Yevhen Klopotenko’s creamy pumpkin soup with coconut milk

What could be better than a rich, warming and creamy pumpkin soup on a cold autumnal or wintery day? Nothing! So I’ve decided to share my favorite recipe for an incredibly delicious creamy pumpkin soup with coconut milk. It has a very delicate taste, a pleasant pumpkin-y sweetness and a hit of freshness from the cilantro. And the color of the soup is so bright and cheery that it’ll brighten up even the most grey and rainy autumn day! And the best thing about this soup? It’s really simple to make and won’t take up too much of your time.

The secret to making a perfect pumpkin soup

A creamy pumpkin soup is almost impossible to mess up. After all, the pumpkin itself is quite fragrant, has a good texture and just enough sweetness. But for the taste to be amazing, you need to remember about spices and other ingredients that’ll help highlight the flavor even more. You can use ready-made broth for the soup, or make your own stock ahead of time. I’d suggest using chicken stock. But try to make this broth as rich as possible.

If, while cooking pumpkin with other vegetables, you decide to use water, as I did in my recipe, then it is better to add cream or coconut milk at the very end of cooking. I chose the latter option because coconut milk makes the texture of the soup velvety and the taste richer. Of course, spices also play an important role. If you want to accentuate the sweet taste of the soup and add a little heat, use coriander. In today’s recipe, I used a mild curry spice blend and some ground ginger. When combined with coconut milk, they make the pumpkin soup taste a little Thai-inspired. Thanks to the curry, the color of the soup turned out to be incredibly bright and appetizing, and the ginger added a little heat.

In terms of vegetables, I only used onions and pumpkin in this soup. Garlic and potatoes or carrots are often added, but I don’t think that necessary in this recipe. Spices and coconut milk balance the flavor out perfectly.

How to make pumpkin cream soup with coconut milk

Perfect creamy pumpkin soup with warming spices and coconut milk: Directions

Step 1

Prepare all of the ingredients you’ll be using to make this delicate and delicious creamy pumpkin soup with coconut milk.

Step 2

Peel and roughly dice the onion. Heat up about 3 tbsp olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and sauté the onion until soft and translucent.

Step 3

Cut the pumpkin into coarse, equal-sized cubes. This will help the pumpkin cook evenly. Add the chopped pumpkin to the onion in the pot.

Step 4

Add about 400 ml water to the pot, add salt to taste and cook until the pumpkin is cooked through and can be easily poked through with a fork. It took me about 25 minutes.

Step 5

When the pumpkin is soft enough, stir in the mild curry spice mix and the dried ginger. The spices will brighten both the flavor and the color of the soup.

Step 6

Take the soup off the heat. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. Taste it and add more salt if needed.

Step 7

Mix 200 ml of coconut milk into the soup, it will make the texture of the soup velvety and the taste more tender. Return the pot to the stove and bring to a boil. When serving soup, garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.