This pumpkin and chickpea soup has a deep, well-rounded flavour with simple everyday ingredients. A dairy-free, wholefood soup that is perfect for warming you up during the cooler months!
When I started dating my husband Michael, he was never a big fan of soup, especially pumpkin soup. I grew up on soups.
Everything from a hearty, creamy soup to a more simple congee style soup to soothe the tummy.
One thing that happened when we moved out together was that I wasn’t as good at making the soups I loved as my parents and older sister were.
I always tried to make it more interesting and get Michael just a little more excited about it. However, he always commented saying that “it’s not bad” but still felt like he was getting full from just water. “Not bad” just wasn’t good enough for me!
So I made soups very rarely or only for myself as I knew he wasn’t a fan. But I didn’t want to give up. I wanted to create soups that he actually looked forward to.
A lot of trial and error—more failures than successes, but this one is a winner. He now gets excited when I make this soup. The first time he had it, he couldn’t get enough! I was so happy. Now we can both enjoy soup together.
You don’t realise that sharing food with people that you love can be so powerful. Coming from an eastern European background, I guess deep down inside; this was important to me. I wanted my husband to enjoy and get excited about my cooking. Well, I guess I’ve done it!
I hope that this resonates with some of you that may go through the same thing. In my experience, I’ve noticed that many males aren’t the biggest fans of soup. I’m sure this one will win them over.
Pumpkin and chickpea soup with a twist
You’ll get the depth of flavour by roasting the vegetables first, that deeper flavour profile rather than just boiling them.
The combination of spices and the curried croutons on the top is what really makes this pumpkin and chickpea soup shine.
It’s super simple to make, and it’s very filling! Perfect for leftovers as well.
A few tips for making this vegan pumpkin soup
One thing that you can add to the soup when it’s boiling for the first time is some leftover cauliflower leaves and broccoli stalks. I throw in a few of them as well if I have them in the fridge. It doesn’t change the flavour at all. If anything, it enhances it.
You can make this soup ahead of time and warm it up when you’re ready to serve. The curried crouton and chickpea topping should be done just before serving as it will be nice and warm. You’ll also avoid having soggy bread in your soup. No one wants that!
You can freeze this pumpkin soup (without the topping) for up to 2-3 months. Make sure to let it completely cool, and when pouring into the container, leave a little room at the top to allow for expansion.
Thaw it out on the bench or in the fridge overnight. Mmmm….warm soup. Nothing beats it!
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Vegan Miso Soup With Veggies & Noodles (Gluten-Free)
- Mushroom & Thyme Soup
- African Vegan Peanut Soup
- Immune Boosting Bean Soup
- One-Pot French Lentil, Mushroom and Sage Stew
If you try this recipe, let me know! I would love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
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Pumpkin and Chickpea Soup with Curried Croutons
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 5
Description
A pumpkin soup recipe with a twist that even the fussiest eaters will enjoy! It’s full of flavour and depth.
Ingredients
- 1kg / 2.2 pounds butternut pumpkin, chopped into cubes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 red bell pepper (capsicum), chopped roughly
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2-inch piece of ginger, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, cut in halves
- Half a red chilli, chopped roughly (deseeded if too hot for you, I deseed)
- 8 cups / 2 litres vegetable stock (or boiling water)
Topping
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 can / 400g / 14.10 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 slices of thick bread, chopped into cubes (we used sourdough)
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- A handful of chopped coriander/cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celcius (390 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Place the pumpkin, oil, and salt in a baking tray and mix well, so the oil and salt cover the pumpkin and place it in the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then add in the bell pepper, toss well before putting back in the oven, and bake for another 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, place a large saucepan on medium-high heat and add the onion, ginger, garlic, chilli and stock. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for around 20 minutes.
- Once the vegetables have finished baking, add them to the pot and simmer all together for a further 10-15 minutes to infuse all the flavours together, and everything becomes nice and soft.
- Let the soup cool if needed to add to your blender safely.
- Make the topping: In the meantime, add all the topping ingredients besides the coriander to a frying pan and pan-fry until the bread becomes crispy on the edges. Toss often to distribute the ingredients. Set aside.
- Once the soup has cooled a little, add the soup to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve the soup and add the topping in the middle in a line, and add some coriander.
- Serve straight away.
Notes
Note: If your blender is not good with hot liquids, please let it cool for at least 30 minutes before blending. My blender can handle it, and I make sure I take extreme care.
- Diet: Vegan
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This sounds so yummy, I can’t wait to make it. I think the nutrition information is off though. Thanks for sharing!
Sorry, I missed your comment, Marie. Thank you for letting me know! I’ve noticed most of my automated nutritional information is unfortunately wrong so I have removed it. I hope you enjoy the soup!
I don’t think I would make this again. But, my neighbors loved it! I discarded the extra water to have a richer soup. I also put croutons in over for crispy texture, and I used chili powder and ginger powder instead of the fresh ginger and chili. It was a bit bland for my taste, but the curry croutons and chickpeas were really flavorful. My neighbors loved it and I gave them the rest of what I had. Full disclosure, it was my first time tasting butternut squash soup.
The recipe calls for butternut pumpkin. Do you mean, pumpkin or butternut squash?
Hi Paula, we call butternut squash butternut pumpkin in Australia, so yes, it’s all the same thing 🙂