Easy Miso Pumpkin Soup

An easy, creamy, sweet, and savory miso pumpkin soup made with oven-roasted pumpkin, bacon, and miso broth. A pumpkin soup with a twist!

This creamy pumpkin soup is comforting, full of flavor, easy to make, and is perfect if you're craving a sweet and savory creamy soup. From the toasted salty bacon to the sweetness from the pumpkin all pulled together with an umami-packed miso broth. I like to top this creamy pumpkin soup off with a dollop of sour cream and chives (or scallions) to add a hint of creaminess to it and then top it with some crispy bacon on top.

If you're still looking for more creamy soups, I also recommend checking out my creamy mushroom garlic soup as well! It's loaded with umami flavors from the mushrooms and is made with lots of roasted garlic - lots of garlic.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Miso - You can use different types of miso for this (white, yellow or red).  If you can't find miso at your local grocery store, you can usually find it at an Asian grocery store, at a specialty gourmet shop, or online.
• Pumpkin - I like to use sugar pumpkins for cooking but for this recipe, you can also use butternut squash or kabocha squash as well if you can't find pumpkin. You can even use canned pumpkin but make sure you are buying pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling, which contain additional spices.
  
  If you are going to use kabocha squash, you will need an extra cup of broth and ½ tablespoon of miso to the soup since it has less moisture than pumpkin and it will create a thicker soup.

Types of Miso to Use for Soups

There are many types of miso out there, and here are a few differences between them:

• White Miso (Shiro Miso) - Typically made with soybeans and rice and has a light and mild flavor and is slightly sweet.
• Yellow Miso (Shinshu Miso) - Typically made with soybeans and barley. It has a stronger flavor than white miso but is not as strong as red miso. (no affiliate link available as I could not find one online that was a reasonable price.)
• Red Miso (Aka Miso) - Typically made with soybeans, barley, and grains with a longer fermentation process and has a stronger flavor and is saltier with a stronger umami flavor.
• Awase Miso (Mix of red and white miso) - This is a blend of red and white miso.

At the end of the day, go with your gut with what type of miso to use. If you are new to miso and are not sure which one to pick then I'd start with the white or yellow miso. Once you start to try them you will start to find your preference naturally. They all taste fantastic. 🙂

How to Make Pumpkin Soup From Scratch

Roast the Pumpkin in the Oven

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (177C).
2. Drizzle oil on the pumpkin
3. Set the pumpkin on a oven-safe pan and roast it in the oven for approximately 1 hour or until it is soft and you can insert a knife into it easily.

Chop Your Ingredients

1. Once the pumpkin is done roasting, set it aside to cool for a few minutes before handling it.
2. Chop the bacon, and onion and set them aside
3. Finely mince the garlic and set them aside
4. Cut off the skin from the pumpkin or squash and discard it, then chop the pumpkin into smaller 1-inch pieces and set it aside.
   

Saute them in a Pot

1. On medium heat, add the oil and butter into a pot
2. Once the butter has melted add in the bacon and brown it - approximately 1-2 minutes
3. Add in the garlic and onions and saute them until it is soft - approximately 5 minutes
4. Add in the pumpkin and cook it for approximately 5-10 minutes. Do not worry if you see brown bits on the bottom of the pan or if the pumpkin sticks to the bottom. Keep scraping the brown bits – this is flavor and it will melt into the soup once we add in the liquid.
5. Add in 1 cup of broth and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan
6. Once the brown bits have been scraped off, add the rest of the broth and reduce the heat to medium-low heat.
7. Simmer it for 15 minutes
8. Add in the miso and mix it for 1-2 minutes until it dissolves.

Blitz!

1. Once the ingredients are all soft, using a blender (or hand blender), blitz the pumpkin soup until it is smooth and creamy.
2. Taste the soup and add salt to taste, top with garnishes and enjoy!

Storing Pumpkin Soup

You can keep this in the fridge for a week. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3-4 months as well. Just bring it out to thaw the night before and reheat it up either in a microwave or in a pan over a stovetop.

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Recipe Card

Easy Miso Pumpkin Soup

Creamy, sweet, and savory miso pumpkin soup made with oven-roasted pumpkin, bacon, and miso broth. A pumpkin soup with a twist!

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, Asian

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

4 Servings

5 from 9 votes

Made with ♡ by Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks

Recipe Notes

• If you are going to substitute pumpkin for kabocha squash, you will need an extra cup of broth and ½ tablespoon of miso to the soup since it has less moisture than pumpkin and it will create a thicker soup.

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Ingredients

 

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• ▢ 2-3 lb pumpkin (approximately 3-4 cups)
• ▢ 4 cups broth (any type - chicken, beef or vegetable)
• ▢ 6 slices bacon (chopped)
• ▢ 4-5 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• ▢ 1 large onion
• ▢ 2 tablespoons oil
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons miso

Garnishes (Optional)

• ▢ sour cream
• ▢ fresh bacon bits
• ▢ chives or green onions (finely chopped)
• ▢ cayenne pepper (a pinch)

Instructions

 

Roast the Pumpkin

• Preheat oven to 350F (177C)
• If you are using a whole pumpkin, butternut squash, or kabocha squash, cut it in half and use a spoon to scrape out and discard the seeds. (or you can save the seeds to make a snack).
• Drizzle oil on the pumpkin or squash.
• Set the pumpkin on an oven-safe pan and roast it in the oven for approximately 1 hour or until it is soft and you can insert a knife into it easily

Preparation

• Once the pumpkin is done roasting, set it aside to cool for a few minutes before handling it.
• Chop the bacon, and onion and set them aside
• Finely mince the garlic and set them aside
• Cut off the skin from the pumpkin or squash and discard it, then chop the pumpkin into smaller 1-inch pieces and set it aside.

Saute them in a Pot

• On medium heat, add the oil and butter into a large pot
• Once the butter has melted, add the bacon and brown it for 1-2 minutes
• Add in the garlic and onions and saute them until soft for approximately 5 minutes
• Add in the pumpkin and cook it for approximately 5-10 minutes. Do not worry if you see brown bits on the bottom of the pan or if the pumpkin sticks to the bottom. Keep scraping the brown bits – this is flavor and it will melt into the soup once we add in the liquid.
• Add in 1 cup of broth and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan
• Once the brown bits have been scraped off, add the rest of the broth and reduce the heat to medium-low
• Simmer it for 15 minutes
• Add in the miso and mix it for 1-2 minutes until it dissolves.

Blitz it in a Blender

• Once the ingredients are soft, using a blender (or hand blender), blitz the soup until smooth
• Taste the soup and add salt to taste. Top with garnishes and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 34g | Sodium: 780mg | Sugar: 10g

*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*

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