Spiced pumpkin soup | pumpkin soup recipe

This pumpkin soup is simply warmth and coziness served in a bowl, flavored with delicate spices that perfectly complement the delicious sweetness of the pumpkin. It’s nothing like you have ever had before! Thick, creamy, quick, easy and a one-pot meal, this will become your go-to pumpkin soup.

Not a big fan of sweet vegetables, I experimented and added spices to make this soup more flavorsome. The flavor comes from five main spices- cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and onion seeds (known as kalonji). All of them have their own unique flavor, so do not skip any of the spices. They are readily available at most Indian grocery stores.

How to make pumpkin soup – Instructions with pictures and video

This soup is one of the easiest soups ever. To make this soup, I use a pressure cooker but it can be easily made in a pot or a slow cooker. 

1. Chop, chop

First, scrape out the seeds from the pumpkin and cut the pumpkin into slices. Next, peel and cut the pumpkin into medium-sized pieces. The best pumpkin to use for this soup is the kent pumpkin or butternut squash/pumpkin. 

Roughly chop the tomato.

2. Cook

On a medium burner, heat oil in a pressure cooker on a medium flame. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and finally onion seeds (kalonji). Add the spices in the order mentioned because the fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and onion seeds should not be cooked for long as they burn easily and turn bitter. Sizzle for 5 seconds, taking care not to burn the seeds. Reduce the flame to low if needed.

Add the chopped pumpkin and tomato along with salt, chilli powder and sugar. Mix. 

I am using very little chilli powder, just for color and a touch of heat. If preferred, you can use black pepper instead. The sugar helps in bringing out the flavor of the pumpkin, so do not skip it.

Finally add measured water (add hot water to speed up the cooking). 

Close the lid and cook on high flame till the first whistle (Some pressure cookers whistle while releasing steam. If you have one that doesn’t whistle, then cook as per the required settings). After the first whistle, immediately reduce the flame to low and switch off the gas after 5 minutes. Let the steam release on its own and then open the lid. The pumpkin should be completely cooked, soft and mushy when pressed.

Using a pot

On a medium burner, heat oil in a large pot on a medium flame. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and finally onion seeds (kalonji). Add the spices in the order mentioned because the fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and onion seeds should not be cooked for long as they burn easily and turn bitter. Sizzle for 5 seconds, taking care not to burn the seeds. Reduce the flame to low if needed.

Add the chopped pumpkin and tomato along with the salt, chilli powder and sugar. I am using very little chilli powder, just for color and a touch of heat. If preferred, you can use black pepper instead. The sugar helps in bringing out the flavor of the pumpkin, so do not skip it.

Finally add measured water (add hot water to speed up the cooking). Add more water during cooking if required.

Bring to a boil and then reduce the flame to low. Cover and simmer till the pumpkin is cooked, soft and mushy when pressed. Stir in between. Switch off the gas once done.

3. Blend

Blend till smooth using a stick blender. If using a countertop blender, let the soup cool down before blending it. Add hot water if needed to adjust the consistency. Taste and add seasoning if required. 

The seeds do not blend completely, so if preferred, strain the soup.

4. Garnish & serve

Garnish with freshly chopped herbs, cream or pumpkin seeds. Serve hot with your choice of bread.

If you tried this recipe, let me know by leaving a comment below and rating it. Please share the link on Facebook or Pinterest. For Instagram, mention @vegbyswati or tag #vegbyswati

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5 from 3 votes

Spiced pumpkin soup

This pumpkin soup is simply warmth and coziness served in a bowl, flavored with delicate spices that perfectly complement the delicious sweetness of the pumpkin. It’s nothing like you have ever had before! Thick, creamy, quick, easy and a one-pot meal, this will become your go-to pumpkin soup.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword dairy free, easy, gluten free, healthy, homemade, one-pot meal, quick, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 150kcal

Author Swati

Equipment

• Pressure cooker/pot
• Blender

Ingredients

• 1 kg Kent pumpkin or butternut squash/pumpkin refer to notes
• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ¾ tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• ¾ tsp onion seeds (kalonji)
• 1 big tomato (approx. 150 gms)
• 2 ¼ tsp salt or as per taste
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cups water

Instructions

• Scrape out the seeds from the pumpkin and cut the pumpkin into slices. Peel and then cut the pumpkin slices into medium-size pieces.
• Roughly chop the tomato.
• On a medium burner, heat oil in a pressure cooker on a medium flame (refer to notes for cooking in a pot).
• Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and finally onion seeds (kalonji). Add the spices in the order mentioned because the fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and onion seeds should not be cooked for long as they can burn easily and turn bitter. Sizzle for 5 seconds, taking care not to burn the seeds. Reduce the flame to low if needed.
• Add the chopped pumpkin, tomato, salt, chilli powder and sugar.
• Add the measured water.
• Close the lid and cook on high flame till the first whistle (Some pressure cookers whistle while releasing steam. If you have one that doesn’t whistle, then cook as per the required settings). After the first whistle, immediately reduce the flame to low and switch off the gas after 5 minutes. Let the steam release on its own and then open the lid.
• Blend till smooth using a stick blender. Add hot water if needed to adjust the consistency. Taste and add seasoning if required. The seeds do not blend completely, so if preferred, strain the soup.
• Garnish with freshly chopped herbs, cream or pumpkin seeds.
• Serve hot with your choice of bread.

Video

Notes

• Pumpkin – 1 kg pumpkin is with the peel and before removing the seeds. Weight can be approximate, adjust the water and seasoning accordingly.

• Using a pot

-On a medium burner, heat oil in a large pot on a medium flame. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and finally onion seeds (kalonji). Add the spices in the order mentioned because the fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and onion seeds should not be cooked for long as they burn easily and turn bitter. Sizzle for 5 seconds, taking care not to burn the seeds. Reduce the flame to low if needed.

-Add the chopped pumpkin and tomato along with the salt, chilli powder and sugar. 

-Finally add the measured water (add hot water to speed up the cooking). Add more water during cooking if required.

-Bring to a boil and then reduce the flame to low. Cover and simmer till the pumpkin is cooked, soft and mushy when pressed. Stir in between. Switch off the gas once done.

• I am using very little chilli powder, just for color and a touch of heat. If preferred, you can use black pepper instead. The sugar helps in bringing out the flavor of the pumpkin, so do not skip it.
• If using a countertop blender, let the soup cool down before blending it.
• Calories information is approximate, calculated using online Recipe Calorie & Nutrition Calculator.
• All the spices are easily available at Indian grocery shops.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Do share the link on Facebook or Pinterest. For Instagram, mention @vegbyswati or #vegbyswati

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcal