If fall soup season is your favorite time of year in the kitchen, Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup and Wild Rice Mushroom Soup are two more worth adding to your rotation.
There’s something about a bowl of Pumpkin Soup With Canned Pumpkin on a cool fall evening — the deep orange color, the steam rising off the top, the warm smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and rosemary filling the kitchen while the pot simmers. The texture is smooth and rich, thanks to the heavy cream and the nut or seed butter that rounds out the pumpkin and spices in a way you might not expect the first time you make it.
The nut or seed butter is the ingredient that makes this soup stand apart from other canned pumpkin recipes. SunButter keeps it nut-free, peanut butter adds a toasty depth, and almond butter keeps things mild — all three work, and the recipe lets you mix and match. Stir any of them into the pot alongside the pumpkin puree, broth, cream, and spice mix, and you get a soup with real body and layered flavor that tastes like considerably more effort than it actually takes.
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💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- One pot, minimal cleanup. Everything goes into a single large pot — simmer, blend right in the pot with an immersion blender, then simmer again. That’s the whole process.
- The nut butter is the move. A scoop of SunButter, peanut butter, or almond butter rounds out the pumpkin and adds body and depth you won’t get from other add-ins.
- Serves eight. This is the soup for dinner parties, meal prep sessions, or a full week of weekday lunches.
- Easy to adapt for different diets. Use vegetable broth and swap the cream for canned coconut milk to make it dairy-free and vegan-friendly.
- Garnishes finish the bowl. Pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of nut butter, cinnamon, and cracked black pepper turn each bowl into something worth slowing down for.
➡️ Ingredients
⏲ How to make this recipe
This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Simmer: Simmer the ingredients on the stovetop in a large pot.
- Blend: Using an immersion blender, pulse the soup until all of the ingredients are well-combined. (Alternatively, transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, blend, and then pour back into the pot.)
- Simmer Again: Cover the pot with a lid and simmer again.
- Serve: Serve in bowls and top with desired garnishes.
👉 Easy ingredient swaps
- Canned pumpkin puree: Fresh pumpkin puree works with a few extra prep steps, but pumpkin pie filling is not a substitute — it is pre-seasoned and sweetened, which will throw off the flavor balance of the whole soup.
- Heavy whipping cream: Swap in full-fat canned coconut milk at a 1:1 ratio to make the soup dairy-free. When combined with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, this swap also makes the recipe fully vegan.
- SunButter / nut butter: Any nut or seed butter works here — SunButter for a nut-free version, peanut butter for toasty depth, almond butter for a milder flavor. Dairy butter is not a substitute; it will noticeably change both the texture and the flavor of the finished soup.
- Golden monk fruit sweetener: Brown sugar is a direct 1:1 swap.
- Chicken broth: Vegetable broth keeps the soup vegetarian and vegan (when paired with the coconut milk swap). Either works — chicken broth adds more savory depth, vegetable broth keeps the base lighter.
✨ Variations
- Stir in cubed butternut squash before the first simmer for added body and natural sweetness — give it extra time to soften before blending.
- Add a pinch of ground cayenne pepper if you want some sharpness cutting through the sweetness of the pumpkin.
- Stir in maple syrup for more sweetness — start with a measured amount and adjust from there.
- Garnish each bowl with pumpkin pie spice for an extra layer of deep spice on top.
- Top with crispy crumbled bacon for added protein and a contrasting crunch.
- Finish each bowl with shredded Parmesan cheese — the salty, nutty note works surprisingly well against the pumpkin.
〰️ How to serve
- Serve alongside Buttery Whole Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Butternut Squash with Cauliflower and Bacon to round out a fall dinner.
- Pair with bread for dunking — a crusty loaf, homemade naan, or skillet cornbread all work well.
- Serve as a starter alongside a main of roasted chicken or another protein for a complete fall spread.
- Pack leftover soup for lunch — it keeps well in the fridge and reheats easily on the stovetop or in the microwave.
💬 FAQs
Can I make this without an immersion blender?
Yes. After the first 10-minute simmer, carefully transfer the soup to a standard blender or food processor, blend until smooth, then pour it back into the pot for the 20-minute simmer. Work in batches as needed — hot liquid needs room to move and should not overfill the jar.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Transfer cooled soup to an airtight container and refrigerate. Eat within 3 days. To reheat, warm it on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, or microwave in a bowl for 60–90 seconds depending on your microwave’s wattage.
Can I freeze this pumpkin soup?
Yes, this soup freezes well. Let it cool completely, transfer it to an airtight freezer container, and freeze for up to 6 months. To thaw, run hot water around the outside of the container to loosen the frozen block, then add it directly to a pot and heat on the stovetop until warmed through.
Can I use dairy butter instead of nut or seed butter?
It may work in a pinch, but dairy butter will noticeably affect both the flavor and the consistency. The recipe is built around nut or seed butter — SunButter, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter — which add body and a roasted depth that dairy butter won’t replicate. Stick with a nut or seed butter for the result the recipe is designed to produce.
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Pumpkin Soup With Canned Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 15-ounce cans canned pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup SunButter, peanut butter, and/or almond butter
- ½ teaspoon maple extract
- 2 teaspoons golden monk fruit sweetener or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
Optional Garnishes (Not Included In Nutrition Info):
- Pumpkin seeds
- Drizzle of SunButter, peanut butter, and/or almond butter
- Cinnamon
- Black pepper
Instructions
- To a large pot over medium heat, add all ingredients except the optional garnishes and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Using an immersion blender in your pot, pulse until all ingredients are blended and well-combined. (Alternatively, transfer the mixture to a blender, blend, and then pour back into the pot.)
- Cover pot with lid and simmer soup again over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with desired garnishes.
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