Pumpkin and Orange Soup

Name: Pumpkin and Orange Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Nordic
Ingredients: 1 medium pumpkin, washed, deseeded and cubed (with skin on); 3 medium oranges, juiced; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves of garlic, chopped; 1 inch ginger, finely chopped; 1 chilli, chopped; 5 1/2 cups vegetable stock; 1 tbsp olive oil; salt and pepper to taste

A delicious Scandinavian soup made with spiced pumpkin and orange juice. A delicious soup for those cold days.

by Cory Varga

Updated 14 December 2024

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Pumpkin and orange soup is a spiced Nordic dish that is ideal for the cold season to help you stay warm. It's delicious, nutritious and healthy, with simple ingredients that are good for you. Bring Scandinavian recipes into your kitchen with this aromatic spiced soup.

Rye biscuit dipped in Nordic pumpkin and orange soup

There are so many intriguing things about Nordic countries and Scandinavian cuisine is one of the most interesting to me. Great fresh ingredients, mixed with aromatic herbs make some of the most unusual combinations. There's a good reason why Danish cuisine is regarded as some of the best in the world. I love experiments with different ingredients and bringing cultural foods into my kitchen. That's why for the cold season I decided to make a pumpkin and orange soup, a Danish dish that's going to become your favourite.

The Nordic Pumpkin and Orange soup

You know I love my spiced soups, as I already made a super loved spiced carrot soup. It continues to be such a popular dish on this website. I wanted to use some of the key ingredients there and mix them with pumpkin and orange. Pumpkin because during the cold season it's such a great ingredient to use for soups to add consistency, and orange because it adds sweetness and tang. Just the right balance.

I'm always trying to push myself to create interesting recipes by using local products, adapting some of the older teaches and reviving cultural dishes from all around the world. The pumpkin and orange soup is a result of this. And honestly, it's a fantastic dish which you will love. It's warming, slightly spicy, a little tangy, full of vitamin C and with a creamy consistency.

Serve this pumpkin and orange soup with rye bread or rye biscuits on the side and enjoy a very Scandinavian dish.

Delicious pumpkin and orange soup in bowls

Ingredients for pumpkin and orange soup

There are just a few ingredients you will need for pumpkin and orange soup and most of them you probably already have in your pantry and fridge. This recipe is gluten-free and nut-free as well. It's fully vegan and it's ideal to restrove gut health as well, thanks to the ginger in it.

You have control over how spicy you want your pumpkin and orange soup. I like it on the spicy side, but this recipe is mild-moderate spicy, as my husband doesn't like spicy food.

Pumpkin - It is called a pumpkin and orange soup so naturally, the pumpkin is the star attraction. I used Hokkaido pumpkins for this recipe. They are my favourite pumpkin and tend to use them for almost all pumpkin recipes like pumpkin tacos, pumpkin soup or pumpkin pasta.
Orange - You'll need three oranges for juicing. You don't need the peel or the zest, just the juice (and pulp) from the oranges. Delicious. Select sweet oranges.
Ginger - The perfect ingredient that warms the soup and gives it that lovely spiced profile. It works so well with pumpkin and orange! If you are keen on ginger, make sure to make these ginger shots for the winter as well!
Garlic - Three closed of fresh garlic is all that's needed for this soup. You might love garlic just as much as me but please don't be tempted to add more than three cloves. Trust me on this!
Chilli - You can use a fresh chilli with its seeds or deseeded if you don't like spicy food. For very spicy, use two chillies instead.

Bowls of pumpkin and orange soup

Tips for making and storing the pumpkin and orange soup

Use a handheld blender - Also called stick blenders this will be your best friend for making the soup amazing. Alternatively, you can use a normal kitchen blender and work in batches. Just be careful as the soup will be very hot.

Use Hokkaido pumpkins - They are sweeter and better than other pumpkins. They really are best suited for this nordic pumpkin and orange soup. Of course, if you have a sweet variety of pumpkins locally, do use that as local is always better.
Juice your oranges - Use a juicer and juice your oranges. Don't use the peel or zest as there's no need for it. I recommend going for organic, sweet oranges if available.
Not too much garlic - I know you love garlic, I love garlic too. But please don't use more than 3 cloves for this soup. It will overpower the delicate flavours and will make the soup taste one dimensional.
Decorate - Decorate the soup with a little drizzle of olive oil and some chilli seeds. Maybe add some fresh thyme too.
Rye Bread - I can't express how much the pumpkin and orange soup works with rye bread or rye biscuits. You can find them in international stores or even at Scandinavian superstores known for their flat furniture.
Store in the fridge - Store the soup in an air-tight container. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

This recipe has been developed entirely by Yuzu Bakes. Any resemblance with other recipes is purely coincidental.