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This Creamy Pumpkin White Bean Soup is the kind of recipe I turn to when I want something that feels special without requiring any real effort. It’s cozy and comforting, packed with flavor, perfect for the chilly days of fall and winter — and it comes together in 25 minutes using a can of pumpkin purée and a handful of pantry staples.
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The white beans are the secret ingredient here. Just like in my Creamy Tomato soup, they blend invisibly into the soup and create a thick, velvety base. Even picky eaters who claim not to like beans will never know they’re in there — you really cannot tell. What you can taste is the combination of turmeric, ginger, and thyme that gives this soup a warmth and depth that tastes like you’ve been simmering it all afternoon.
It’s elegant enough to serve as a starter for a holiday dinner and easy enough to make on a Tuesday night when you need something cozy on the table fast. Gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and vegan without any substitutions required.
For more delicious, creamy soups, make sure you try my Creamy Vegetable Soup, Creamy Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup, and Creamy Vegan Potato Soup.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Pumpkin ~ This easy pumpkin soup recipe uses canned pumpkin for convenience. Make sure you use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Butternut squash purée or mashed sweet potato can be used as a substitute. Both will yield slightly different taste variations, but will be equally as delicious.
For a different spin, try my Butternut Squash Apple Soup or Vegan Sweet Potato Soup. - Beans ~ White beans blend up smooth and creamy and help to give the pumpkin soup body. If you have picky eaters that turn their noses up at beans, they’ll never know they’re in here!
I typically use cannellini beans, also called white kidney beans, but navy beans or great northern beans would also work. Whatever you choose, be sure to drain and rinse them well before adding them to the recipe. - Onion ~ I like a sweet onion for this pumpkin soup recipe, but you can use a white onion or yellow onion in a pinch.
- Broth ~ Choose a low-sodium vegetable broth.
- Spices ~ Bold spices of turmeric and ginger mingle with herby thyme and, of course, salt and pepper to create the most delightful combination.
- Milk ~ I generally use soy milk or almond milk, but any unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk will work. Note that coconut milk will change the flavor of the soup slightly, but should still be tasty.
- Maple syrup ~ Just a touch of pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup!) balances the flavors nicely. This ingredient is optional, however. Taste the finished soup first and see if you need it.
- Extras ~ I love this pumpkin white bean soup just as it is, but here are some options for making it your own. Add some heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Create a smoky flavor by adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar just before serving would add a lovely sweet tang.
How to make the recipe
Please scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient measurements and instructions. The most important step in this recipe is blooming the spices — adding the garlic, turmeric, ginger, and thyme to the butter or oil and letting them sauté for a full minute before adding any liquid. This releases their fat-soluble flavor compounds and makes a noticeable difference to the depth of the finished soup. Don’t skip it.
- Step 1: Sauté the onions until softened and translucent.
- Step 2: Add the garlic and spices.
- Step 3: Add the pumpkin purée, beans, and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Step 4: Add the milk and maple syrup, if using. Purée the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
- Step 5: Serve the creamy pumpkin white bean soup garnished with pumpkin seeds.
Serving suggestions
This vegan pumpkin soup makes a great light lunch garnished with a side of crusty bread, vegan garlic bread, or vegan pumpkin cornbread.
To turn it into a heartier meal fit for dinner or entertaining, try serving it with one of these options.
- With a salad: Chopped Kale Salad, Curry Roasted Cauliflower Salad, Shaved Brussels Sprouts Slaw
- With a sandwich: Veggie Hummus Sandwich, Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich, Pesto Tofu Sandwich, Vegan BLT Sandwich
- As a starter: Follow up with a main dish like Nutty Brown Rice Broccoli Bowls, Creamy Spinach Gnocchi, Spicy Bean Burgers, Vegan Enchiladas.
- Extra garnishes: Diced baked tofu, chopped smoky tempeh bacon, extra white beans, seasoned roasted chickpeas, slivered almonds.
Storage and freezing
Fridge: Store leftovers of this vegan pumpkin white bean soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: You can also freeze this soup! Let it cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. It should keep well for up to 2 months.
Thaw: From frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat: Gently reheat in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. The soup may thicken upon storage so you may need to add a splash or two of broth or water when reheating.
Pro tips and tricks
~ Make sure you use 100% pure pumpkin purée. NOT pumpkin pie filling! They look almost identical on the shelf. Pumpkin purée is just cooked, puréed pumpkin — that’s what you want. Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced for dessert. Using the wrong one will make your soup taste like a dessert. Always double-check the label.
~ Don’t skip blooming the spices. Sautéing the turmeric, ginger, and thyme in butter or oil for a full minute before adding liquid is the step that separates a flat, one-dimensional soup from one with real depth. The fat releases the fat-soluble compounds in the spices and amplifies their flavor significantly.
~ Drain and rinse the canned beans before adding them to the recipe.
~ The maple syrup is optional but worth trying. Pumpkin can taste slightly flat on its own without a touch of sweetness to round it out. Start with 1 tablespoon, blend the soup, and taste before deciding whether to add more. Most people end up adding it — but taste first rather than adding it automatically.
~ Purée the soup with an immersion blender until it is silky smooth. Alternately, you can carefully transfer the soup to a blender. Do not fill the blender more than halfway as hot liquids will expand! You may need to work in batches.
~ Like a thinner soup? Add more milk or broth.
~ Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
~ For an oil-free option, sauté the aromatics and spices in vegetable broth or water. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
~ Make it ahead for entertaining. This soup actually gets better as it sits and the flavors meld. Make it the day before a dinner party, refrigerate overnight, and reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth to loosen. Add the garnishes fresh right before serving.
FAQs
This vegan pumpkin soup is thick and creamy thanks to the addition of white beans that are puréed along with the other soup ingredients. Even if you don’t like beans, I don’t suggest leaving them out. You won’t even know they’re in there!
On its own, pumpkin has a fairly mild flavor. To coax the most flavor out of this soup we add aromatics and spices. To bring out the most flavor from the added spices, sauté them in a bit of fat to release their fat-soluble compounds. This recipe uses vegan butter, but you can use olive oil or coconut oil. Always taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking, adding more salt or pepper as needed.
Yes — roast a sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin at 400°F until tender, scoop out the flesh, and blend or mash it into a purée. You’ll need about 1¾ cups of purée to replace one 15-oz can. Note that fresh pumpkin can have more moisture than canned, so you may need to reduce the amount of broth or milk slightly to reach your preferred consistency.
Well, it wouldn’t be pumpkin soup without the pumpkin, but you can use this same method with puréed butternut squash or sweet potatoes if you prefer.
I’d recommend against it — the white beans are what gives this soup its thick, velvety body without any cream. Without them, the soup will be noticeably thinner and less substantial. If you’re concerned about the bean flavor, rest assured that once blended they disappear completely. You won’t taste them at all.
I haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker, but it should work well. Sauté the onion, garlic, and spices on the stovetop first to bloom the spices, then transfer everything to the slow cooker with the pumpkin, beans, and broth. Cook on LOW for 4–6 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours. Add the milk and maple syrup, then blend just before serving. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out in the comments.
More savory pumpkin recipes
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the star rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment with your feedback. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Creamy Pumpkin White Bean Soup
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or olive oil
- ½ sweet onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 can (15 oz) 100% pure pumpkin purée
- 1 can (15.5 oz) white beans like cannellini, great northern, or navy beans
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1-2 cup(s) unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk like soy milk or almond milk
- 1-2 tablespoon(s) pure maple syrup optional
- toasted pumpkin seeds to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat the vegan butter in a soup pot over medium heat on the stove. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, turmeric, thyme, ginger, salt, and pepper, and sauté 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the pumpkin, beans, and broth. Stir to combine. Increase the heat to high to bring to a bubble, then decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth and creamy. Add additional milk if needed to reach your desired consistency.Alternately, you can carefully transfer the soup to a blender to purée. Do not fill the blender more than halfway as hot liquids will expand. Work in batches if necessary.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary, adding more salt, pepper, or maple syrup.
- Serve hot garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds, if using.
Notes
This recipe makes about 6 cups of soup. Nutrition facts calculated using 1 ½ cups soy milk, 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup and no garnishes.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Jenn Sebestyen
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!