Creamy, hearty pumpkin soup is a one-pot, one-bowl meal that's packed with sweet corn, veggies, and white beans.
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This is a super easy vegan Instant Pot pumpkin soup recipe that you can make on a busy weeknight. You can serve it chunky, with all of the veggies whole, or use an immersion blender to puree it into a creamier soup.
What I love about this recipe is that it's a not just a one-pot soup, but a whole one-pot meal. It's got tons of healthy veggies plus white beans for protein. I love to serve it up with some crusty bread for dipping.
If you like making soup in your Instant Pot, also check out my carrot ginger lentil soup and Instant Pot ramen recipes!
I use canned pumpkin for this recipe, but if you want to use a whole pumpkin instead, you definitely can! Just steam or roast the pumpkin, then puree the flesh (not the skin), and use that instead of the canned puree.
✓ Ingredients and substitutions
This recipe is incredibly flexible, so tweak it to suit your tastes and what you have on hand!
- olive oil - The recipe includes an oil-free option, if you don't do oil.
- onion and garlic - These aromatics give the soup such great, umami flavor!
- vegan chicken broth - I like using vegan chicken broth, because I find it more flavorful than plain vegetable stock. If you can't find vegan broth, though, you can use veggie broth instead.
- pumpkin puree - You can use canned or homemade pumpkin puree. If you want to use homemade, you'll need about 1 ½ cups pureed pumpkin.
- white beans - Use your favorite white beans! You can also use chickpeas, if you prefer.
- dried tarragon - Tarragon has sort of a sweet, licorice-adjacent flavor that pairs so well with the pumpkin and sweet corn in this soup.
- corn - Fresh or frozen corn kernels make this soup so delicious!
- cauliflower - You can use fresh or frozen cauliflower. If you prefer, you can use other veggies instead, like broccoli or potatoes.
- baby spinach - Any quick-wilting green will work here, and you can use fresh or frozen.
- garnishes - Top the soup with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.
🥣 How to make Instant Pot pumpkin soup
This is the Instant Pot method. For stovetop directions, see the recipe card below.
(Skip this step for oil-free.) Use the pot's sauté function to heat the oil, then add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt.
Cook, stirring, until the onion starts to brown. You can add splashes of water, as needed, to prevent sticking. Press the cancel button.
Combine all of the remaining ingredients, except the spinach, in your Instant Pot. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.
Open the lid. At this point, you can puree the soup with an immersion blender, if you want it thicker and creamier, or leave the veggies chunky and whole.
Add the spinach.
If the heat from the soup doesn't wilt the spinach, you can use the sauté function to heat it up more.
Serve topped with crushed red pepper and a squeeze of lime juice.
💡 Helpful tips
- You can use fresh or frozen veggies in this recipe and homemade or canned pumpkin puree. Use what you have and what's most doable for you!
🫙 Storage directions
Leftover soup will keep for three to five days in the fridge.
Instant Pot pumpkin soup also freezes! To thaw, stick it on the kitchen counter for a couple of hours or thaw overnight in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
💬 Frequently asked questions
Yes! You can make this in any pressure cooker. I also included stovetop directions, in case you'd prefer to make them that way.
You can use Italian herbs instead, if you don't have or don't like tarragon. If you do, garnish with lemon instead of lime juice.
📖 Recipe
🎃 Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup (with stovetop directions)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil optional
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 ½ cups vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 cups cauliflower florets fresh or frozen
- 15 ounce can pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 15 ounce can white beans drained and rinsed. Or 1 ½ cups cooked white beans.
- 1 ¼ cup corn kernels fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 packed cups baby spinach or use 1 to 1 ½ cups frozen spinach
- crushed red pepper and lime juice for garnish
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- (Skip this step for oil-free.) Use the pot's sauté function to heat the oil, then add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion starts to brown. You can add splashes of water, as needed, to prevent sticking. Press the cancel button.
- Combine all of the remaining ingredients, except the spinach, in your Instant Pot. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. Open the lid. At this point, you can puree the soup with an immersion blender, if you want it thicker and creamier, or leave the veggies chunky and whole.
- Stir in the spinach. If the heat from the soup doesn't wilt the spinach, you can use the sauté function to heat it up more.
Stove Top Directions
- (Skip this step for oil-free.) Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat, then add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion starts to brown. You can add splashes of water, as needed, to prevent sticking.
- Combine all of the remaining ingredients, except the spinach, in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the veggies are all cooked through. At this point, you can puree the soup with an immersion blender, if you want it thicker and creamier, or leave the veggies chunky and whole.
- Add the spinach to the pot, and cook, stirring, until it wilts. Serve topped with crushed red pepper and a squeeze of lime juice.
riley
what’s a serving size of this soup ??
Becky Striepe
A batch makes 6 servings.
Kathy Hester
Pumpkin soup is our go to this season. I can't wait to make some for my halloween party.
Becky Striepe
It's such perfect fall food!
Cadry
I love that you stir in the spinach at the end. Overcooked, wilty spinach is so sad. But just giving it a quick stir is the perfect answer! I never cook with tarragon for whatever reason. I'm not sure I even have it in my spice cupboard! I sense a trip to the grocery store in my future.
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Cadry! It's a really fun spice to play with!
Dianne
I love pumpkin soup! This recipe looks divine!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Dianne!