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Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

This slow cooker pumpkin soup is rich and comforting, but entirely vegan. It’s super easy to make, and full of complex flavors. 

A bowl of pumpkin soup garnished with coconut milk and thyme, with a spoon taking a spoonful of soup out

When the weather gets cold I immediately turn to soups. Is there anything more soothing than a bowl of warm, hearty soup on a chilly evening? This slow cooker pumpkin soup is one of my favorite recipes, because it’s packed with fall and winter flavors. It has a deep, rich pumpkin flavor, while fresh thyme, allspice, and coconut milk add complexity. 

But the best part about this dish? It’s as simple and easy of a recipe as you’ll find. Because it’s a slow cooker soup, this dish is as straightforward as throwing a bunch of ingredients in the slow cooker, leaving it alone, and then blending. Add in the fact that it’s a fully vegan recipe, and this becomes a must-make soup when the weather turns cold.

All of the ingredients for pumpkin soup, labeled: a bowl of raw pumpkin, a bowl of allspice, a bowl of cayenne, a bowl of oil, a bowl of minced garlic, a bowl of onions, a bowl of salt, a bowl of thyme leaves, a jug of coconut milk, a jug of vegetable broth, and lime slices, next to a slow cooker

Recipe Ingredients

Here are all the items that you need to make slow cooker pumpkin soup. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact quantities for each ingredient.

  • Oil – I like to use olive oil for this soup, but you can use a neutral oil, or a vegan butter. 
  • Onion – A yellow or sweet onion is best for this recipe, but a red onion also works fine. 
  • Garlic
  • Pumpkin – You’ll need to peel and remove the seeds from the pumpkin before making this recipe. 
  • Allspice
  • Sea salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Fresh thyme
  • Cayenne pepper – This is an optional ingredient that can be skipped if you don’t like spicy food.
  • Vegetable broth
  • Coconut milk – I recommend using a full fat coconut milk. 
  • Lime juice – For best results, use fresh-squeezed lime juice. 

Can You Use Pumpkin Puree? 

I like to use fresh pumpkins for this recipe, as they have the best pumpkin flavor. They’re also usually quite affordable. However, you can absolutely use canned pumpkin puree instead of fresh pumpkins. All you need to do is replace the raw pumpkin with the same weight of pumpkin puree. Just make sure that you’re using unseasoned, unsweetened pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. 

How to Make Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

Here’s how to make this easy and comforting soup recipe. 

  • Prep the slow cooker. Turn your slow cooker on. You can turn it on low or high, depending on how much time you have. 
  • Add the oil. Place the oil inside the slow cooker. 
  • Add most of the ingredients. Put the pumpkin, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, allspice, cayenne pepper, veggie broth, and coconut milk in the slow cooker. Mix all of the ingredients together. 
  • Cook the soup. Cook the pumpkin soup in the slow cooker for 4 hours on high heat, or for 8 hours on low heat. 
  • Add the lime juice. When the soup is done cooking, stir in the lime juice. Cook in the slow cooker for 5 more minutes, then turn off the slow cooker.
  • Blend. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully pour the soup into a standing blender and blend until smooth.
  • Season. Once the soup is smooth, add salt and pepper to taste, then serve. 

Recipe Tips

Here are a few different things that you can do to ensure that this slow cooker pumpkin soup winds up perfect every time you make it. 

  • Don’t skimp on the blending. One of the most critical parts of a good soup is the texture. This soup should be as smooth as possible, so make sure you thoroughly blend it to remove all the lumps and chunks. You won’t damage the soup by blending it for a long time, so when in doubt, keep blending! 
  • Make ahead of time. Soup is kind of like a marinade. The more time it has to sit, the stronger the flavors get. I recommend making this soup a day ahead of time and storing in the fridge. That will give the flavors more time to meld together, and the flavors will become even more intense. 
  • Use a homemade broth. There are a lot of great vegetable broths on the market these days. But they still can’t compare to homemade stock. For the most flavorful slow cooker pumpkin soup, try making your own vegetable broth
Two hands holding a slow cooker full of pumpkin soup, garnished with coconut milk and thyme, next to a wooden ladle, a spoon, and a bowl of soup

Variations

Want to play with this slow cooker pumpkin soup recipe? Here are a few variations you can try. 

  • Make it spicier. This recipe has some optional cayenne pepper in it. If you’re a big fan of spice, you can increase the amount of cayenne, or add some red chili flakes as well. You could even add a fresh chili to the recipe, or garnish with some jalapeño slices. 
  • Add more fall flavors. The allspice in this recipe really goes well with the pumpkin. If you want to make the dish even more autumnal, you can add a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg. You can also add a little ginger, either dried or fresh. 
  • Top with fun garnishes. I think that garnishing soup is underrated. You can top this soup with extra coconut milk, fresh parsley, fresh thyme, shaved almonds, avocado slices, or croutons. 
  • Make it low fat. You’ll get the richest soup possible with full fat coconut milk, but if you feel like making this recipe even healthier, you can use a low fat coconut milk. Don’t worry, the soup will still be very rich and comforting. 
A bowl of pumpkin soup with a spoon in it, on top of a kitchen towel, next to thyme sprigs, a slow cooker, and another bowl of soup

What to Serve With Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup 

This cozy soup goes really well with a side of bread, or some hearty vegetables. Here are a few of my favorite things to serve it with.

A bowl of pumpkin soup garnished with coconut milk and a thyme sprig

How to Store and Reheat

Store this slow cooker pumpkin soup in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for up to 5 days. Reheat the soup on the stovetop over low heat until it is hot. Depending on how much soup you have, this will take between 3 and 10 minutes. You can also reheat the soup in the slow cooker, on the low setting. This method will take between 10 and 20 minutes. 

The soup often thickens up in the fridge, so you may need to add a little water to it before reheating.

Can You Freeze Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup?

Absolutely! You can keep this soup in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw or defrost before heating. Freezing the soup will often separate it, so you may need to blend the soup again when you reheat it. 

A bowl of pumpkin soup garnished with coconut milk and a thyme sprig
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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

This slow cooker pumpkin soup recipe is the perfect fall meal. It's full of rich, creamy pumpkin flavor, and is 100% vegan!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 220kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced (or half a large red onion)
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 1/2 pounds pumpkin weighed after being peeled and seeded, chopped into 1 to 2-inch cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice

Instructions

  • Turn your slow cooker on to warm while you prep the ingredients.
  • Add in the oil or vegan butter.
  • Add in the onion, garlic, pumpkin, allspice, sea salt, ground black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, vegetable broth and the coconut milk. Stir to combine.
  • Set the slow cooker to high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours and let the veggies cook down together. At the end, stir in the lime juice and let it cook for about 5 more minutes.
  • Turn your slow cooker off and using your immersion blender, blend all the ingredients together until fully smooth. If you don’t have a blender you can carefully transfer the soup to a blender to blend completely.
  • Taste and add salt and pepper to taste if necessary. The salt will depend on how salty your vegetable broth is.
  • Serve into bowls and top with garnish – I love extra coconut milk, parsley or even a touch more cayenne on top (optional). Enjoy!!

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop or in a slow cooker on low heat. 

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 713mg | Potassium: 809mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 16326IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 4mg
Recipe Rating