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Thai Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk

Perfect for Fall, our Thai Pumpkin Soup Recipe is such a refreshing change of pace with warm spices and a smooth velvety texture. Drizzled with coconut milk and topped with toasted pumpkin seeds, this gorgeous curried pumpkin soup will impress every guest at your table.

Top down photo of a bowl of red curry pumpkin soup.

Fresh Asian flavors are layered in this dish creating a unique and wonderful pumpkin soup your friends and family will rave about.

Why You’ll Love Our Thai Pumpkin Curry Soup

  • A beautiful festive soup for Fall. This soup looks beautiful on your Autumn tablescape and works great as a first course or the star of the show when you are entertaining guests.
  • Very simple to make. One of the things that makes soups so fabulous for the dinner table is how easy they are to make when life gets busy! Throw everything in a pot and let it simmer. Then puree it at the end. That’s the gist of so many soup recipes, including this one.
  • Incredible flavor. The Thai spices and flavors take this curried pumpkin soup over-the-top and break away from the traditional, more bland variety.

Ingredients For The Thai Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Ingredients used to make thai pumpkin soup with coconut milk including onion, pumpkin, lime, coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger, sugar, red curry paste, and oil.
  • Pumpkin. You need cubed fresh pumpkin, or you can use canned pumpkin puree.
  • Onion. A sweet onion or a yellow onion will both work.
  • Fresh Ginger. Peel off the woody exterior before using.
  • Thai Red Curry Paste. Store-bought pastes are often not vegetarian/vegan-friendly due to shrimp paste in the contents. Check the label if that concerns you.
  • Coconut Milk. Light coconut milk can be used to reduce the saturated fat content.
  • Vegetable Stock. Using vegetable stock instead of meat stock provides a neutral base so the pumpkin can shine.
  • Lemongrass. A delicious lemony flavor comes from a stalk of the lemongrass plant. If you cannot find this in your supermarket, check in any Asian market.
  • Lime Juice. For an acidic balance.
  • Brown Sugar. It adds just the right flavor and sweetness. Light or dark brown sugar will both work.

Tools You’ll Need For Pumpkin Thai Soup

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  • Braiser – You can use a saucepan and a stockpot or dutch oven. I love this pan because it combines the two.
  • Immersion Blender – Also called a stick blender. I consider this to be one of the handiest tools in my kitchen. You could also use a blender or food processor with caution.

Please note, that the printable recipe card has ingredient quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.

How To Make A Thai Pumpkin Soup

Cubed pieces of raw pumpkin drizzled with olive oil

Step 1: Roast your pumpkin until tender.

It will take about twenty minutes in the oven with a drizzle of oil, or it can be done in an Instant Pot.

Step 2: Layer flavors in the pot for the perfect Pumpkin Thai Soup Recipe

Saute the onion first, then add ginger. After a little bit add the curry paste.

Step 3: Add your liquids.

Vegetable broth, coconut milk, and the lemongrass stalk go in the pot and are simmered.

Top down view of roasted pumpkin, sauteed onion, coconut milk and lemon grass in a dutch oven.
Combine remaining ingredients

Step 4: Thicken up the Thai Pumpkin Soup.

Add the pumpkin, lime juice, and sugar. Simmer again.

Step 5: Puree the curried pumpkin soup.

Make sure you remove the lemongrass first. Then use an immersion blender to puree the soup.

Step 6: Add the finishing touches and serve.

Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with coconut milk and top the soup with freshly ground coriander and pumpkin seeds.

Popular Variations & Additions

  • Pumpkin can be switched out for butternut squash or a mix of sweet potato and butternut squash as long as the quantities remain the same.
  • If you don’t have pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, you can top this soup with toasted nuts such as pine nuts instead. The added crunch is very nice to have.
  • Heavy cream works as well as coconut milk.
  • If you cannot find lemongrass stalks which are seasonal and hard to find in some areas of the country, you can use lemongrass paste.
Close-up view of a bowl of Pumpkin Thai Soup topped with cilantro, pepitas, and red pepper.

How To Reheat & Store Thai Pumpkin Soup

Best Way To Store Thai Curry Pumpkin Soup Leftover

Keep your leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days in an airtight container.

Can I Freeze Thai Pumpkin Curry Soup

Yes. Freeze it without adding the coconut milk. It will keep frozen in airtight containers for up to three months. Defrost well before reheating the soup. You can freeze it individually or in a large batch. Reheat either in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Add the coconut milk as you serve it.

How To Reheat Pumpkin Thai Soup

Reheat refrigerated or frozen soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. If you use a microwave, stir the soup before eating it because it may have pockets of extreme heat.

Angled view of thai red curry pumpkin soup topped with peppitas and a swirl of coconut milk.

Pumpkin Thai Soup Recipe FAQs

Can I use canned pumpkin?

Yes, you can. I prefer preparing my own cubed pumpkin for this recipe, but you can substitute it for an equal amount of pumpkin puree. Do not use pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling contains spices that are not used in this recipe.

How do I trim and bash lemongrass?

Take a stalk of lemongrass and slice off the bottom. If any of the layers are dried out, peel them away. Use a rolling pin to bash the woody top end and soften the lemongrass. This helps to release the aromatic oils of the plant. You can find additional info here.

An angled view of Pumpkin Thai Soup with a coconut swirl topped with pepitas and cilantro.

Tips for the Perfect Thai Pumpkin Soup

If you don’t want to heat up the kitchen, you can soften the pumpkin in a pressure cooker instead of the oven. It takes about 20 minutes on high pressure with a half cup of water in the bottom.

For 35 ounces of pumpkin you will need about a five pound pumpkin.

This soup is naturally vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

If you can’t find Thai Red Curry Paste local to you, it can be ordered on Amazon. It is essential for this recipe.

Our soup is shown with fresh cilantro and pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, for garnish. A little diced red pepper adds a beautiful contrast of color but is optional

What to Serve with Your Thai Pumpkin Curry Soup

This soup makes a lovely first course and also works well on its own for a hot lunch or dinner. Serve the soup with crusty Italian bread, a cheese tray with chutney, homemade crackers, or basmati rice and grilled chicken.

Top down view of a bowl of thai pumpkin soup reciope with coconut milk topped with pepitas and cilantro.

If you enjoyed this recipe check these out!

Don’t Forget To Come Back And Let Me Know How Your Thai Pumpkin Soup Recipe Turned Out!

Top down view of a bowl of pumpkin thai soup with a slice of bread sit to the side.

Pumpkin Thai Soup Recipe

Author: Julie Menghini
This is a classic Fall pumpkin soup with a fresh Thai twist. Roasted pumpkin combined with fresh east-Asian ingredients creates a deliciously warm and hearty Thai pumpkin soup with a spicy kick.
5 from 10 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American, Thai
Keyword: Pumpkin soup, Thai recipe
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients
 
 

  • 35 oz pumpkin peeled, insides removed & chopped into ~2” chunks
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
  • cup coconut milk
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 stick lemongrass bashed and trimmed
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp brown sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
  • Peel the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Chop the pumpkin into 2-inch pieces.
    Put the chunks of pumpkin on a non-stick or lined baking sheet, add a little drizzle of oil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until tender and a fork pierces easily.
  • Add a drizzle of oil to a large pan or stock pot and gently fry the onion for around 5 minutes until softened. Then add the fresh ginger.
  • Add the Thai red curry paste and stir for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
  • Pour in the coconut milk and vegetable stock, along with the lemongrass, and bring to a simmer.
  • Once simmering, add in the baked pumpkin, lime juice, and sugar, stir and place a lid on the pan. Gently simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
  • Remove the lemongrass and then carefully blend it with an immersion blender.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste. Great served with fresh coriander, pumpkin seeds and crusty bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 721mgPotassium: 1117mgFiber: 2gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 23858IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 6mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
3/4 angled view of a bowl of pumpkin soup topped with pepitas, cilantro and diced red pepper.
5 from 10 votes (1 rating without comment)
Recipe Rating




Mindy

Monday 28th of November 2022

Looks delicious! Cannot wait to try this!

Julie Menghini

Monday 28th of November 2022

Thank you!

Michaela Kenkel

Saturday 26th of November 2022

Thai food always gets our vote!! This was one delicious soup!

Julie Menghini

Saturday 26th of November 2022

Thank you, Michaela!

Susannah

Wednesday 23rd of November 2022

It was so hearty and delicious! Going on regular rotation this winter.

Julie Menghini

Friday 25th of November 2022

Thank you, Susannah! It's my kind of soup for the Fall.

Megan

Wednesday 23rd of November 2022

I love this soup! It's even better the next day.

Julie Menghini

Friday 25th of November 2022

Thank you, Megan!

Lynn

Tuesday 22nd of November 2022

SO good and a great way to use pumpkin in a non-traditional dish. YUM!

Julie Menghini

Wednesday 23rd of November 2022

Thanks, Lynn!

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