This Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup is made with pumpkin puree, sweet potatoes, onion and the best sweet and savory blend of fall spices. Prepped in just 15 minutes and cooked in the slow cooker, this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.
Cooking with pumpkin is one of my favorite ways to welcome the cooler weather and change of seasons. It goes well with both sweet and savory recipes and pairs well with some of my favorite warm and cozy spices.
For a sweet pumpkin treat, try my Pumpkin Banana Muffins.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Dairy-free and gluten-free. This pumpkin soup is made with vegetable broth and without cream, making it suitable for most dietary restrictions. If you're vegan, you'll also love my Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta Sauce.
- Healthy and great for meal prep. This soup is hands-off so it's easy to make ahead of time and enjoy throughout the week. It's full of healthy ingredients and is low in fat. If you are a fan of this soup, try my chicken potato soup next!
- Freezer-friendly. Since this pumpkin sweet potato soup does not contain any cream or dairy, you don't have to worry about the soup separating once frozen. Freeze for up to six months for best results.
- Easy clean-up. Since this soup is made in a slow cooker, it requires minimal dishes, making the clean-up even easier!
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
This healthy pumpkin sweet potato soup uses simple ingredients and can easily be tweaked to use whatever you have at home in your pantry.
- Pumpkin puree - For the quickest, easiest dinner, make pumpkin soup with canned pumpkin. No need to put in the work to prep and roast your own pumpkins ahead of time! Make sure to use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Sweet potatoes - Fresh, peeled sweet potatoes add the perfect sweetness to this sweet potato pumpkin soup. I used classic garnet sweet potatoes with orange flesh.
- Onion - The sharp, savoriness of the yellow onion balances the sweetness of the pumpkin and sweet potato. Using fresh onions is essential - substituting onion powder is not recommended.
- Spices - You'll need a blend of salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and paprika. For smokier pumpkin and sweet potato soup, use smoked paprika in place of the sweet paprika.
- Bay leaf - The bay leaf adds a subtle woodsy and slightly sweet flavor to the soup, adding an extra layer of depth. I recommend just 1 or 2 bay leaves as they can be very strong and make sure you remove them before serving as they are not meant to be eaten. You can use thyme, oregano or rosemary in place of the bay leaf.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
📖Variations
- Sweet potato substitutions: Try cubed butternut squash for butternut squash soup, yams or another type of squash like Honeynut squash, acorn squash, or delicata squash.
- Veggie broth substitutions: If you'd like, use chicken broth or beef broth. You could also use a low-sodium vegetable broth if you are sensitive to sodium.
- Pumpkin puree options: I used a can of pumpkin puree, however, you can make your own pumpkin puree at home with roasted pumpkin. Alternatively, you can use butternut squash puree.
- Add spice: This recipe isn't spicy but if your prefer some heat, add some chili pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the soup.
- Change the texture: If you prefer a thinner soup, use more vegetable broth and a few less sweet potatoes. For a thicker sweet potato soup, use less broth and/or blend the soup for less time to leave it slightly chunky.
🔪Instructions
Step 1: I recommend peeling the sweet potatoes first to make it extra easy to blend silky smooth. Then, cut the onion and sweet potato into wedges or triangles. It does not need to be very small or the exact same size - it will get blended smooth in the end. A rough chop is completely okay.
Step 2: Add all ingredients to the slow cooker bowl. Stir to combine until evenly distributed. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Step 3: Blend until smooth. Turn off the slow cooker, remove the bay leaf, then blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender. Serve and enjoy.
How to Blend This Soup
Be extremely careful when blending hot soup, whether you are using an immersion blender or a countertop blender. Hot liquids can expand rapidly when blending, causing them to splatter and potentially burn someone.
Immersion Blender Method:
- Allow the soup to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Insert the immersion blender into the soup and start blending the soup at low speed, keeping the blender submerged in the soup to prevent it from splattering.
- Move the blender around to ensure even blending. Blend until it has reached your desired texture and consistency.
Regular Blender Method:
- Allow the soup to cool for 5-10 minutes until it is no longer steaming.
- Using a ladle, add the soup to the blender until it is just half full.
- Place the lid on the blender and either remove the center cap or leave it slightly open to allow the steam to escape. You can place a folded kitchen towel over the opening to prevent splatter but still allow the steam to get through.
- Hold the lid firmly in place and start blending at a low speed. You can gradually increase the speed of your blending.
- Repeat with the remaining soup and add it back to the pot.
💭Recipe FAQs
This slow cooker pumpkin soup tastes rich and creamy without cream, however, if you'd like to add cream, full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream are the best options to use.
If your soup is grainy, chances are your sweet potatoes were not fork-tender. Make sure the potatoes are cooked through all the way to avoid a grainy texture. This pumpkin and sweet potato soup should be velvety smooth.
No, the sweet potato and pumpkin soup can be blended warm. When using an immersion blender to blend a hot soup, start on a very low setting on the immersion blender to prevent splatter. Slowly increase power as needed. This will help avoid making a mess or potentially burning yourself.
I recommend a 7-quart slow cooker. I just use this simple manual slow cooker from Crock-Pot brand.
Yes! To make this soup on the stove:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Next, cook the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. To the pot, add the remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer for 25-30 minutes until the sweet potato is tender.
5. Turn off the heat, blend the soup with an immersion blender and serve.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- Depending on the brand and age of your slow cooker, yours may run hotter or colder than mine. Check the tenderness of the potatoes after 6 hours.
- Use an immersion blender over a regular blender for less mess. If you do use a blender, be extremely careful when blending the hot soup. Blend in small batches to prevent spills.
- Blend your soup for just a few minutes if you want it to remain slightly chunky.
🥗What to Serve with Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
This sweet potato soup is great served on its own but you can also add roasted pumpkin seeds, sour cream or crumbled bacon. I also recommend some fresh herbs and toasted bread for dipping!
If you are looking to serve sweet potato soup as a side dish, serve it with my Pan Seared Chicken, Easy Baked Halibut, or Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Breasts.
If this is your main dish, serve it with a side of roasted sweet potato salad or maple-glazed Brussels sprouts. An apple cider margarita is the perfect cocktail to pair with this soup.
Storage and Reheating
- Make sure to allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature before storing.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- The slow cooker pumpkin soup can be frozen for up to 6 months if stored properly in a freezer-safe container or bag.
- Let the soup defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warm or in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
- When reheating, add some additional broth as the soup will thicken when stored.
More Easy Soups and Stews You May Like
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating & comment below to let me know how it came out. Thanks for visiting!
🍳Recipe
Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
Equipment
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Begin by prepping your ingredients. Cut the onion and sweet potato into wedges or triangles. The pieces don't have to be very small or exactly the same size.
- Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Turn off the slow cooker, blend the soup with an immersion blender and serve.
Video
Notes
- Depending on the brand and age of your slow cooker, yours may run hotter or colder than mine. Check the tenderness of the potatoes after 6 hours.
- Use an immersion blender over a regular blender for less mess. If you do use a blender, be extremely careful when blending the hot soup. Blend in small batches to prevent spills. Check out my tips on how to safely blend hot soup here.
- Blend your soup for just a few minutes if you want it to remain slightly chunky.
- Make sure to allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature before storing.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- The slow cooker pumpkin soup can be frozen for up to 6 months if stored properly in a freezer-safe container or bag.
- Let the soup defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warm or in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
- When reheating, add some additional broth as the soup will thicken when stored.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Nora Ortiz says
What size can of pumpkin purée?
Sarah Hill says
Hi Nora, 15 ounce can. I apologize for the oversight, I just added this to the recipe card.