Curry Carrot Pumpkin Soup with Caramelized Maple Pumpkin Seeds
Soup Season is Here
When I first moved out on my own after college, I was weirdly excited to begin making big pots of soup. They make a few ingredients go a really long way, are a literal bowl of warming comfort food, and are perfect for leftovers. I jumped right in and have looked forward to soup season every year since. A big pot of soup simmering on the stove actually means the cooler seasons have arrived and I can bust out the big sweaters, comfy blankies, and spicy candles.
This curry pumpkin carrot soup hits every note that I look forward to in a vegetable soup. It’s creamy, earthy, sweet, savory, and a tad spicy. Each bite is a delight and makes for a perfect starter for a comfy meal or can be the star of a lighter meal. Pair it with some crusty bread, warm naan, or a tasty kale salad for an ultimate meal.
Tips For Making This Curry Carrot Soup Recipe
If you plan on making this pumpkin carrot soup, here are a few tips to make sure you’re extra successful:
- Watch your pumpkin seeds closely once you add the butter and maple syrup. The sugar in the syrup can brown (or burn) quickly, so stir it often to keep it from sticking to the bottom. As soon as you think the mixture is starting to slightly resemble caramel, take it off the heat. It will continue to cook after you transfer it to the tray.
- When making any soup, taste and season as you cook! If you season as you go, the soup will taste seasoned, but if you wait until only the end to taste and season it you’ll end up with soup that may just be salty. Building layers of flavors along the way will create a depth of deliciousness that you’re sure to love! I recommend tasting after adding the stock, about halfway through simmering, and again after blending. This will give you plenty of opportunities to add additional salt, pepper, or spice if you think it’s needed.
- If you blend your soup in a blender, be sure to wash it right away. The curry powder and turmeric can turn the plastic of the blender slightly yellow if you let it sit for too long. As soon as your soup is blended, rinse the blender well before moving on to save yourself a headache later.
Recipe Details
Step 1: Start the Curry Carrot Pumpkin Soup
In a large soup pot, I like my 5.5 qt Le Creuset Dutch Oven (affiliate link) for soup making, preheat olive oil and add chopped yellow onion. Sweat the onions until softened and translucent, about 10 minutes. Once the onions are soft, add minced garlic until it becomes very fragrant. To the onions and garlic, you’ll add loads of curry seasoning, like curry powder, ginger, cayenne, cumin, and coriander and stir to toast the seasonings to bring out the aroma. Once the aromatic base of your soup is ready, you’ll add in carrot, pumpkins, and vegetable stock to build out the bulk of the soup. Let this simmer while you prepare the caramelized maple pumpkin seeds.
Step 2: Caramelize the Maple Pumpkin Seeds
To caramelize the pumpkin seeds, you’ll first toast raw pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan, until they are warmed through and begin to smell slightly nutty. The nuts will get coated in butter and maple syrup, plus salt and cayenne pepper, and cooked until the butter and syrup become caramelly. Using a silicon or wooden spatula, transfer the caramelized pumpkin seeds to a tray lined with wax paper and let cool completely before handling. Set aside until you’re ready to serve.
Step 3: Blend the Soup
After the carrots in the soup are easily pierced with a fork or butter knife, carefully transfer the soup into a blender. Leave a gap at the top of the blender to let steam escape, using a towel to hold the lid in place and protect your hands from the heat, and blend on medium until the soup is very smooth. Alternatively, you can use a handheld immersion blender and blend the soup directly in the pot.
If you use a blender, pour the soup back into the soup pot and set over medium-low heat.
Step 4: Finish the Soup and Serve
Stir in a can of coconut milk to the soup, until fully incorporated. Let warm through for about 5 minutes until the soup is hot again. Divide the soup into 4 bowls for a main course or 6 bowls for a starter. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, the caramelized maple pumpkin seeds, and a fresh crack of black pepper.
For any leftover, transfer the soup to an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave in a microwave safe container or warm through on the stove top. Store the pumpkin seeds on the counter top separately on top of the soup once it’s reheated.
I love that this recipe can be the ultimate, cold weather crowd pleaser. It’s delicious, warming, dairy free, gluten free, and vegan, meaning everyone can enjoy this meal!
If you like the sound of this curry carrot pumpkin soup recipe, you should also check out these cozy recipes:
- Pumpkin Chicken Tikka Masala
- Butternut Squash Alfredo Pasta with Rosemary Pancetta
- Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Lemony Kale Pesto
Be sure to tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook to let me know how your recipes turn out. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Pumpkin carrot soup that’s sweet, spicy, and creamy. A base of onion, garlic, carrots, and pumpkins are soupified with veggie stock and coconut milk and amped up with warming curry spices. A great starter or light meal for a cold day.
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle for garnish
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp teaspoon cayenne, to taste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped to ½ inch pieces
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 3 cup vegetable stock
- 13.5 oz coconut milk
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
Preheat a large soup pot to medium-low heat and then add the olive oil.
Add the chopped yellow onions, stirring to coat in the olive oil. Let cook over medium-low heat until the onions have softened and are translucent, about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally and adjust the heat down if necessary to avoid the onions browning.
Add the minced garlic to the onions, and stir to incorporate. Let cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
Add the curry powder, ginger paste, ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, and salt to the pot. Stir to coat the onions and garlic in the spices. Continue to stir and let the spices toast and become fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the chopped carrots and pumpkin puree to the pot, stirring to incorporate.
Gently pour in the vegetable stock and stir to incorporate everything together. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and let simmer until the carrots are fork tender, 15-20 minutes.
While the curry pumpkin carrot soup is simmering, prepare the caramelized maple pumpkin seeds by adding ½ cup of raw pumpkin seeds to a small frying pan. Turn the heat of the pan onto medium-low heat.
Occasionally tossing the seeds in the pan, let toast slightly, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the unsalted butter, maple syrup, salt, and cayenne pepper to the frying pan. Stir to coat the pumpkin seeds in the syrup and butter as it melts.
Let simmer at a low heat, until the butter begins to brown and the syrup begins to reduce.
Use a silicone spatula to transfer the seeds to a small tray lined with wax paper and let cool. Set aside until you’re ready to plate.
Once the carrots are fork tender, carefully transfer the soup into a blender. Blend on medium until the soup is very smooth, about 2 minutes, leaving a gap in your lid to let steam escape and a towel to hold the lid in place to protect your hands from the heat. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in the pot with an immersion blender if you have one.
Transfer the soup back into the soup pot and pour in the coconut milk. Stir to incorporate and place the pot over medium low heat. Warm through until the soup is warmed to your liking - I recommend about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning and spice level as needed.
Divide the soup into 4 bowls for a main course or 6 as a starter. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, a crack of fresh black pepper, and a few of the caramelized maple pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!
