This roasted pumpkin soup is rich, creamy, and gently spiced. With a generous amount of caramelized onions, it’s sure to become a fall favorite. Easy to make, vegan & gluten-free too!

It’s a bold statement, I know, but this might be the best pumpkin soup recipe ever. It all started back in 2010. My oldest daughter, Ashley, just finished her freshman year of college at UW and we were doing some kitchen shopping for her campus apartment. A soup pot, overflowing with possibilities, caught my eye and we took it home. I still use that pot today.

In honor of the purchase, we named the summer “Soup Summer” and started cooking. This recipe, which I’ve made a babillion times since then, is still my favorite. It’s incredibly creamy, thanks to coconut milk, yet rich with texture from caramelized onions. All gently seasoned with a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne for warmth. I even have a simple hack for roasting a whole pumpkin without cutting it up! The best pumpkin soup? Make it and tell me if you agree!

How to roast a whole pumpkin for soup:

Save yourself time, energy, and maybe a finger, by roasting the pumpkin whole. There is no need to cut it up first. A 3½ -4 lb. sweet pie pumpkin needed for this recipe will easily fit into the smallest oven. The tough outer skin protects the flesh from drying out as it cooks, and the seeds are still perfect for roasting.

To roast, preheat your oven to 425°F / 218°C / gas mark 7. Place the whole pumpkin directly on the center rack. Roast for 45-60 minutes, checking to see if it’s done after 45 minutes. The skin will turn golden, shiny, and soft to the touch. That’s when you know it’s done. Let it cool to a reasonable temperature and use your fingers to peel off the outer skin. Scoop out the seeds and save them for roasting, leaving just the pumpkin flesh. One 3½ -4 lb. sweet pie pumpkin will yield about 4 cups of pumpkin flesh.

How to caramelize onions:

The texture and sweetness in this creamy soup comes from caramelized onions. It may seem like a lot of onions to start with but, trust me, they will shrink *way* down into sticky sweet, caramelized heaven.

If you have a mandolin, that’s the easiest way to slice onions very thin and evenly. (Use the 1mm setting) If not, a sharp knife and a little patience will do the trick. Start by peeling the skin off 2 large yellow onions. Then cut them in half and chop off the top and tail. Starting at the root, carefully slice thin strips all along the dome.

For a more detailed guide on slicing onions, click here.

To caramelize onions- in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, dissolve 5 tablespoons of organic cane sugar in 3 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar. Tumble in the onions and stir to coat. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are wilted, golden, and sticky. Be patient here. This will take 15-20 minutes but is well worth the time for the flavor they produce.

Ingredient Substitutions:

Feel free to use beet sugar in place of organic cane sugar.
I haven’t made this recipe with canned pumpkin but feel that it would work. You won’t get the underlying roasted flavor but it will still be tasty. Roasted pumpkin is thicker than canned so you may need to reduce the amount of vegetable stock.
Full-fat coconut milk (the kind that comes in a can) is the secret to rich and creamy pumpkin soup. Unless you’re very sensitive to coconut, you really can’t taste it. But, cashew creamer will give you the same diary-free richness without coconut. Skip the vanilla in this recipe and reduce the amount of water to 2 cups.

Once you have your pumpkin puree and caramelized onions the rest is super easy. Simply add all the ingredients to a soup pot and heat!

I’m sure you’re going to love this roasted pumpkin soup it’s:

Vegan
Healthy
Satisfying
Creamy
Gently spiced
Full of caramelized onions
Comforting
Great for meal prep.
Easy to make!

Here's everything you need to make this recipe-

Ingredients:

1 sweet pie pumpkin, 3½ - 4lbs. (1,587g-1,814g) about 4 cups of flesh
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced (by hand or 1mm on a mandolin)
5 tablespoons (65g) of organic cane sugar
3 tablespoons (44 ml) of white balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons of kosher salt (divided)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (473 ml) of vegetable broth
1 can (13.5 fl. oz. / 400 ml) of full-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of nutmeg
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

How to make Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Step 2

Step 3

Steps 4-5

Step 6

1. Pre-heat oven to 425°F / 218°C / gas mark 7

2. Place the whole pumpkin (uncut) in the oven and roast at 425° F / 218° C for 45-60 minutes. It will look shiny, slightly golden, and feel soft. When cool enough to handle, peel off the outer skin, and scoop out the seeds, leaving just the pumpkin flesh.

3. Cut the (peeled) onions in half and slice them into *very* thin slices. Do this by hand with a sharp knife or using the 1mm setting on a mandolin.

4. Add the vinegar and sugar to a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and stir until dissolved. Tumble in the onions and garlic. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and mix it all together.

5. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become golden, slightly sticky, and have caramelized, 15-20 minutes.

6. While the onions are cooking, add the pumpkin flesh and vegetable stock to a large blender container. Blend until completely smooth with no lumps of pumpkin remaining.

Step 7

7. Scoop the pumpkin puree into the soup pot with the onions. Pour in the coconut milk, followed by the cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and other teaspoon of salt. Stir it all together and simmer until hot but not boiling. Taste and add a tad more salt, if needed, to brighten the flavors.

8. Ladle into soup bowls or make a festive centerpiece and serve inside a roasted pumpkin!