This warm Red-Thai inspired soup will warm the bones on a cold and frosty day.
When the frosts settle in and the mornings are slow to thaw, there’s nothing quite as comforting as a steaming bowl of homemade soup. This Thai-inspired pumpkin soup brings a gentle kick of red curry heat, the creaminess of coconut milk, and the sweet depth of roasted pumpkin—all made easy in the Instant Pot
It’s a perfect way to use a whole pumpkin, especially if you’ve just cooked one in your Instant Pot (yes, skin and all!). Once scooped and blended with classic Thai flavours like ginger, garlic, red curry paste, and lime juice, you’ve got a nourishing soup that tastes like it’s simmered all day.
Pair it with a hunk of crusty bread or some warm roti for dipping, and you’ve got a hearty winter warmer that’s both easy and impressive. Even better—it freezes beautifully, so you can stash away a portion for those extra busy days.
Here are some of my favourite bread recipes you should make to pair with this soup.
Whether you’re feeding a crowd or just craving something cosy and wholesome, this soup brings the taste of Thailand to your table, without the takeout.
The best pumpkins for soup are smaller, sweeter varieties with dense, smooth flesh. Here are the top picks:
Best Pumpkins for Soup:
- Crown Prince – Dense, nutty, and sweet. Holds its shape and flavour well.
- Kent (a.k.a. Jap pumpkin) – Rich and sweet with a smooth texture. Great all-rounder.
- Butternut squash (technically not a true pumpkin, but often included) – Sweet, creamy, and easy to peel.
- Queensland Blue – Deep orange flesh and a mild, sweet flavour.
- Kabocha – Japanese pumpkin, dry and sweet flesh that makes a velvety soup.
- Baby Bear or Sugar Pie – Smaller pumpkins, great for roasting and blending into soup.
Avoid:
- Jack-o’-lantern pumpkins – They’re watery and bland. Great for carving, not cooking.
Instant Pot Thai Inspired Pumpkin Soup
Equipment
- 1 Instant pot (multi cooker or magic pot)
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg of cooked and roughly chopped pumpkin
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp of turmeric
- 1/4 tsp of chilli
- 1 clove of fresh garlic
- 2 cm of fresh ginger
- 500 mls of vegetable stock
- 1 can of coconut cream 400 ml
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the pumpkin, onion, stock into your bowl.
- Add the spices, garlic and ginger.
- Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes.
- Allow the steam to release naturally.
- Use a stick blender to whiz up your soup to a smooth consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper (make sure to taste it as you season it).
- Pour in your can of coconut cream and heat by pushing the sautè button.
- If at this stage if you think your soup is too thick add the remaining stock.
Notes
- For a quick and easy option omit the spices and use a couple of teaspoons of red curry paste.
- If you don’t have fresh garlic your could use 1/2 tsp of garlic granules
- If you don’t have fresh ginger you could use 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
- You could use the soup option on your pressure cooker, but because the pumpkin is already cooked you don’t need the longer time.
- If you would like to freeze your soup – leave out the coconut cream and write a note on the top to add it once its defrosted. The cream could cause the soup to spilt when defrosting.
- I quite often place all the ingredients (cold) in the instant pot the night before and use the delayed timer to have it ready for when I get up. Then I simply whizz the soup, add the coconut cream and season (to taste). Some soup may go out in the smoko bags and the rest will stay warm on the ‘warm’ option until lunchtime (place your lid back on when you use the warm option).