A creamy, Thai-spiced pumpkin soup made with coconut milk and red curry paste. Vegan, gluten free, easy, and warming on fall evenings.
Soup was probably the reason I started cooking… and at first, it was just a Sunday thing. Weekday cooking didn’t stand a chance. After a hectic work day, I wanted nothing but to sit down at a restaurant and have someone bring me food. But on lazy Sunday afternoons, I started to enjoy the peaceful process of chopping and stirring (with a glass of red wine nearby)… and all the warm fuzzy feelings that come with making soup. To me, Sunday soup making became the calm before the storm… a necessary rejuvenating time before a new crazy week would begin.
Pumpkin (or butternut squash) soup can go a whole bunch of directions. I personally love it Thai-spiced. Red curry is one of my favorite things, especially mixed with creamy coconut. This time I experimented with lime leaves. I used them as I would bay leaves, taking them out before I blended the soup together. I found that they added a nice brightness, although I realize they’re not always easy to find. I’ve seen them lately at my specialty markets, but I wouldn’t necessarily go hunting for them… if you have to look too hard, just leave them out. It’ll still be great.
Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup
- 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves (I add them whole, the blender will do the work later)
- 3 lime leaves (or a bit of lemongrass, or omit)
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1-2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 3½ cups roasted pumpkin or butternut squash, skin and seeds removed*
- 1 can coconut milk, light or full fat, either is fine
- 4 cups veggie broth
- Maple syrup, for drizzling
- Pinch cayenne
- Sea salt and fresh black pepper
- Sauteed kale or other greens (optional)
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat the coconut oil. Add the onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic cloves, lime leaves, curry paste, and ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the roasted pumpkin and mix everything together. Let the pumpkin cook a few more minutes, breaking apart the larger pieces with your wooden spoon or spatula. Before things start sticking to the bottom of your pot, add the coconut milk and the veggie broth. Add the maple syrup and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lime leaves and pour the soup into a high speed blender (you may have to work in batches), and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve with extra coconut milk and a few more pinches of cayenne.
Â
Â
Curious as to what you use for red curry paste. I’ve only used curry paste made with shrimp.
I thought vegans did not eat shrimp.
There is vegan red curry paste. I see it more at the grocery store than at the Asian markets.
Hi
What size can of coconut milk do you use? I used a 400 ml can and it seemed like too much. All the flavour was lost. Do you use a 200 ml can?
Hi Shelley, I used a 400ml can, you could go with half if you wanted less coconut flavor (I personally really like coconut)l.
Very good. I couldn’t find the recipe that I used a few years ago, but my wife thought this one was even better. I made the following changes:
– I used part of a large fairytale pumpkin that I had baked and pureed. I had extra pumpkin juice from cooking and straining the rest of the pumpkin, so I used that instead of vegetable broth. Some of the juice had caramelized when baking the pumpkin, so it added some sweet and caramel flavors.
– I omitted the maple syrup because the pumpkin was on the sweet side already.
– I added Thai fish sauce to taste, generally 2-4 tbsp for this size soup, to add additional umami.
When you put the pumpkin in the oven to soften it, what temperature should you set the oven to?
Hi there, quick question — I find that the maple syrup makes the soup a bit sweet for my taste but – too late – I added it and am ready to serve it to 15 people tomorrow! Any thoughts on how to cut the sweetness? Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Hi Kendra, I’d try adding extra salt (if it’s not too salty already) & pepper (a little at a time) to taste to help balance the sweet. If the soup thickens in the fridge overnight, stir in some water to think it a little and that’ll help dilute the flavors a bit. Also, be sure to taste again tomorrow – I find that flavors develop after the soup sits which may tame the sweetness. (And/or if it’s not too coconutty, you could stir in more coconut milk, if it’s not too spicy, you could stir in more curry). Hope this helps!
Wow. Thank you SO much for getting back to me so quickly with these excellent tips! The soup is so delicious already. I will taste it again tomorrow to see if I actually need to put the tips to use. By the way, your website is so beautiful — I visit it often. Thanks again!
Delicious! I made these adjustments:
-used cashew milk instead of coconut (it was on super sale at Grocery Outlet) and I used about TWICE as much as the recipe called for.
-used HALF the red curry paste, and it was plennnty spicy.
-used canned pumpkin puree; I used 3 cups of it (could have used more, especially since I added more milk), and put it into the mixture after about 15 minutes of simmering, then simmered for about 10 more minutes. Worked great.
Warms your whole body. Looking forward to freezing and having it for months to come! Thanks.
Thanks Jeanine for the recipe! I just tried it for lunch and the combination of pumpkin, coconut milk, and curry is just great! Can you give me a tip: My soup went slightly too spicy cause I added one dried little chili. I only know to add more milk or water, but I don’t want the soup to become more watery. Any idea/tip? Greetings, Charlotte
Hi Charlotte, vinegar counteracts spice (you have to add it little by little so your food doesn’t come out too vinegar-y)… here I might try a little splash of white wine or rice vinegar. (If it gets too tangy, add a little more sweetness to balance). Hope that helps! I have a way of often over-spicing my soups too 🙂
Thanks a lot!
Just made this soup and it tastes delicious but is way too hot for my liking! I could have done with half the amount of red curry paste at least. Any tips on how to cool it down lol
Just made this soup and it tastes delicious but is way too hot for my liking! I could have done with half the amount of red curry paste at least. Any tips on how to cool it down lol
I made this soup and is absolutely delicious. I cannot eat nothing too hot so I take the curry off and it taste fantastic. This soup its gonna be one of my favorites. Thanks for your healthy, simple and delicious recipes.
I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ve been making this recipe for about a year now and it’s our absolute favorite. When I failed to bookmark the recipe, I freaked (as did my husband) because I thought the recipe had been lost forever. Thank you, Love and Lemons!
ha, so glad it’s your favorite!!