Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup

Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup is healthy, vegan pumpkin soup made with homemade pumpkin puree. It’s smooth, velvety and delicious!

I’m in shock that Thanksgiving is two weeks away!  I’m hosting this year and so far everything is under control. 

I’m doing things a little differently this year.  I’m making my turkey stock in advance like I normally do, but this year I’m also making my gravy ahead.  

There’s nothing that I hate more than making gravy at the last minute with everyone hovering around me asking when we’re going to eat!

I sent out an email to my subscribers asking what kind of recipes they were looking for this fall, and savory pumpkin recipes were a popular topic — especially pumpkin soup and pumpkin risotto. 

Savory pumpkin recipes are favorites of mine, so I got to work creating this Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup!

Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup

The first time I ever had pumpkin soup was in Australia when I was about 22 years old.  My sister and I went there on vacation and pumpkin soup was on the menu everywhere and we’d never heard of such a thing before. 

While I enjoyed the soup, I didn’t try it again until I was in cooking school.  I posted an adaptation of that recipe years ago, but it’s a bit over the top and it isn’t the healthiest.

This Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup is quite healthy as it’s completely plant-based and full of wholesome ingredients.

As the title suggests, I used homemade pumpkin purée for this recipe and it’s completely worth the effort.  Canned pumpkin just wouldn’t be the same in this soup — the texture and fresh taste would suffer.

How to make homemade pumpkin purée

Homemade pumpkin purée is really easy and only takes 5-10 minutes to prep.  I simply cut my pumpkin in half using a paring knife because it’s easier to work with as it has a nice short blade.  

Scoop out the seeds and roast them up if you’re so inclined. 🙂

Rub the cut side of the pumpkin with olive oil and place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast at 375 degrees for anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of your pumpkin.

I roasted my 3 1/2 lb. pumpkin for 1 hour and the skin peeled right off and the flesh was so soft.   The yield from this pumpkin was 4 cups of puree, which you can use all for your soup like I did or use the other half for baking.

I’ll admit that the apples didn’t need quite so much time in the oven, but the skins peeled right off of them as well and I simply scraped them from the pan with a spatula.  

And they tasted like roasted applesauce. 🙂

Which pumpkin is best for soup?

There are so many wonderful pumpkin options out there for homemade pumpkin soup.  You can go the traditional route and use sugar pumpkins, which are used for pumpkin pie, or select some of the more exciting options.

Below are some of my favorite varieties:

Green kabocha squash:  starchier like potato, sweet, nutty flavor, and an edible peel

Red kabocha squash:  sweet and velvety with an edible peel

Red kuri squash:  similar to red kabocha

Butternut squash is always a viable option too!

Bear in mind that the varieties I’ve listed above are much sweeter than the traditional sugar pumpkin, so if you want a more savory soup, the sugar pumpkin will probably be the right choice for you.

How to make pumpkin soup

This healthy pumpkin soup recipe is rich and velvety all on it’s own thanks to the homemade purée, and really didn’t need much else.

I cooked up some onion, carrot and garlic with some chopped fresh sage (dried is fine too) and ground ginger for the soup base.  

Add the purée, onion mixture and vegetable stock to a blender and purée until smooth.  I did this in two batches as I had 4 cups of pumpkin purée and I didn’t want my blender to get to full.

I used 4 cups of vegetable stock, which resulted in a thicker soup, so add 1-2 cups more liquid to reach the desired consistency.  

From there, pour the soup into a large soup pot or dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce the heat, simmer for 10-15 minutes until warm through and season with salt and pepper.

I prepared this vegan pumpkin soup without coconut milk, but you can certainly add some to give the soup some added richness.

The real fun starts when you’re deciding how to garnish your soup.  Roasted pepitas, croutons, pomegranates or crispy sage leaves are all delicious options!

More ways to use homemade pumpkin purée:

Chai Spiced Pumpkin Pie

Instant Pot Pumpkin Black Bean Chili Mac

Pumpkin Chia Overnight Oats

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chia Steel Cut Oats

Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Roasted Pumpkin Apple Soup is healthy, vegan pumpkin soup made with homemade pumpkin puree! {V, GF}

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Ingredients

• 3 1/2 - 4 lb. pumpkin such as sugar pumpkin, red or green kabocha, red kuri or butternut (I used red kabocha)
• 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. Granny Smith apples (3 large)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4-6 cups homemade vegetable stock or store bought
• Optional garnishes: roasted pepitas, croutons, pomegranate or crispy sage

Instructions

Prepare the pumpkin and apples:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and set out a large rimmed baking sheet.
2. Using a paring knife, cut the pumpkin lengthwise from the top of the stem to the bottom all the way around and pull apart. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
3. Cut the apples in half lengthwise and scoop out the core with a melon baller and remove any excess core from the top or bottom.
4. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the cut sides of the pumpkin and apples and place cut side down on the rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of your pumpkin.
5. If very tender, the skin should slip right off, or scoop the flesh from the pumpkin and remove the peel from the apples. You'll have about 4 cups of pumpkin purée and 1 cup of apple.
6. The apple will be tender sooner than the pumpkin, and should be removed after about 45 minutes to prevent burning.

Prepare the soup:

1. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic, sage and ginger and cook 30 seconds longer.
2. Place 2 cups of the vegetable stock in the blender followed by the onion mixture and half of the puréed apples and pumpkin. Process until smooth, pour into the soup pot, and repeat with the remaining stock and purée.
3. Add 1-2 more cups of the stock depending on the desired thickness, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
4. Serve with the garnishes of your of your choice and enjoy!

Notes

• Nutrition information was calculated using My Fitness Pal and is meant to be an estimate only. The numbers will vary based on the quantity consumed, brands used and substitutions that are made. This information does include added salt or optional garnishes.
• Roast the pumpkin and apple ahead and store the purée in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days prior to making your soup.
• You can easily halve this recipe and use the remaining pumpkin purée in your baking or other recipes! Simply process in a food processor to make it smoother if necessary.
• This soup is freezer friendly!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 190 Total Fat: 4g Saturated Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 38mg Carbohydrates: 38g Fiber: 8g Sugar: 18g Protein: 6g

Nutrition information is mean to be an estimate only. The numbers will vary based on the quantity consumed, brands used and substitutions that are made.

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