Pumpkin Soup Without Stock Recipe (No Blender Needed!)

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by Maggie Turansky


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There are few things that scream autumn and winter better than a steaming pot of rich and creamy pumpkin soup. Most recipes for this cold-weather favourite call for the use of chicken or vegetable broth and to puree it with a blender.

But what if you don’t have these things and still want to make a fantastic pot of soup (also like my carrot soup recipe and lentil soup recipe)?

Well, look no further, because I’ve developed a delicious, creamy roasted pumpkin soup that requires no special equipment. Oh — it’s also completely vegan as the recipe calls for coconut milk rather than cream.

How to Make Pumpkin Soup Without Stock

So how is this pumpkin soup delicious and flavourful without the use of vegetable or chicken stock? Well, we’re going to make our own pumpkin broth to use as the base of the soup while the pumpkin is roasting.

This not only imparts a more defined pumpkin flavour to the soup, but it also ensures that no part of the pumpkin is wasted when you’re making the soup.

Delicious Pumpkin Soup
Delicious Pumpkin Soup

The first step of this roasted pumpkin soup recipe is to, not surprisingly, roast your pumpkin. Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F) and then carefully, using a sturdy, sharp knife, split the pumpkin in half.

Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh from the cavity of the pumpkin and then set these seeds aside for later. Brush the pumpkin halves lightly with olive oil and then place them, cut side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place them in the oven.

While the pumpkin is roasting, it’s time to account for our broth. If you don’t have stock on hand, you can’t just make a pumpkin soup with water and expect it to have a deep, robust and complex flavour.

However, if you follow a few simple steps, you will have a wonderful base for your soup that will make it taste absolutely delicious.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and then add in your reserved pumpkin seeds and flesh. Cook these until they begin to darken in colour and give off a lightly toasted and nutty aroma.

Toasting the reserved pumpkin seeds & flesh
Toasting the reserved pumpkin seeds & flesh

Bits of the flesh will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, don’t be alarmed because we are going to deglaze with some soy sauce! This will add a complexity and umami element to your broth and will also account for the fact that we don’t have time to simmer it for hours on end.

Pour in about a litre of water over your pumpkin seeds and soy sauce and then add in a couple of sprigs of rosemary, some whole peppercorns and a knob of ginger that’s been cut into thick slices. Bring up to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and allow to simmer while your pumpkin roasts.

The pumpkin will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour to roast — you will know it is done when you can pierce a paring knife through the skin with little to no resistance.

Remove the pumpkin from the oven and allow to cool for about fifteen minutes. After it has cooled down enough to handle, you can easily peel the skin away from the flesh and cut it into large pieces to use in the soup later.

Simmering the pumpkin broth
Simmering the pumpkin broth

When your pumpkin is out of the oven, go ahead and strain your broth through a fine mesh sieve and set aside. You will need 500ml for the pumpkin soup recipe – any extra can be frozen and used in whatever recipes may call for vegetable stock!

Now comes the time to actually make your soup! This starts, like many great soups, with a diced onion.

Over low heat, bring about a tablespoon of olive oil to shimmering and then add in half of a very finely diced medium yellow onion. Dice this as finely as possible and we’re not blending this soup (obviously) and are going to need to get as much flavour as possible out of these onions.

Add in some finely grated ginger and then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and translucent, about ten minutes.

Now, it’s time to add in some spices and garlic. In the recipe, I say to add in ras el hanout, which is a North African spice blend that is really easy to make at home (it uses some very common spices) if you can’t find it in your supermarket — it’s actually what I do. It is also available to purchase online here.

Adding the spices to the cooked onion and ginger
Adding the spices to the cooked onion and ginger

To do this, combine 2 parts ground cumin, 2 parts ground ginger, 2 parts salt, 1 part freshly ground black pepper, 1 part ground cinnamon, 1 part ground coriander seed, 1 part cayenne pepper, 1 part ground allspice and 1/2 part ground clove. You can also use a spice mix like garam masala or curry powder to get similar flavours.

Add your ras el hanout, a sprinkling of crushed red pepper and a few cloves of minced garlic to your onions and ginger and cook only until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Then, add in your roasted pumpkin and stir until coated in the mixture before pouring over your pumpkin broth. Bring this to a simmer, cover and allow to cook until the pumpkin begins to break down, about five to ten minutes.

Adding in your roast pumpkin
Adding in your roast pumpkin

Then, turn off the heat and break up your soup even further with a potato masher. Mash until all the big pieces have been broken up and you and a rough puree.

Breaking up the pumpkin - essential if you don't have a blender!
Breaking up the pumpkin – essential if you don’t have a blender!

Then, set a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and, one ladle-full at a time, pass the soup through the sieve. This will ensure that you have a silky and smooth texture and it is the secret to making pumpkin soup with no blender.

Use a spoon or silicone spatula to push the soup through the sieve to ensure that every bit gets through. You can scrape the puree off the bottom of the sieve in order to get all of the soup off.

Sieving the pumpkin
Sieving the pumpkin

Return the soup to the pot and put back on the heat. Bring up to a simmer once again and pour in one can of coconut milk. I find it best to make sure to shake the can vigorously before opening as the fat tends to separate from the milk. Stir the coconut milk in, bring to a simmer one more, and then turn off the heat.

Stirring in the coconut milk into your pumpkin soup
Stirring in the coconut milk into your pumpkin soup

Serve your pumpkin soup steaming hot and maybe garnished with a few pumpkin seeds for added crunch! This will also save in the fridge for about 3-4 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months!

Delicious Pumpkin Soup with no stock or cream!

Pumpkin Soup Without Stock (No Blender Needed)

This roasted pumpkin soup is absolutely delicious and doesn't require any special equipment or ingredients. Silky and creamy, you don't need stock, cream or even a blender to get incredible results!
Tried This? Rate It!
5 from 2 votes
Servings 4
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients
 

Pumpkin Broth

Pumpkin Soup

  • 1 small pumpkin about 1kg/2lbs
  • ½ medium yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons ras el hanout (see note 1)
  • ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
  • 500 ml (2 cups) pumpkin broth (see note 2)
  • 1 (400g/14oz) can full-fat coconut milk
  • Pepitas for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Using a sturdy, sharp knife, split your pumpkin in half down the middle and scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh in the centre, set these aside for the broth.
  • Brush each half with a small amount of olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and roast until the pumpkin is very tender and you can easily insert a knife into the skin, about 45 minutes to one hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the skin and cutting into thick slices.
  • While the pumpkin is roasting, heat a small amount of olive oil (about 2 teaspoons) in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add in reserved pumpkin seeds and flesh and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly browned and they give off a faint nutty aroma, about 5 minutes.
    Roasting the reserved pumpkin seeds & flesh
  • Add in soy sauce and scrape up and bits of pumpkin that have stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pour in water and add rosemary, peppercorns and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer while the pumpkin cooks – about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
    Simmering the pumpkin broth
  • In a large saucepan over low heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Add onion and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add ras el hanout, chili flakes and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, only about 30 seconds.
    Adding the spices to the cooked onion and ginger
  • Add in cooked pumpkin and stir to coat in onion and spice mixture before pouring in broth. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the pumpkin into smaller pieces with your spoon, cover and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.
    Adding in your roast pumpkin
  • Turn off the heat, uncover, and mash the pumpkin down with a potato masher until mostly smooth. Then, one ladle full at a time, push the soup through a fine mesh sieve – using a spoon or spatula to ensure that the entirety of the soup gets through the sieve. Return to the pot.
    Sieving the pumpkin
  • Bring the sieved soup back up to a gentle simmer and stir in the coconut milk. Taste and adjust for seasoning, adding salt and pepper where needed. Serve hot and garnish with pumpkin seeds.
    Stirring in the coconut milk into your pumpkin soup

Video

Notes

  1. If you can’t find ras el hanout, I recommend making the blend yourself. Simply combine 2 parts ground cumin, 2 parts ground ginger, 2 parts salt, 1 part freshly ground black pepper, 1 part ground cinnamon, 1 part ground coriander seed, 1 part cayenne pepper, 1 part ground allspice and 1/2 part ground clove. Alternatively, garam masala or curry powder will make very good substitutions.
  2. If you have it on hand, feel free to omit the broth step and sub in 500ml (2 cups) of vegetable or chicken stock in lieu of the pumpkin broth.

Nutrition

Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 270mg | Potassium: 1142mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 21345IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 6mg

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

Tried this recipe or have questions?Click here to leave a rating and/or comment!

As you can see, you can easily make pumpkin soup without stock, cream or even a blender and still have fantastic, silky results as if you did have all of these things. This recipe is easy to replicate and is accessible to those with the most basic of kitchen equipment.

Are you trying to make pumpkin soup without a blender or stock? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!

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Maggie is the creator behind No Frills Kitchen. She is a world traveller, home cook and recipe developer who loves to experiment with new cuisines and techniques at every chance she gets. No stranger to improvising and making do with the equipment and ingredients she has available, she is passionate about sharing her knowledge with others. Read More

Comments

    • You can use any kind of measure you want for the ras el hanout, just make sure that the ratios are the same. One part can be 1 teaspoon or 1 kilo, it just depends on how much you want to make 🙂

      Reply
  1. Hi
    It’s a good recipe. I roasted the pumpkin first, so added the pumpkin skin with the seeds to make the stock ,& I think it added flavour (& a bit of time too, since I had to wait for the pumpkin to roast first.)

    Reply
5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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