Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

5 from 4 votes

Easy slow cooker pumpkin soup is creamy, comforting, cozy, uses fresh or canned pumpkin, and is perfectly spiced to keep you warm all fall/winter! + It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, whole30, vegan, & freezes well!

Prep Time10

Cook Time3 35

Cool10

Total Time3 55

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings: to 6

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Toni Okamoto

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
6 garlic cloves, halved and lightly crushed
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 cups of rich vegetable broth
2 pounds of pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, and cubed
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 teaspoons of dry or fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 (14-ounce) firm tofu, cubed
Parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)
Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Turn your instant pot or slow cooker on to saute the garlic and onions.
When hot, add the oil and garlic. When the garlic starts to lightly turn golden brown, add the onions. Mix well and cook until the onions become translucent and tender.
To the onion garlic mixture, add the pumpkin, cinnamon, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cook for 30 seconds continuously mixing.
Mix in the vegetable broth mixture, tomato paste, and tofu.
Cover with the lid and slow cook on high for 3 hours and 30 minutes.
When ready, carefully remove the lid and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Using a ladle, transfer the soup into a blender pitcher and blend until completely smooth. You may need to work in batches if your blender pitcher is smaller. Alternatively, if you have an immersion blender, blend for 5 minutes until completely smooth like in the photo.
When ready, serve hot or chilled. Top with parsley and red pepper flakes if using.

Notes

We saute the vegetables for the depth of flavor, but if you’re in a hurry, you can also add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and then cook.

To adjust the thickness: Change how much liquid you add to the soup. If you like it thick, set aside some broth before blending the soup, then optionally add it back in incrementally, to your desired consistency.

To save prep time: Use pre-chopped pumpkin and/or pre-prepared ingredients like chopped onion, minced garlic, etc.

Be careful when blending: Hot soup causes steam to build up inside a blender, and blow the lid off the top if you aren’t careful. Hold the lid with a kitchen towel and lift it often (while not blending) to release steam.

Nutrition