Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup made in Instant Pot Pressure cooker. This pumpkin apple soup is quick and easy and perfect for fall. Stove top option. 8 Ingredients! Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe, Can be nut-free Jump to Recipe
It’s raining and cold and I just want to sit inside a comforter with a warm bowl of this soup. A creamy, savory, pumpkiny, spiced bowl of comfort.
Aromatics are sauteed, then the pumpkin puree and apple is cooked with ginger, chili, cashews and broth. Then blended and served hot. Garnish with pepper, pumpkin seeds, roasted pumpkin or croutons! Make a double batch because this soup is going to disappear!
Stove-top instructions, nut-free options and other questions mentioned in the recipe and the post.
Ingredients for Vegan Pumpkin Soup
- Onion, garlic, ginger are he aromatics in this soup
- Some green chile adds fantastic flavor. You can use mild chilies or some bell pepper.
- Pumpkin puree makes up the volume along with an apple
- broth or water as the liquid
- salt and sugar or other sweetener, thyme and cayenne for flavor
- Cashews are cooked along with the soup for creamyness. You can use other nuts such as macadamia, or use pumpkin seeds or coconut cream for nut-free.
How to make Vegan Pumpkin Soup in the Instant Pot
Close the lid, then pressure cook. Let the pressure release naturally. Then blend the soup.
Can I make this soup with a whole Pumpkin?
Yes, Lets get adventurous! Wash a small pumpkin that fits your instant pot, remove the stem, place it on the steamer basket over the broth+ apple mixture (some of the pumpkin will submerge), and pressure cook for 12 mins. Let the pressure release naturally. Carefully remove the pumpkin. Wait for it cool a bit, then slice open carefully and scoop thee seeds out. The flesh would already be peeling, so remove the flesh. Transfer the pumpkin to the pot and blend. Once smooth, cook the soup on saute for 4 to 5 mins.
The Instant Pot process is a bit fussy, but much less than slicing a raw pumpkin (it is hard and dangerous) and scooping seeds and chopping etc.
Can I make this soup on the stove top?
Yes, see recipe section for instructions to make the soup in a saucepan.
Can I make the soup without nuts?
Yes use 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or 1/2 cup coconut cream
More Soups for Fall
- Curried Butternut squash soup
- Chickpea rice soup – no chikin no noodle soup
- Red lentil chili
- Easy Lentil Soup
- Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
- More Soups
Recipe Card
Vegan Pumpkin Soup (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil , or use 2 tbsp broth to saute
- 1/2 cup (80 g) finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1/2 inch ginger chopped
- 1 green chili chopped (use half for less heat or use 1 tbsp chopped bell pepper)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 cup (245 g) pumpkin puree , (canned 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix) or mashed cooked pumpkin, or use 3 cups/450 gm cubed pumpkin)
- 1 apple chopped (or use 1 cup more pumpkin puree)
- 1 tsp soy sauce tamari for gluten-free, (optional)
- 1/4 cup (32.25 g) cashews , use 1/3 cup for creamier, For nut-free use 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, or 1/2 cup white beans or 1/2 cup coconut cream with 2 cups of broth instead of 2.5 cups
- 2 cups (473.18 ml) veggie broth or water , 2.5 cups for thinner
- 1/2 tsp salt
- sugar/sweetener if needed
- garnish with pepper flakes or black pepper and pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Select saute on the Instant pot. Add a tsp of oil. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chili and a pinch of salt. Cook until translucent.
- Add the thyme, cayenne, pumpkin puree, apple, cashews, soy sauce if using, broth and salt and mix well. Cancel saute, Select manual for 12 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally once the pressure cooking time is up.
- Blend using immersion blender or regular blender(carefully). Reheat to bring to a boil to thicken or reheat before serving. Taste and adjust salt, add some sweetener if needed, i like to add about a 1/2 tsp sugar. Serve garnished with pepper flakes/black pepper and pumpkin seeds or croutons.
- Stove top Saucepan: Saute the onion, garlic, ginger, chili over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients, partially cover and bring to a boil. Continue to cook for 15 minutes. Blend and bring to a boil, taste and adjust flavor, garnish and serve.
- Store: Refrigerate for upto 4 days. Freeze for upto a month.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Heather
I had too much cooked spaghetti squash in my fridge and decided to try it in this soup. Success! I usually make this with butternut squash and love the results. I am so happy to have found another substitution that works! This soup is just so delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
great idea
Alison Vaughan
Delicious 😋 Just the right amount of spice. Super easy to make!
Richa
Awesome
Nicole
Made this a few times. It’s easy and tasty. I add in red lentils as well.
Maneesha
Amazing recipe! I loved this! I used cubed pieces of calabaza instead of pumpkin puree, and it still turned out delicious! I added a dash of cinnamon, and it was absolutely perfect! Thanks for your amazing recipes, Richa! I love them!
Richa
Awesome
Julie
Absolutely delicious!!
Melissa
This soup was delicious!!! Really amazing flavors—spicy, savory and just slightly sweet. We dunked warm baguette slices in it and it made the perfect meal on this cold grey winter night. Mine never really thickened up (instead of the cashews I used coconut cream plus two cups broth), but it didn’t matter. Already looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Thank you for your recipes…I have made at least a dozen of them and they all have been incredible!
Richa
Coconut cream doesnt thicken as much, you can add a tbsp of flour and mix into coconut cream and add
Jennifer W.
I love this soup!! The first time I made it, I doubled it, used a whole butternut squash and made it pretty much as written. It was really good but today I didn’t feel like having it be as sweet and didn’t feel like having ginger so I left the apple and ginger out and added a potato instead. I also added a couple drops of coconut flavoring to have a Caribbean feel to it. Delicious either way!
Vegan Richa Support
nice twist!
Mirjam
Mine turned out tasting really bitter, don’t understand what is this and not sure if I should eat it.
Richa
Maybe the pumpkin purée had gone bad?
Mirjam
I used a whole pumpkin.
Richa
pumpkins can go bad as well. They look the same but the flavor changes and a day or so later the color will start showing change as well. What kind of butter was it ?
Mirjam
I used a small pumpkin that I grew myself this summer. I had not tried it before, but it looked fine. Anyway I still ate the soup, wasn’t terrribly bitter and nothing happened.
Heather
I love this recipe so much and have made it several times. I’ve made it with and without the apple. And have used pumpkin and different squashes. Always my favorite use of squash or pumpkin and my favorite fall lunch.
Richa
Awesome
Keren
this soup is absolutely delicious and so convenient and easy to make!
Thank you!
Richa
Thanks!
Carlie
What would you suggest to use for adding notebooks protein? Navy beans? Red lentils?
Richa
Yes red lentils or any white beans
Aimee Love
Just made this soup, It is lovely. The ginger gives it a nice flavor. We will use this again I am sure.
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for stopping by and taking the time
barb
Yummy! We loved it! I used hubbard squash and the bean option. Your Samosa wrap recipe got me started, I’ll be making many of your recipes. Thanks.
Jan Carter
Excellent soup…used almond butter blob rather than cashew nuts…easy and elegany
Richa
awesome!
Hilda
I made this for a dinner I hosted wand everyone loved it. It was so creamy and flavourful .
Richa
awesome!
Hilda
I was reading about the version where you use a whole pumpkin. Once I cook the pumpkin do I just follow the instructions for the entire recipe?
Richa
Yes, slice, remove the seeds, then mash it and use. You can use double the amount as canned puree is thicker. then blend witht the rest of the pot ingredients. Reheat the soup to thicken
K
I made this on the stovetop and I didn’t taste it til after blending. HOLY CRAP was this an incredible soup! I didn’t even need to add anything! I put in a little carrot with 3/4s of an apple, the extra cashews, and I did 1 3/4 c broth and 1/3 c coconut milk for creaminess. I was mad that I was only making it as meal prep and had already eaten. Highly recommend!
Richa
Awesome!!
Christine
Hi Richa,
I have to feed 3 hungry man and was wondering, if i could just double the recipe? Would the cooking time change? I have a 6qt Instant Pot.
Richa
Yes double it, use 1/2 cup or so less water. cooking time is the same
Christine
Thank you : )
Sally
This soup is wonderful Richa. I’ve made it a number of times since you created it and everyone who tries it, enjoys. Thank you, as ever. Hope your partner got some time off over the summer – you mentioned once that he is a bit of a workaholic.
Richa
Thanks!! 😀 yes wee both are, lol. We did take some time off and will be taking more time off later in October for birthdays and for Indian festivals
Evie Larson
Oh my word, this soup was SO YUMMY. I had never tried pumpkin soup before and am so glad that this was the first recipe I tried! This Minnesota girl will make it over and over in the fall and winter.
Richa
Awesome! so glad you love it!
Suhasini
Hi.
Looks like a lovely and easy receipe.
If I want to use normal cooker on gas, how many whistles should I wait for?
Richa
use the time. The first whistle comes when the cooker has come to pressure. So you would count from then. Also stove top pressure cookers develop higher pressure, so reduce 2-3 mins. So heat over medium heat, after the first whistle, cook for 9 mins.
Joshua Howard
Thank you for the recipe! This soup is perfect for autumn. i skipped the vegetable broth as I didn’t have any but it turned out really yummy!
Richa
Awesome!
Debble
Hi. Love your recipes and look forward to making this in insta pot. I’m curious why ads for chicken strips come up on your blog? It doesn’t bother me as I enjoy a plant based diet for health reasons but I’ve seen these kind of ads on so many vegan blogs and wonder if there is no control over the ads.
Richa
they should not be showing up. My ad provider has a block for non-vegan food ads. The product companies however can trick the ad algorithm by adding vegan keywords or tags and then the ad provider adds a manual block.If you see one, please send me snapshot or a link (you an send a message on instagram or facebook) and i’ll add it to the manual block.
Laura
Again thank you for all the variations including stovetop directions. I almost passed on this recipe when I saw instant pot in the title ( subtitle with stovetop option) but went ahead and read the recipe. You are applauded 👏
Richa
i always have stove top options in thenotes or in the recipe even if the subtitle doesnt mention it! Dont pass up on the recipes. If you dont see them, ask me on social. I might have forgotten or I may have placed them elseewhere on the post
Cathy Marella-Luce
When you say “pumpkin puree” can I just use canned, 100% pumpkin? I don’t really want to cook a whole pumpkin.
Richa
yes canned. i’ll add that
Ann
Can I replace the nuts with white beans or cannelini beans. I want to be able to serve this to children who have nut allergies.
Richa
yes you can use beans! orpumpkin seeds or coconut cream, depending on the texture and flavor preference.
janet
Wonderful. Next time can I use a Kombucha squash? Do you think that would work.? I’ve never cooked a kombucha because I don’t know what I’d do with it.
Richa
sure, you can peel and slice and add or add the whole small kabocha
Cindy
really good recipe, thank you. I left out the soy sauce and used 1/4 cup cashew’s. Next time I’ll use more cashews because it came out a but more thinner then I was hoping for.
Richa
awesome! reduce the broth to 2 cups and it will be thicker. Sometimes pumpkin purees have more emoisture