It has taken me until today to realise that I have never shared a basic, good old fashioned pumpkin soup. I’ve shared a Moroccan inspired pumpkin soup, a Thai style carrot soup and a green pesto soup, but never a straightforward pumpkin soup. So today, with ominous rainclouds outside, I’m sharing this FODMAP-friendly pumpkin soup. 

Before we begin, it’s worth discussing my ideal pumpkin soup. That is: thick, creamy and smooth. I add a little less liquid than other pumpkin soup recipes, and this is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it allows for a thicker pumpkin soup, which is my preferred variety. Secondly, it gives you the option to add a creamy finishing touch as you see fit. 

A sad update: Monash have recently (as of November 2024) lowered the threshold for Japanese/Kent pumpkin. It is low FODMAP in 75g serves and up to 161g serves per person. In 162g serves, it contains moderate amounts of fructans. It is still the pumpkin variety that you can eat most of on the low FODMAP diet. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to change anything if you have been eating pumpkin without issue prior to this change.

FODMAP-friendly pumpkin soup notes

I always use Kent or Japanese pumpkin to keep the FODMAP content down. It has recently had a threshold added of 161g or less per serve.

A good pumpkin soup really hinges on a good stock base. FODMAPpers have fewer options, because stock is generally based on onion, garlic and leek (among other things). While you can use a packet stock, I highly recommend a homemade freezer stock (more on that below). 

Peanut butter is the ticket to creaminess in a vegan pumpkin soup. However, you could also use a bit of coconut milk, soy milk or even dairy if you’d like to keep it nut free. 

Soup goes incredibly well with gluten free sourdough toast. Just saying. 

I like a thicker pumpkin soup, so I prefer the 3 cups (750ml) of stock version. If you like a thinner soup, add extra liquid as you see fit. 

That said, start small with the added liquid. You can always add extra liquid at the blending stage, but it’s a lot harder to fix a thin soup.

Dietary notes for the FODMAP friendly pumpkin soup

For a nut free pumpkin soup, omit the peanut butter. Peanut butter is an excellent way to add creaminess to a vegan soup, but can easily be substituted for some coconut yoghurt or plant milk. Make sure that the yoghurt or plant milk in question is also nut free, if it needs to be.

To ensure the soup is vegan, make or use a vegan stock. This means no parmesan rinds.

Asafoetida can sometimes be cut with wheat flour, so ensure you choose a brand made with rice flour when catering to coeliacs.

FODMAP friendly freezer scrap stock (low waste)

A few years ago, I saw an Instagram story that changed the way I thought about stock. The idea was so simple that it almost seemed idiotic I hadn’t thought of it before. Basically, all you need for a freezer stock is a container or bag, a freezer and vegetable scraps.

The idea is: as you cook and eat, you save the scraps from vegetables that would otherwise be discarded. Think tops and tails of carrots, fennel fronds, pumpkin skins, tomatoes that are past their prime. Simply throw them in the bag in the freezer, and build up the dregs until you have about a kilo worth. I also throw in a used lemon skin or two for a bit of a twist. 

Another item that I highly highly recommend saving in your freezer bag is parmesan rind. Obviously this isn’t vegan friendly (but yes, vegetarian parmesan exists) but it adds a whole new level of depth to your stock. It might leave little parmesan bits in the liquid but it’s an absolute flavour bomb. 

Loose recipe for waste free freezer stock

1. Add about a kilo of frozen vegetable dregs to a large soup pot. Bonus points for 2 or 3 parmesan rinds. 
2. To the vegetables, add around 2-3 litres of water. Place over a medium high heat and cook for 10 or so minutes.
3. From here, add balsamic vinegar and tamari to taste. I like to get half of the salinity from tamari and half from salt, so don’t go too wild. Always add a little and taste before adding more. That said, if you accidentally oversalt, you can add more water to compensate (within reason). 
4. Once the stock is ready and seasoned to taste, drain and cool before freezing. Too easy! 

Options for your FODMAP friendly pumpkin soup

First and foremost, you can either roast the pumpkin or throw it in raw. This will affect the sweetness of the soup and also the length of cooking time. If you’re after a quick and easy soup, you can safely skip the pumpkin roasting. I think they’re equally delicious soups.

You can also roast the pumpkin for a more nuanced and sweet flavour. I roast the pumpkin skin on with 1 1/2ish tablespoons of oil rubbed onto the exposed sides. How this this takes to roast will depend on the size of the pieces. For two pumpkin quarters, I’d budget around an hour or a little more. For smaller pieces, it will take less time. 

Blending your FODMAP friendly pumpkin soup

I have two different means of blending pumpkin soup. I either use a stick blender or my Nutribullet, and this depends on a few things.

Undoubtedly, the Nutribullet makes for a smoother soup. However, it cannot blend hot things. Because Nutribullets don’t have a valve for steam to escape, they will explode from the pressure of a hot soup.

So, when I want to make and eat a soup straight away, I use my stick blender. It’s quick and easy and can easily blend hot soup. The only downside is that it’s generally a little more textured than soup blended in a Nutribullet.

Other flavour options for your pumpkin soup

Spices of your choice, or even a teaspoon of curry paste. You can play around to find something that suits you. Personally I like just a hint of a classic cinnamon nutmeg combination, but you could also add some cumin and garam masala, fennel seed – any spice you enjoy.

A hardy herb such as rosemary or sage, added to the liquid. Pull rosemary sprigs out before blending, though.

An added potato or two for thickness, or some carrots for sweetness. If you add a significant amount of extra vegetables, add a little extra stock to compensate.

To bulk out the protein content, add a tin of butter beans or chickpeas. Their FODMAP is 35g per person or 42g per person respectively. Each 400g tin contains approximately 250g beans after draining, meaning the soup will need to serve 7 or 6 respectively. Beans add a starchy component which thickens the soup, meaning you can add more liquid than you would ordinarily, making a larger batch of soup that will serve 7 or 6.

Coconut cream or milk for an exotic creamy flavour. This works well with the ginger (you could also use galangal) and a makrut lime leaf or two would amplify those flavours.

A little bit of miso paste would be a lovely vegan umami booster, as would a bit of nutritional yeast.

Topping options for your FODMAP friendly pumpkin soup

In each of the photos, I have used some varied FODMAP friendly toppings. They include a little bit of creme fraiche thinned with lemon juice (use lactose free cream or coconut milk for dairy free/vegan options, some Aleppo chilli oil plus extra chilli flakes, some FODMAP friendly pesto and some FODMAP friendly dukkah (I used the one from my first cookbook).

Other things that are a delicious accompaniment include gluten free sourdough bread (in crouton or whole form) lemon zest, a savoury nut mix or some toasted coconut (particularly if you add some makrut lime)

I also like using maple or honey toasted pepitas, but any nut would add a welcome crunch.

More pumpkin recipes

• This cute lil pumpkin mug cake. Perfect for using up little bits of leftover pumpkin.
• This roasted pumpkin, kale and quinoa salad
• A gluten free pumpkin, sage and goats cheese tart with an easy yoghurt pastry
• This radicchio and blue cheese salad with cinnamon roasted pumpkin

More hearty FODMAP friendly recipes

• This potato and leek soup. Soup season forever!
• A FODMAP friendly kinda daal. Part soup, part daal, fully delicious.
• This FODMAP friendly paneer curry. There’s even an open to make your own lactose free paneer.
• FODMAP friendly vegan gravy. So easy, so good.

Low FODMAP pumpkin soup

Vegetarian/vegan, easily made dairy free and nut free

Serves 4-7 (depending on the liquid added)

Monash have recently (as of November 2024) lowered the threshold for Japanese/Kent pumpkin. It is low FODMAP in 75g serves and up to 161g serves per person. In 162g serves, it contains moderate amounts of fructans. It is still the pumpkin variety that you can eat most of on the low FODMAP diet. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't need to change anything if you have been eating pumpkin without issue prior to this change.

4.91 from 10

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Food Intolerance Friendly

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1.5 kg piece of Kent or Japanese pumpkin (weighed after peeling)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 20 g peeled and chopped ginger
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon asafoetida powder optional (mimics garlic and onion flavour)
• Pinch of salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of chilli flakes I used Aleppo
• 3-4 cups (750-1000ml) stock (add more if you add beans or like a thinner soup)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (optional_

Optional:

• 250g canned chickpeas or butter beans (see notes)
• 1-2 potatoes, if you like a thicker soup
• 1 batch garlic infused oil, for drizzling (see notes)

Instructions

 

For a roasted pumpkin soup:

• Preheat the oven to 200C or 400F and line a baking tray.
• Cut the pumpkin into larger pieces, leaving the skin on. Rub the skin with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and place it on the baking tray, skin side up, and into the oven. Bake until cooked though (this will depend on how large the pieces are but budget for around an hour or more). Once cooked, remove the skin and proceed with the ginger cooking step.

For a regular pumpkin soup:

• Cut the pumpkin into even cubes. I find slightly larger cubes easier to blend at the end if you’re using a stick blender.
• Preheat the oil in a large soup pot over a low-medium heat. Add the ginger and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the asafoetida powder and cinnamon (or any spices/woody herbs you’re using) and cook a minute more until they’re fragrant, too.
• Add the pumpkin pieces and stir to coat. Add the 3 cups (750ml) of stock and stir again to pick up any caramelised bits from the bottom of the pot. I recommend leaving it at 3-4 cups (750-1000ml) of stock and adjusting at the end if you prefer a thinner soup – a thick soup can be corrected but a thin soup is a lot harder to fix. On that note, wait to salt the soup until the end when the flavours have melded and you can determine how salty it is already. You might not need any if you used a salty stock. Add the beans here, if you're using them.
• Cook for 10-15 minutes for the roasted pumpkin soup, and 20-30 for the regular. Keep in mind that the secret to a good soup is uniformly cooked vegetables that will blend smoothly (without leaving thin watery bits and chunky pumpkin bits) so don’t rush the cooking process.
• When the pumpkin is completely cooked, take it off the heat. Add the peanut butter, if you’re using it. Using whatever blending tool you have on hand, blend the soup until smooth. Adjust for seasoning, and add a little extra liquid (plant milk, regular milk, cream or stock) if you want a thinner soup.
• Keep in mind: a Nutribullet doesn’t have a steam escape valve so you can’t blend a hot soup in one. I recommend a stick (immersion) blender for soup, because you have a lot of control and can season it as you go. That said, you could also use a Vitamix if you have one (I don’t).
• To finish, garnish with whatever you fancy (I used crème fraiche, Aleppo chilli oil, honey toasted pepitas and lemon zest for most of the photos ) and serve.
• Keeps well in the fridge for a few days and also freezes well.

Notes

• To be on the safe side, I like to get about 2kg pumpkin for this soup. This accounts for the weight of the skin and seeds being removed. 
• Ginger adds a layer of flavour that is missing without any onion or garlic. It’s optional but deliciously simple.
• Monash have recently (as of November 2024) lowered the threshold for Japanese/Kent pumpkin. It is low FODMAP in 75g serves and up to 161g serves per person. In 162g serves, it contains moderate amounts of fructans. It is still the pumpkin variety that you can eat most of on the low FODMAP diet. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to change anything if you have been eating pumpkin without issue prior to this change.
• I am going to work on a new recipe that factors in this change. I will keep this recipe live because people enjoy it. 
• If you choose to add beans, keep in mind the ratios. A 400g can of beans contains approximately 250g beans once drained. Butter beans are FODMAP friendly in 32g serves per person, so the soup will need to serve 7. Chickpeas are FODMAP friendly in 42g serves, so the soup will need to serve 6.
• The neat thing about beans is that the starches will thicken the soup once blended, meaning you can add more stock or liquid. 
• Other ways to bulk up a serve are adding some chopped carrots or potatoes, extra pumpkin, or by serving it with bread. 
• I love making my infused garlic oil and making croutons or garlic infused chilli oil with it. 

Keyword low fodmap vegan

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