Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup (Curried, Creamy & Vegan)

You’ll fall in love with this lush, creamy Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup in no time. This flavorful vegan soup prepared with coconut milk and spices is perfect for warming you up on a chilly fall day!

Winter is approaching, and the temperatures are falling. So naturally, that means I’m always looking for comfort food to keep us cozy throughout the colder months. And what could be better than a large bowl of creamy vegan pumpkin curry soup?

My heart belongs to the soup, like my butternut squash soup! It is not just the perfect orange hue; it’s also healthy, nutritious, and deliciously creamy.

We love creamy, comforting soups like this cauliflower soup, butternut squash soup, and broccoli cheddar soup.

Easy Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup

This simple vegan pumpkin soup is the essence of the fall taste. It’s prepared with toasty warming spices and finished with coconut milk for an extra creamy texture. Great to make for your thanksgiving dinner too.

You can make this soup in the instant pot (pressure cooker) or stovetop. I have included instructions for both methods in the recipe.

Instant pot is the perfect gadget to make soup. It makes it so quick and easy to make soups. You won’t believe I have 20+ vegetarian soup recipes on the blog.

Why you’ll love this Curried Pumpkin Soup?

• Super easy to make in the instant pot!
• Comforting, healthy, and so creamy.
• Perfectly spiced.
• Loved by the whole family!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Pumpkin: Peeled and cut into 1-2 inches. Peeling and cutting the fresh pumpkin is the most challenging part of the soup. Think about the creamy soup, and cutting it will be easier 😊. That said, you can also use pumpkin puree to make this soup. You will need to pressure cook for less time if using the puree. Here is my recipe for making pumpkin puree from a whole pumpkin in an instant pot. You can also roast pumpkin and use the pulp to make the soup.

Yellow onion, Ginger, and Garlic: They create a flavorful base for the soup when combined.

Spices: You’ll need turmeric, ground cumin, garam masala, and coriander powder. You can also substitute these spices with 1.5 tablespoons of curry powder.

Coconut milk: I prefer using canned full-fat coconut milk. It will give the best creamy texture! If you prefer, you can use light coconut milk.

Lime juice: Fresh lime juice brings all the flavors together.

Vegetable broth: Vegetable stock provides flavor and richness, but you can substitute water if you have none.

Oil: I used avocado oil, but you can use any other oil as well.

Salt and pepper: Salt is necessary to bring out the natural pumpkin taste. You may adjust the amount of black pepper by adding more or less.

How to Make?

• Start the instant pot in saute mode and heat the oil in it. Add diced onions and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes. 
• Add pumpkin cubes, spices, and broth, and stir to combine. Press Cancel and close the lid with the vent in the sealing position.

• Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 10 mins.
• After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the pressure manually.
• Use an immersion blender to blend the soup to a creamy texture. You can also transfer to a blender such as Vitamix to blend the soup. Be careful and let the soup cool down before blending to avoid hot splatters.
• Add coconut milk and stir well. Add pepper and lime juice to taste.

Garnish with coconut milk, pumpkin seeds, cilantro, and red chili flakes.

Perfect thick and creamy pumpkin soup is ready to enjoy!

Variations

Classic Pumpkin Soup: In the classic version, onions and garlic provide the main flavor. Skip the spices and season with salt and pepper.

Spices: Instead of the mentioned spices, you can simplify and use 1.5 tablespoons of curry powder to make this curried pumpkin soup. 

Make it a Thai curried pumpkin soup: Add one tablespoon of Thai red curry paste to the soup, and skip the other spices.

Make it a Roasted Pumpkin Soup: Roast a whole pumpkin or cubes in the oven or air fryer. Then, use the cooked, roasted pumpkin in the recipe. Pressure cook for only 5 minutes.

Make it with pumpkin puree: I know to peel and cutting a pumpkin can be tricky. You can cook a whole pumpkin in the instant pot, take out the puree, and use it in this recipe. Pressure cook for only 5 minutes.

Add other veggies: I love to add carrots along with pumpkin soup to make pumpkin carrot soup. You can also make pumpkin apple soup by adding apples when making this soup.

Make it Non-vegan: I have shared here a no-cream pumpkin soup made with coconut milk. However, you can make this pumpkin soup with heavy whipping cream, full-fat milk, or half-and-half instead of coconut milk. It will just not be vegan anymore if you use dairy cream.  

Tips to Make Perfect Pumpkin Soup

Use the right pumpkin: You can use any pumpkin or butternut squash. But do not use Halloween pumpkins used for carving jack-o-lanterns (they are just not as tasty).

Frozen cubed pumpkin: You can use frozen pumpkin in this recipe too. You can add it to the instant pot without defrosting. The same cooking time will work.

Double the recipe: This recipe can be doubled in a 6qt instant pot. And you can easily freeze leftovers for another quick meal.

Don’t skip the toppings: Add pumpkin seeds, coconut milk, cilantro, and red chili flakes.

How to Store?

To Refrigerate: This soup can be refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container. 

To Freeze: You can also freeze the soup once it has cooled. Place it in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat before eating.

I hope you enjoy this lush, creamy pumpkin soup.

More Instant Pot Vegan Soups

• Vegan Cauliflower Soup
• Roasted Red Pepper & Carrot Soup
• Hearty Lentil Soup
• Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Sweet Potato Soup
• Roasted Pumpkin Soup