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Murielle Banackissa
Thai Pumpkin Soup in a blue and white bowl garnished with pumpkin seeds

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Print recipe
Fall, Winter, Inspired by Travels, Soups
GF NF RSF
45 mins Prep: 15 mins Cook: 30 mins
Serves 4

Beautifully fragrant, slightly spicy and with hints of sweetness, this soup makes for a satisfying meal on even the coldest of fall days.

Ingredients Recipe Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10 Step 11 Step 12 Common Questions & Swaps

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp avocado oil
  • ½ medium onion
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 3 cups filtered water
  • 1 14oz can of full fat coconut milk
  • 3 stalks of lemongrass , cut into 1 cm pieces and bruised
  • 1 3 cm piece of galangal , sliced
  • 5 leaves of Thai basil
  • 2 slices of jalapeño
  • 3 packed cups cups roasted pumpkin flesh (about one medium pumpkin)
  • ½-1 tsp sea salt , or to taste
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • Juice of half a lime
  • 2 ½ cups chickpeas , rinsed
  • 2 handfuls of spinach

Garnishes

  • Pepitas
  • Roasted pumpkin seeds
  • Thai basil , finely chopped

Recipe

  1. Step 1

    Heat a large saucepan. Once hot, add oil and onion. Cook until translucent.

  2. Step 2

    Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer into a high speed blender. Set aside.

  4. Step 4

    To the same saucepan, add water and coconut milk. Bring to a boil.

  5. Step 5

    Once boiling, add lemongrass, galangal, basil and jalapeño slices. Continue to boil all together for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  6. Step 6

    Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

  7. Step 7

    Strain the mixture into your blender. Add pumpkin flesh, salt, maple syrup, nutritional yeast and lime juice.

  8. Step 8

    Blend until smooth. Adjust salt to your liking and add lime juice if desired.

  9. Step 9

    Return soup to your pan and bring to a boil.

  10. Step 10

    Once, boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and add in chickpeas and spinach, stir.

  11. Step 11

    Cook until chickpeas are warm and the spinach has wilted.

  12. Step 12

    Serve topped with pepitas, roasted pumpkin seeds and Thai basil. Enjoy!

Common Questions & Swaps

To roast pumpkin, cut in half, remove seeds, season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 400ºF face down on a baking sheet until fork tender.

Make your own roasted pumpkin seeds by rinsing pumpkin seeds after removing them from your pumpkin. Dry and add to a bowl along with a touch of avocado oil, salt, pepper and a bit of lime juice. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes at 400ºF or until browned and crispy.

  • Swap out the galangal with fresh ginger. The flavour of the soup will be a little spicier rather than sweet.

  • You could probably swap out the lemongrass stalks with 3 tablespoon of lemongrass paste and use it in the recipe the same way as you would the lemongrass stalks. I have not tried this method therefore I cannot guarantee its results.

  • If you love spicy foods, swap out the slices of jalapeno with 2-3 slices of red chili.

  • No spinach on hand?
    Use lacinato kale instead, but be sure to leave it in the soup a little longer to soften.

  • Garnishes are totally optional; if you don’t have any of the ones I recommend on hand, leave them out or garnish the soup with something else like fresh coriander and a little bit of lime juice.

Thai Pumpkin Soup in a blue and white bowl garnished with pumpkin seeds
Thai Pumpkin Soup in a blue and white bowl garnished with pumpkin seeds
Hands holding a bowl of pumpkin thai soup
Closeup of pumpkin thai soup in a bowl garnished with pumpkin seeds and fresh herbs
Pumpkin thai soup in a bowl garnished with pumpkin seeds and fresh herbs