Fall flavors are in full swing, and this Curried Pumpkin Carrot Soup is the perfect way to highlight them! It's a naturally dairy-free recipe (no non-dairy substitutes needed) with a powerful flavor kick. And the best part? If you're doing some holiday or seasonal baking and you have a little extra pumpkin purée sitting in the fridge, throw it in! Soups are great ways to use up any odds and ends you might have lying around.
If you're looking for other pumpkin-related recipes, be sure to check out my Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (you can also make them without sourdough starter!), Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bread, or Pumpkin Sage Soft Pretzels.
As always, I do include a few affiliate links in this post for products I truly use and love. This just means that if you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I'll earn a little money (at no cost to you) to keep the kitchen up and running, which I promise to use to create more fun content like this! One of those affiliates is with Amazon, which requires a very clear disclosure: as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you have any questions about affiliates, please reach out!
Ingredients
Soup recipes are a great way to use up odds and ends, so feel free to throw some in! Or if you have a little extra pumpkin purée in the fridge from your fall baking, this is a great place to use it up. You'll need a few key things to bring this Curried Pumpkin Carrot Soup recipe together.
- Onion: a coarse chop is fine, as you'll purée the soup at the end.
- Garlic cloves: again, a coarse chop will be fine here.
- Pumpkin purée: one can, or about 2 cups, is the perfect amount for this recipe. Of course, if you have extra, throw it in! You can also make your own pumpkin purée if you're really feeling the fall spirit!
- Carrots: you'll need 2 cups of peeled and chopped carrots.
- Chicken broth: I like to use homemade chicken stock, but store-bought is of course fine as well. You could also use vegetable broth if you wanted to make a vegan version of this soup.
- Fresh ginger: grated or minced fresh ginger adds a bit of brightness to the recipe.
- Pantry spices including curry powder, cumin, paprika, salt and black pepper.
See the full recipe below for detailed instructions.
Instructions
Soups are incredibly forgiving; there are really only a few simple steps to bring this recipe together.
Chop everything! Peel and chop your carrots, onion, garlic and fresh ginger.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, then add garlic and onion and sautée 2-3 minutes until soft.
Add carrots, ginger and spices, and stir for 1 minute.
Add pumpkin purée and chicken stock, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
After about 20 minutes all vegetables should be fork-tender. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you could also use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the Dutch oven.
Hint: If you feel that your soup is too thick after blending, you can add some more chicken stock or water to thin the soup to your desired thickness.
Substitutions
If you know how to make the recipe fit a certain diet, let the reader know here. Don't fake it - only provide guidance on topics you have actual experience with.
- Make it vegan - use vegetable stock rather than chicken stock
- Use whole pumpkin - if you'd rather use whole pumpkin instead of purée, you certainly can! Peel and chop the pumpkin, then add it with the carrots. After the 20-minute simmer, you'll want to make sure that both the carrots and pumpkin are fork-tender, then purée as described.
- Use a different squash - you could also make this soup with a different squash instead of the pumpkin. Butternut squash would work well! You could also use sweet potatoes.
Equipment
You'll need a cutting board and sharp knife to chop the vegetables, then a large Dutch Oven to cook the soup. I like to use a Le Creuset Dutch Oven, but there are lots of other options as well!
You'll also need a blender (I use a Cuisinart Blender), or an immersion blender to blend the soup before serving. GIR spatulas are my favorite to use for transferring the soup from pot to blender, and even for stirring as it simmers (they won't melt!).
Storage
To store in the fridge, let the soup cool fully, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, either heat the soup in a small pot on the stovetop, or in the microwave for about 60 seconds before serving.
To store in the freezer, let the soup cool fully, then transfer to airtight freezer-safe containers (or bags!) and seal. You can store soup in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a small pot on the stovetop, or in the microwave for about 60 seconds before serving.
Top tip
Since you're going to purée the soup, don't worry too much about chopping the ingredients! A coarse chop (as long as the pieces can be covered by the soup stock) will work perfectly.
FAQ
No, you could also use whole pumpkin! If you're using whole pumpkin, peel and coarsely chop the pumpkin, then add to the recipe at the same time as the carrots.
Yes, if you would rather not use pumpkin, you can use a different squash option (butternut squash is great), or you could even use sweet potatoes.
No. Personally, I prefer to use a regular blender. Make sure to let the soup cool a bit before transferring and blending.
You can store this soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. You can also store in the freezer in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. There is more direction in the "storage" section of the blog post above.
I like to serve this soup with some jumbo crusty croutons, or a slice of toasted bread. It's also delicious with Caramelized Shallot Focaccia!
Pumpkin Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin purée
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Fresh parsley or thyme, for garnish optional
- Roasted pine nuts, for garnish optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sautée until soft and translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add carrots, ginger, salt, curry powder, cumin, paprika, and black pepper and stir for 1 minute.
- Add pumpkin purée and chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until all vegetables are fork-tender.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Carefully transfer to a blender and blend soup until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve warm and garnish with fresh thyme and roasted pine nuts (optional), and serve with toasted, crusty bread.
Leave a Reply