Thai Pumpkin Curry Soup is one of my favorite variations of a hearty pumpkin soup. I am a huge fan of Thai food and flavors. This soup is creamy from the coconut milk and spicy from the red Thai curry paste. Perfect for a chilly fall evening.

Fall is upon us and that means cooler weather, boots and sweaters, leaves changing colors and swapping out popsicle recipes for soup recipes. It also means all things pumpkin. Even though the weather in Las Vegas is still pretty warm and I am still wearing shorts and flip flops, I am already craving soups and this hits the spot.

This Thai Pumpkin Curry Soup is a great twist on a traditional squash soup. Thai red chile paste, creamy coconut milk and lime juice are the stars of this pumpkin soup along with lemongrass. Using canned pumpkin puree is a shortcut which helps make this recipe go from start to table in 30 minutes.

 If you want to roast a fresh sugar pie pumpkin, I highly suggest it since fresh has a different flavor from canned but it tends to be a bit more watery than canned so keep that in mind if using fresh. Canned is available year round so when fresh pumpkins aren’t in season and you are craving this soup you still have that option available to you.

This soup also makes for a great starter for a fall dinner party or for Thanksgiving. Make ahead of time and freeze, reheat and keep warm for serving. Don’t forget the garnishes. Crumbled dried Thai chiles, fresh cilantro, pumpkin seeds and toasted coconut flakes. Remove the seeds from the Thai chiles unless you like to brave the heat that comes from the seeds.

Thai Pumpkin Curry Soup

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Ingredients

• Ingredients:
• 1 TBSP Coconut Oil
• 1/2 C Sweet Onion, chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 3-4” piece of Lemongrass, smashed and lightly sliced ( not cut all the way through)
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 tsp ground Coriander
• 1 tsp ground Cumin
• 3 Tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
• 3 C Pumpkin Puree
• 2-3 C Chicken broth
• 1 15 oz Can Coconut Milk
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt

Toppings:

• Coconut Milk
• Toasted Coconut Flakes
• Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Thai Chile Flakes, crumbled

Instructions

Heat coconut oil in a large stock pot, soup pot or dutch oven. Sauté the onion, garlic, lemongrass until onion is translucent and starting to brown. Add in the ginger, coriander, cumin and red curry paste and stir for one minute. Then add in the pumpkin, 2 cups of the broth and the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes. 

Remove the lemongrass stalk and puree the mixture in batches using a blender. Return to pot and add lime juice, sugar and salt.  Taste and add more sugar or salt if desired. If a thinner soup is desired add in the remaining cup of broth. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Drizzle in a tablespoon or so of the coconut milk on top and lightly mix with a toothpick to8 create swirls. Then top with a tablespoon of each of the garnishes except the red chile flakes. Add those to taste since they are spicy. 

Notes

You can find lemongrass in well stocked grocery stores or Asian grocery stores with a produce section.

If you want to roast a fresh pumpkin to make your own puree feel free to do so. I like to use the puree in the cartons to save time.

This soup would also be delicious with other winter squashes such as acorn or butternut. I love all winter squashes in soups. Hearty, filling and delicious.