Spicy Southwest Pumpkin Soup
This Spicy Pumpkin Soup recipe is satisfying and healthy, bold and rich with southwest flavor. Made silky smooth without cream, my vegan and gluten free pumpkin soup is a comfort to the soul.
Making Our Way Through Life
Life has many high points, but here and there we stumble into dark valleys, filled with trials and defeat.
It’s human nature to not want to think about hard times. When they come, we feel alone, believing that everyone has it easy. Everyone except for us.
Learning to walk through the hard times with grace, is like planting a seed of maturity and true joy in your life. Weathering the hard times well, builds a deeper appreciation for the little blessings along the way.
The most valuable life lessons aren’t learned while we are winning, but as we fall on our faces.
To walk through trials with grace and confidence, trains us to be grateful, to bounce back faster, and to not repeat previous mistakes.
What does this have to do with pumpkin soup?
Making Pumpkin Soup for the Soul
Soup, my friends, is healing. It quiets your soul and relaxes your body.
A good bowl of soup can be as comforting as a silent prayer.
A warm blanket.
A letter from a friend.
Often, it’s the little things, that help us get through the big things. I’ve had moments when it felt like a hearty bowl of soup, was the only thing I had going for me.
Yet learning to appreciate small comforts in the humble moments of life, makes the high points so much more memorable. And using wholesome, seasonal ingredients to make this spicy pumpkin soup recipe is sure to create a sense of comfort and many happy memories in your home.
The BEST Spicy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
I love this particular pumpkin soup recipe because it’s rich and zesty with deep earthy undertones. Strong southwest flavors of onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and oregano mingle with the savory-sweet pumpkin, to create a rustic soup, hearty enough to be a stand-alone meal.
Healthy Pumpkin Soup for Fall!
Plus, it happens to be a healthy pumpkin soup recipe. This spicy pumpkin soup is made gluten-free and vegan, without lacking any flavor. Adding pureed white beans creates a creamy texture and thickness in this pumpkin soup recipe, without the addition of cream.
Each bowl of spicy pumpkin soup is sprinkled with crunchy toasted pepitas and french fried onions, for contrast in texture.
Flavorful, creamy, rich, healthful, and satisfying: a hearty bowl of this spicy southwest pumpkin soup will certainly lift your spirits.
What You Need to Make My Spicy Southwest Pumpkin Soup
My recipe for spicy southwest pumpkin soup is made with wholesome, flavorful ingredients, and is delicious as an easy, gluten free, and vegan dinner! Here’s what you need to make this healthy and hearty pumpkin soup:
- Cooking oil
- White onion
- Whole cloves of garlic
- Jalapeno – remember to remove the seeds!
- Vegetable stock
- Canned pure pumpkin puree
- Canned white beans
- Red wine vinegar
- Honey
- Pepitas aka pumpkin seeds
- French fried onions, like French’s
- Spices: cumin, oregano, cayenne, and salt
- Immersion blender
Instructions for Making Spicy Pumpkin Soup
You can make this delicious and healthy pumpkin soup in less than an hour on the stove top, creating savory southwest flavor with fresh and simple ingredients. Here’s how:
1) You first want to create the base of your pumpkin soup by sauteing oil, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and spices in a large pot on medium-high heat. Be sure to thoroughly seed your jalapeno pepper before dicing and adding to the pot, or your spicy pumpkin soup will be INCREDIBLY SPICY pumpkin soup.
2) Next, you’ll add the vegetable stock, pumpkin puree, drained white beans, and simmer; then, add the vinegar and honey to your spicy southwest pumpkin soup, and continue simmering for another minute.
3) Use your immersion blender to (carefully!) puree the pumpkin soup until smooth. You can use a regular standing blender, but be sure to allow the soup to cool slightly first and use extreme caution.
4) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees while cooking your spicy pumpkin soup, and then toast pepitas and french fried onions on a baking sheet together with a dash of cayenne and salt for just a few minutes.
The white beans and pumpkin puree make this gluten free and vegan pumpkin soup perfectly rich and creamy, and using an immersion blender creates that silky smooth texture you crave during soup season. Adding southwest flavor with spicy jalapeno and savory cumin, PLUS cayenne-spiced pepitas and french fried onions, elevates this fall favorite to a pumpkin soup you’ll want to eat all year!
See the Recipe Card Below for How to Make Spicy Southwest Pumpkin Soup
Looking for more Fabulous Fall Recipes?
- Pumpkin Chili
- Healthy Mulligatawny Soup
- Creamy French Onion Soup
- Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
- Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup
- Spicy Barbacoa
- Healthy Tomato Basil Bisque
- Spicy Thai Chicken Soup
Spicy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the Spicy Pumpkin Soup:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 29 ounces pure pumpkin puree
- 15 ounces white beans, drained
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
For the Toasted Pepita Topping:
- 1/2 cup pepitas pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup french fried onions like French's
- Cayenne
- Salt
Instructions
- Place a large sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onion, garlic and jalapenos. Saute for 3-5 minutes until soft. Stir in the cumin, oregano and salt. Saute another 2 minutes.
- Add the stock, pumpkin puree and beans to the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. Then add the vinegar and honey and simmer another 3-5 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. *You can also use a regular blender, but be careful! Open the vent in the lid and place a towel over it to protect from hot splashing liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the pepitas and onions out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with a dash or two of cayenne pepper and a little salt. Toast for 3-4 minutes.
- Serve the soup warm, sprinkled with toasted pepitas and onions.
Nutrition
Making this recipe? Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!
For more inspiring soup recipes visit my Simmering Soups Pinterest Board.
Wow, I just now made this and it was absolutely delicious – definitely a keeper! I used a fresh little pie pumpkin (cooked in instant pot) but only had enough for half a recipe so I used half the amounts stated with the following exceptions: I used a whole jalapeño based on some of the comments. And, not knowing what I was going to do with half a can of white beans, I used the entire can. As a result,I had to add some more broth. I am puzzled by some of the reviewers who thought it was too thin as that was certainly not the case for me. It was absolutely delicious and will probably be even more so tomorrow! It was a cool day today in So. Cal. so it is still soup weather in my book!
Such a delicious soup!
I have not made the recipe, but I am looking forward to using it. I do not like to use cream in my soups and this fits my style very well. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Hi! Could this be done in a slow cooker? If so, what are the instructions?
Hi Amanda,
You could make this in the slow cooker. However, you will still need to saute the ground pork and veggies on the stovetop first, in order to soften the vegetables and brown the meat. Once they are cooked, then place all ingredients in the slow cooker and set on low for 2-3 hours.
I can’t wait for fall to come so that I can make this spicy pumpkin soup recipe with pumpkins from my garden. That will make it perfect but you had me right from the get go when you mentioned jalapeno as an ingredient. It’s just so perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
This is a tasty recipe. I agree with a couple other people that it is thin. I added corn meal to a couple of ladle fulls of the liquid to thicken it up. I also added on small jar of green chilies and an extra jalapeño. I will definitely keep this recipe.
Thank you for sharing the recipe! I made this recipe with chickpeas instead of white beans and it was delicious.
I love Pumpkin Soup and this one is really a new recipe! I must try it soon. Thanks for sharing it.
Truly appreciate the way you made this delicious pumpkin soup. Everything is so nicely described that really helped. I am looking forward for more such recipes in future too.
This was so good!! I kept the ingredients the same just left out beans, vegetable broth and skipped the blending. I added 1 lb ground organic beef, homemade chicken bone broth, and cut up 3 big sweet potatoes with skin on. Boiled the soup for 20 minutes covered. It was sooo amazing 😍 I wish I had kale 🥬 to add. Will make this again!! My kids loved it
Pingback: New Or Used Wooden Swivel Desk Chairs For Workplace Ease And Comfort – Logobran Auctions
I’m looking forward to making this recipe, but I want to point out that if you use French’s onion rings, it is NOT gluten-free. Aldi sells a gluten-free version, though, and that’s what I’ll use.
I would like to read the reviews but don’t see any way to access them.
Hi Marcie,
All the reviews are written here in the comments.
This was my first attempt at making pumpkin soup, and it was great! My wife wants me to make it for her office party.
Thank you very much for sharing this post with us . It is looking very delicious , I can’t wait to try this at home.
Fantastic recipe! Great instructions and so easy! Big raves from the husband and our next door neighbors!
In fact, the husband said this was my “top soup” of all time & said it was every bit as good as something from a 5-star restaurant!
Thank you!!
Just made this today & it turned out delicious! I doubled the jalapeno since one for a whole pot didn’t sound that spicy. Next time I will consider three jalapenos or keeping the seeds, but I guess everything is relative. I topped with the cayenne-toasted onions & a dollop of sour cream & it was delicious! Couldn’t find the pepitas at the grocery yesterday, but there’s a specialty store nearby that I’ll try next time. My fiance is vegetarian and we’re always looking for hearty soups that have some protein but aren’t the same old vegetarian chili that you see all the time. Thanks!!
I follow this recipe exactly and it’s definitely a winner! This freezes well too. (By the way, this soup is vegan without trying to be.)
Pingback: Nutty Cardamom Bundt Cake with Bourbon Glaze
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Please help me with the pumpkin. Is it canned? Is it the same pumpkin I use to make pie? Do I use a real pumpkin? How do I do that? Is 8 cups of veg stock too much like some said? You have a novice here so please help.
Pingback: How to Add More Cumin into Your Life | We Dish Nutrition
Pingback: Fall in New England (Fall 2013) | Alara Travels
Pingback: Super Simple Warm Sweet Potato Carrot Curry Soup - Nutrition by Ashley
Pingback: Meatless Monday – 10 Pumpkin Soups « Not Quite Vegetarian
That’s so beautifully written and photographed, Sommer! Thank you for sharing.
Pingback: Pumpkin Gnocchi | stetted
Hi, good recipe. I wanted a Tex-Mex style pumpkin soup, and this fit the bill. However I made some changes.
1. I reduced the cumin by a quarter, but even then I and my dad felt it was too much. I would recommend reducing it by half and add more to taste.
2.In lieu of jalapeno peppers, I used Sriracha. Turn out great.
3.I added some smoked paprika, which gave it a light roasted flavor.
4. The soup was great as is, but I chose to add about a cup of heavy cream for richness, and it helped mellow the cumin and spiciness.
Thanks for sharing Pat!
Pingback: Tex-Mex pumpkin soup | Pat's Fotos & Food
Pingback: roasted pumpkin soup | savormania
Pingback: 25 Vegetarian Soup Recipes | Jill Conyers
Dear Sommer,
I found your southwest pumpkin soup recipe – just what I had in mind flavor-wise – but I never expected to find such an exquisit-ly beautiful female soul – a flower so humble and thankful emitting a rare ragrance the cost of which speaks for itself.
Sincerely, Kathaleen
Love the soup; I get tired of bland, creamy pumpkin soups. But as for the advice? Well, some people get destroyed by hard times, and they don’t bounce back. And that is that.
HUGE crowd fave at a Day of the Dead dinner party. And, it was easy enough that I still had time to do some ghostly makeup. I tripled the honey and added a little bit of sour cream, butter and cayenne to the soup. The topping was perfect to make good use of carving pumpkin seeds! Nice one!!!
Pingback: 19 Savory Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Pingback: 3 Delicious Pumpkin Recipes for Halloween |
Pingback: Four Healthy Pumpkin Recipes for Your Gourds - Jade Fitness
Pingback: 102 Soup Recipes | One Medical Group
Pingback: 10 Hearty and Healthy Soup Recipes to Warm You Up
Pingback: Pumpkin soup | Salad Mana
I came for a soup recipe and left with perspective… and wet cheeks. Thanks for sneaking in a bit of love with this recipe – it’s just what I needed today.
Samantha, thanks for reading my post. It means a lot!!
Pingback: 25 of the Best Pumpkin Recipes | Jill Conyers
Pingback: Fit Girl's Diary Yummy & Healthy Soup Recipes » Fit Girl's Diary
I keep coming back to this recipe time and time again. I just thought i should thank you for sharing this. I’m making it for about the 5th time tonight to accommodate my vegan and gluten free friends for book group. Thank you!
Pingback: 15 Skinny Diet Soups
YUM! Sounds fabulous
this was so good! saved in my bookmarks!
So glad you liked it, Luna!
I never leave comments but just have to on this. I followed the recipe exactly. Honestly, it tastes awful. Made it for a soup bash tonight, and will not take it.
It is not thick , like the picture shows. It is very watery and tastes like nothing in particular, especially pumpkin. The liquid is spicy. though.
I wonder if it was a mistake in the recipe to use 8 cups veggie stock. That sounds like too much.
Hi Camille, So sorry it didn’t turn out!
I’ve made this more than a dozen times and everyone always loves it. It’s hard to say what might have happened without seeing or tasting it, but is there a chance you covered the pot while cooking and it wasn’t able to reduce?
Kitchen table wisdom with healthy deliciousness…”body and soul.” To my mind, an evolution and a revolution. Count me in.
Pingback: Spicy Southwest Pumpkin Soup | Cascade Mountain Gifts
Pingback: Meatless Mondays: Kathy’s Kitchen Edition | The Fearless Vegan
Pingback: 25 Pumpkin Recipes (That Don’t Involve Pie!)
This recipe is great! I’m making it today with 2 leftover pumpkins that weren’t carved for halloween.
I really like your writing style and photography.
Pingback: Life Lately & Weekend Links | Ginger Mandy
Thanks so much! Great recipe–I used it as the healthy/adult alternative to a small Halloween get together where pizza was the main dish. A friend begged for the leftovers. :)
I need last minute help! Just wanted to double check that the cumin and oregano were tablespoons and not teaspoons. This recipes looks so delish, thank you!
Yes, the proportions in the recipe are correct. Let me know how it turns out. :)
Pingback: The Great Pumpkin Recipe Roundup | Mother Flock
Pingback: 7 Delicious Ways to Reuse Your Pumpkins | Healthy Way To Cook
I forgot to ask! What is the serving recommendation for this recipe? Is it for one, two, three or four? Meaning, how much does this particular recipe make?
It serves 8! (Shown at the top of the recipe.) :)
Pingback: The Ultimate Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipe Round-Up | So...Let's Hang Out
Looks really good but how do I find out the calories or WW points plus?
Hi Laurie, I don’t really focus on calories or WW points, but try this nutritional fact calculator: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
I bet it will give you a pretty good idea! :)
Pingback: 50 Pumpkin Recipes
Pingback: GLASSFIT™Calorie Counter and Food Journal | Top Fall Vegetables - GLASSFIT™Calorie Counter and Food Journal
So, what is the actual recipe? All we have here is images. No actual listing of ingredients, proportions and instructions. Is there a list somewhere, or this hosted elsewhere to show the recipe?
Hi Phillip! Sorry about that… I had a little glitch on my site this morning. Try clearing your browser “cache” and you should be able to see it.
Perfect!
Thank you so much. We are looking to eat more healthy, as a family, as I have been having some major medical issues over the last few years. This is one very awesome sounding soup, so we want to give it a try.
Appreciate all you do!
Awe, thanks Phillip! :)
Pingback: 25 Best Pumpkin Recipes
Pingback: High Fiber and Nutrition for Fall!…….Recipes Included! | integratedlifestyle
Pingback: 11 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes for Fall - Life by DailyBurn
Pingback: 50 Awesome Soup Recipes to Make This Fall - EcoSalon | Conscious Culture and Fashion : EcoSalon | Conscious Culture and Fashion
Pingback: 40 Recipes to Try This Fall | Amanda's New Life
Pingback: Little Pieces of Fall
By the way, French Fried Onions are NOT Gluten Free….
Although the recipe looks really good I would like to point out that French’s Fried onion are not gluten free. I am sure there are gluten free fried onions but if you are making this for a friend which gluten sensitivity you should read the ingredients on the fried onions and omit if necessary. Thanks
Yes, I am strictly gluten free (not by choice) and fried onion rings are not gluten free (they cannot be picked off either because they contaminate the soup) and honey isn’t vegan. Leaving them out and replacing honey with maple syrup would work well to make it actually vegan and gluten free.
Found the soup a little bland, I guess spicy is a relative term. I would add more beans to bulk it up and more jalapeño, possibly some chipotle or smoky spices as well. I guess I am still searching for a spicy pumpkin soup recipe, but thank you for sharing this one.
I could eat soup for every meal. IT really is a comfort food for me. I love the spices in this pumpkin soup, along with the white beans! yum
What beautiful words to go along with a lovely recipe. Love it. Touched my heart and I’m sure will go on to touch my tummy when I attempt to cook it. Thank you!
Pingback: Pumpkin Dip |
Awesome Recipe :)
I love soup… Here is another one you might like.
http://www.wascene.com/food-drink/healthy-butternut-pumpkin-soup/
Thanks for sharing,
Jen
I tried this recipe and it looks nothing like the pictures. It also tastes terrible. There is no way there should be that much vegetable stock with the pumpkin ratio. I used over 5 cups of pumpkin and 8 cups of vegetable stock and could not tell that there was any pumpkin in the soup at all. Very disappointed.
Great recipe. Just remember to leave off the French’s onions if you need gluten free.
Pingback: Spicy Pumpkin Soup « Eliot's Eats
Pingback: soups | Pearltrees
OMG! This looks so amazing. Can’t wait to try it. Still have so much roasted pumpkin in my fridge even though we’ve made bread, muffins, smoothies, and pumpkin quinoa kale salads.
it isnt vegan if it has honey…. Just sayin
Ahhhhh, You are right! I forget about honey not being a vegan food. You could definitely sub maple syrup there. :)
Great soup. The new Food on Friday is all about soup. It would be wonderful if you linked this in. Here’s the link . Have a souper duper week!
I usually like my pumpkin sweetened with sugar and cinnamon but I like this take on a savory pumpkin soup!
Pingback: 25 Pumpkin Recipes (That Don't Involve Pie!)
This looks delish, but honey is not vegan. And I am pretty sure that French’s Fried Onions are not gluten free, considering their third ingredient is wheat flour.
Oooooo, I’d love a pot of this on my stove today. It’s 23 degrees right now, I’m not ready for winter!!! Love the fried onion garnish. ;)
I love that you added white beans to pumpkin soup giving it even more nutrition…and the color is so pretty!
Pingback: Good Morning Noms! -Oct. 5 | Nompire
Pingback: The Weekly Dish: 10/5/2012 | Pippis in the Kitchen Again
This looks kinda HEAVENLY!!!!!!!!!!
Pingback: Recipes | Pearltrees
what a great combo of ingredients!!
Very true, Sommer that ‘learning to appreciate small comforts in the humble moments of life, makes the high points so much more memorable’. I love how much filling, healthy and colorful this pumpkin soup look. I am sure this could be a wholemeal in itself.
Love the twist of using beans to add creaminess! Yum :)
I first had pumpkin soup in Jamaica, and I fell in love with it. Can’t wait to try your version!
Soup is indeed so healing…and just about any soup that has a white bean puree in it is a massive success. Couple that with fall, heavy sweaters, big red wines, and a cute pair of boots and I might just be ready to say goodbye to summer.
I’m loving this whole post, have a spare bowl friend?
You’re making me wish I had this pumpkin soup for lunch today instead of the pasta salad I’ve got packed. :-) Love the southwest flavors!
This looks awesome but I just wanted to point out that French fried onions have gluten in them so be sure to leave those off if serving to any celiac guests :)
Pingback: Around the Web: World Vegetarian Day | SocialCafe Magazine
LOVE the Southwest twist in your pumpkin soup!
Such a warming and lovely soup, perfect for autumn!
Even though it’s 90+ degrees out here, I totally want to dive in this soup right now!
A beautiful post and a scrumptious soup, Sommer! You’re so right – soup is soul food.
I love this recipe because it is so healthy. Must try soon!
Yep…Soup is like a blanket!!!! Love it!
one of the photos i swear (keep in mind it was at a glance) looked to me like a stream of white and i thought, “gasp! a healthy soup was claimed! vegan, even! what white substance could be going into this soup?” …. then i realized it is an immersion blender. hee! lovely recipe, through and through. :)
Love the kick in this! You know it’s fall when it’s pumpkin soup time!
Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!! In case my exclamation mark didn’t adequately explain how I feel about this recipe, yum! Loving this.
I’m a big fan of pumpkin; so, this soup is definitely something I would eat.
Absolutely stunning! Give me some crusty bread (I’m not gluten free) and a huge bowl of this soup and I’ll be happy!
This sounds incredible! I love that you gave it a little extra kick!
Love the southwestern flavours, very fresh!
Soup is probably my favorite thing in the world to eat. Even during summer! I love that fall is bringing all sorts of great produce to put into warm, comforting soup. I’ve never had pumpkin soup and LOVE that this is a savory pumpkin recipe! Thick soups with great flavor are lots of fun and pairing it with a thick slice of bread (and some crispy yums on top) sounds perfect. Lookin great!
VEGAN!! Yay, Sommer!! Thank you!! Can’t wait to try this one!
I love love love that you made this spicy!!
Oh Sommer, this is amazing! I love the flavors and those crunchy onions…they remind me of my mom!
So true. The women (and men!) I look up to the most are those that have faced difficulty with extraordinary grace, faith, and perseverance. They are those that have continued to pursue joy in the midst of pain and suffering. I hope when faced with the same struggles I can have half the faith and trust these women had. And I hope when it comes down to it, I’ll have soup too…soup always helps. :)
I love the addition of beans to it for proteins. What a good idea. It just needs some good crusty bread to make dinner. Well what a perfect way to use the little Sunshine Pumpkin I got at the market the other day and the jalapenos the neighbor gave us. Thanks Summer! You just made this week’s dinner planning easier :)
I am SO ready for soup season! Bring it on!
sounds great to mix southwestern and pumpkin! Love that
This is my kinda soup, kid. Honestly, love the southwest flavours. I have to make this. and I am sharing on my FB page!
I’ve never had pumpkin soup but I’d sure like to start with this one!
As if this pumpkin soup recipe wasn’t good enough, you went and topped it with French fried onions. Which pretty much means that I have to make this immediately.
Beautifully written Sommer – I so agree. Growth only comes through trials and tough times, but when we come out the other end, it’s all so good. This soup looks incredible – the perfect bowl of comfort to get anyone through a tough time.
What a gorgeous soup! I love the kick!
I love this soup! Instead of french fried onions and pumpkin seeds (I am gluten free) I used some sauteed kale garlic and sesame seeds and it was incredible! It is a good antioxidant winter soup. No colds or flu this winter! Yum!