Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup is easy to make and delicious to taste! Prep the veggies and set and forget for heartwarming Crockpot Squash soup.
Winter meals like my Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese and Slow Cooker Mushroom Soup make crockpot dinners a must try!
My Meatball Tomato Soup and the Slow Cooker Chicken And Corn Soup make home cooking fuss free!
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Recipe highlights
Thinking about a delicious bowl of Pumpkin Soup is a soul satisfying thing to do!
Taking your spoon and dipping into a warm, steaming bowl of pumpkin nourishment is a heart warming experience for us all.
Using easy to find, everyday ingredients that don't take hours of prep time, we take a classic family favourite and slow cook it to perfection!
With simple steps, basic flavours and a set and forget cooking method, this soup will be one you make over and over again!
Ingredients
The ingredients you need to make the soup are shown in the photo below. It is a great visual guide for using at the supermarket!
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- butternut pumpkin (butternut squash): In Australia, this vegetable is called Butternut Pumpkin and in other parts of the world is is known as Butternut Squash. It is a popular winter vegetable which cooks well and provides a delicious satisfying taste.
- potatoes: we use potatoes in the recipe to give a greater depth of flavour to the soup, than if we only used the one vegetable. I recommend washed potatoes with skin on!
- vegetable stock (vegetable broth): this ingredient is commonly used in soups. You can use stock that can be poured straight from the package, your own homemade stock or the block or powder version to the equivalent amount listed in the recipe card below.
- cream: check the label of your cream when purchasing to ensure that you are buying cooking cream. If you wish, you can use coconut milk or coconut cream instead. This will result in a dairy free version of the soup.
- thyme: we use this dried herb to add flavour to the recipe. It perfectly compliments the flavour of the pumpkin and is a great pairing.
- cumin: we also use this ingredient for flavour and seasoning. The dried, powdered version.
- bay leaves: these are small dried leaves that add flavour to recipes. They are very fragrant and we remove them after cooking, prior to consuming the soup.
- dried onion (onion flakes): I love using dried onion or onion flakes in recipes as they are easy to use, bring the onion flavour and require no tears! You can find these in the herbs and spices section of the supermarket.
- garlic: this is another great complimentary flavour for the pumpkin. Fresh garlic is best and after it is cooked, it will blend in when we blitz the soup.
- salt and pepper: these are for seasoning and we only use a little bit of each
This easy pumpkin soup recipe is vegetarian, healthy and packed with flavour!
Use my How to Toast Bread in the Oven guide for preparing crispy dunking bread on the side!
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the soup. We begin by preparing the vegetables and you will need a knife, vegetable peeler and chopping board.
As you can see from the photos above, we need to:
- cut your potatoes (keep the skin on) (photo 1)
- peel the pumpkin/squash and cut into chunky pieces (photo 2)
- add pumpkin/squash pieces to slow cooker/crockpot (photo 3)
- add potato cubes to slow cooker (photo 4)
Next, we need to take these steps:
- add dried powdered cumin (photo 5)
- and the garlic bulbs with end cut off (photo 6)
- add the dried onion/onion flakes (photo 7)
- sprinkle in the dried thyme (photo 8)
The high volume of vegetables from the pumpkin and potato gives us a healthy, thick soup texture!
- add salt and pepper (photo 9)
- then add dried bay leaves (photo 10)
- pour in the vegetable stock/broth (photo 11)
- put the lid on and cook for 3 - 4hrs high or 6 - 8 hrs on low (photo 12)
Once our veggies are cooked (3 hrs) you can turn the slow cooker off and allow the soup to cool down.
I recommend using an immersion blender (stick one as shown in photos below) as we can blend the soup in the slow cooker and do the whole volume of soup in one go.
- remove the bay leaves and discard (photo 13)
- use stick blender to blitz till soup is smooth (photo 14)
- keep the blender vertical and use a figure 8 to get to all the veggies (photo 15)
- pour in the cream and blitz to combine (photo 16)
If you don't have a stick blender, you can use a normal blender. Ensure that the soup mix is cold, blend and then you can reheat for serving.
Before and after photos
The photos below are so that you can see what your soup will look like before you cook it and after it is cooked!
Serving suggestions
Once the soup is cooked, you have a few serving options. Try a sprinkle of cracked pepper and toasted bread for dunking!! Is it bread for the soup or dip for the bread, both will work!
A drizzle of heavy cream or Greek yogurt, some freshly chopped herbs such as parsley or chives also add a lovely touch!
Frequently asked questions
Is pumpkin soup good for you?
Pumpkin soup has a high quantity of vegetables in the recipe which is very healthy!
Adding cream to soup increases the calorie count, however, you can modify how much cream you add.
Another thing to consider is the portion size of your bowl. A larger size serving will be less healthy than a smaller one.
How do you make pumpkin soup taste better?
Some people might find a store bought packaged version of pumpkin soup too bland or boring!
My recipe for pumpkin soup doesn't have this issue as I have taken steps through the development of the recipe to ensure we have the right seasoning, spice and herb partnership.
When serving the soup, cracked pepper also adds an additional level of seasoning to the dish.
How do you thicken pumpkin soup?
To ensure our soup texture is thick and flavourful, we use a high volume of vegetables (approximately 10 cups of pumpkin pieces and 2 cups of potato pieces.
We also only add enough vegetable broth to ensure the vegetables are cooked, but not so much as to water down the soup.
Adding too much liquid (cream) will thin the pumpkin soup down, so adding it sparingly as you blend, is a good way to ensure that the soup retains its thick texture.
You can add more vegetables to thicken the soup further.
Tips and tricks
These pointers are things that in my experience help to be knowledgeable about when making the recipe:
- ensure all of the vegetables are prepped before turning the crockpot on
- don't forget to remove the bay leaves prior to blending the soup
- do ensure that the soup is cool before blending (especially in blenders with lids)
- don't take the lid off the crockpot whilst the soup is cooking
Recipe variations
- If you want to use coconut milk or cream instead of regular cream, for a dairy free version you can do that
- You can use sweet potato instead of regular potatoes to the equivalent amount
- you can use cinnamon instead of cumin
How to guide
How to store the recipe
Once your soup is made and blended you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days (Day 1 being the day it is cooked, day 3 been the 3rd day you consume).
Can I freeze the soup
Yes! This is a perfect recipe to freeze.
Allow the soup to cool and then portion it out into zip lock bags. Seal, then lay flat in the freezer. To defrost simply remove from the freezer, allow to naturally defrost and reheat for 3-4 mins until fully warmed through.
How to reheat the soup
The best ways to reheat the soup are to either portion into bowls, cover and microwave or heat in a saucepan on the stove.
Related recipes
If slow cooking is your favourite cooking method, you might like to try one or more of the following recipes:
Or check out all of my slow cooker recipes. There is something very easy about the set and forget nature of these recipes!
Adrianne xx
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup (Crockpot Squash Soup)
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (Crockpot)
- Vegetable peeler
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
- 10 cups butternut pumpkin (butternut squash) Note 1
- 2 cups potatoes Note 2
- 1 ½ litres vegetable stock (vegetable broth)
- 3 cloves garlic peeled with end cut off
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme dried
- 1 teaspoon dried powdered cumin Note 3
- 2 bay leaves discard before serving
- 1 tbs dried onion (onion flakes)
- 400 ml heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked pepper
Instructions
- Use a knife and chopping board to cut your potatoes into chunky pieces (keep the skin on)
- Use a spoon, a peeler, a knife and a chopping board to peel your pumpkin, scoop the seeds out and cut into chunky pieces
- Spray your Slow Cooker bowl with cooking spray (optional)
- Add pumpkin pieces to the Slow Cooker bowl, followed by potato pieces
- Then add garlic bulbs, cumin, dried onion, thyme, salt and pepper, bay leaves and vegetable stock.
- Cook for 3 hours on high heat (lid on) or 6 hrs low heat (lid on)
- Once cooked, turn Slow Cooker off, leave lid on and allow to start to cool
- After 1 hr, remove lid, discard bay leaves and use a stick blender (vertically) to blend the soup Note 4
- Pour in cream and continue till blitz till consistently combined
- Serve with toasted bread, cracked pepper, cream swirls and parsley
Notes
- Note 1 I use Butternut Pumpkin (also known as Butternut Squash). 2 smaller pumpkins produce about 10 cups of pumpkin when peeled and chopped
- Note 2 I use 2-3 washed potatoes. You can substitute Sweet Potato here if you like.
- Note 3 If you worry that this will be too strong, use ½ teaspoon. It adds great flavour and blends in well
- Note 4 Vertically is easiest with the stick blender to minimise liquid splashing out. I use a technique of a figure 8 movement with the blender to ensure all pumpkin and potato is blended and the soup texture is consistently smooth. If you have a lid on smoothie type blender, most of these require the soup mix to be fully cooled before adding it to your blender.
- Note 5 The Slow Cooker I am using for the recipe is 5 litres (shown in the photos).
Nutrition
Published April 2020, updated Jan 2022 with more tips!
Cookilicious says
That looks so delicious! Wonderful food photos as well!
Adrianne says
Thanks for your feedback!! I am happy to hear that, cheers!!!
Farah Abumaizar says
I love pumpkin soup and this looks like it got so thick and creamy and rich in the slow cooker! I can't wait to try it!
Adrianne says
Thanks Farah for your feedback!! Yes so thick and creamy, hope you love it.
Dea Kepic says
Wow thanks for all the process shots and explanation in the post it helps so much. This recipe is a keeper, I love how creamy and full of flavor it is, thank you!
Adrianne says
No worries Dea! Thanks for your positive feedback.