Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup

$6.98 recipe / $1.16 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.57 from 16 votes
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This Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup is a keeper! It’s super quick to make and insanely delicious—my favorite combination. It’s light enough to act as a starter or side for your meal, or you can pair it with some naan bread for a light lunch. Want to bulk it out a little and turn it into a full meal? Add some shredded rotisserie chicken and you’re good to go. This bones of this super are very simple, so once you learn them you can start making modifications and adaptations to give it new life every time you make it!

Top view of a bowl of Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup in a white bowl with a wooden spoon on the side

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This soup is creamier than my easy pumpkin soup recipe but not overly heavy, which makes it doable despite the strong summer heat. It’s also spicy, thanks to the crushed red pepper flakes, but the heat is completely customizable. If you’re a little sensitive when it comes to heat, start with half the amount of red pepper flakes and work up from there. OR season it up with a mild curry powder, in place of the cumin and crushed red pepper, for maximum flavor without the heat.

I garnished my Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup with a little plain yogurt, sriracha (because I need even MORE heat, duh), and a few pepitas that I had left in my cabinet. The cool, tart flavor of the yogurt was a nice contrast if you have some on hand, but the soup is just as awesome on its own without any fancy toppings. :)

White bowl full of Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup with spoon
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Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup

4.57 from 16 votes
This Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup is perfectly balanced with creamy coconut milk, spicy red pepper flakes and pumpkin’s natural subtle sweetness.
Spicy coconut pumpkin soup in a bowl with a wooden spoon.
Servings 6 about 1.25 cups each
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.12)
  • 1 yellow onion ($0.25)
  • 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated ($0.16)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.05)
  • 1 15oz. can pumpkin puree ($2.37)
  • 1 14oz. can coconut milk ($1.99)
  • 3 cups chicken broth ($0.39)
  • Salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
  • 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.20)

GARNISHES (optional)

  • 3/4 cup plain yogurt ($0.37)
  • 3 Tbsp Sriracha ($0.15)
  • 3 Tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas) ($0.59)
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Instructions 

  • Mince or grate the ginger using a fine-holed cheese grater. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the ginger, garlic, and onion to a pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium-low heat until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
  • Add the cumin and red pepper to the pot. Stir and cook for about 1-2 minutes to allow the spices to toast just slightly.
  • Add the pumpkin purée and coconut milk to the pot and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth and stir to combine again. Turn the heat up to medium and allow the soup to heat through. Once heated, taste and add salt and pepper to your liking (I added 1/4 tsp salt and 10 cranks of the pepper mill).
  • Rinse the cilantro, pull the leaves from the stems, and then give them a rough chop. Stir in a handful of the chopped cilantro just before serving. If you want a smooth soup with no chunks of onion, use an immersion blender prior to adding the cilantro.
  • If desired, garnish each bowl with 2 Tbsp plain yogurt, a drizzle of sriracha, and a sprinkle of pepitas.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1.25CupsCalories: 63.09kcalCarbohydrates: 5.49gProtein: 1.49gFat: 3.09gSodium: 567.06mgFiber: 2.05g
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Love savory pumpkin recipes? You should also try our Curried Red Lentil and Pumpkin SoupChipotle Pumpkin Pasta, or Easy Pumpkin Soup.

Top view of a white bowl of Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup with a wooden spoon on the side

How to Make Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup – Step By Step Photos

Ginger and grater

Grate about 1 Tbsp fresh ginger using a small-holed cheese grater. Grating ginger is a LOT easier when it’s frozen, so I usually keep a knob in my freezer. As long as you make sure the skin is well cleaned, you don’t need to peel it first. If grating is difficult, you can mince the ginger instead. 

Onion, Garlic, Ginger in pot

Also mince two cloves of garlic and finely dice one onion. Place the onion, ginger, and garlic in a soup pot with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium-low heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).

Cumin and Red Pepper flakes added to onion mixture in pot

Then add 1 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. If you’re sensitive to heat, start with half the red pepper flakes and add more at the end if you want to increase the heat. Continue to stir and cook for about one more minute.

Canned Pumpkin Purée

Next add one 15oz. can pumpkin purée, NOT canned pumpkin pie filling. ;)

Coconut Milk in can

And one 14oz. can of coconut milk. Stir the coconut milk and pumpkin together until they’re well mixed. The first time I made this recipe I used Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk and it was much thicker than this Goya brand, so my final soup was also a bit thicker. Both soups tasted great, but the different brands of coconut milk did give the soup different textures.

Chicken Better Than Bouillon in jar

And finally, add 3 cups of chicken broth. I use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make my broth because it’s super convenient, inexpensive, has less packaging than 38 cups worth of canned or boxed broths, and lasts just about forever in the fridge. This also comes in organic or low sodium versions, BTW. #notsponsored

top view of soup mixture in pot


Turn the heat up to medium and allow the soup to heat through. Taste the soup and adjust the salt as needed, and add a little freshly cracked pepper. The amount of salt you’ll need will depend on the type of broth you use. I only added 1/4 tsp, but it really helped the flavors pop.

Chopped Cilantro being added to pot of soup

While the soup is heating, rinse 1/4 bunch of cilantro, pull the leaves from the stems, and roughly chop them. Add the chopped cilantro to the soup just before serving.

Top view of inished Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup in pot


And there you have it! A super fast and easy Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup. 

White bowl full of Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup with wooden spoon on the side


I sprinkled a little crushed red pepper on top, drizzled some sriracha and plain yogurt, and added some pepitas that I found in my pantry. :) Beautiful AND delicious.

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  1. As someone who cooks all the time at home I found this recipe intriguing. Upon delivery??? 95 thumbs down.

  2. This came our way too watery for me. I had to add a lot of extra pumpkin for the right consistency. Not sure what I did wrong.ย 

  3. Made this for the second time! Both times, I made it into an entree, serving with warm naan. And using coconut oil instead of olive oil. The first time I used plain already cooked chicken, brown lentils (undercooked), and canellini beans. The second was hand shredded rotisserie chicken and great northern beans. For toppings, just cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and toasted coconut. Everything was great, but next time we want more of a pumpkin, autumnal flavor profile. Not sure how to achieve that though

  4. Love this soup! Made just as listed except used vegetable stock instead of chicken as w are vegetarian. Had with warm Nan bread. Wonderful.

  5. I made it this past weekend and I love it! The aromas that came while making the soup was so comforting. It is super filling with a pack full of flavors. As leftovers, they taste even better. This will become a go to recipe when needing a quick soup recipe. Especially on cold winter nights.

    1. You could roast the pumpkin and then turn it into purรฉe first, then use it in the recipe as instructed.

  6. Super easy and delicious. I tried to add the same toppings to mine but the yogurt and sriracha just sunk to the bottom, so not as pretty.ย 

  7. Iโ€™m not usually a soup person, but this was delicious and even better as leftovers! I added some garlic and onion powder along with a pound of chopped mushrooms, and served with your freezer garlic bread. So good!

    1. That’s great to hear that we’ve helped you find a soup worth repeating! That garlic bread does pair well with so many soups.

  8. This is such an easy fall/winter soup and it’s so filling! I actually added a tiny tiny bit of cinnamon that really made the flavors of the pumpkin and coconut pop, but it also brings out a little more sweetness which may not be everyone’s cup of tea — i rounded it out at the ended with a bit more minced garlic and that did the trick. It’s so good and it looks gorgeous; I can’t wait to ‘show off’ for friends and make it for a party.

  9. This is so yum! ย i am acquiring a taste for Sriracha!

    Love your recipes, this is only source I use to prepare my meals.

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