Lemongrass Pumpkin Soup
Luscious and creamy Lemongrass Pumpkin Soup pairs roasted pumpkin with Vietnamese flavors to create your next favorite pumpkin soup. This easy soup hits all the right spots for dinner on a cold and dark night.
Why this recipe works
After a prolific harvest of pumpkin from our garden this year, I’ve been playing around with different flavor combination to use with pumpkin. An unexpected star was the combination of pumpkin with common Vietnamese condiments- sriracha, soy sauce, and lime juice. Using this flavor pairing as the inspiration for this soup, I added in more Vietnamese ingredients like lemongrass, shallots, ginger, and coconut milk, that all blend together into this silky and flavor-packed Lemongrass Pumpkin Soup.
One of my least favorite kitchen tasks is to peel and cube pumpkins and winter squashes. To simplify the prep in this recipe, I bring you one of my favorite hacks- cut the pumpkin in half and it roast as-is. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin halves, lightly coat in oil, and roast cut-side down until super soft. Once cooked, the pumpkin easily scoops out.
While the pumpkin is roasting, chop and prep the remaining ingredients. Sauté the aromatics and spices, and once the pumpkin is cooked, scoop out the flesh and add to the soup along with the broth and remaining ingredients. A quick simmer gives time for the flavors to meld together, and then blend the soup and serve.
If you want to prep in advance, the roast the pumpkin halves, scoop out the flesh into an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for 3 days, or freezer for up to 3 months.
Ingredient Notes
Pumpkin. My go to pumpkin for cooking and baking is the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, which grows prolifically in our garden (we harvested 16 pumpkins from 4 plants this year!!). Use your favorite pumpkin or winter squash variety, like kabocha, red kuri, or butternut. If you’re short on time, canned pumpkin puree (just be sure to not use canned pumpkin pie filling) can also be substituted (you’ll need 2 cans).
If you have extra pumpkin puree leftover, blend it together and store for use in other recipes. Add 1/2 c pumpkin puree to your next soup, chili, or marinara sauce. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Aromatics. This soup starts out by sautéing shallots (or onion), garlic, and ginger in neutral flavored oil (like canola or vegetable oil). This sets the baseline that the rest of the soup’s flavors build on.
Lemongrass. Brings citrusy, zippy, and bright flavor and aroma to the soup. Look for tightly wrapped and fragrant stalks. To prep, trim off the woody green top and the tough base. Remove any loose outer layers. Whack the stalk a couple of times with a heavy saucepan or mallet to break up some of the fibers.
Bruising the trimmed lemongrass breaks up some of the tough fibers of the stalks, allowing the flavor to be released into the soup. Added along with the aromatics left in as the soup simmers lets the lemongrass flavors infuse into the soup. Remove and discard the stalks before blending.
Spices. Turmeric enhances the soup’s a sunny yellow color and gives a antioxidant boost. Cinnamon and cardamon add warmth and depth to the soup.
Coconut Milk. Full fat will produce the best richness and texture, but reduced-fat coconut milk could be substituted in a pinch.
This recipe calls for 1/2 a can of coconut milk. Use the other 1/2 of the can for my Coconut Pumpkin Pie and Meal-Prepped Overnight Oats recipes. Or the remaining coconut milk can be transferred to a freezer-safe container and frozen for up to 3 months.
Vietnamese Flavors
Soy sauce. Adds a savory depth.
Lime juice. Acid to balance out the creaminess and richness of the pumpkin and coconut milk.
Sriracha. A touch of heat that is a truly magical combined with the natural sweetness of the pumpkin.
Toppings
Coconut milk. Reserve a couple of teaspoons of coconut milk to drizzle onto each bowl.
Fresh herbs. Lots of fresh cilantro (or Thai basil!) to keep with the Vietnamese flavors.
Sriracha. Add a drizzle of sriracha to make it spicier.
Pepitas. Adds texture and crunch.
Lemongrass Pumpkin Soup
PRINT PINIngredients
- 2.5 lb pumpkin or winter squash or 2 cans of pumpkin puree
- 3 tbsp canola divided
- 2 shallots or 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 lemongrass stalks bruised (see notes below)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp cardamon optional but really great
- 4 c vegetable broth
- ½ can full-fat coconut milk (about 1 c) reserve a couple of tsp for toppings if desired
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp sriracha plus more to taste
Toppings
- fresh cilantro or Thai basil
- reserved coconut milk
- sriracha
- pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Halve and seed pumpkin. Coat in 1 tbsp oil and place on baking sheet cut-side down. Roast until flesh very soft, 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out pumpkin flesh and measure out 4 c, set aside.
- In large pot heat remain oil over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and lemongrass. Sauté another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add turmeric, cinnamon, cardamon, and salt. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add broth and pumpkin flesh. Simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes.
- Turn off heat and blend soup until smooth with an immersion blender. Stir in coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice, and sriracha. Pumpkins vary in water content, so if your soup is too thick, add water a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Adjust seasoning to taste and laddle into bowls. Top with chopped cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and more sriracha.
Nice soup, Sammy!