This is a classic, creamy dairy free pumpkin soup that is easy to make using fresh pumpkin and a handful of other simple ingredients. This is the perfect healthy comfort food for a weeknight lunch or dinner.
For more cosy pumpkin dinner ideas, make sure to try this pumpkin and chickpea curry or this creamy pumpkin pasta.
Featured Comment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent recipe – easy to make and delicious to eat – many thanks to your mum and yourself! – Margaret
This recipe is filled with nostalgia for me. It’s my mum’s recipe and was pretty much her signature dish when I was growing up. To this day each spoonful of this soup fills me with that warm connection with my childhood and family.
A quick disclaimer is that I have made a SLIGHT change to Mum’s original recipe, and that’s the swap of cream to coconut milk to make this a dairy free dinner. To be fair the original recipe was basically just a list of ingredients scribbled on a scrap piece of paper). What I haven’t changed is the generous amount of freshly grated nutmeg, the absolute key ingredient in this soup that takes it to the next level.
This is a simple recipe using just a few ingredients, however all play their role in making this classic recipe hero the flavour of the pumpkin. It’s rich and creamy and just has to be eaten with a piece of crusty bread for dunking and yes, wiping the bowl clean!
Key Ingredients
You don’t need anything fancy to make this dairy free pumpkin soup, just a few good quality simple ingredients. It is a fairly forgiving recipe so it’s a great one if you a beginner in the kitchen.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Pumpkin – See below for the best pumpkin to use for this soup. As for size, each pumpkin is different but I usually use about a quarter of a small Kent pumpkin but a better guide is to use roughly the same size piece as your two potatoes so you have an even amount.
- Potatoes – use two large potatoes or three smaller ones peeled and washed. It doesn’t really matter the variety.
- Dairy-free butter – to build the rich flavour Mum always used butter but you can also substitute with olive oil as well.
- Onion – the base of the soup flavour.
- Chicken stock – the traditional recipe always used chicken stock but vegetable stock or even water in a pinch works just fine.
- Bay leaves – one of the iconic flavours to this soup, you could leave it out but it won’t contain the full flavour profile if you do.
- Nutmeg – it absolutely has to be freshly grated. If I make you buy one special ingredient let it be this as it will transform your soup from plain and boring to incredible.
- Coconut milk – always use canned coconut milk. My favourite is the TCC brand as it’s super creamy and doesn’t have an overpowering flavour in the soup.
- Salt & pepper – seasoning is essential.
The Best Pumpkin for Pumpkin Soup
My preference is to use Kent pumpkin (sometimes called Jap pumpkin) for this recipe but any standard pumpkin variety such as Queensland Blue or Jarrahdale will work. You can also use Butternut pumpkin which is known as butternut squash in the US.
If you’re from the US and want to make this, I’d recommend using butternut squash for the best results as other pumpkin varieties such as those used to make Halloween carved pumpkins, while edible, are not going to taste that good.
I have never tried pumpkin puree in this recipe, and if you wanted to use that instead I’d recommend looking for a different recipe that calls for it specifically as this one is really for using fresh pumpkin.
Equipment and Tools
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- Stick blender – This has been such a fantastic investment to make blended soups so much easier and less messy.
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven – there are so many different brands (and colours!) of these types of pots but investing in one that matches your budget is going to be such as asset to your kitchen! I use mine at least once or twice a week.
Step-By-Step Instructions
The best thing about this recipe (other than it tasting so good) is that it really is super simple to make.
Start by prepping your veggies. Dice the onion and peel and slice the pumpkin and the potatoes. Why are we slicing the vegetables rather than chopping them into cubes? Well, because that’s how Mum always did it. Also it helps the vegetables cook quickly and evenly so that it’s much easier to blend at the end.
Start cooking your onion by heating the dairy free butter in the pot. Sauté the onion until it’s soft and translucent.
Add in the potatoes and pumpkin and mix around until coated in the onion and butter. Add the chicken stock until all of the vegetables are submerged. You may need a little extra water or stock to top it up depending on how big your vegetables are.
Add the bay leaf and nutmeg and bring to a boil before turning down and letting simmer for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are super soft and tender.
Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf and you’re ready to blend. You can use the stick blender straight into the pot to carefully puree the soup until it’s super thick and creamy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, then you can use a regular one, but first allow the soup to cool slightly before blending in batches as needed.
Put the pot of blended soup back onto a low heat and add the coconut milk to the soup and mix through. Season with salt and pepper and of course, extra freshly grated nutmeg.
Serve with fresh or toasted crusty bread (essential!).
Storing and freezing
I love pumpkin soup for meal prep or making ahead of time because it reheats perfectly. It’s one of those meals that doesn’t change its flavour whether it’s freshly made or reheated.
To reheat, do so on the stove slowly or in the microwave covered, mixing well as you heat as soup has a tendency to explode and bubble out when being reheated.
If the soup is too thick, you can also just thin it out with a splash of water.
Your soup will last in the fridge for around 4 days otherwise you can freeze it.
To freeze, I like to do this in individual portions for up to three months. To reheat, follow the above instructions.
Recipe FAQs
Mum usually used chicken stock in this recipe so that is how it’s written. However to make it suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets simply use a vegan chicken-style stock or vegetable stock instead!
Yes, you can just omit the coconut milk or swap it for unsweetened oat milk or almond milk. The soup will be a little thinner but it will still be delicious.
Yes this pumpkin soup is gluten free however make sure to double check your stock as some store-bought chicken or vegetable stocks may contain gluten as a thickener or flavouring, so always check the ingredients or choose a stock that’s clearly labelled gluten free.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More dairy free soup recipes:
Easy Vegan Tomato Soup
Golden Turmeric Sweet Potato Soup
Dairy Free Baked Potato Soup
Dairy Free Potato and Leek Soup
Dairy Free Pumpkin Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 600 grams pumpkin approx. ¼ of a whole pumpkin
- 2 large potatoes
- 2-3 tablespoons dairy free butter
- 1 brown onion finely diced
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg to taste
- ½ cup coconut milk
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Peel and chop the pumpkin and potatoes into small, even pieces. Set aside.
- Heat a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the dairy free butter. Once melted, add the diced onion and cook for 2–3 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the chopped pumpkin and potatoes to the pot and stir to coat in the onion and butter mixture. Pour in the stock, ensuring the vegetables are just covered. Add the bay leaves and a pinch of grated nutmeg.
- Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft and beginning to break down.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool slightly for 10–15 minutes. Remove bay leaves, then blend the soup until smooth and creamy using an immersion blender or by transferring to a blender in batches.
- Return the blended soup to the pot. Stir through the coconut milk and season with additional nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Heat gently until warmed through, then serve hot with a slice of crusty toasted bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This recipe was originally published in May 2019, updated in August 2022, and again in 2025 to include new photos and more helpful content. The recipe remains the same!
Margaret says
Excellent recipe – easy to make and delicious to eat – many thanks to your mum and yourself!
Sally says
Happy to hear you loved it!
Jess says
Nice recipe!
I love Pumpkin soup will definitely give this one a go.
Another one I am loving is this Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
Jess
Sally says
Thanks Jess, I hope you enjoy it!
Sylvie says
There is something sooo comforting about a nice big bowl of warm pumpkin soup! Your looks so creamy and delicious… plus it is dairy-free!? Double win!!
Sally says
So true Sylvie!
Adrianne says
What a great looking soup Sally! I love that it is your mum’s recipe less the cream. The photos make it look super tasty and I bet it tastes delicious.
Sally says
Thanks so much Adrianne 🙂
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says
Delicious bowl of comfort food, and a very special post. Thank you for sharing, and for your beautiful words!
Sally says
Thank you 🙂