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VEGAN PUMPKIN SOUP

Vegan Pumpkin Soup is a fall lover’s delight! Made with minimal ingredients, creamy without the cream, this healthy vegan soup is easy to make using one pot and ready in 30 minutes!

top down view of a serving bowl full of healthy and hearty vegan pumpkin soup with red lentils.

Tis’ the season for all things pumpkin and this creamy pumpkin soup is perfect for a fantastic healthy fall meal!

What’s so great about this flavorful soup?

  • It’s easy to make using minimal ingredients that are easy to find.
  • It includes a dose of red lentils for bulk and added protein.
  • It’s easily customizable to fit just about any diet type.
  • It can be served as an everyday meal, but is sophisticated enough for holiday entertaining!

So without further ado, let’s make something wonderful!

top down view of ingredients needed to make vegan pumpkin soup with red lentils.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This easy vegan soup requires just a few simple ingredients including:

  • Pumpkin. Use a medium sized baking pumpkin. The hardest part of making this soup is prepping the pumpkin. But you’ll see it’s so very worth it in the end!
  • Aromatics: Onion and garlic will add a wonderful layer of flavor to this simple soup.
  • Red Lentils. Red lentils are fantastic in pureed soups, adding heartiness and nutrition. They cook fast, blend well, and you’ll never notice them since they blend right in and take on the flavor of the soup. Red lentils can be found at most grocery stores. Feel free to omit them as noted in the recipe (and below). Do not substitute.
  • Spices. Use fresh or dried thyme.
  • Herbs. Fresh parsley adds a nice fresh herbaceousness, pop of color and is just always a nice addition to most soups!
  • Liquids. I used a combo of water and vegetable broth concentrate. I love using this Better Than Bouillon (affiliate link) for my soups. I only use 1 teaspoon at most for the amount of liquids called for in this recipe and it’s delicious. One jar goes a long way!

side by side photos showing the process of making vegan pumpkin soup recipe on the stovetop in a dutch oven.

How To Cut & Peel A Pumpkin For Soup

Cutting and peeling the roundish pumpkin is the hardest part, but it’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it!

  • Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise by inserting the tip of the knife into the center of the pumpkin and push the heel of the handle to slide the blade into the pumpkin, it will naturally start to split. The toughest part is the stem.
  • Cut the halved pumpkin slices in half, quartering the pumpkin.
  • Using a sharp edged spoon or tablespoon, remove all the seeds and as much of the stringiness as you can.
  • Cut into 2 inch strips. You should get about 12 – 16 strips.
  • Lay the strips on their side and cut down along the side of the pumpkin to remove the hard skin, may take 7 – 8 downward slices to remove it all.
  • Cut into 3/4 – 1 inch cubes.

Roast The Pumpkin Seeds!

Save those seeds and roast them up for a crunchy topping. They’re super easy to make and great for snacking! Here’s my tutorial on How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds.

How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Soup

  • Saute: In a large 5 or 6 qt. dutch oven or pot, saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, stir and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
  • Add remaining ingredients: Add the pumpkin, red lentils and liquids, bring to a boil, cover, to low and simmer at a gentle boil for 20 minutes. Soup is ready when pumpkin is fork tender and lentils are soft. Let soup cool a few minutes.
  • Puree: Using an immersion blender (affiliate link) or blender, puree the pumpkin soup to desired consistency. Feel free to leave it a little chunky! Stir in the fresh parsley or use it as a garnish when serving.

top down view of pureed vegan pumpkin soup in a white pot.

How To Store Leftovers

  • Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
  • Freezer: Pumpkin soup freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months! To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2 inch head space for expansion. Let thaw before reheating. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags.
  • Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop or the microwave. It makes a great meal prep for the week with homemade No Knead Bread or Vegan Naan Bread on the side for soaking up the juices.

Serving Suggestions

Here are a few ideas to make your soup into a completely satisfying meal:

top down view of healthy vegan pumpkin soup in a pot scooped into a ladle.

Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions

  • Grain-Free: Omit the lentils and reduce the liquids to 4 cups to make this recipe grain-free, adding more liquids as needed.
  • Gluten Free: This soup is already gluten free!
  • Low-Fat: There is an option to top with pepitas, I’ve included them in the topping you see here. They add texture, but if you’re going for low-fat, omit them. Or omit the oil, and add a few seeds.
  • Oil-Free: When sauteing the onions and garlic, be sure to use water or vegetable broth instead of oil to make this recipe oil-free. The broth will yield the most flavor, but water is great too and what I usually use.

More Easy Soup Recipes

side angle view of a serving bowl full of healthy and hearty vegan pumpkin soup with red lentils.

If you try this creamy pumpkin soup recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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VEGAN PUMPKIN SOUP

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

Vegan pumpkin soup recipe with minimal ingredients is easy to make using one pot and ready in 30 minutes! This healthy soup features red lentils and is creamy without the cream!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4 - 6 1x
  • Category: Entree, Soup
  • Method: Stovetop, Simmer
  • Cuisine: Vegan, American

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water/broth for water saute
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 – 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
  • generous pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 4 – 5 lb. baking pumpkin, skin peeled, seeds removed and cubed
  • 1 cup dried red lentils
  • 6 cups broth or water (or combo)
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley, to garnish
  • pepitas, to garnish

Instructions

Saute: In a large dutch oven or pot, heat oil/water over medium heat, add onion and garlic, saute for 5 minutes. Add the thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, stir and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.

Add remaining ingredients: Add the pumpkin, red lentils and liquids, bring to a boil, cover, to low and simmer at a gentle boil for 20 minutes. Soup is ready when pumpkin is fork tender and lentils are soft.

Puree: Remove soup from heat, let cool a few minutes. Using an immersion blender (or stand blender), puree the soup to desired consistency. Feel free to leave it a little chunky! Stir in the fresh parsley or use it as a garnish when serving.

Serve: Spoon into serving bowls and top pumpkin seeds, red pepper flakes, pepper and more fresh parsley.

Enjoy your soup with a chunk of homemade Artisan Bread or Vegan Naan Bread for soaking up the juices. For gluten free, try this easy Socca flatbread made with chickpea flour.

Serves 4 – 6

Store: Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator, in a covered container, for 5 – 6 days. To store longer, freeze portions in freezer safe containers or baggies for up to 2 – 3 months. Let thaw before heating.

Reheat: Warm the soup on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through or warm in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stopping to stir each time.

Notes

If you don’t have lentils or want to keep this grain-free, omit the lentils and use 4 cups of water, instead of 6 cups. I don’t recommend using any other type of lentil with this recipe.

When making soups I use this Better Than Bouillon to season my water instead of using vegetable broth. I use 1 teaspoon for every 4 – 6 cups of water with great results and less sodium. Plus, my jar goes a long way!

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I love my immersion blender for pureeing soups. It’s easy to clean, small and fits well in a utensil drawer.

Nutritional information is calculated using 3 cups vegetable broth.

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8 Comments

  1. Do you know about how many cups of cubed pumpkin would this be? My store sometimes has pre-cut gourds and tubers, so I was going to go the easy route and use those if I do make this. Thanks.

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Great question, Jennifer! I suggest using 3 – 4 lbs. of cubed packaged pumpkin. Enjoy!

  2. Joan Forrest says:

    Can this soup be made in slow cooker?

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Yes, you can make this pumpkin soup in a slow cooker. Simply add the ingredients to the bowl, mix, and cook on HIGH for 4 – 5 hours or LOW for 8 – 10. Enjoy!

  3. Joy Lynskey says:

    I’m OBSESSED with this soup! I was a little heavy-handed with the red pepper flakes so it ended up pretty feisty, but so delicious!






  4. Sabrina Baudes says:

    Ridiculously tasty!






  5. do you know if you can use canned organic pumpkin puree?

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Hi Bethany, that’s a great question! I would say yes, you can use canned pumpkin puree. I’ve not tried it myself, but I’m sure it would be great. I would suggest using 2 cans, start with one and add the other if needed (this is what I would do). Please let us know how it goes, it’s super helpful to others and us!

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