Dairy free pumpkin soup doesn’t always live up to expectations. If you are searching for a pumpkin soup that is actually thick and creamy without the dairy, this recipe is for you. The combination of roasting the sweet butternut pumpkin first and also adding coconut milk gives it a lovely smooth and creamy finish. Our version has a little extra kick with the addition of some chilli and a sprinkle of spice.
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Jump to RecipeFresh pumpkin soup ingredients
Lots of dairy free pumpkin soup recipes call for Jap or Kent pumpkin (squash). I prefer to use the butternut variety for this recipe as it is smooth and slightly sweet.
I also use leeks instead of onion as they have a milder flavour that goes well with the butternut pumpkin.
For added spice, use a (deseeded) red chilli – a medium hot variety like the long red chilli shown here. Of course, if you don’t like too much spice, you can just leave the chilli out.
Fresh garlic is best, and I pop the whole clove of garlic in to roast with the pumpkin. If you are using a prepared garlic paste instead, you can add this to the pan when cooking the leeks.
All good soups need a good stock. Ideally I would use a homemade vegetable stock in this recipe. And if you are in the habit of making your own stock, you might have some already in the freezer. However cooking in our house is usually the quick and easy way, so I usually just use a store bought stock. Our favourite allergy-friendly ready made stock (which also suits our pescatarian and low fodmap family members) is the organic vegetable stock by by Massel.
The other ingredients you’ll need for this soup are a good quality olive oil, coconut milk, some fresh corriander (cilantro) to garnish and a sprinkle of ground cumin (or ground black pepper will do if you don’t have cumin on hand).
Cooking method
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
Start by chopping the butternut pumpkin into chunks and removing any skin and seeds ready for roasting. Place the pumpkin on lined baking tray with the fresh clove of garlic and roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is softened and starting to brown.
While the pumpkin is roasting, you can prepare the leeks and chilli. Clean the leeks and slice finely. De-seed the chilli and chop.
How do you clean leeks? The best way is to cut off the bulk of the green tops and slice off the root end. Then take a sharp knife and slice through the leek from one end to the other, with the cut going through to the centre. This makes it easy to rinse the leek under running water to remove any dirt between the layers before you slice.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the leeks, stirring, until they soften.
Once the pumpkin and garlic have finished roasting, add these to the saucepan together with the chopped chilli and vegetable stock. Simmer for about about 10 minutes before removing from the heat.
Different ways to blend your soup
Once the vegetable mixture has cooled slightly, the next step depends on whether you are using a food processor/blender or just a stick blender. If you are using a food processor, blend the vegetable mix before returning to a clean saucepan and adding the coconut milk and stir until well combined. Personally I go for quick and easy cooking – with less dishes – so I add the coconut milk to the same saucepan with the vegetables and just use my Bamix blender to puree the whole lot until smooth and creamy. If you find the mixture is too thick for your taste, you can always add a little more stock or boiling water, or even a bit more coconut milk.
Reheat the soup gently and serve with a garnish of coriander (cilantro) and a sprinkle of cumin.
Delicious dairy free pumpkin soup without any trace of milk, but still lovely and creamy.
For a more substantial meal, this soup is perfect served together with our homemade sausage rolls.
More allergy friendly recipes
Looking for more allergy-friendly soup recipes? Try our dairy free vegan corn chowder with black beans or our dairy free potato and leek soup. Or have a look at some of our other allergy friendly recipes for quick and easy allergy friendly cooking.
Deliciously dairy free creamy spiced roast pumpkin soup
Equipment
- chopping board
- Sharp knife
- baking tray
- large saucepan
- stick blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 kg butternut pumpkin (peeled and cut into medium pieces)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 leeks (rinsed and thinly sliced)
- 1 red chilli (seeds removed and chopped)
- 625 ml (2 1/2 cups) vegetable stock
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 1/4 cup coriander/cliantro to garnish
- ground cumin seed (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
- Chop the pumpkin into chunks, removing skin and any seeds. Peel the garlic clove.
- Place the pumpkin and garlic clove on a lined baking tray and roast in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until soft and browning.
- While the pumpkin is roasting, clean the leeks and finely slice. De-seed and chop the chili.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the leeks and cook for around 5 minutes, stirring, until softened.
- When the pumpkin and garlic has finished roasting, add to the pan with the leeks, together with the chilli and (hot) vegetable stock. Simmer for around 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
- If using a food processor or blender: add the vegetable mix to the food processor and blend until smooth. Return to a clean saucepan, add the coconut milk and stir until combined.If using a stick blender, add the coconut milk to the pan with the vegetable mix and blend until smooth.
- Warm the soup through ready for serving. Serve in generous bowls with coriander (cilantro) leaves and a sprinkle of ground cummin for garnish.
