Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup
A one-pot coconut curry pumpkin soup made with canned pumpkin puree, so there is no roasting or peeling. Full-fat coconut milk, curry powder, and garam masala simmer together, then blend into a smooth, creamy bowl in about 30 minutes. Vegan as written.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 310kcal
Equipment
- 1 small pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1¾ cup pumpkin puree one 15 oz can
- 2 cups full-fat coconut milk one can
- 2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream optional
- 1 cup vegetable broth more as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice about half a lime
- toasted pumpkin seeds or garnish
Instructions
- Sauté the onion and garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more, until you can smell it.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion , 4 cloves garlic
- Bloom the spices. Add the curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne straight into the oil. Stir constantly for about 30 seconds. They'll darken slightly and the smell shifts from dusty to fragrant. Don't walk away, since dry spices in hot oil go from fragrant to burnt fast.2 teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
- Add the pumpkin. Stir in the pumpkin puree and cook 2 minutes, scraping the bottom so nothing catches. It will look thick and paste-like, almost too dry. That's what you want.1¾ cup pumpkin puree
- Add the liquids and simmer. Pour in the coconut milk and 1 cup of broth. Stir until smooth, bring to a gentle simmer, then cook 10 minutes on low so the raw edge comes off the spices.2 cups full-fat coconut milk, 1 cup vegetable broth
- Blend until smooth. Use an immersion blender right in the pot. If you're using a countertop blender, work in batches and leave the lid vent open so steam can escape.
- Season and finish. Add the salt, then the lime juice, and taste. Thin with more broth a splash at a time if it's thicker than you want. Stir in the heavy cream now if you're using it. Serve hot.2 tablespoon heavy cream, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lime juice, toasted pumpkin seeds or garnish
Notes
- Bloom the spices in the oil, not at the end. Curry powder and garam masala stirred into liquid stay dusty and flat. Thirty seconds in hot fat is what makes this taste like more than pumpkin and coconut.
- Use canned full-fat coconut milk. The carton kind is mostly water and the soup comes out thin. Light coconut milk works if you want it lighter, and drops a serving from about 310 calories to roughly 190.
- Check the label says pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced and will throw the whole pot off.
- Start with 1 cup of broth and add from there. Pumpkin puree density varies by brand. Easier to thin than to thicken.
- Salt after blending. Pumpkin absorbs more than you expect and everything tastes different once it's smooth.
- Don't skip the lime. Coconut milk and pumpkin are both rich and slightly sweet. The acid at the end is what keeps a whole bowl from feeling heavy.
- Blend longer than feels necessary. Ten seconds gets you close, thirty gets you silky. Pumpkin has enough fiber that a quick blend leaves a grain you'll notice.
- Vegan as written when you use vegetable broth and skip the optional heavy cream.
- Storage: up to 4 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer. Better on day two once the spices settle.
- Reheat slowly over low heat. Coconut milk separates if you rush it, especially after freezing. A few seconds with an immersion blender pulls it back together.
Nutrition
Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 18g
