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11 Best Pumpkins for Soups

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Edible pumpkins find various culinary uses, from making pies to making purees, lattes, soups, and much more.

While many types of edible pumpkins can be used in cooking a variety of food, you will find that some are better than others for certain meals.

So, if you want to make soup with pumpkins and are unsure of the pumpkin varieties to use, we’ve got you covered. We discuss 11 of the best pumpkins for soups below. Read on to check them out.

New England Sugar Pie Pumpkins

New England Sugar Pie Pumpkins

New England Sugar Pie pumpkins are a miniature pumpkin variety with origins tied to the New England region. As their name hints, New England Sugar Pie pumpkins are mainly used for making pies. But they excel when used in preparing soups too.

When New England Sugar Pie pumpkins are pureed, they yield creamy, mild-tasting purees with similar qualities. So, when you make the puree into soup, you can expect a savory outcome.

New England Sugar Pie pumpkins can also be cooked or roasted to get a different kind of flavor. When you roast or cook them, you can expect a sweet, buttery, nut-like flavor. Of course, you can turn roasted or cooked New England Sugar Pie pumpkins into soups too.

Besides soups and pies, New England Sugar Pie pumpkins can be used in making curry and chili. You may also paint or carve them if you are not interested in eating them.

Moranga Pumpkins

Camarao na Moranga Pumpkin Soup

While Moranga pumpkins are not miniature, they are also not large-sized. They fall into the small-medium class of pumpkins.

Moranga pumpkins have a lighter peach color you do not see in most pumpkins. But beyond that, they have sweet, tasty, and tender flesh, making them perfect for making soups. It is no surprise they are famously used in preparing the Camarao na Moranga.

Camarao na Moranga is a creamy Brazilian soup. It is made from Moranga pumpkins, and shrimps, and some other ingredients.

‘Cinderella’ Pumpkins (Rouge Vif D’Etampe)

Cinderella pumpkins on the ground

‘Cinderella’ pumpkin or Rouge Vif D’Etampe is an heirloom variety native to France. It was introduced into the United States by W. Atlee Burpee in 1883.

‘Cinderella’ pumpkins are moist and creamy when cooked. So, it is no surprise that they are a perfect choice for making pumpkin soups.

Besides making soups, you can steam, roast, and bake ‘Cinderella’ pumpkins. Their creamy texture and sweet flavor make them ideal for cakes, pies, cookies, bread, and muffins. You can also puree ‘Cinderella’ pumpkins into stews, casseroles, or stews.

‘Cinderella’ pumpkins are rich in potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, Vitamin A, and iron. So, not only are they perfect when made into soups, they are pretty healthy, too.

‘Fairytale’ Pumpkins

Fairytale pumpkins in a bin on a farm

‘Fairytale’ is a French winter heirloom variety from the 19th century. They were introduced into the United States in 1899. 

‘Fairytale’ pumpkins have smooth rinds with prominent ribbing. Their flesh is firm, thick, and orange. When mature, the ribbings transform from dark green to light brown tan.

When you cook ‘Fairytale’ pumpkins, they become tender, smooth, and creamy. They also offer a mildly sweet flavor and spicy scent. And you can expect all of these when you blend your ‘Fairytale’ pumpkin into soups.

Besides soups, ‘Fairytale’ pumpkins can be used to prepare pasta, stews, butter, and casseroles. You may roast, sauté, bake, or boil them.

Blue Pumpkins

blue pumpkin in grass bed

Blue pumpkins were developed in Australia before subsequent introduction to other parts of the world. They come in several varieties, including ‘Blue Lakota,’ ‘Queensland Blue,’ ‘Blue Moon,’ ‘Australian Blue,’ and Blue Doll.’ 

Blue pumpkins are round to oblate with a flattened stem end. Their rinds are smooth, firm, and deeply-ribbed. While they are called blue pumpkins, their ribbing may be of any color between dark green and blue-green.

When blue pumpkins are cooked, their texture becomes stringless, smooth, and dry. They are also aromatic and are ideal for steaming, baking, boiling, and roasting.

Their texture, when cooked, and the aroma they produce, make them a top choice for preparing soups. But besides soups, you can use blue pumpkins to prepare baked goods and desserts. You can also cook and blend blue pumpkins into curries and stews.

Blue pumpkins are rich in potassium, fiber, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin C. So, they are great on your taste buds and perfect for your health.

Pink Pumpkins

Pink pumpkin

Pink pumpkin, or the Porcelain Doll Squash, is a pumpkin hybrid created by DP Seeds in Yuma, Arizona.

When pink pumpkins are cooked, they become tender and sweet with a smooth texture. So, you will enjoy them in soups.

Pink pumpkins are also ideal for boiling, roasting, sautéing, and baking.

You can roast them to make stews and casseroles. You can also puree them to make muffins, cheesecakes, pies, cupcakes, and other desserts. The seeds of a pink pumpkin are also edible; you can roast and salt them to make snacks. 

Pink pumpkins are rich in calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C.

Styrian Pumpkins

Styrian Pumpkins in the field

Styrian pumpkins are indigenous to Styria, the southeastern region of Austria. They are currently grown throughout Austria, Australia, the Middle East, and many parts of Eastern Europe.

Styrian pumpkins are round, and they have minimally smooth rinds with shallow ribbing. The squashes come with dark green stripes covering their length.

Styrian pumpkins have pale yellow flesh surrounding a cavity that holds dark green and hull-less seeds. The said flesh is nutty, earthy, and slightly sweet.

Styrian pumpkins are primarily grown for their seeds that are either processed for oil or sold as pepitas. However, you can roast and puree them to make soups. You can also dice them for use as stuffing or as part of green salad. You may also roast the seeds of Styrian pumpkins and use them as toppings for salads, soups, and bread. 

The flesh of a Styrian pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene. The seeds contain potassium, zinc, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, vitamins A, B, and C. The seeds also contain water-soluble and fat-soluble antioxidants. 

White Pumpkins

a pile of white pumpkins

Due to its slow growth, the history of the white pumpkin is unknown. However, most white pumpkin varieties available today were developed in the early 1980s-1990s. 

There are several varieties of white pumpkins, including ‘Casper’ pumpkins, ‘Ghost’ pumpkins, ‘Silver Moon,’ ‘Full Moon’ pumpkins, ‘Valenciano’, and ‘Luminas.’

White pumpkins are round and uniform with shallow or slightly flattened ribbing. Their rinds are white or ivory, with a smooth texture, and their flesh is orange or white.

Depending on the variety, some white pumpkins are edible.

Edible white pumpkins are ideal for boiling, baking, and roasting. You can apply them to traditional recipes like flan, waffles, bread, tarts, and puddings. You can also roast, dice, and add them to soups, curries, stews, salads, pasta, and oatmeal.

White pumpkins are rich in fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamin E.

‘Pam’ Pumpkins

orange pumpkin Baby Pam

‘Pam’ pumpkins were developed by the Seedway Company in Hall, New York. They are currently the best pumpkins for making pies due to their smooth, tender flesh and uniform size. But this takes nothing away from their use in cooking soups.

‘Pam’ pumpkins are uniformly shaped and round. They have bright orange, smooth, hard rinds with shallow ribbing. The flesh of ‘Pam’ pumpkins is thick, dense, moist, and colored pale orange to gold.

When ‘Pam’ pumpkins are cooked, they become stringless, dry, and tender with a sugary flavor. 

‘Pam’ pumpkins are ideal for baking, roasting, and steaming. Besides being a top choice for filling pumpkin pies, they are perfect for cookies, muffins, cakes, tarts, puddings, and custards. You can also cook and puree ‘Pam’ pumpkins to make flavorful soups, tamales, stews, dips, and curries. 

‘Pam’ pumpkins are rich in copper, potassium, magnesium, fiber, iron, and vitamins A, C, and E.

‘Cotton Candy’ Pumpkins

Do not let the name mislead you; ‘Cotton Candy’ pumpkins do not have the same sugary sweetness as cotton candy. But make no mistake, ‘Cotton Candy’ pumpkins are pretty tasty. Even though their sweetness is more like a mild version of a traditional pie pumpkin.

Cotton Candy’ pumpkins turn out pretty good when used in making soups. They are even better when cooked alongside other autumn vegetables like parsnip.

‘Cotton Candy’ may be roasted and used as a garnish for your soup. You may also bake them, boil, or puree them as you want.

Peanut Pumpkins (Galeux d’Eysines)

peanut pumpkin

Like Moranga pumpkins, Peanut pumpkins are peach-colored. They are an heirloom variety with French origins, and they may also be called Galeux d’Eysines.

One distinctive feature of Peanut pumpkins is the peanut-like bumps that cover most of their rinds. Having said this, you know where the name Peanut pumpkins came from.

Interestingly, it is said that even the peanut-like warts on the rind contribute to the sweetness of Peanut pumpkins.

While the rind is full of bumps, Peanut pumpkins actually have a flavorful, smooth, tasty flesh. And when you prepare soups with them, you get most of this tastiness and smoothness in your meal.

Besides soups, Peanut pumpkins are perfect for making pies, butter dips, and much more.

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