Halloween pumpkin soup
Roasted pumpkin soup with warming spices, a silky finish and toasted pumpkin seeds — perfect for a spooky autumn supper.
This is a proper Halloween soup — roasted pumpkin for deep caramelised flavour, warming spices and a silken finish that kids and grown-ups will love. It’s simple to make but looks and tastes like you’ve been slaving away.
Roasting the pumpkin is the trick: it concentrates the sweetness and adds a slightly smoky note that makes the whole thing sing. Serve with crusty bread or pumpkin-seed croutons for extra drama.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg pumpkin — roughly 1.2 kg peeled, seeds removed and chopped into 3cm chunks
- 1 brown onion — large, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — smashed
- 1 carrot — medium, peeled and chopped
- 150 g potato — peeled and chopped (adds body)
- 30 ml olive oil
- 25 g butter
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 1 l vegetable stock — hot
- 10 ml salt
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 15 ml maple syrup
- 100 ml double cream — reserve a little for swirling
- 40 g pumpkin seeds — pepitas, shelled
- 15 ml lemon juice — freshly squeezed
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped, for garnish
Equipment
- roasting tray
- large saucepan
- hand blender (stick blender)
- frying pan
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional. Line a roasting tray with baking paper or lightly oil it.
Prepare the vegetables: peel and chop the pumpkin, potato and carrot into roughly 3cm pieces; smash the garlic; roughly chop the brown onion.
Tip the pumpkin, carrot, potato and garlic onto the roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle over ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper and toss so everything is well coated. Spread out in a single layer and roast for 35 minutes, turning once halfway, until edges are caramelised.
While the veg roasts, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat on the hob. Add the chopped brown onion and sweat gently for 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the hot vegetable stock to the saucepan, then tip in the roasted vegetables. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes so the flavours marry.
Carefully blend the soup until silky smooth using a hand blender, or in batches in a countertop blender. If using a blender, vent the lid slightly and cover with a kitchen cloth.
Return the soup to a low heat, stir in the double cream, maple syrup and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper; warm through for 1–2 minutes.
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until they pop and smell nutty. Remove from the hob and set aside.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Swirl a little double cream on top, scatter over the toasted pumpkin seeds and chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Roast rather than boil the pumpkin for richer flavour — caramelisation makes a huge difference.
- If you prefer a lighter soup, stir in 50–75 ml extra stock instead of the full amount of cream.
- Blend carefully: vent the blender lid or use a hand blender to avoid hot splashes.
- Make ahead: the soup keeps in the fridge for 3 days; reheat gently on the hob and refresh with a splash of lemon juice.
- Freeze in portions for up to 3 months — leave out the cream and add when reheating.
Substitutions
pumpkin → butternut squash, same quantity
Stays closedouble cream → coconut cream, same quantity
Noticeably differentpotato → plain sweet potato, 150 g
Stays closemaple syrup → honey, same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 410
- Calories
- 7 g
- Protein
- 39 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 400 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegan?
Yes — swap the double cream for coconut cream and use vegan butter or oil instead of butter.
How do I stop the soup being too watery?
Roast the pumpkin until nicely caramelised and include the potato for body; simmer briefly after blending to concentrate flavours.
Can I freeze the soup?
Yes. Cool completely, freeze in portion-sized containers for up to 3 months and add cream when reheating.
What if I don’t have a hand blender?
Use a countertop blender in small batches — remove the central piece of the lid and cover with a cloth so steam can escape safely.
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