This creamy carrot and pumpkin soup is made with celery, paprika and garlic for the BEST flavour. It’s so easy to make, has only 7 ingredients and is dairy-free + vegan.
All my life I’ve LOVED my mums carrot and pumpkin soup recipe. It’s hearty, nourishing, and so easy to make. Her secret ingredients are celery, paprika, garlic and tons of fresh parsley. They add an amazing flavour to the soup and brighten up the sweet and delicate flavours of the carrot and pumpkin.
The key is slowly simmer the soup until the vegetables are really soft and almost mushy. Then we blend everything up into a creamy soup, top with a drizzle of cream, lots of parsley and serve with crusty bread. SO good!
Ingredients you’ll need
All you need to make this carrot pumpkin soup recipe are 7 simple, healthy ingredients:
- Pumpkin: I used Japanese pumpkin (also called kobocha squash in America).
- Carrots: you’ll need 3 carrots for this recipe
- Celery:
- Onion + garlic: Nothing beats this aromatic duo to add tons of flavour.
- Paprika: a dash of sweet paprika is key
- Stock: You can use either vegetable broth or chicken stock, it’s up to you!
- Salt + pepper
- Olive oil
- Coconut milk/ cream and fresh parsley, to serve (optional)
How to make carrot and pumpkin soup
Prepare the vegetables: Peel and cut the pumpkin into ½″ thick cubes, then roughly dice the carrots, celery and onions. Mince the garlic or grate on a fine microplane.
Sauté veggies: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add onion, celery and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until slightly caramelised.
Simmer: Add the pumpkin, carrots, paprika, salt, pepper and vegetable stock and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
Blend: Remove the soup from heat. Using an immersion blender or high speed blender, blend until smooth.
Serve in bowls with a drizzle of cream and plenty of chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Tips and variations
While this pumpkin soup with carrots tastes great as is, here are some ways to change it up:
- Protein boost: Add 1/2 cup of red lentils at step 3 along with the pumpkin, plus 2 cups extra broth. Or you can add top each bowl with some chickpeas— so yum! ????
- Different veggies: You could try adding parsnips, sweet potato, potato or cauliflower. Just make sure to add extra liquid.
- Don’t rush: Simmer the veggies until soft and cooked all the way through (they should be mushy to touch) before blending. This helps bring all those delicious flavours.
- Creamier soup: Add a splash of cream or coconut cream before blending. Or replace 1 cup of stock with 1 cup of coconut milk.
- Consistency: To thin the soup, add a little more stock. To thicken it, add a little less stock and continue to simmer so the liquid reduces and thickens.
Serving suggestions
This pumpkin soup is delicious served on it’s own with your favourite toppings such as a swirl of cream, pumpkin seeds, and fresh herbs. Some classic winter soup sides that also pair well with it are: loaded cheesy corn toast, air fryer broccoli & cauliflower parmesan or my air fryer frozen brussels sprouts
How to store and reheat soup
Leftover pumpkin soup can be kept in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for 3-5 days. To keep for longer, soup can be frozen for up to 6 months.
To reheat, simply warm it up on the stovetop or in the microwave. Be sure to stir soup to evenly distribute the heat.
FAQ
What pumpkin is best for soup?
You can use any type of sweet eating pumpkin or butternut squash. Common varieties are Japanese, Kent, Jarradale or Butternut. Be sure to cut the pumpkin into small (1-2 cm) pieces so that it cooks through quickly.
What to garnish it with?
Pumpkin and carrot soup can be garnished with any of your favourite toppings! Chopped herbs (parsley or coriander), crunchy croutons, pepitas, seeds or toasted nuts. A swirl of cream (dairy/coconut) adds a rich, creamy touch. Toasted garlic bread or crusty sourdough on the side for dunking is also essential!
How to reuse leftovers pumpkin soup?
There are so many ways to repurpose leftover carrot pumpkin soup. Use it as a marinade, pasta sauce, cook rice or quinoa in, a base for a casserole or use as a dipping sauce!
Other soup recipes to make
Roasted Cauliflower Pumpkin Soup
If you try this carrot and pumpkin soup recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintCarrot Pumpkin Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop + blend
- Cuisine: Australian
Description
This creamy carrot and pumpkin soup is made with celery, paprika and garlic for the BEST flavour. It’s easy to make, has only 7 ingredients and is dairy free + vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 500g pumpkin (kabocha squash), peeled + diced
- 350g (about 3 large) carrot, cut into chunks
- 1/2–1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- 4 cups/ 1 litre vegetable stock
- Coconut cream, parsley to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the pumpkin into ½″ thick cubes then roughly dice the carrots, celery and onions. Mince the garlic or grate on a fine microplane.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add onion, celery and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until slightly caramelised.
- Add the pumpkin, carrots, paprika, salt, pepper and vegetable stock and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Remove the soup from heat. Using an immersion blender or high speed blender, blend until smooth.
- Serve in bowls with a drizzle of cream and plenty of chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Leftover soup can be kept in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Freeze for up to 6 months. Reheat on stovetop or microwave.
Pat says
I made this yesteray, and it was a hit! I added some pine nuts, golden raisins, and diced yellow pepper sauteed in maple butter. It really looked/smelled/tasted like September. I’ll be making this again!
Caitlin Rule says
Yay so happy you loved the recipe Pat! The maple butter pine nuts and raisins on top sounds divine. Yum!!! xx