Easy Vegan Pumpkin Soup (Without Coconut Milk)

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Keywords: ​Easy Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Soup without Coconut Milk, Canned Pumpkin

My Pumpkin Soup Recipe Notes
I had an abundance of canned pumpkin hanging out in my cupboards which inspired this soup. I can't think of a more appropriate soup to make in the fall or winter months, when pumpkin spice everything is showing up everywhere you look. I have an affinity for soup making, a passion even. This recipe is easy, and INCREDIBLY delicious.

My Pumpkin Soup is:

• creamy (read below for the secret ingredient!)
• healthy
• flavourful
• spiced with fresh ginger, cinnamon, coriander & cumin
• sweetened with maple syrup
• Gluten Free
• Dairy Free

The creamy factor comes from pumpkin seed butter!!! I feel sort of proud this idea came to me haha. I saw the pumpkin seed butter in the organic section at the grocery store knowing I was making this soup then I quickly connected the dots. I add peanut butter to my African Peanut Stew so I figured this would be perfect. It is! I also add fresh ginger, and as mentioned above.... cinnamon, coriander, cumin & maple to flavour the soup. I think you could add curry powder or whatever spices you prefer really. I'm happy with how mine turned out, though. 

Serve this soup with crusty multigrain bread, or if you want a treat, some buttery biscuits. 
I find the soup rich in the best way. Smaller portions might be nice as a starter or if you want it as the main meal, round it out with your favourite salad. 

For garnish, toasted pumpkin seeds. I don't want anything else. I tired a sprinkle of parsley, and it just detracted from the awesomeness of the soup. It needs nothing else. Toast some pumpkin seeds, chop them up, c'est tout. (Okay occasionally I add a drizzle of lemon oil that someone gifted me)  

My Tips For Pumpkin Soup Success. 

1. Make this pumpkin soup a day ahead. It needs time for the flavours to meld. Same day soup is never as good!
2. You don't want it to be too thick. So often people serve their soups so thick it is more like a vegetable puree, not a soup. Add water as needed. It doesn't want to be watery thin, it will still be a thick and creamy soup, but just saying, I am super picky about the final consistency. (of course, to each their own​)  If you add too much water, no problem, you just gently simmer it until it reduces again. 
3. The day after you make it, reheat the entire soup. You'll probably add a splash of water as it thickens in the fridge. 
   
4. Give it a taste for balance.​ I ended up adding another squeeze of lemon (the right amount of acid is so important; it will cut the richness and act like salt to enhance flavour). I added in a tiny bit more ginger and another pinch of coriander (adds brightness). I find this type of tweaking quite necessary most of the time in soup making. Even if you don't do it, it will still be delicious, but this is my approach. 
   
5. Use a homemade veg stock. I just fill a stock pot with scraps of veg that I save in my freezer. I add water to cover the scraps, and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. Then strain and reserve liquid. I don't use a recipe because this is a zero-waste method using up things that typically end up in the bin. To my freezer bag I add scraps of onion (the peel and all), celery, garlic, carrot, mushroom, parsley, thyme, & tomato. 

Can I freeze this Pumpkin Soup?

YES! This pumpkin soup freezes beautifully. For reheating, I just thaw it either in the fridge overnight, or for awhile on the counter. I often plop a container of frozen soup into my pot with a few splashes of extra water. The trick is to keep the heat low and to thaw the soup slowly as it heats up again. Give it a stir here and there. Adjust your consistency with some water as needed. 

Where do I find Pumpkin Seed Butter?
I buy mine at the local grocery store. In the organic section with other nut and seed butters. Alternatively you could find it online, on amazon. OR I haven't done this at home yet, but you could undoubtedly make your own the same way one makes peanut butter, tahini etc. Toast pumpkin seeds (green ones, not the white ones still with shell on!), and blitz them in a food processor until they turn into butter. (This can take awhile, when I make cashew butter it's at least 10 minutes of blending until it breaks down enough to become butter) The brand I use it pictured below.