Ready in under 30-minutes, this pumpkin lentil soup with ginger has only a handful of ingredients and is a quick and warming spiced bowl. Perfect for lunch or dinner on a cool Autumn evening.
Check out my 3-ingredient zucchini soup if 5 ingredients is two too many. No judgement 😉
This recipe was originally posted on October 4, 2019 and updated September 26, 2022 with revised recipe steps and variations.
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If this is your first visit to my blog, welcome. My name is Amanda and I survive on super-simple-super-delicious-healthy-no-sweat meals.
Especially mid-week. Think "one-pot pasta, quick chickpea curry and simple soups." My swiss chard and pimentón stew with lentils is so easy to make and tastes like a weekend in Spain. Just say'n.
But for now, let's make soup.
Why We Love This Soup
Besides its miraculous time-saving qualities, this pumpkin lentil soup has some pretty healthy ingredients and comes in at around $1.90* per serve.
Add to that, this vegan soup is naturally gluten-free and full-bodied but gently flavoured. It's a simple soup. No muss, no fuss.
*costing calculated on weight of ingredients used in the recipe, not the cost of the whole ingredient (eg, 1 cup of lentils vs a whole bag of lentils)
Ingredients & Substitutions
You only need 5 ingredients to make this soup sing.
Pumpkin. I use Kent pumpkin most often but a butternut will work too.
Red lentils. Stick with red lentils for a quick bowl - they don't require precooking. Just pick them over, give them a wash and you're good to go.
Fresh ginger. Freshly grated or ginger paste adds zing and warmth to this soup.
Vegetable stock. I use vegetable but you could use a vegan chicken stock too.
Onion (not pictured). Use a yellow (brown) or white onion.
How to Make the Easiest Pumpkin Soup
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1. Take your soup pot and sauté an onion over medium heat for around 5-7 minutes, or until soft.
Step 2. Throw in some chopped pumpkin, dried red lentils, stock and grated fresh ginger,
Step 3. Step away.
Step 4. Step back.
Step 5. When the lentils and pumpkin are soft, remove the soup from the heat and carefully blend it in batches once it has cooled a little.
Recipe Variations
If you want to mix it up, you can add a little something else.
And best of all it's just a really delicious warming soup the whole family will love. With sweet golden pumpkin, earthy lentils and a hint of ginger it's a clean and wonderful bowl of goodness. Enjoy.
More Soup For You
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Make This Recipe
5-Ingredient Pumpkin Lentil Soup with Ginger
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and finely sliced
- 1 kg pumpkin peeled and cut in to cubes
- ¾ cup red lentils washed and drained
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely grated
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for three to five minutes or until soft.
- Add the chopped pumpkin, lentils and stock to the pot and stir before adding the finely grated ginger.
- Cook at a simmer for around 15 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are soft.
- Season with sea salt.
- Carefully blend the soup in a blender or with a stick blender until smooth to serve.
Jenny Baldwin says
Hi, I have not made this yet but I noticed that the measurements for 1X, 2X and 3X the recipe volume all show 2.2 lbs of pumpkin needed. Perhaps you could correct the amount of pounds for doubling & tripling the recipe to make it clear.
Amanda says
Hi Jenny, thanks for the feedback. I have removed the reference to pounds in the recipe (which I added to the recipe app myself manually) so when you multiply the recipe, you just get the additional measures in kg or grams. 🙂
Katie says
Hi! My family and I absolutely love your mushroom masala! I want to try this recipe but wondering 2 things: 1- do you think canned pumpkin would work? 2- are the lentils meant to be dry or canned? Thank you!!
Amanda says
Hi Katie, I am so happy your family enjoys the curry. That's great news. The lentils in this soup are dried red lentils - they cook really quickly and don't require soaking. I haven't made it with canned pumpkin. But I did a little research and found this canned pumpkin soup - https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/easy-pumpkin-soup/ so, I guess it is completely do-able. Let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear. x
Jocelyn Webb says
hi - how much volume (Ml, Litres etc) is one serving? id like to make about 4L of soup so is that 3 x the recipt mixture? thanks!
Amanda says
Hi Jocelyn, a serving of soup is generally 250ml and up to 400ml if it is the main course. This one makes around 4-5 x 350ml serves, but that can vary slightly due to evaporation and cook-time. The recipe states 4 serves, but I often get more.
Multiplying the recipe by 3 will get you closest to 4L. Fill the pot with stock until all your pumpkin is covered by about 1 cm (1/2-inch). You can always add more if needed. It's harder to take it away. Taste and season as you go to make sure your flavours are balanced. 🙂
Jocelyn Webb says
thansk Amanda! i'll multiply it by 3 thank you! im making a mass batch for a food charity in sydney, australia!
Amanda says
Hello from Melbourne! Good luck with it, Jocelyn. x
JESS says
I love that its has a lentils in it and it certainly is a simple recipe resulting in a creamy, mildly warming soup with the addition of ginger and a little red curry paste. For me it was a bit lacking in that depth of flavour you'll find in a pumpkin soup made with a roux (vegan butter or oil and flour) or roasting the pumpkin first. I give it a 4 but give it a 5 for family friendly and simplicity... and gut flora promoting protein from the lentils! 🙂
Amanda says
Thanks for the feedback, Jess 🙂 I am glad you enjoyed the soup. It's also gluten-free too, without a roux.
Sue says
This is the best pumpkin soup recipe I have tried. I sometimes throw in a bit of sweet potato or carrot if I have them. I think the addition of the red lentils and fresh ginger is genius! The ginger adds warmth and flavour to the soup.
Amanda says
Oh, thank you, Sue. I really appreciate your feedback and am so happy you enjoy the soup. 🙂
JJulieulie says
Never made soup before, this was amazing better than store bought, I made it for two, it was so good, will be making this forever
Amanda says
AMAZING! I am so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for letting me know xx
Confused says
I like how 1kg pumpkin converted to metric is 400g, and especially how 1 tbsp ginger converted to metric is 1 inch.
Amanda says
You're right! I use a program for my recipes and I guess sometimes it messes up the conversion. My mistake! I usually enter it manually (or pop it in brackets next to the original measure) but must have missed this one. Apologies. Don't be confused - a metric kg is still a metric kg. Thanks for pointing it out.
Josie says
Nice and easy and lovely flavour.
Amanda says
Excellent. I am glad you enjoyed it, Josie. Thanks for leaving a comment. 🙂
Deb Kruk says
Amanda we got our first snow fall for the season in the Oregon Willamette Valley so I decided it was a good day for soup. I had bought some puréed pumpkin during Thanksgiving which I never used, so when I saw your recipe today I had to give it a try for lunch. It was simply delicious.This will be a regular in my house. Thanks
Amanda says
Oh, that's so great, Deb. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I am so jealous of your snow! Enjoy and Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Dianne Pymble-Ward says
Hi Tanya, do brown lentils work in this recipe?
Amanda says
Hi Dianne,
I haven't used brown lentils in this recipe but I don't see why you couldn't. Puy lentils have a longer cooking time than red lentils so you'll need to cook your soup for around 45-50 minutes until the lentils are tender. Let me know how you go! 🙂
Tanya says
Hi Amanda 🙂 If I wanted to make this even easier (read: I'm feeling truly lazy) could I use store bought pumpkin puree? And if so, how much would I need to equal the 4 cups of chopped pumpkin? This recipe sounds scrumptious and I am so excited to make it! Thank you! xx
Amanda says
Hi Tanya! I am so glad you want to make the soup. I haven't made it with a puree before - I use the chopped specifically because it cooks with the red lentils at the same time. At a guess, I would say you would need 1 and a 1/2 15 oz cans of pumpkin. I did a little sleuthing and found a 15 oz can holds just under 2 cups so 1 and a 1/2 cans should do it. I would try and get a puree that has no sugar or additions. You have to let me know how it goes! Thanks Tanya.