This Easy Pumpkin Soup combines canned pumpkin, coconut milk, sage, and bacon to create a rich, flavorful meal that comes together in minutes thanks to the Instant Pot.

Instant pot pumpkin soup in a grey bowl topped with bacon and sage on a marble board

This pumpkin soup recipe is the perfect way to welcome Fall. It’s warm, creamy, comforting, and so satisfying – just what you’d want on a chilly fall or winter day!

Oftentimes, it takes a lot of time to build flavor in a soup. But thanks to the Instant Pot, this rich and delicious recipe comes together lightning-fast! All it takes is 15 minutes of prep time, and 7 minutes cooking to create rich and robust flavor.   

This satisfying pumpkin soup can be a filling meal on its own, but it is also great alongside a winter vegetable slaw, grilled cheese, or crusty french bread. Or, if you prefer a more protein-heavy meal, it’s great alongside a main dish like roast chicken or pork loin. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Ready to eat in just 22 minutes flat!
  • Made with a delicious combination of pumpkin, bacon, sage, ginger, and fresh lemon juice for brightness
  • If you don’t have an Instant Pot, this recipe easily adapts to the stovetop

Pumpkin Soup Recipe Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need to cook up a batch of this delicious coconut milk-based soup. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.

Ingredients for easy pumpkin soup sit in a variety of bowls and plates on a light grey surface.
  • Bacon – 8 ounces of bacon
  • Broth – 2 cups of chicken broth
  • Pumpkin puree – 2 15-ounce cans of pumpkin puree
  • Coconut milk – 2 14-ounce cans of full-fat coconut milk
  • Salt – 1 -1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt, to taste
  • Dried sage – 1 teaspoon of dried rubbed sage
  • Ginger – 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • Black pepper – 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
  • Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • Fresh sage – fresh sage for garnish (optional)

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations and Modifications

Make this creamy pumpkin soup your own with a few simple tweaks:

  • Canned pumpkin v pumpkin puree – If using homemade pumpkin puree, reduce the amount of broth by 1/2 cup.
  • Stovetop method – If you don’t have an Instant Pot, it’s easy to make this soup on the stovetop instead. Just cook the bacon in a large pot. Add all of the ingredients except the lemon juice to the pot, then cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and taste for seasoning, then serve with crumbled bacon and fresh sage.

How to Make Pumpkin Soup

Making this soup is a total breeze! Just follow the steps below.

Bacon sits in an instant pot on a light grey surface.
Coconut milk is poured into an instant pot alongside pumpkin, broth and herbs on a light grey surface.

Step 1: First, you’ll use the ‘saute’ function on your Instant Pot to cook 8 ounces of bacon. Once it is crisp, remove it from the pot and set aside.

Step 2: Once you’ve removed the bacon, add the pumpkin, coconut milk, chicken broth, and spices and whisk to combine. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, make sure it is sealed and set it to cook for 7 minutes.

When the soup is done cooking, you can either let the pressure release naturally or release it manually. Then, you’ll stir in the lemon juice, taste for seasoning, and serve the soup topped with bacon and fresh cracked black pepper.

Pumpkin Soup Recipe Tips

If you’ve made pumpkin soup before and wondered “Why does my pumpkin soup taste bland?”, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with this flavorful and satisfying recipe. Here are a few ways to ensure delicious results:

Use bacon. There aren’t many dishes that bacon doesn’t improve, and this creamy pumpkin soup is no exception! The bacon grease helps give the soup richness and a slight smokiness, and the added bacon on top serves as another source of texture and flavor.

Make sure you’re using a thick pumpkin puree. Our top tip for making sure your pumpkin soup is creamy and thick starts with the pumpkin puree itself. While we opted for canned pumpkin puree because it is easiest to use, you can also use homemade pumpkin puree. Whichever route you choose, the key is to make sure your puree isn’t too watery. If you’re starting with a homemade pumpkin puree or you feel that your canned puree is a little bit on the watery side, we recommend reducing the amount of broth in this recipe by one half cup, then increasing at the end as needed to get to your desired thickness.

Add full-fat coconut milk. Canned, full-fat coconut milk is key to giving this pumpkin soup its thick and creamy consistency. Don’t skimp for light or boxed coconut milk!

Don’t be afraid to season. When you’re cooking soup on the stove, the liquid evaporates throughout the cooking process and concentrates the flavor of the dish. In the Instant Pot, this doesn’t happen – meaning you need to season more. For this reason, we also recommend tasting the soup for seasoning after you’ve cooked the soup and adding more salt, etc if needed.

How to Serve Pumpkin Soup

Once the soup is done cooking, stir the lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if needed, then serve with crumbled bacon and fresh chopped sage.

How to Store and Reheat Soup

Refrigerate the soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat gently and garnish with lemon juice, bacon crumbles, and fresh sage if desired. Or, freeze the soup for up to 6 months.

pumpkin soup topped with bacon and sage in a grey bowl on a marble board

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree?

The terms for different types of pumpkin can be quite confusing. Buying canned pumpkin is the easiest way to use this versatile squash in recipes both sweet and savory. Just make sure to look for cans labeled “100% pure pumpkin” so you’re getting simply puréed pumpkin that’s unsweetened and does not contain any added spices. 

Pumpkin puree, on the other hand, can either refer to unsweetened pumpkin in a can, fresh pumpkin that you’ve pureed at home. Both canned and pureed pumpkin may be used in savory recipes since they’re unsweetened and don’t contain spices or other ingredients.

What’s the difference between canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling?

While cans of pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling may sound interchangeable, they’re not! Especially when it comes to savory recipes, you don’t want to use cans of pumpkin pie filling since it’s sweetened, and contains spices like cinnamon, clove, allspice, and ginger.

Can I substitute homemade pumpkin puree for canned?

Yes, you can substitute homemade pumpkin puree here. Just reduce the amount of broth by 1/2 cup.

If you tried this recipe for Easy Pumpkin Soup (Instant Pot), or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!

Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup

4.75 — Votes 8 votes
By Amber Goulden
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 7 minutes
Total: 22 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
This pumpkin soup comes together with just a few ingredients to make the perfect cozy fall meal!

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Set your Instant Pot to ‘saute’ mode, then add the bacon to the pot and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside, then drain the bacon grease from the pot.
  • Add the chicken broth to the pot and whisk to scrape up the browned bits from the bacon, then add the pumpkin, coconut milk, 1 teaspoon salt, sage, ginger, and pepper and whisk to combine.
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure it is sealed, then set to cook for 7 minutes. Once the timer goes off, you can either release the pressure manually or let it release naturally.
  • Stir the lemon juice into the soup and taste for seasoning, then add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with crumbled bacon and fresh chopped sage, if desired.

Recipe Notes

  • If using homemade pumpkin puree, reduce the amount of broth by 1/2 cup.
  • To make on the stovetop: make the bacon in a pot on the stove, then remove it from the pan. Add all ingredients other than lemon juice to the pot, then cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and taste for seasoning, then serve with bacon and fresh sage.

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 569mg | Potassium: 511mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 16558IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 5mg

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 355
Keyword: bacon, canned pumpkin, coconut milk, creamy, dairy free, easy, paleo, quick, rich

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Elizabeth Brownfield


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21 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Soo dang easy and soo incredibly tasty. I added some fresh thyme and sage, plus an extra lemon because I love citrus. Then I topped it off with a dollop of sour cream. This soup comes together so quickly and it’s comforting and fresh.

    1. We’re so glad you loved this one, Rachel! Thank you for sharing this with us!

  2. 5 stars
    Fantastic! So easy to make and just hits the spot! Love, love love. Another F&F recipe added too the recipe box of FAVORITES .

  3. 5 stars
    I made this last night, and it was really good. Although the recipe doesn’t say (and the author has not responded to questions about it), I did pour off the bacon grease after cooking the bacon. It definitely would have been too greasy to leave it in!

    One helpful tip is to chop (or use kitchen shears to cut) the bacon into small-ish pieces. It will cook and become crisp so much faster! Served the leftovers for lunch today, tossing in some cooked chicken for one pot lunch. Yum!!

    1. Thanks, Ali! Draining it was the right thing to do – I’ve updated the recipe card to reflect that!

  4. 4 stars
    Super tasty!! It was definitely a very thin liquid consistency so I added some cornstarch to thicken it up but other than the slight modification it was great!

    1. You’ll just cook the soup on the “manual” or “high pressure” setting!

    1. I was wondering the same thing. I don’t mind leaving it in, but don’t want to make the soup too greasy if it’s not supposed to be left in there.

    2. Yes, drain it! I just fixed the recipe card. Thank you all for catching that. Kourtney – I don’t know how I missed your comment last month…I’m so sorry!

  5. I’m new to the Instant Pot but made this recipe tonight. Simple and delicious!

    1. So glad you loved it, Sarah! Thank you for sharing this with us!

  6. What would you relate the coconut milk with for a coconut allergy? Could I make this on the stove and just use half and half? Thanks!

  7. 5 stars
    This is literally the best pumpkin soup/best thing I’ve ever made! It was such a hit with friends too! I love how easy it was to cook and perfect paired with a salad!

  8. 5 stars
    This soup was tasty. It was quite a bit thinner in consistency then the picture. I will be making this again for sure. It goes great with grilled cheese.

  9. 4 stars
    The flavors go great together and what a quick meal! But the time in the instant pot was way too long – the coconut milk had curdled under all that heat. I think in the future I will just heat up gently on the stove, either the whole batch or the serving I need for that day.