This Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup is a keeper! It’s super quick to make and insanely delicious—my favorite combination. It’s light enough to act as a starter or side for your meal, or you can pair it with some naan bread for a light lunch. Want to bulk it out a little and turn it into a full meal? Add some shredded rotisserie chicken and you’re good to go. This bones of this super are very simple, so once you learn them you can start making modifications and adaptations to give it new life every time you make it!
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This soup is creamier than my easy pumpkin soup recipe but not overly heavy, which makes it doable despite the strong summer heat. It’s also spicy, thanks to the crushed red pepper flakes, but the heat is completely customizable. If you’re a little sensitive when it comes to heat, start with half the amount of red pepper flakes and work up from there. OR season it up with a mild curry powder, in place of the cumin and crushed red pepper, for maximum flavor without the heat.
I garnished my Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup with a little plain yogurt, sriracha (because I need even MORE heat, duh), and a few pepitas that I had left in my cabinet. The cool, tart flavor of the yogurt was a nice contrast if you have some on hand, but the soup is just as awesome on its own without any fancy toppings. :)
Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup
Servings 6 about 1.25 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.12)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.25)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated ($0.16)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.05)
- 1 15oz. can pumpkin puree ($2.37)
- 1 14oz. can coconut milk ($1.99)
- 3 cups chicken broth ($0.39)
- Salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.20)
GARNISHES (optional)
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt ($0.37)
- 3 Tbsp Sriracha ($0.15)
- 3 Tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas) ($0.59)
Instructions
- Mince or grate the ginger using a fine-holed cheese grater. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the ginger, garlic, and onion to a pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium-low heat until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the cumin and red pepper to the pot. Stir and cook for about 1-2 minutes to allow the spices to toast just slightly.
- Add the pumpkin purée and coconut milk to the pot and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth and stir to combine again. Turn the heat up to medium and allow the soup to heat through. Once heated, taste and add salt and pepper to your liking (I added 1/4 tsp salt and 10 cranks of the pepper mill).
- Rinse the cilantro, pull the leaves from the stems, and then give them a rough chop. Stir in a handful of the chopped cilantro just before serving. If you want a smooth soup with no chunks of onion, use an immersion blender prior to adding the cilantro.
- If desired, garnish each bowl with 2 Tbsp plain yogurt, a drizzle of sriracha, and a sprinkle of pepitas.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love savory pumpkin recipes? You should also try our Curried Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup, Chipotle Pumpkin Pasta, or Easy Pumpkin Soup.
How to Make Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup – Step By Step Photos
Grate about 1 Tbsp fresh ginger using a small-holed cheese grater. Grating ginger is a LOT easier when it’s frozen, so I usually keep a knob in my freezer. As long as you make sure the skin is well cleaned, you don’t need to peel it first. If grating is difficult, you can mince the ginger instead.
Also mince two cloves of garlic and finely dice one onion. Place the onion, ginger, and garlic in a soup pot with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium-low heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
Then add 1 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. If you’re sensitive to heat, start with half the red pepper flakes and add more at the end if you want to increase the heat. Continue to stir and cook for about one more minute.
Next add one 15oz. can pumpkin purée, NOT canned pumpkin pie filling. ;)
And one 14oz. can of coconut milk. Stir the coconut milk and pumpkin together until they’re well mixed. The first time I made this recipe I used Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk and it was much thicker than this Goya brand, so my final soup was also a bit thicker. Both soups tasted great, but the different brands of coconut milk did give the soup different textures.
And finally, add 3 cups of chicken broth. I use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make my broth because it’s super convenient, inexpensive, has less packaging than 38 cups worth of canned or boxed broths, and lasts just about forever in the fridge. This also comes in organic or low sodium versions, BTW. #notsponsored
Turn the heat up to medium and allow the soup to heat through. Taste the soup and adjust the salt as needed, and add a little freshly cracked pepper. The amount of salt you’ll need will depend on the type of broth you use. I only added 1/4 tsp, but it really helped the flavors pop.
While the soup is heating, rinse 1/4 bunch of cilantro, pull the leaves from the stems, and roughly chop them. Add the chopped cilantro to the soup just before serving.
And there you have it! A super fast and easy Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup.
I sprinkled a little crushed red pepper on top, drizzled some sriracha and plain yogurt, and added some pepitas that I found in my pantry. :) Beautiful AND delicious.
The first time I made this soup I accidentally used a 26 oz can of pumpkin and it was still amazing! I balanced the extra ‘squash’ taste with more spice and a little sugar. I made it again today following the recipe a little more closely and it was fantastic. My girlfriend and I LOVE this soup and it is perfect for her because she usually has to avoid cream-based soups due to lactose intolerance! Thanks for the beautiful recipe :)
This came out AMAZING. I used coconut oil instead of olive oil just to ramp up the coconut flavor but came out to perfection. One of my new favorite recipes.
This was delicious and very adaptable to a wide range of tastes – so cooks, just slowly add the spices called for and taste-test along the way! I used all the spices called for except the red pepper (as I didn’t have any), and did add a sprinkle of brown sugar as one reader suggested. Kept adding spices til it was to my liking. VERY fast, simple and oh so delicious!
I’m headed over to my grandma’s to make some for her because she is sick (fighting anemia and a virus). I know the iron in the pumpkin will do her a lot of good.
Thanks for sharing this yummy, healthy recipe!
WAY too much ginger. We threw it out.
I made this tonight; it was AMAZING! My husband (who hates veggies or strange textures) liked it. It had great flavor. I served it over a little bit of rice to bulk it up a bit. It was wonderful!
I really loved this – I just felt like I wanted some sort of sandwich with it – but I don’t know what would have paired well.
I dropped in about 2 Allspice kernels. Really brought out the flavor! It’s savory, spice, cream, and hearty! Perfect for my Thanksgiving carry in!
I absolutely cannot get enough of this soup! It freezes so well, and I’ve been eating it for lunch as often as I can! That zesty spice gives it the perfect kick, and its so creamy and healthy!! I also made it for a work potluck (it heats well in a crock pot), and it was the hit of the day! Thanks!!
My roommate has a much similar recipe that she got from “Caveman Food” called Pumpkin Sausage Soup (http://cavemanfood.blogspot.com/2009/10/pumpkin-sausage-soup.html) It’s incredibly delicious! I’m definitely going to try your version for sure, and maybe add some meat to the mixture to make it more hearty.
Thanks so much, I’m making it tonight!
Dominique – That will be okay! You’ll just have an extra luscious and creamy soup :)
I have everything for this at home, except cilantro, but the coconut milk I have isn’t lite! Is that ok??
So glad you linked to this the other day! I made it tonight (with a few changes, of course, because I just can’t help tweaking recipes). I minced in a red ripe jalapeño, and used Lee brand Tom Yum Powder instead of chicken bouillon. So delicious! :9
Both my boyfriend and I loved this soup. I followed the directions exactly, but added a jalapeno. We both agreed that this is our new favorite soup. I think next time I might experiment a bit and maybe add a little lemongrass as well. Thanks for all your amazing recipes!
Absolutely delicious, as always! I like my soups a little thicker so I might try it next time with a little less water or a little more pumpkin.