It’s lush, it’s beautiful, it’s creamy Pumpkin Soup with Walnut Crispies! Made with a whole roasted pumpkin, garlic, cream, speckles of fresh herbs, and topped with the best sweet/savory walnut crispies.
Pumpkin Soup with Walnut Crispies
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So our family is something of a squash loving club…even my 6yo son asks for squash soup for his birthday. I’ve made a LOT of recipes and this one will absolutely get bumped to one of my favorites. It’s so buttery and flavorful. We even used our homegrown pie pumpkins! I used less broth and cream just because we love a thick soup, and used all the garlic. With the toppings? Chef’s kiss. So good! I made a triple batch and will try to freeze two portions for another cold day!
Brittany
If a lush, beautiful, creamy and deeply delicious pumpkin something isn’t gracing your table, did fall even happen? Does the Soup Series even count if you didn’t slowly stir through this velvety, rich, golden little number?
Well, we’re here to make sure all seasonal promises are kept with this simple mellow star of a pumpkin soup.
It’s super easy, like, even with roasting a whole (tiny) pumpkin, easy. The soup is nothing short of luxurious and the little walnut crispies in there, all sweet with a hint of spicy, deliver *big time* on texture and yum. Do you also want to sprinkle a little shredded gruyere on top so you get occasional salty little cheese pulls throughout? Of course you do, why are you even asking. Some fresh little thyme specks for color and flavor? NOW YOU’RE TALKING.
Minimal Ingredients, Big Flavor
As you may or may not know, we love a good fake-fancy around here and this soup definitely fits nicely into that category. The ingredient list is actually quite short to make these big fall flavors happen. Even the roasting process is fancy-looking, what with the two whole pumpkin halves roasting away with the garlic and herbs, but it’s just a chop, scoop and slap on the pan situation. Then just let those mellow, lovely fall smells fill your kitchen.
But what you get after the roasting…blending up that savory pumpkin infused with garlic and thyme along with a few of those caramelly-roasted garlic cloves and broth, and then slowly incorporating that with a touch of creaminess until silky smooth is the stuff dreams are made of, friends.
Yes, A Whole Roasted Pumpkin!
We really do recommend using a whole little pumpkin here if you can because:
- It really is so easy and the flavor is a little deeper and more complex.
- It is SO. DARN. BEAUTIFUL.
- You have to roast up that garlic anyway because that flavor is A+ delicious.
- Seriously, that pan of golden roasted pumpkin halves filled with garlic and sprigs of thyme will have you feeling like a total fall food star. ‘Gram that business, you deserve it.
Roasting a whole gourd also just feels like a very fun fall activity, no? But if you are gourd-less and don’t want to pull one from your decorative porch display, you could probably use canned pumpkin but we haven’t tested it. It would require the whole shebang to be transferred over to the stovetop and no in-pumpkin garlic roasting would be involved which would honestly be a sad loss.
How To Make Pumpkin Soup From Scratch
We first came across this method / idea watching a very old Gordon Ramsay video on YouTube that is full of all kinds of holiday-ish vibes. Gordon (can we call him Gordon?) used a much larger, extremely festive pumpkin, but we are v v in love with these cutie little sugar pumpkins that are about the size of a butternut squash (which could totally be used too if you want to go that route with this soup). It roasts up in about 45 minutes, but this could vary depending on the size of your pumpkin. Roast, blend, assemble, eat. We love an easy roadmap.
- Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop the guts, and place on sheet pan.
- Cut garlic bulb in half, remove papery bits, and rub that all around the pumpkin first. Then plop it right in the pumpkin halves with some thyme sprigs, drizzle it all with oil. Take a picture.
- Roast it up, then scoop out the flesh and puree along with a few cloves of the garlic and broth until verrrrry smooth.
- Transfer pureed soup to your stovetop, add a little half and half, and season to taste.
- Enjoy forever.
Now that that’s done, you can start deciding on toppings. YOU KNOW WE LOVE TOPPINGS. Cheese, little thin apple bits, more herbs, crunchy roasted kale chips, all of the above. And you will not regret for one tiny second making yourself some toasted little walnut crispies for this. Just, definitely do it, okay? Promise?
Let’s Chat Walnut Crispies
We could write an entire love letter to these walnut crispies. Like, they are ridiculously good. They are borrowed from this pumpkin pasta of years past and they just needed to be brought back into the rotation. And they’re just a quick toss on the pan while you’re already roasting that cutie little pumpkin anyway.
After the walnuts get all roasty and fragrant, you toss them around in a little brown sugar/cayenne buttery treatment right there on the pan, sprinkle a little salt & pepper, and then just let them soak all that in, turning into the most exquisite little wondercruncher there ever was.
Subtly peeking through each velvety, creamy bite of soup with their savory, hint-of-sweet, nutty crisp to cut the richness. Oof, walnut crispies, you really do have our hearts.
But also, this soup. This bright beautiful luxe bowl of autumn, we’d marry it any day of the week.
Pumpkin Soup: FAQs
Can I use canned pumpkin?
A canned pumpkin version of this soup hasn’t been tested in the Pinch of Yum kitchen yet. It could probably work, but as a note, it would require the soup to be transferred to the stovetop and you’d miss out on some of the delicious roasty flavors.
Do you have additional topping ideas? I have a nut allergy.
Crumbled up bacon bits, pumpkin seeds, or some homemade croutons would all be great!
Can I freeze this soup?
Absolutely! This soup freezes wonderfully.
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
Pumpkin Soup with Walnut Crispies
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
It’s lush, it’s beautiful, it’s creamy Pumpkin Soup with Walnut Crispies! Made with a whole roasted pumpkin, garlic, cream, speckles of fresh herbs, and topped with the best sweet/savory walnut crispies.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pumpkin Soup
- 1 whole small pumpkin or 1 whole butternut squash (see notes)
- 1 head garlic
- a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme (I prefer thyme)
- olive oil
- 3–4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (this depends greatly on how big your pumpkin is / how thin you want the soup)
- 1 cup half and half or cream (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Walnut Crispies
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
- black pepper to taste
- shredded Gruyere and kale chips (?) for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut pumpkin or squash in half (side to side with a pumpkin, lengthwise with a squash). Scoop out the seeds and pulp from each half. Score the surface of the pumpkin or squash with a knife so all the flavors can get in there really good when it’s roasting. Place on a sheet pan.
- Remove most of the papery stuff from the head of garlic. Cut in half (side to side). Rub garlic around the surface of the pumpkin or squash. Tuck some thyme and the garlic into each cavity. Drizzle with olive oil and some salt. Roast for 45 minutes (more or less depending on the size of your pumpkin).
- Meanwhile, mix the butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. When the oven timer goes off, add the walnuts to the pan and toast (with the squash) for another 8-10 minutes.
- Toss the toasted walnuts with the butter and brown sugar mixture – right on the sheet pan is fine. Remove the herbs; scoop the flesh of the pumpkin or squash into a blender, and add 3-4 of the roasted garlic cloves. Add about 1 cup of broth and puree until very smooth (you may need to do this in batches, adding more broth as you go to thin to your desired consistency).
- Transfer pureed soup to a saucepan; season with salt, add half and half, and adjust to however you like it.
- Serve that silky smooth, mellow, beautiful soup topped with the brown sugar walnut crispies, grated Gruyere cheese, chopped apples, thyme, whatever you like. (I like all of it.)
Notes
Obviously pumpkins vary in size greatly. I used a little guy called a sugar pumpkin that was comparable in size with an average butternut squash.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Soup
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pumpkin soup, pumpkin recipe, walnut crispies
More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes To Make This Season
- Pumpkin Energy Bites (the perfect afternoon pick-me-up)
- 5 Ingredient Pumpkin Alfredo (creamy, luscious, and super simple)
- Super Moist Pumpkin Bread (easy, classic, and topped with turbinado sugar)
October 18, 2021
Created By The POY Team
Lindsay Ostrom
Recipe Developer
Emily Caruso
Videographer
Rita Boersma
Writer
Eman Kemp
Editorial
Now that looks like an award-winning weight loss meal right there!
Can I use canned pumpkin puree?
We haven’t tested a canned pumpkin version of this soup yet. It could probably work, but as a note, it would require the soup to be transferred to the stovetop and you’d miss out on some of the delicious roasty flavors.
This looks great! For a dairy allergy, would coconut milk make a good substitute for the cream?
Yes it would!
Do you roast with cut sides up or down? I roast butternut squash cut side down, but since you mention tucking garlic, etc, in, I wasn’t sure. Thanks!
We roasted cut side up!
I’m going to look for a pumpkin to make this with. It sounds super yummy! Do you think I could use Pecans instead of walnuts? I live in pecan country – GA.
Absolutely! Pecans would be an awesome substitute!
This was super tasty and simple to make. Husband and I enjoyed it a lot.
So glad you both enjoyed it, Rebecca!
Excited to try! Are serving sizes typically one cup or does it vary?
It varies based on the size of your pumpkin, but we’d estimate the serving size to be around 1 1/2 cups.
I’m making this tonight to take to my daughters family tomorrow night. Can’t wait!
Hope you enjoyed it, Mary!
So our family is something of a squash loving club…even my 6yo son asks for squash soup for his birthday. I’ve made a LOT of recipes and this one will absolutely get bumped to one of my favorites. It’s so buttery and flavorful. We even used our homegrown pie pumpkins! I used less broth and cream just because we love a thick soup, and used all the garlic. With the toppings? Chef’s kiss. So good! I made a triple batch and will try to freeze two portions for another cold day!
So glad you enjoyed it, Brittany!
Cant wait to try this recipe. Looks amazing.
Enjoy, Michele!
Which side of the cut do you roast? As you mention tucking garlic, etc., into butternut squash when roasting, I wasn’t sure how to do that. Thanks anyway!
We roasted the pumpkin/squash cut side up so you can tuck the garlic and herbs into the little wells of the squash.
Not our favorite. I used a fairytale pumpkin, which isn’t sweet. The soup was pretty bland even with the cheese and walnut toppings. Needed onions and more spices to add depth of flavor. I was so disappointed because all of your other soup recipes have been awesome.
Sorry to hear that, Susan. We appreciate the feedback!
I am not a fancy cook… but I saw this and thought, I HAVE to have squash soup! I used butternut squash and an immersion blender since I don’t have a regular blender. It tastes AMAZING! The crunchy sweet nuts on the top are just the best!
I honestly didn’t have high expectations for this soup because it’s just pumpkin soup, but we had an abundance of sugar pie pumpkins in our garden this year so I gave it a go and omg it’s soooo good!! I didn’t have walnuts so I used pecans and they were a super tasty topping. Will definitely make this recipe every fall!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Stephanie!
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