This cauliflower pumpkin soup blends the natural sweetness and heartiness of pumpkin with the creamy, earthy flavour of cauliflower and it tastes amazing. This healthy family-friendly meal is so comforting, rich, smooth, thick and so flavourful.
With just 8 ingredients, it’s so simple to make. Roasting the vegetables adds so much flavour – it brings out their sweetness and the caramelisation adds flavor too. It can easily be made both vegan and dairy-free too. Why wait for pumpkin season? This is an easy, tasty meal all year round.
Try this easy butternut soup and my favourite, this mushroom cauliflower soup.
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Ingredients & substitutions
There is just 8 simple ingredients in this creamy pumpkin cauliflower soup recipe (plus salt and oil which you would probably have on hand anyway). Here’s a quick run down with swaps;
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
- Pumpkin: Most varieties of pumpkin will work in this recipe. I used Kent pumpkin here. Jap pumpkin, jarrahdale pumpkin are both great too. You can swap it for butternut squash too. The flavour of fresh pumpkin is best but you can use canned pumpkin puree if you want to. About 2 cans should work. Keep in mind, you won’t get the added flavour from roasting the pumpkin.
- Stock: I use chicken stock or chicken broth. You can use vegetable stock / vegetable broth if you want to keep it a vegan pumpkin soup.
- Miso paste is available in most supermarkets these days. It has a complex savoury and rich flavour, packed with umami. It adds a fullness of flavour to this cauliflower pumpkin soup. White miso (which I use here) is milder and sweeter of the varieties. If you need your soup to be gluten-free, check to make sure your miso paste doesn’t contain it (most varieties are gluten-free but some may contain barley).
- Cream, aka thickened cream or heavy cream, is used for just a touch of extra creaminess. There isn’t much in this soup at all. You can add more to taste to make it even creamier. Or, to keep it vegan or dairy-free, swap to coconut milk or coconut cream.
How to make pumpkin and cauliflower soup
This soup is easy to make, healthy and full of flavour. What’s more, it tastes even better the next day so it’s great for making ahead maybe for a yummy midweek dinner or even as part of a holiday dinner.
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Roast the veggies
Peel the pumpkin and chop it into 2 inch chunks. Chop the cauliflower into similar size chunks. Peel and cut the onions into quarters. Place them all onto a baking sheet, along with the garlic cloves in their skins, and roast for 45-60 minutes. You want them to be tender and have a little caramelisation. If the pumpkin isn’t caramelising, you can sit it under the broiler / oven grill for a few minutes.
Tip: Cauliflower leaves are edible, so, if you don’t want to throw them away, you can wash them and add them to the soup as well or use them in another dish, similarly to cabbage or kale.
2. Blend the soup
If you have an immersion blender / stick blender, transfer the roasted pumpkin, cauliflower and onions to a large Dutch oven. Squeeze the garlic out of the cloves into the pan too. Add the stock and miso paste.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you’ll need to add these things in three batches to a regular blender.
Blend until smooth.
3. Heat and add the cream
Heat the soup until bubbling and let it simmer away for 5 minutes (a splatter guard is helpful here). Make sure to stir it regularly. Then stir in the cream.
Serving suggestions
If you’re using the optional chilli flakes, stir half into the soup to infuse throughout, then sprinkle the rest over the top – they look pretty and let your diners know what they’re in for.
This pumpkin and cauliflower soup pairs beautifully with crusty bread, making for a comforting and satisfying meal. It’s lovely with this parmesan toast too.
For an extra layer of flavour and texture, try garnishing it with crispy sage leaves. Fresh thyme leaves are lovely too. Alternatively, croutons like these cheese and garlic croutons or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) add a delightful crunch. You could also sauté a few small cauliflower florets for an elegant finishing touch.
Storage
Any leftover pumpkin cauliflower soup should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
It freezes quite well too, again stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Silicone freezer cubes are an excellent way to freeze soup. Once the cubes are frozen, transfer them to another container or freezer bag then you can heat just as much as you need.
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Ingredients
- 900 g pumpkin , prepared weight (2lb. Start with roughly 1150g/2 ½lb)
- 700 g cauliflower , about 1 medium head (~1 ½lb)
- 2 medium red onions
- 4-5 cloves garlic leave the skins on
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable oil of choice)
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- ¼ cup white miso (shiro miso) , optional
- ¼ cup cream
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) , optional
- Salt to taste
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Large sheet pan
- Dutch oven or large pot
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 395F / 180C fan forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Peel the pumpkin and cut into 5cm/2inch chunks. Cut the cauliflower into similar sized pieces. Peel and cut the onions into quarters.
- Place the pumpkin, cauliflower florets, onion, and garlic onto a baking tray. Drizzle over the oil then sprinkle the salt over the top. Roast for 45-60 minutes until the cauliflower and pumpkin flesh is tender and slightly caramelised.
- If you have an immersion blender (stick blender):Squeeze the garlic cloves out into a large Dutch oven, then add the rest of the vegetables from the roasting tray.Add 1 cup of water, the stock and miso then use an immersion blender to blend the soup until very smooth.
- If you have a regular blender: Add ⅓ of the vegetables to the blender along with roughly ⅓ of the stock, ⅓ cup of water and all of the miso. Make sure to leave the vent open and a tea towel loosely draped over it. Blend until smooth.Pour the soup into a large Dutch oven, then repeat the blending process with the remaining vegetables, stock and another ⅔ cup of water in 2 more batches.
- Bring the soup to a bubble over medium heat for 5 minutes (a splatter guard may be helpful), stirring from time to time.
- Add the cream. Stir well. Taste and add salt to taste. Add a little more water or stock if you want a thinner soup.
- If using the chilli flakes, stir half in and sprinkle the rest over the top. Serve while hot.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Pumpkin varieties: Most pumpkins varieties will work. Also butternut squash or kabocha squash will work too. Keep in mind, some pumpkin varieties will create a thicker soup than others. You can use canned pumpkin (around 2 cans) if you have some to use up but fresh tastes much better since it’s the hero ingredient.
- Miso paste adds a good heft of amazing umami flavour. If you don’t want to add it, add another clove or two of garlic.
- Serving suggestions: Serve your soup with a sprinkle of chilli flakes on top or use freshly cracked black pepper. A drizzle of cream and some crispy sage makes them extra special. You can also add some croutons or pumpkin seeds on top for some crunch.
- Dairy-free: swap the cream for coconut milk or coconut cream.
- Vegan: Use vegetable stock and swap the cream for coconut milk or coconut cream.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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2 Comments on “Cauliflower and Pumpkin Soup”
Delicious. Love the roasted vegies and the miso adds great depth of flavour
Thanks Marie.
I’m so happy you love it, Helen. Thank you so, so much for dropping back to leave a review.