How to Make Pumpkin Soup from Scratch

Who can imagine that a recipe for a hearty and healthy pumpkin soup from scratch actually symbolizes the story of freedom for an entire culture?

If you look back in history, London, British and French cookbooks regarded pumpkins as “poor people’s food.” 

Haitian slaves were actually forbidden from drinking pumpkin soup (or soup joumou), so when Haitian revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared Haiti’s independence from its French colonizers on January 1, 1804, everyone celebrated with the soup. 

Pumpkin soup became a symbol for Haiti’s freedom back then, and continues as a New Year’s Day tradition today (regardless of where Haitians are on January 1st). 

French cookbooks in the 1800s and beyond began showcasing the humble pumpkin soup as fancy cuisine paired with vegetable broth, milk, or slices of bread (as thickener). 

These French pumpkin soup recipes from scratch eventually made it to America in the 1850s. And the rest is history.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup from Scratch

The original Haitian pumpkin soup featured the use of sour oranges or limes, rubbed on beef before cooking. The pumpkin soup made around the world these days incorporates other ingredients.

In the United States, our love for creamy dishes meant our modified pumpkin soup often included heavy cream and removed the tang of Haitan’s soup joumou.

Now that you know what to expect from this recipe…let’s begin!

Stage 1: Sauté Onions and Pumpkins from Scratch

To make pumpkin soup from scratch, get a large pot and place it over medium heat. 

While you wait for the pot to heat, dice one medium-sized onion and set it aside. 

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter on the pot and stir in your diced onions. Brown it for a while.

Prepare 4 cups of pumpkins and dice them into medium-sized chunks. 

Stir all pumpkin pieces into the pot and mix well until combined.

Sprinkle the salt and pepper to taste, followed by a teaspoon of garlic powder and a teaspoon of dried oregano. Mix all spices until combined.

Stage 2: Make the Soup

Pour in 3 ½ cups of vegetable broth and let the whole soup cook for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin pieces have turned soft.

Stage 3: Use Kitchen Tools to make Pumpkin Soup from Scratch

With the help of a hand blender, blitz your chunky soup until smooth. Make sure all the pumpkin bits are blended completely.

OPTIONAL: If you don’t have a hand blender, it’s okay. You’ll need to exert more effort (and clean up more stuff afterward), but you can also use a traditional blender, food processor or some kind of nutribullet/magic bullet or baby-food maker. 

Of course, you’ll have to transfer the pumpkin pieces along with the liquids into your available kitchen appliance, run it until the soup gets silky smooth, then put it back under heat.

Step 4: Make it Creamy

Stir in half a cup of your preferred brand of heavy cream and melt half a cup of grated cheese into the pumpkin soup.

Taste the soup. If it’s good to go, transfer into a nice bowl. 

Garnish your hearty pumpkin soup from scratch with a drizzle of heavy cream and a sprig of parsley. 

Serve warm and enjoy!