Pumpkin Soup Recipe

4.80 from 10 ratings

This pumpkin soup is silky, creamy, and brings real deal flavor with the perfect blend of Cajun spices and a simple roux that thickens the whole pot.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Course: Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cajun, pumpkin, recipe, spicy

Servings: cups

Calories: 217kcal

½ cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
½ cup flour
2 small pie pumpkins (the yield of fresh pumpkin is about 12 cups, or 3 pounds in weight of peeled pumpkin)
1 medium bell pepper chopped I used some Fresno peppers & jalapeno peppers for more heat
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium celery stalk chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped (or more as desired! I like a lot of garlic)
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning or more to taste
6 cups chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream optional for extra creamy texture and flavor
For Serving: Fresh chopped herbs spicy chili flakes, extra virgin olive oil, lightly toasted pumpkin seeds (see recipe notes)

Remove the stems, slice them into quarters (or eighths), and remove the innards and seeds. Reserve the seeds, if desired. Peel the pumpkin and chop up the pumpkin flesh. The yield of fresh pumpkin is about 12 cups, or 3 pounds in weight of peeled pumpkin. It's OK if you're off a little. Set them aside for now.
Add ½ cup peanut oil to a large pot and heat to medium heat. Add flour and stir. Cook for 10-15 minutes, constantly stirring, until the roux turns a light blonde brown. You can cook it longer for a darker, richer color and flavor.
Add pumpkin, peppers, onion, celery and garlic. Stir and cook about 5 minutes.
Add Cajun seasoning and chicken stock. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom.
Cook at medium-low heat for 30 minutes to thicken. You can simmer longer if you’d like. I often simmer for 1 hour.
Process the mixture with an immersion blender, or transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
Stir in the heavy cream.
Serve into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped herbs, spicy chili flakes and a swirl of extra virgin olive oil.

See my discussion in the post above for using the pumpkin seeds.

Heat Level: Medium, though you can easily spice things up with extra Cajun seasonings and by using spicier chili peppers.