A few weeks ago I had the best pumpkin curry soup from the Whole Foods soup bar. The moment I tasted this soup I knew I wanted to make it myself so I snapped a pic of the ingredients list. Thank you Whole Foods for posting this! After a few rounds of testing a I came super close to the original recipe but with my own twist.
This is not a spicy soup in terms of heat. The flavor is curry forward but not overpowering. You can also taste a lot of pumpkin and sweet potato and the slightest sweetness from the apple. It’s rich and creamy from the coconut milk, and overall very flavorful and savory. This soup is perfect as an appetizer at a dinner party or paired with a hearty salad for a full meal. Best of all, the preparation couldn’t be simpler.
Saute carrot, onion + celery in oil for 3-5 min
Add curry, sweet potato + apple saute 5 min
Pour in broth bring to boil simmer 15 min
Puree
Serving suggestions
You may or may or may not want to serve it with croutons. I included the instructions in the post because I love the crunchy textural difference they add. I also find the pomegranate seeds are key since they add another crunchy-sweet element that offsets the curry spice. Lastly, you can serve it with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream to add a bit of tang and brightness. All these suggestion are totally optional but I find they really elevate the soup.
For the croutons use any crusty bread you like. In these photos I used Italian batard but it would be great with ciabatta or baguette too. I typically dice the bread into 1/2 inch pieces and toss them with oil in a non-stick skillet. Then I saute them with a pinch of salt until all the pieces are evenly browned. You can also toss the bread in oil and salt and bake at 400 for about 5-7 minutes.
Essential tools
An immersion blender like the kitchen aid one I have makes this recipe super easy. If you don’t have one you can use a regular blender but I like not having to transfer hot ingredients back and forth. An immersion blender is a tool you’ll use time and time again for dressings, sauces and pureed soups so it’s a great investment.
My husband got me this Misen non-stick skillet for Christmas and I absolutely love it. It’s free of all the potentially harmful materials that most non-stick pans use and it works amazingly. Bread is an ingredient that will stick to a stainless pan real easily so I highly recommend using non-stick for this.
And of course you’ll need a large dutch oven or stock pot for sauteing and simmering the soup.
You my still be able to find pumpkins in your supermarket. I’ve seen them around. If you want to use fresh pumpkin I would use a small sugar pumpkin, also known as pie or sweet pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half, drizzle both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then roast at 350 for about 45 min or until fork tender. Once it’s cooled you can remove the seeds and scrape out the flesh and add it to the soup from there. It will seem thick at first but will puree nicely once you use the immersion blender. I chose to use canned pumpkin puree because it’s so much less labor intensive. The organic purees are generally free of preservatives and added salt, but check your labels to be sure.
I hope you find this soup as simple and delicious as I do!
Carrie Beyer
Vegan Pumpkin Curry Soup
5 from 2 votes
This savory Vegan Pumpkin Curry Soup is naturally dairy, sugar and gluten free. Made with pumpkin, sweet potato, apples, vegetable stock and coconut milk.
1baguette, ciabatta or Italian batard loaf for about 1/4 cup croutons per person
4ozcreme fraiche, sour cream or goat cheeseabout 1 tbsp per person
Equipment
Immersion Blender
Dutch Oven
Non-Stick Skillet
Method
Heat olive or coconut oil over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or stock pot.
Lower heat to medium-low and add diced carrot, celery and onion. Saute until softened but not browned, about 3-5 minutes
Add sweet potato, apples, salt, pepper, curry powder and a splash more oil. Cook for another 3-5 min.
Sprinkle in tapioca starch or cornstarch and stir to combine. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Lower heat to low and simmer until all the veggies are fork tender, about 15 min.
Pour in coconut milk and pumpkin puree and blend with immersion blender until smooth.
Serve with pomegranate seeds, croutons and creme fraiche/sour cream or goat cheese if desired.
For Croutons
Cube bread into rough 1/2 inch pieces. Heat olive or coconut oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet. Add bread and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring often until all the pieces are evenly browned and crunchy. Alternately, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cubed bread pieces with olive or melted coconut oil and a few pinches of salt and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake about 10 min. Check the croutons often to ensure they don't burn. Toss them once halfway through to ensure even browning. Croutons can be made while soup is simmering for highest efficiency.
Notes
Calorie count includes all 3 toppings. Calculated with pomegranate seeds, croutons and sour cream.ย
I tried this recipe whilst on a very restrictive elimination diet and was THRILLED to finally find one that was healthy AND absolutely delicious! I am a terrible cook and this one was so easy and impressive! I even made it for other people (foodies!)! 5/5 Would eat for days!
Hi Mo! Thanks for your comment and interest in the recipe ๐ While I have not made it in an instant pot myself (sounds like a great idea) I think you should have success if you start by use the sautee function for the carrot, onion and celery (in oil), then add all the ingredients except the coconut milk and the corn/tapioca starch. Set the cooker to high pressure for 10 minutes and let the steam release naturally. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as directed by pureeing and adding coconut milk. Also add corn/tapioca starch if you think it needs to thicken up. If you do try this I’d love to know how it turns out!
This looks bomb!!!
Thank you Caroline!
I tried this recipe whilst on a very restrictive elimination diet and was THRILLED to finally find one that was healthy AND absolutely delicious! I am a terrible cook and this one was so easy and impressive! I even made it for other people (foodies!)! 5/5 Would eat for days!
Thanks Sara, I’m super happy to hear this recipe worked so well and was a hit!! Music to my ears ๐
Does anyone know how to convert this to an instant pot recipe? I loved the Whole Foods version and canโt wait to try this. Sounds delicious!
Hi Mo! Thanks for your comment and interest in the recipe ๐ While I have not made it in an instant pot myself (sounds like a great idea) I think you should have success if you start by use the sautee function for the carrot, onion and celery (in oil), then add all the ingredients except the coconut milk and the corn/tapioca starch. Set the cooker to high pressure for 10 minutes and let the steam release naturally. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as directed by pureeing and adding coconut milk. Also add corn/tapioca starch if you think it needs to thicken up. If you do try this I’d love to know how it turns out!