This sheet pan pumpkin soup is a creamy and delicious blend of curry powder-seasoned roasted vegetables and rich coconut milk. Everything fits on one sheet pan, and then it's blended up in less than 5 minutes for a flavorful, hands-off fall meal.
Served inside of a pumpkin and topped with roasted pumpkin seeds, it's extra special for Thanksgiving or fall entertaining! This soup also happens to be naturally vegan.
Our favorite way to make soup is by adding everything to a sheet pan with spices, roasting until the vegetables are fork tender, then adding everything to a blender with warmed broth.
One of our all-time reader favorites is this Roasted Red Pepper Sheet Pan Soup (topped with grilled cheese croutons!), so we figured a cozy, fall vegetable-focused version was in order! If you're in need of an extra dose of greens, though, this Super Green Sheet Pan Soup should be next up in your rotation.
This recipe is easily customizable. You can use just about any squash โ butternut, acorn, kabocha, or even sweet potato. Our absolute favorite is honeynut โ it's a little sweeter and more flavorful than butternut, and we've been enjoying it all fall!
We mix up our own curry-inspired spice blend for this soup, but if you'd rather use a store-bought blend, that's perfectly fine. Or, if you want to keep the flavor profile a bit simpler, you can keep it to some salt, garlic powder, onion powder and a pinch of cayenne for heat.
Of course, it's totally optional to serve these in the pumpkin bowls. But it's extra fun! And it will earn you bonus points at Thanksgiving dinner.
Keep in mind that this recipe only makes 2 pumpkin bowls, because we only use the flesh from 2 pumpkins in the actual soup. If you would like to serve more than 2 pumpkin bowls, you will need to roast additional pumpkins.
You can save the roasted pumpkin flesh from the additional pumpkins and purรฉe it for homemade pumpkin purรฉe! Use it up in our creamy pumpkin orzo or our homemade pumpkin jam (this makes for a great holiday gift!).
Step-by-step Instructions
STEP 1: Cut off the top of each pumpkin (about โ of the way up) and scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the pulp and set the seeds aside. Place the pumpkins and the tops on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt to taste, then roast at 400หF for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
STEP 2: In a small bowl, mix together the salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cayenne.
STEP 3: Remove the pumpkins from the oven. Add the squash, carrots, onion, apples, pumpkin seeds and garlic to the sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil evenly atop the vegetables, then sprinkle generously with the seasoning mix. Return to the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes, until the squash and carrots are fork tender. Keep an eye on the pumpkin seeds, stirring them every ~15 minutes to prevent burning.
STEP 4: When the vegetables are almost done roasting, heat the vegetable broth and coconut milk in a small pot over low heat until heated through.
STEP 5: Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let cool slightly. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh from the pumpkin, leaving some flesh intact on the sides and bottom to preserve its bowl-like shape. Add the pumpkin flesh, squash, carrots, onions, apples, garlic cloves and broth/coconut milk mixture to a heat-safe blender.
Blend until smooth (keep the lid cracked slightly while blending). Depending on the volume of your blender, you may need to do this in two batches. Taste and adjust salt as desired.
STEP 6: Pour into pumpkin bowls (or regular bowls), top with the roasted pumpkin seeds, and enjoy!
Our best tips and tricks
- Cut the vegetables and the apples into larger chunks so they don't burn while cooking.
- If you don't have all the spices listed, just replace the entire spice blend with a store-bought curry powder.
- Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to blend everything up in two batches. If so, make sure to mix the two batches back together in a pot before serving.
- When blending, be sure to use a heat-safe blender and keep the lid cracked slightly so the steam can escape.
- Be sure to set the pumpkin seeds aside and roast them with the other vegetables. They're crunchy, delicious, and perfect for topping a creamy soup!
- Storage: Add to a airtight container and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also freeze this soup and enjoy it within 3-6 months.
๐ Recipe
Sheet Pan Pumpkin Soup (served in a pumpkin!)
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This sheet pan pumpkin soup is a creamy and delicious blend of curry powder-seasoned roasted vegetables and rich coconut milk. Everything fits on one sheet pan, and then it's blended up in less than 5 minutes for a flavorful, hands-off fall meal. Served inside of a pumpkin and topped with roasted pumpkin seeds, it's extra special for Thanksgiving or fall entertaining!
Ingredients
- 2 small pie pumpkins*
- 1 lb squash of choice (we like honeynut or butternut, cut in half or into large chunks)
- ยฝ of yellow onion, quartered
- 2 medium carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 apple, cut into large wedges (we used honeycrisp)
- 1 small head of garlic (slice off the top to expose the cloves)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon cumin
- ยฝ teaspoon coriander
- ยฝ teaspoon turmeric
- ยผ teaspoon onion powder
- ยผ teaspoon garlic powder
- โ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1 ยฝ cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 can (14 oz) lite coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400หF / 205หC.
- Prep your pumpkin bowls (note โ this only makes 2 pumpkin bowls, so add additional pumpkins if desired.) Cut off the top of each pumpkin (about โ of the way up) and scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the pulp and set the seeds aside.
- Place the pumpkins and the tops on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt to taste, then roast for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cayenne.
- Remove the pumpkins from the oven. Add the squash, carrots, onion, apples, pumpkin seeds and garlic to the sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil evenly atop the vegetables, then sprinkle generously with the seasoning mix. Return to the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes, until the squash and carrots are fork tender. Keep an eye on the pumpkin seeds, stirring them every ~15 minutes to prevent burning.
- When the vegetables are almost done roasting, heat the vegetable broth and coconut milk in a small pot over low heat until heated through.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let cool slightly. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh from the pumpkin, leaving some flesh intact on the sides and bottom to preserve its bowl-like shape. Add the pumpkin flesh, squash, carrots, onions, apples, garlic cloves and broth/coconut milk mixture to a heat-safe blender.
- Blend until smooth (keep the lid cracked slightly while blending). Depending on the volume of your blender, you may need to do this in two batches. Taste and adjust salt as desired.ย
- Pour into pumpkin bowls (or regular bowls), top with the roasted pumpkin seeds, and enjoy!
Notes
*We only use the flesh from 2 pie pumpkins in the actual soup. However, if you want to serve all of the soup inside of pumpkins and are serving more than 2 people, you will need to roast additional pumpkins. You can purรฉe the additional pumpkin flesh for homemade pumpkin purรฉe!ย
You may need to use more vegetable broth and salt depending on the size of your vegetables.
Cut vegetables into large chunks to prevent burning.
You may need to blend the soup in two batches so your blender isn't overfilled. If so, mix together the two batches before serving. Don't forget to crack the lid open on the blender to let steam escape!ย
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Soups
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 172
- Sugar: 10.8 g
- Sodium: 619.6 mg
- Fat: 3.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.7 g
- Fiber: 4.8 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
Cindy says
Looking forward to trying this - with or without the pumpkin bowls, depending on my level of ambition that day.
Do you remove the skin of the squash prior to blending? Either peeling before roasting, or scooping the flesh out after roasting? Some squash have skins that are edible after roasting, but I've never tried butternut skin.
Thanks!
Lexi says
Hi! We roast the squash with the skin on, and once it's roasted, it's soft enough that it's super easy to scoop out. You can also peel it before if you'd like, but it saves an extra step for prep!
K says
I cannot get pie pumpkins in my area. Can I use canned pumpkin? If so, how much? Thank you!
Lexi says
Hi! A better substitute would just be more squash (butternut or acorn would be great). Sweet potatoes would work, too!