Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Bacon
This Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Bacon is one of my favorite ways to use pumpkin when the weather finally starts cooling down. I like mine creamy and savory with just a little heat, then I finish each bowl with crisp bacon and sliced green onions.
I also add a couple tablespoons of bourbon. It is optional, but I love the extra flavor it gives this soup, especially with the roasted pumpkin and smoky bacon.
When we carve pumpkins to make our Jack-O-Lanterns, I like to save the good pieces of fresh pumpkin we cut away and roast them for homemade pumpkin puree. I’ll also pick up a few extra pumpkins while they are plentiful because the puree freezes well and gives this soup such a nice roasted flavor. You can see exactly how I do it in my Pumpkin Puree recipe, or use canned pumpkin puree when you want to keep things simple.
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Why I Like This Pumpkin Soup
There is quite a bit of flavor packed into a simple pot of classic pumpkin soup.
- Roasted pumpkin gives it a rich pumpkin flavor and smooth texture.
- Bacon adds a salty, smoky finish without overpowering the soup.
- Bourbon gives it a little extra depth, but you can leave it out.
- Tabasco adds just enough heat, and you can easily adjust it to your taste.
- Everything is blended until smooth, then finished with cream.
Key Ingredients
Roasted pumpkin: I prefer homemade roasted pumpkin puree when I already have a cooking pumpkin in the kitchen. Roasting gives the pumpkin a deeper flavor, but a one 15 oz can of pumpkin puree works very well too.
Bourbon: I only use two tablespoons, so it does not take over the soup. It adds a warm background flavor that works especially well with the pumpkin. If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, simply leave it out.
Marjoram: This is a quiet little herb, but I like what it does here. It keeps the soup savory without competing with the pumpkin.
Tabasco: I usually begin with about ½ teaspoon. You can always put the bottle on the table for anyone who wants a little more heat.
Heavy cream: This goes in near the end and gives the soup its creamy finish. I add it after blending so I can keep the heat low and gently warm everything together.
Bacon and green onions: I save these for the top. The crisp bacon gives the smooth soup some texture, while the green onions add a little freshness.
Equipment:
- Dutch Oven or Large Soup Pot
- Immersible Blender
How to make Roast Pumpkin Soup:
The complete recipe is in the card below, but here is how I make the soup and where I pay a little extra attention.
Step 1: Sauté the Onion and Garlic
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and cook until it is soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute more. I don’t like to let the garlic brown here because it can become bitter.
Step 2: Add the Bourbon
Pour in the bourbon and let it bubble for a couple of minutes.
I keep the pot away from an open flame when I add alcohol. You are simply giving the bourbon a chance to cook down a little and mellow before adding the rest of the soup.
If you are skipping the bourbon, move right on to the pumpkin.
Step 3: Add the Pumpkin and Broth
Stir in the roasted pumpkin puree, chicken broth, and marjoram.
Add about ½ teaspoon Tabasco, or less if you prefer a milder soup. Bring everything to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
I would rather start with less hot sauce and add more after tasting. Once it is in the pot, you can’t take it back out.
Step 4: Blend Until Smooth
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot until it is smooth.
You can also carefully blend it in batches in a countertop blender. Do not overfill the blender with hot soup.
I prefer the immersible blender simply because there is less cleanup, and retirement around here still seems to come with plenty of other things to do.
Step 5: Finish With Cream
Stir in the heavy whipping cream and return the soup to a very gentle simmer.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then let it simmer another 5 to 10 minutes.
I keep the heat low once the cream is added. There is no reason to give it a hard boil.
Step 6: Add the Bacon and Green Onions
Ladle the hot pumpkin soup into bowls and top each one with crumbled bacon and sliced green onion tops.
I usually set the Tabasco on the table too. That way everyone can decide how spicy they want their own bowl.
Add a dash of salt and pepper to the soup, adjust for taste then simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy this Classic creamy pumpkin soup recipe with a garnish of sliced green onion and crumbled bacon and with Tabasco on the side.
Expert Tips
If you are using fresh pumpkin, choose one meant for cooking when possible. Pie or sugar pumpkins usually give you sweeter, smoother flesh than the large pumpkins grown mainly for carving.
Make sure you use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. They look similar on the shelf but are very different products.
Taste the soup after blending and again after adding the cream. Cream softens both seasoning and heat, so this is the point when I decide whether it needs another dash of Tabasco, salt, or pepper.
Start with just ¼ tsp Tabasco, taste, then add more. The heat builds as it simmers—better to go slow than blow out your guests!
And don’t skip the bacon unless you need to. That salty crunch against the creamy soup is one of my favorite parts.
Easy Variations
For a milder soup, start with just ¼ teaspoon Tabasco and add more at the table.
You can leave the bourbon out completely without changing the rest of the method.
If you like a little more garnish, add a small spoonful of sour cream along with the bacon and green onions.
And when I want to turn this into a heartier supper, I serve it with warm crusty bread for dipping.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover pumpkin soup in a covered container in the refrigerator.
When I reheat it, I use low to medium-low heat and stir occasionally until it is hot. Since the soup contains cream, I don’t like to boil it hard when reheating.
If it thickens after sitting in the refrigerator, stir in a small splash of chicken broth until it reaches the consistency you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Use one 15-ounce can of plain pumpkin puree in place of the 2 cups of roasted pumpkin. I use canned pumpkin myself when I want to get dinner on the table without roasting a pumpkin first.
I prefer a small pie or sugar pumpkin because the flesh tends to be smoother and sweeter. Large carving pumpkins are edible when fresh, but they are usually more watery and stringy.
No. Just leave it out and continue with the pumpkin and broth. The bourbon adds flavor, but the soup is still very good without it.
Absolutely. Start with ¼ teaspoon Tabasco or leave it out of the pot completely. You can always serve hot sauce alongside the soup.
More Homemade Soup Recipes
If you enjoy warming up with a good pot of homemade soup, you might also like my Chicken Tortilla Soup, Hamburger Vegetable Soup, or Black Bean Soup. And if you like a little more heat, my Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup is another favorite around here.
This is one of those soups I look forward to when fall settles in and the evenings begin to cool down. The creamy pumpkin, little bit of heat, bourbon, and crisp bacon make a mighty good combination.
If you make this Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Bacon, leave me a comment and rating below. And if you share a bowl on Facebook, be sure to tag me so I can see it.
🥣 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons bourbon optional
- ½ teaspoon Marjoram
- 2 cup roast pumpkin or 15 oz can of pure pumpkin
- ½ teaspoon Tabasco more or less to taste
- 14.5 ounce can Chicken broth
- ½ pint heavy whipping cream
- 4 strips cooked bacon chopped or crumbled
- 2 green onion tops sliced
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a dutch oven or large saucepan. Add onions and saute until soft and translucent, then add garlic and saute for 1 additional minute.
- Add bourbon and bring to a boil and saute for a couple of minutes for the alcohol to cook off and leave the flavor. But be careful when cooking with alcohol, it will flame if in contact with an open flame.
- Add your roast pumpkin (or canned pumpkin), chicken broth, and marjoram to the sauteed onion mixture.
- Add 1/2 tsp of Tabasco to this roast pumpkin soup but you could add more or less depending on your spiciness level. Then bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes
- Using an immersible blender puree soup until smooth or place in a blender in batches and puree until smooth
- Add whipping cream to soup in the dutch oven and return to a low simmer
- Add a dash of salt and pepper to the soup, adjust for taste then simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve with a garnish of sliced green onion and crumbled bacon and Tabasco on the side
Nutrition
Click HERE to save this Roast Pumpkin Soup to Pinterest
This looks so good, Evelyn ! And the bourbon will most definitely be added 😉
This sounds like a soup I need to try!! Yum!