Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup – Cozy Fall Recipe (Dairy-Free)
When the weather turns and you want something warm, filling, and different from the usual cinnamon-and-cream pumpkin soup, this Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup is it. It’s built on a full head of roasted garlic, a handful of warm spices, creamy coconut milk, chickpeas, and corn for real texture.
A Quick Glance at this unique Garlic Pumpkin Soup:
- Savory, not sweet — spiced deliciously with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and a touch of chili.
- A full meal, not just a side — chickpeas and corn make this filling enough for dinner, not just a first course.
- Dairy-free — coconut milk does the creamy work instead of heavy cream.
- Meal-prep friendly — one batch makes enough for several nights.
- Works with fresh or canned pumpkin — no need to hunt down a fresh pumpkin if you don’t have one.
- Each serving has approximately 10 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber.
Recently, I received an offer for a stainless steel stone that’s supposed to help get rid of that garlic smell. Of course, I had to Google it and came across product after product offering relief from that garlic smell.
If you like playing with garlic in the kitchen, as I do, then you know that garlic smell that seems to linger on even after a good sudsing.
Well, I might be alone on this, but I happen to like that garlic smell. Especially when the garlic is roasted!
Have you had the chance to smell and taste roasted garlic? Roasted garlic is so easy to make. And Google seems to have a million and one ways on how to roast it.
The no-fuss method I like to employ when roasting a head of garlic is to:
1) Just clean off a few of the layers of extra “skin” on a head of garlic.
2) Slice the top off of the garlic head so the pods inside are exposed.
3) Place the cut head of garlic in aluminum foil.
4) Drizzle with olive oil.
5) Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes!
And boom! Squeeze those pods out of the garlic head, and roasted garlic goodness is yours to have and hold!
Sometimes my daughter and I mash and mix up some roasted garlic with some salt and pepper, slather it on a baguette, and enjoy it. Sometimes, we serve this simple appetizer to guests too. Other times, I use roasted garlic in recipes like this Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup.
IMHO, roasted garlic adds so much flavor to a dish. I feel I don’t need to add a ton of other ingredients to tickle my taste buds when roasted garlic is involved.
What Makes This Fall Pumpkin Soup Different?
This pumpkin soup recipe uses cumin, coriander, and turmeric to bring warmth without sweetness; chili powder adds a gentle kick, and coconut milk keeps it rich and dairy-free instead of relying on cream. Chickpeas and corn stirred in at the end give it bite and turn it from a light starter (or appetizer) into something you can actually make a dinner out of, especially when paired with some bread or roti.
One time when my daughter and I went apple picking, we ended up coming home with a large pumpkin.
This thing was huge!
But, at $4, I thought it was a steal and wasn’t going to pass on it.
Only, after we placed it on our kitchen counter, I wasn’t sure how I could cut into it without going through a package of Band-Aids in the process.
So, I figured I’d bake that whole pumpkin. After consulting Google, I made a few random, shallow cuts in it, placed it on a baking tray, and baked that whole pumpkin.
After a little over an hour, that baked pumpkin cut like butter!
And we had so much fresh pumpkin on our hands. I ended up subbing in fresh pumpkin for the canned pumpkin in recreating dishes like these Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Pancakes, Creamy Coconut Pumpkin Pasta, and Pumpkin Curried Pork Chops!
After all that, I still had leftover fresh pumpkin, which I used to make a large pot of this Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup. We enjoyed this soup with some crusty bread and some of these addicting Crispy Spiced Chickpeas.
Fresh vs. Canned Pumpkin
If you’ve got a fresh pumpkin on hand — whether from a patch, a grocery store, or, an impulse $4 buy — roasting it whole (as described above) gives you fresh mashed pumpkin with zero prep. But if you don’t have fresh pumpkin, canned 100% pure pumpkin works just as well here. Just don’t skip the roasted garlic — that’s what actually makes this soup taste so darn delicious.
How to Make Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup?
- Roast the garlic. Cut the top off a head of garlic, wrap it in foil with a drizzle of olive oil, and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
- Sauté the onions. Cook chopped onions in oil over medium heat for 10–12 minutes until soft, in a large pan or skillet.
- Build the base. Squeeze in the roasted garlic, then stir in ginger, pumpkin, broth, and spices. Cover and simmer for about 7 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk. Stir it in, then take the pot off the heat.
- Blend until it’s the consistency you prefer. Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) and blend until smooth or leave it a bit chunky.
- Finish it. Stir in drained chickpeas and corn, then sprinkle with parsley and serve in bowls with warm crusty bread, roti, or even tortillas. You can also sprinkle on some pepitas for even more texture.
Tips for the Best Fall Pumpkin Soup
- Make it vegan. Swap the chicken bone broth for vegetable broth — the flavor holds up just as well.
- Adjust the heat. The chili powder is optional; leave it out for a milder soup or add extra if you like more kick.
- Freeze it in portions. This soup freezes well for up to 3 months — portion it into single servings for easy weeknight reheats.
- Skip the blender step if you like texture. For a chunkier, stew-like soup, mash the pumpkin roughly with a spoon instead of blending it until smooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — canned 100% pure pumpkin works perfectly in this recipe. Just be sure not to skip the roasted garlic, since that’s where most of the flavor comes from.
It’s dairy-free thanks to the coconut milk, and can be made fully vegan by swapping the chicken bone broth for vegetable broth.
Simply leave out the chili powder — the cumin, coriander, and turmeric will still give the soup plenty of warm flavor without any heat.
Yes — it freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring occasionally.
Crusty bread and crispy spiced chickpeas are the classic pairing — this soup is hearty enough on its own to be a full meal.
The full batch keeps well for about 5 days in the fridge, making it a great meal-prep option for cooler months.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 onions (roughly chopped)
- 1 tsp ginger (freshly grated)
- 1 head of roasted garlic
- 7 cups pumpkin (baked and mashed fresh pumpkin or canned pure pumpkin puree)
- 5 cups chicken bone broth
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 4 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp chili powder optional
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 can chickpeas (15.5 oz)
- 1 can corn (15 oz)
- salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Roast your garlic head first. To do this, cut the top off, wrap it in foil, drizzle it with olive oil, and bake it at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. When done, remove the garlic from the oven and foil, and let it cool until easy to handle.
- While the garlic is cooling, add oil to a large, deep pan and place it over medium heat. When it's warm, add in the chopped onions. Saute the onions for about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the roasted garlic by squeezing the garlic pods out of the skin, and stir it into the onions. (You don't have to worry about cutting these up, as we will use an immersion blender to get everything smooth towards the end.)
- Peel and chop the ginger, then add it in and stir well.
- Then add in the pumpkin, bone broth, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder (if using), and stir well. Cover and let simmer for about 7 minutes or so.
- Uncover, add in the coconut milk, and stir. Take off the stovetop.
- Using an immersion blender (or you could add soup to a food processor/blender) blend until it is creamy and smooth.
- Then, rinse and drain the chickpeas and add them to the Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup.
- Rinse and drain corn and add it to the Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup too.
Notes
Tips for the Best Fall Pumpkin Soup
- Make it vegan. Swap the chicken bone broth for vegetable broth — the flavor holds up just as well.
- Adjust the heat. The chili powder is optional; leave it out for a milder soup or add extra if you like more kick.
- Freeze it in portions. This soup freezes well for up to 3 months — portion it into single servings for easy weeknight reheats.
- Skip the blender step if you like texture. For a chunkier, stew-like soup, mash the pumpkin roughly with a spoon instead of blending it until smooth.
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Nutrition
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Oh, I am all in with you on the roasted garlic! We make huge batches (like 25-30 heads) and then I just freeze the roasted garlic in little ‘pouches’ of plastic wrap. That way I can pull out a roasted garlic ‘bomb’ and toss it into whatever I’m cooking…soup, pasta, etc. It’s such a unique smell and flavor, and I love it! So with that said, I’m pretty sure this pumpkin soup needs to appear on our menu sometime soon. I love that you roasted an entire pumpkin, too. What a fun experiment there! We’ve already had a couple of snow storms up here, so soup is definitely on the menu for these cold nights!
As you know Shashi I’m a big fan of soup. It’s one of our staples. That and curry! I use the tin foil method you describe to roast my garlic. It’s easiest that way I think. This is a lovely soup. I know Lynne and I would enjoy this as we both love roasted garlic soups!
But I don’t wanna get rid of that garlic smell!! I love it too! Funny, huh?? Seriously, though, I’m a huge fan…just like I am of this delicious soup of yours! It’s super cold here lately, even had snow, so this soup is definitely in order with a nice hunk of crusty bread! Happy (almost) Friday, my friend 🙂
Wonderful soup. The roasting of the pumpkin and of the garlic do give an added depth to this, and the flavour is good. I also added a small amount of the dried chilli flakes. This has been saved as a recipe to be made for future dinner parties…..an inspiring soup especially when served with toasted gluten-free bread, a small dob of sour cream and sprinkled with chopped chives.
This looks seriously delicious! Love those roasted chickpeas too.
Beautiful photos. I can imagine the delicious aroma of roasted garlic in this soup. Saving this recipe for sure.
This looks and sounds sensational! Roasted garlic is my favourite thing (I definitely eat it smeared on toast!) so I love the sound of it in this soup. So much flavour!
Oh yum! This sounds absolutely incredible with the addition of roasted garlic and all those spices. Definitely perfect for pairing with some crusty bread.
I’ve just been given some beautiful massive bulbs of garlic from the farm shop. This sounds like the perfect way to use them up!
I’ve made a couple of pumpkin soup recipes this month and I can’t wait to try this one! It looks super warm and comforting!