Creamy pumpkin soup without cream, ready in 40 minutes
A thick, silky pumpkin soup that swaps cream for a single potato: few ingredients, one pan and toasted seeds on top for crunch.
Are you after a pumpkin soup that is genuinely creamy — the kind that sits on the spoon instead of sliding straight off it like thin broth? Then this is the version to make, with seven ingredients, one pan and no cream at all.
All the body comes from a single potato. Its starch, released as it cooks and then blended through the squash, binds the liquid and gives you the velvety texture people usually chase with cream or soft cheese. The result is lighter and, more to the point, it leaves the sweet flavour of the squash in the foreground instead of burying it.
There are at least three good reasons to make it this way: it costs very little, it is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, and it freezes in single portions so there is something ready on the evenings you cannot face cooking.
The detail that makes the difference is the stock. Add just enough to cover the vegetables, never more — it is far easier to loosen a soup that is too thick than to rescue one that is too thin. And when you blend, give it a full two minutes, moving the blender up and down: it is time, not power, that removes every last trace of grain.
The toasted pumpkin seeds on top are not just decoration. They bring the crunch that a soup, soft by nature, would otherwise be missing.
Ready? Let’s get started on this creamy pumpkin soup.
Base preparations used
Steps
- Cut the squash into 3 cm chunks and the potato into pieces of the same size: equal pieces cook in the same time, and that is what keeps the blended soup free of lumps.
- Slice the onion thinly and soften it in a saucepan with two tablespoons of the oil and a pinch of salt over low heat for 6-7 minutes, until translucent but not coloured.
- Add the squash, the potato and the rosemary sprig, turn the heat up and let everything take on flavour for 3 minutes, stirring, so the vegetables dry out and concentrate before the stock goes in.
- Pour in the hot stock until it just covers the vegetables, no more: the amount of liquid decides how thick the soup will be, and you can always add more later.
- Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the squash crushes against a fork with no resistance.
- Remove the rosemary sprig and blend with a stick blender for a full two minutes, moving it up and down: it is the long blending time, not the power, that makes the soup truly silky.
- Season with salt and pepper, then check the consistency: if it is too stiff, loosen it with a ladle of hot stock; if it is too thin, leave it uncovered over the heat for another 3-4 minutes.
- Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking often, until they start to puff and smell nutty.
- Serve the soup hot in bowls with the toasted seeds, a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil and a grinding of pepper.
Helpful tips
Kabocha and red kuri hold the least water and have the sweetest, fullest flavour: with a more watery squash, cut the stock back to 550-600 ml or the soup will stay thin.
The potato is the trick that replaces cream: its starch binds the soup and gives it body without covering the taste of the squash and without adding any dairy.
It keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container and freezes beautifully in single portions: thaw in the fridge and reheat gently, stirring.
For a richer version, grate a little fresh ginger in with the onion, or serve with toasted bread croutons if you do not need the recipe to stay gluten-free.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 185 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 16.0 g
- Sugars
- 6.8 g
- Protein
- 3.9 g
- Fat
- 9.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.5 g
- Fiber
- 3.5 g
- Sodium
- 450 mg
You might also like
Related recipes
Selected based on the same practical features as this recipe.
Pan-fried potato and beef patties, crisp outside and soft inside
Patties made with mashed boiled potatoes and ground meat, pecorino, Parmesan, garlic and parsley, coated in breadcrumbs and pan-fried flattened in a drizzle of olive oil.
Super soft olive oil bread rolls, just like the bakery
Soft Italian olive oil rolls made with just six ingredients and a double rise: a thin golden crust, a white cottony crumb and no butter, milk or eggs at all.
Baked aubergine rounds with cherry tomatoes, served cold
Aubergine rounds baked until meltingly soft, then cooled and topped with finely chopped cherry tomatoes, olive oil and basil. A very simple summer cold dish.