Since our two pumpkin plants can produce 35 to 50 Hokkaido pumpkins in a good year, autumn naturally gives us plenty of opportunities to experiment with pumpkin. And that’s exactly how this recipe came about.
First, I make a simple base soup with Hokkaido pumpkin, root vegetables and potatoes. It already tastes delicious on its own, but it can also be frozen very easily in individual portions. Later, you can refine the soup in many different ways – Mediterranean-style with herbs, Asian-inspired with chili and coconut milk, autumnal with chestnuts, or simply according to your own taste.
This way, one basic recipe can become a whole range of different pumpkin soups. It’s ideal if you want to use up several Hokkaido pumpkins without serving exactly the same soup every time.
The pumpkin soup is also perfect as a party soup, as a warming dinner or – served a little more simply – as a starter for an autumn menu.
Ingredients
First published on November 14, 2018 · Updated in August 2026
For the Basic Soup
Preparation time: 20 min. | Cooking time: 20 min. | Total time: 40 min. | Servings: 8 | approx. 170 kcal per serving
- 1 Hokkaido pumpkin
- 2 l vegetable stock, plus a little more if needed
- 2 onions
- 1 celeriac
- 2 carrots
- 2 potatoes
- 1/2 bunch of parsley
- vegetable oil or olive oil
- salt and pepper
To Refine the Soup
- pumpkin seed oil – for seasoning or decorating (see below)
- chili
- garlic
I usually use olive oil. If you don’t want the flavor of the oil to dominate, a neutral vegetable oil is a better choice.
Pumpkin seed oil isn’t essential, but it is an excellent addition for seasoning and decorating the soup. And chili? A little heat never hurts. Garlic either.
Preparation
Wash the Hokkaido pumpkin thoroughly, remove the stem and quarter the pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon, then cut the flesh into smaller pieces.
One of the great advantages of Hokkaido pumpkin is that the skin is edible and does not need to be removed.
Clean or peel the onions, celeriac, carrots and potatoes and cut everything into small pieces.
Heat a little oil in a large enough pot and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the remaining vegetables and the pumpkin and sauté briefly.
Pour in water or vegetable stock until the vegetables are just covered. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15–20 minutes, until the pumpkin and vegetables are tender.
Season with salt and pepper, then purée the soup until creamy using an immersion blender.
Depending on the desired consistency, add a little more water or vegetable stock.
And now comes the real trick: You can either serve the base soup immediately or freeze it in individual portions and reinterpret it again and again using one of the following variations.
Variations
With just a few additional ingredients, the basic soup can be turned into many different pumpkin soups.
Mediterranean Pumpkin Soup
For a Mediterranean version, you can cook additional tomatoes and zucchini with the soup or sauté them separately and add them afterwards.
Good seasonings include:
See also the recipe for Butternut and Hokkaido Pumpkin Soup.
Asian-Inspired Pumpkin Soup
This is where things can get a little more spicy. These ingredients work particularly well:
- chili
- garlic
- ginger
- coriander
- turmeric
- curry
- coconut milk
Pan-fried prawns or pan-fried scampi make an excellent topping.
Autumn Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup
For a particularly autumnal version, purée cooked chestnuts into the soup or add them finely chopped.
Roasted bacon or crispy bacon adds a savory contrast to the slightly sweet pumpkin soup.
More Pumpkin Soup Recipes
Looking for more ideas? In my collection you’ll find more pumpkin soup recipes, along with plenty of tips and tricks for making pumpkin soup.
Where to Buy
Pumpkin Seed Oil
Kräuterland steirisches Bio Kürbiskernöl 250ml aus gerösteten Kürbiskernen*
Kürbishof DEIMEL Steiermark/Austria – 500 ml Dose Original Steirisc
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. These links are marked as affiliate links and lead to the respective products using my tracking ID leckerwirtz-21.
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Happy cooking!
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