Spicy White Bean Pumpkin Soup {vegan, gluten-free}

This Spicy White Bean Pumpkin Soup is sure to warm you up on chilly fall evenings. It's deliciously creamy and packed with flavor from pumpkin (or butternut squash), white cannellini beans, and a spoonful of homemade harissa, and it happens to be vegan and gluten-free. Yum!

It's been raining again, a lot, and that always makes me crave soup. There really is nothing like slurping on a steaming bowl of soup when it's wet and miserable outside. Add a touch of spice and you have a double dose of heat. This spicy white bean pumpkin soup has become one of my favorite pumpkin recipes, and it fits right in with all the hearty bean soups that keep us going through the colder months.

Meet the "Magic Sauce"

The spices in this pumpkin and bean soup come from what is commonly known in the Delicious Everyday house as "Magic Sauce". Magic sauce came about when I needed harissa for a recipe I was putting together and couldn't find harissa paste at any of the supermarkets or grocers I visited, so I had to come up with my own version.

I looked through a ton of recipes and found that the main ingredient was chili peppers. I used a mix of red bell peppers and red chili peppers until I found the right spice level, and it worked out beautifully. So beautifully, in fact, that it's since shown up in recipes such as Spiced Pumpkin and Feta Tarts and Feta & Tomato Tartlets. Knowing how versatile this homemade harissa paste has proven to be, I thought I would apply it to a soup and see how it turned out. Of course, if you want to make this recipe even simpler, you can always use store-bought harissa.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Pumpkin or butternut squash. One large pumpkin gives you about 6 cups of chopped flesh. Sugar pumpkin, kabocha and butternut squash all work well and taste just as delicious. In a hurry? Swap in two 15-ounce cans of pumpkin purée and shorten the simmer to about 5 minutes.
• Cannellini beans. Creamy white cannellini beans add protein and help make the soup velvety once it's blended. Canned cannellini beans are the easy option; just rinse and drain them. You can also use 1 ½ cups of home-cooked beans.
• "Magic Sauce" (homemade harissa). Red chili peppers, red bell pepper, garlic, toasted cumin and coriander seeds, smoked paprika and olive oil, blitzed into a bright red paste. Store-bought harissa is a fine shortcut, but brands vary a lot in heat, so start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste.
• Whole cumin and coriander seeds. Toasting whole cumin seeds and coriander seeds gives the sauce a deep, warm flavor. If you only have ground spices, use about ¾ teaspoon of each and toast them in the dry pan for just 20 to 30 seconds.
• Coconut milk. Full-fat coconut milk makes the soup rich and silky and balances the heat. Light coconut milk works if you want it a little lighter, or use cashew cream.
• Vegetable stock. Any good vegetable stock works. If you have veggie scraps saved in the freezer, try this homemade vegetable broth. Check the label if you need the soup to be gluten-free, since a few boxed brands contain wheat.
• Onions and cilantro. Yellow onions cooked until golden give the soup a sweet, savory base. Fresh cilantro is the finishing touch; flat-leaf parsley is a good swap if cilantro isn't your thing.

Helpful Tips

Make the magic sauce first (or ahead). While there are quite a few ingredients, all you have to do is toast the seeds and blend everything together in a food processor. The recipe makes more than the 2 tablespoons you need for the soup, so you'll have extra to stir into grains, roasted vegetables or tarts later in the week. It keeps in a clean jar in the fridge for about a week.

Adjust the heat to your taste. You're in charge of the spice level. Add more chili peppers if you like more heat, or substitute more bell pepper to tone it down. Removing the seeds and white membranes from the chilies also makes a big difference. Remember that you can always stir in a little more sauce at the end, but you can't take it out.

Peeling the pumpkin is the hardest part. Honestly, it's the only tricky step! To make it easier, pierce the pumpkin skin in a few places and microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes. The skin softens just enough that a sharp vegetable peeler or knife slides right through. Cut the flesh into roughly 1-inch cubes so they cook evenly.

Let the pumpkin brown a little. Tossing the pumpkin with the onions and magic sauce and letting it catch slightly in the pan before adding the stock builds a deeper, slightly caramelized flavor. Keep the heat at medium so the spices toast without burning.

Blend it smooth, or don't. When the soup is finished cooking, use an immersion blender to blend it until it's nice and creamy. This step is optional, so leave the soup chunky if you prefer it that way. If you use a countertop blender, work in batches and leave the lid slightly vented so the steam can escape.

Variations

• Other beans. Great northern beans, navy beans or butter beans are easy swaps for cannellini and blend up just as creamy. Chickpeas work too, though they give a slightly nuttier, thicker soup.
• Less spicy. Use only one chili pepper (or none) and double the red bell pepper in the magic sauce, or use a mild store-bought harissa and start with 1 tablespoon. An extra splash of coconut milk at the end cools things down, too.
• Extra spicy. Leave the seeds in the chilies, add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the onions, or finish each bowl with an extra dollop of magic sauce.
• Red lentil version. Stir in ½ cup of rinsed red lentils with the stock and add an extra cup of liquid. They melt into the soup and make it even heartier.
• Sweet potato swap. Replace some or all of the pumpkin with peeled, cubed sweet potato for a sweeter, slightly thicker soup.
• Add some greens. After blending, stir in a couple of handfuls of baby spinach or chopped kale and let them wilt for a minute or two.

Serving Ideas

Top each bowl with a drizzle of coconut milk, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and a few toasted cumin seeds, like in the photos. Toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) add a nice crunch, and a little extra magic sauce swirled on top is great for anyone who wants more heat.

This soup is hearty enough for dinner with some good bread for dunking. Try it with a slice of Pumpkin Focaccia Bread, warm homemade vegan cornbread, or simple toasted sourdough (use gluten-free bread if needed). A crisp green salad with a lemony dressing on the side balances the creamy, spicy soup nicely.

Storing & Freezing

Let leftover soup cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days. It thickens as it sits, so add a splash of vegetable stock or water when you reheat it on the stove over medium-low heat. Any extra magic sauce keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for about a week; a thin layer of olive oil on top helps it last longer.

This soup freezes well. Portion it into freezer-safe containers, leaving about an inch of space at the top, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently on the stove, stirring often. Coconut milk can separate a little after freezing, so give it a good whisk (or a quick blitz with the immersion blender) and it will be smooth and creamy again. You can also freeze leftover magic sauce in an ice cube tray for ready-to-use portions.

More Cozy Pumpkin & Bean Soups

If you love this soup, be sure to check out these other tasty ideas:

• Thai Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk
• Lazy Roasted Pumpkin Soup (No Cream!)
• Vegetarian White Bean Chili
• Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew with Chickpeas

While you're here, be sure to grab our FREE 5-Day Meatless Meal Plan. It's packed with tasty recipes to make vegetarian cooking easy and delicious!

📖 Recipe