Classic Pumpkin Soup

5 from 1 vote

Every ingredient in this classic pumpkin soup recipe has earned its place. The result? A dish that converted this former pumpkin soup skeptic!

Prep Time30

Cook Time50

Total Time1 20

Course: Soups and Stocks

Cuisine: American, French

Servings:

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Sarah

Ingredients

3- pound pumpkin (kabocha squash or butternut squash; around 2 pounds/900g peeled)
2 tablespoons butter
1 leek (white part only; or medium yellow onion)
1 sprig thyme
1 quart vegetable or chicken broth/stock
1 bay leaf
2/3 cup grated gruyere cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream (or half and half, optional)
2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional, to serve)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cut the pumpkin in half carefully using a knife or heavy cleaver. Hollow out the seeds and stringy bits with a spoon. Slice off the rind, and cut into chunks.
To a large dutch oven over medium heat, add the butter, leeks (or onion), and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.
Add the pumpkin chunks, stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover the pot, and cook for 35 minutes, or until the pumpkin is very tender. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Off the heat, use an immersion blender to get the soup to a smooth, creamy texture (or pour into a blender or food processor in batches.) Stir in the cheese. Once melted, blend (or whisk) once again so the cheese is totally emulsified into the soup.
Stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cream (if using). At this point you can keep the soup warm over low heat, but don’t let it come back up to a boil, or the cream will split (which will make the soup grainy).
Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with chopped chives or whatever garnishes you like (crumbled bacon, homemade croutons, fried sage, toasted nuts or pumpkin seeds are all great options).

Video

Notes

Nutrition information includes optional heavy cream and chives.

Nutrition

Classic Pumpkin Soup by The Woks of Life. Recipe URL: https://body-goals.fit/pumpkin-soup-recipe/%3C/em%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-93522":{"type":"food","name":"Classic Pumpkin Soup","slug":"wprm-classic-pumpkin-soup","image_url":"https:\/\/thewoksoflife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/pumpkin-soup-recipe-20.jpg","rating":{"count":1,"total":5,"average":5,"type":{"comment":1,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":1,"amount":"3-","unit":"pound","name":"pumpkin","notes":"(kabocha squash or butternut squash; around 2 pounds\/900g peeled)","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"converted":{"2":{"amount":"1.33","unit":"KG","unit_id":5286}},"unit_id":5275,"id":6169,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"3-","unit":"pound","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3-","unit":"pound","unitParsed":"pound"},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"1.33","unit":"KG","unitParsed":"KG"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","name":"butter","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"converted":{"2":{"amount":"30","unit":"g","unit_id":5264}},"unit_id":5259,"id":386,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"30","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"1","unit":"","name":"leek","notes":"(white part only; or medium yellow onion)","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"id":1878,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"1","unit":"","name":"sprig thyme","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"converted":{"2":{"amount":"","unit":""}},"id":6170,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"1","unit":"quart","name":"vegetable or chicken broth\/stock","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"converted":{"2":{"amount":"900","unit":"ml","unit_id":5271}},"unit_id":5313,"id":6171,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"quart","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"quart","unitParsed":"quart"},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"900","unit":"ml","unitParsed":"ml"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"1","unit":"","name":"bay leaf","notes":"","link":{"url":"https:\/\/thewoksoflife.com\/bay-leaf\/","nofollow":"default"},"converted":{"2":{"amount":"","unit":""}},"id":2307,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":7,"amount":"2\/3","unit":"cup","name":"grated gruyere cheese","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"converted":{"2":{"amount":"65","unit":"g","unit_id":5264}},"unit_id":5269,"id":4319,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2\/3","unit":"cup","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2\/3","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"65","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":8,"amount":"3\/4","unit":"teaspoon","name":"salt or to taste","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"converted":{"2":{"amount":"","unit":""}},"unit_id":5268,"id":470,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"3\/4","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3\/4","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":9,"amount":"1\/2","unit":"teaspoon","name":"black pepper","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":5268,"id":420,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1\/2","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/2","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":10,"amount":"1\/4","unit":"teaspoon","name":"ground nutmeg","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"converted":{"2":{"amount":"","unit":""}},"unit_id":5268,"id":1758,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1\/4","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/4","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":11,"amount":"1\/2","unit":"cup","name":"heavy cream","notes":"(or half and half, optional)","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"converted":{"2":{"amount":"120","unit":"g","unit_id":5264}},"unit_id":5269,"id":391,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1\/2","unit":"cup","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/2","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"120","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":12,"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","name":"chopped chives","notes":"(optional, to serve)","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":5259,"id":2703,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","timestamp":1774154743000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"}}}],"originalServings":"8","originalServingsParsed":8,"currentServings":"8","currentServingsParsed":8,"currentServingsFormatted":"8","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"unitSystems":[1,2],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0}}}