, or until they are crispy on the outside and tender inside. Tossing is essential to stop them from sticking to the pan.
- In the meantime, prepare the soup.
Soup:
- Halve the pumpkin and remove the seeds. If using anything else but Hokkaido, peel the pumpkin as well. Slice it thickly and cut the slices into cubes.
- Vegetables: Peel and cube the potatoes. Chop the onion and peel the garlic cloves but leave them whole.
- Sauté: Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic cloves, pumpkin, and potato cubes, stir and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Simmer: Add the stock and rosemary sprig and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer the soup, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Roast pepitas: In the meantime, roast the pepitas if they are not already toasted.
- Blend soup: Remove the rosemary sprig and blend the soup with an immersion blender (Note 4).
- Add the cream and reheat gently without letting the soup boil again.
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Serve the soup topped with roasted pepitas and potato croutons.
Notes
- The potato croutons are optional but very recommendable.
- Preferably Hokkaido pumpkin or butternut squash. Otherwise, use another flavorful pumpkin sort. Hokkaido doesn’t need to be peeled; everything else does.
- Use 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary if you don’t have fresh herbs.
Leave a Reply