Creamy Butternut Pumpkin Soup with Bacon

There’s nothing quite like a big bowl of homemade pumpkin soup, especially when it’s made with sweet butternut pumpkin straight from the veggie garden!

This creamy butternut pumpkin soup with bacon is packed with flavour from crispy bacon, onion, garlic and a little sweet paprika. The pumpkin and potato cook until beautifully tender, then everything gets blended into a smooth, creamy soup.

I love serving ours with toasted Turkish bread or crusty bread rolls for dipping. And if your family loves bacon as much as mine, don’t be shy with the extra crispy bacon on top!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Full of flavour: Cooking the bacon first gives the soup a delicious savoury flavour that goes beautifully with the sweetness of the pumpkin.
• Simple ingredients: It’s made with everyday ingredients that you can easily find at the supermarket.
• Perfect for meal prep: Make a batch ahead of time and freeze individual portions for easy lunches or dinners.
• Family-friendly: It’s smooth, creamy and delicious served with plenty of bread for dipping.
• A great way to use pumpkin: Especially if you’ve got plenty growing in the veggie garden or you’ve found a great sale on them!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy butternut pumpkin soup with bacon. You’ll find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.

• Butternut Pumpkin: My favourite variety for soup because of its natural sweetness and smooth texture.
• Potato: Helps give the soup a lovely, creamy consistency.
• Onion: Adds flavour to the soup.
• Bacon: Adds a delicious savoury flavour and makes a lovely crispy topping.
• Garlic: Adds extra flavour.
• Olive Oil: For cooking the bacon.
• Diced Tomatoes: Add a little extra flavour to the soup.
• Sweet Paprika: Adds a gentle warmth without making the soup spicy.
• Chicken Stock: Forms the liquid base of the soup.
• Thickened Cream: Gives the soup its creamy finish.
• Salt and Pepper: For seasoning to taste.

Equipment

You don’t need any fancy equipment to make this pumpkin soup, just a large saucepan, a chopping board, a knife and something to blend the soup.

Over the years, I’ve used a food processor, a jug blender, my Thermomix and a stick blender to make soup. They all do the job, but these days I much prefer using my stick blender directly in my stainless-steel saucepan.

It’s so much easier than transferring hot soup into a blender in batches, trying to get an even amount of vegetables and liquid into each batch, and then tipping everything back into the pot.

Plus, there’s less washing up, which is always a bonus!

I also prefer using my stainless-steel saucepan rather than transferring hot soup into plastic blender containers where possible.

If you’re using a jug blender, make sure it’s suitable for hot liquids and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

How to Make Creamy Butternut Pumpkin Soup with Bacon

Step 1: Cook the Bacon

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the diced bacon and cook for approximately 7 minutes, stirring regularly, until lightly browned.

Remove just under half the cooked bacon and set aside for serving. Leave the remaining bacon and cooking juices in the saucepan.

Step 2: Add the Onion and Garlic

Add the diced onion to the saucepan and cook for approximately 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30–60 seconds, stirring so it doesn’t burn.

Step 3: Add the Vegetables

Add the butternut pumpkin and potato, chopped into approximately 2–3 cm pieces.

Give everything a good stir to coat the vegetables in those lovely bacon, onion and garlic flavours.

Sprinkle over the sweet paprika and stir again.

Step 4: Add the Stock and Tomatoes

Pour in the chicken stock and add the diced tomatoes, including their juice.

Stir everything together and bring the soup to a gentle simmer.

Step 5: Simmer Until Tender

Reduce the heat to medium and leave the lid slightly ajar. Simmer gently for approximately 35 minutes, stirring occasionally and keeping the pumpkin and potato submerged in the stock as much as possible, until the vegetables are completely tender.

Cooking time can vary depending on how large you’ve chopped your vegetables. I found that bigger pieces needed a little longer, so don’t worry if yours takes a few extra minutes.

The important thing is that the vegetables are soft enough to blend easily.

Step 6: Blend the Soup

Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Carefully blend the soup using a stick blender until it’s beautifully smooth and creamy.

Take your time and keep the blender head submerged to avoid splashing hot soup.

Step 7: Add the Cream and Season

Allow the soup to cool slightly for 1–2 minutes, then stir in the thickened cream until completely combined.

Add the salt and black pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Ladle into bowls and finish with the reserved crispy bacon, an optional swirl of cream and a little chopped parsley.

Serve warm with toasted Turkish bread or your favourite crusty bread.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Soup

Cut Your Vegetables into Similar-Sized Pieces: This helps everything cook evenly. Larger pieces may need a little extra simmering time.

Don’t Rush the Simmering: Make sure the pumpkin and potato are properly tender before blending. You’ll get a much smoother soup.

Use the Bacon Cooking Juices: After cooking the bacon, leave those lovely flavours in the saucepan. They add so much to the finished soup.

Adjust the Thickness: If your soup is thicker than you like, stir in a little extra warm stock until you reach your preferred consistency.

Extra Crispy Bacon: The bacon topping is one of our favourite parts of this soup! I like to reserve just under half the cooked bacon so there’s plenty to sprinkle over everyone’s bowl. If you prefer your bacon extra crispy, you can fry the reserved bacon separately in a frying pan before serving.

Which Cream Works Best? I’ve made this pumpkin soup using light cream, regular thickened cream and lactose-free cream, and all three work well! Regular cream gives the soup a slightly richer, creamier finish, but you can easily use whichever one suits your family.

Variations

Make It Extra Creamy: Add a little more thickened cream after blending if you prefer a richer soup.

Add a Little Heat: A pinch of chilli flakes or cayenne pepper would be lovely if you enjoy a little spice.

Try a Different Pumpkin: Butternut is my favourite, but you can also make this soup with other varieties of pumpkin. The flavour and sweetness may vary.

Leave the Bacon Out: For a meat-free version, omit the bacon and use vegetable stock instead. You’ll lose some of the smoky, savoury flavour, so adjust the seasoning to taste.

What to Serve with Pumpkin Soup

I don’t think you can go wrong with a big bowl of homemade pumpkin soup and some delicious bread for dipping!

My favourites are toasted Turkish bread, crusty bread rolls or a thick slice of homemade bread.

Sometimes I’ll toast the bread until the edges are lovely and crunchy, then serve it alongside the soup so everyone can dip as they go.

It’s such an easy lunch or dinner, especially when you’ve already got a batch of soup ready in the fridge or freezer.

Serving Pumpkin Soup to Kids

My kids absolutely love eating their soup out of their little bowls with built-in straws.

Honestly, I think half the fun is listening to them slurp their soup through the straws, making all sorts of funny noises and giggling at each other!

I usually start them with around half a cup of soup each, and sometimes they’ll ask for seconds.

I like putting their little bowls on larger plates so there’s plenty of room for toast, crusty bread rolls or toasted Turkish bread alongside.

Once they’ve finished slurping their soup, they can dip their bread into whatever is left in the bowl.

It’s such a simple little thing, but they seem to enjoy their soup even more when they can eat it this way.

Just make sure the soup has cooled to a safe temperature before serving it in bowls with straws.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make Pumpkin Soup Ahead of Time?

Absolutely! Pumpkin soup is a great recipe to make ahead.

Prepare it as normal, allow it to cool promptly and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat it.

Do I Need to Peel Butternut Pumpkin for Soup?

I prefer to peel my butternut pumpkin before making soup.

It gives the finished soup a lovely smooth texture and makes blending nice and easy.

Why Is My Pumpkin Soup Too Thick?

Pumpkin and potato naturally thicken the soup, especially once it’s cooled.

If it’s too thick, simply stir through a little extra stock while reheating until you reach the consistency you like.

Can I Use a Thermomix to Blend the Soup?

Yes! A Thermomix can blend pumpkin soup beautifully.

Just make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for blending hot liquids and don’t exceed the maximum fill level.

Can I Freeze Pumpkin Soup with Cream in It?

Yes, I’ve frozen creamy pumpkin soup for years and it’s always reheated beautifully.

You might notice a little separation after thawing, but a good stir while reheating usually brings everything back together.

Storage and Reheating

In the Fridge

Allow the soup to cool promptly, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Store for up to 3–4 days and reheat until piping hot before serving.

In the Freezer

This is one of my favourite soups to make in a big batch because it freezes so well.

I’ve been freezing homemade soup in resealable freezer bags for years, and it’s such a handy way to keep individual portions ready for busy days.

Once the soup has cooled and been chilled, I divide it into freezer bags, remove as much excess air as possible, seal them and lay them flat in the freezer.

For best quality, I’d aim to use frozen soup within approximately three months.

My Freezer Portioning Tip

I’ve started freezing my pumpkin soup in individual 1-cup portions rather than using different-sized amounts in each freezer bag. It makes planning meals so much easier!

My kids usually eat ½ cup each, so one bag is enough for both of them. I’ll have 1 cup for myself, while my partner generally eats 2 cups, so I simply thaw two bags for him.

Once the bags are frozen, I stand them upright like books on a bookshelf to save space in the freezer.

This way, I can take out exactly how much soup we need, whether it’s lunch for one or dinner for the whole family.

Because the soup freezes in such a thin layer, it’s also easy to break a frozen bag in half if you only need an extra ½ cup. Just keep the remaining portion frozen for another meal.

Reheating

Thaw frozen soup overnight in the fridge.

Transfer it to a saucepan and gently reheat, stirring occasionally, until piping hot throughout.

You might notice that the soup has separated slightly after thawing, with a little watery liquid sitting above the thicker pumpkin mixture.

Don’t worry! I’ve found that it comes back together beautifully once you stir and reheat it.

If needed, add a small splash of stock to adjust the consistency.

More Easy Family Recipes

If you love simple, homemade family meals, you might also enjoy some of my other recipes.

My Curried Sausages are another family favourite for an easy dinner, while my Creamy Potato Bake with Bacon is perfect when you’re after something warm and comforting.

And if you’re trying to get ahead with meal prep, have a look at my Easy Chicken Freezer Meals for some more freezer-friendly ideas.

If you make this creamy butternut pumpkin soup with bacon, I’d love to hear how it turns out!

Let me know in the comments if you added extra crispy bacon on top, because I have a feeling I’m not the only one who thinks that’s the best part!

And don’t forget to save the recipe for the next time you’ve got some butternut pumpkin to use up.

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