Pumpkin soup is a creamy, comforting dish popular across North America, Europe, and Australia during autumn and winter. While restaurant versions often rely on heavy butter and stock reductions, home cooks typically simmer sweet diced pumpkin with fragrant aromatics before blending it smooth. It is most commonly enjoyed as a comforting lunch or dinner starter paired with warm, crusty bread.
Vegetarian Gluten-Free Nut-Free Egg-Free Soy-Free
Nutrient score: Good
Goodness for its calories, 25 to 100.
How is this worked out?
The nutrient score shows how much goodness a recipe gives for its calories, from 25 to 100. Every recipe gets at least 25. It is the same for everyone.
It adds up how much of 11 nutrients people need the recipe gives for its calories: protein, fibre, vitamins A, C and E, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, folate and zinc. Each counts up to a full day’s worth for the calories. It then takes points off for saturated fat, added sugar and sodium above a fair share for the calories.
75 and over: Excellent. 60 to 74: Very good. 45 to 59: Good. 35 to 44: Fair. 25 to 34: Low.
The formula (from the recipe’s values per 100 g):
- Share of the day: the recipe’s kcal per 100 g ÷ 2,000 (under 40 kcal per 100 g, such as a herb or tea, counts as 40 kcal).
- 11 nutrients to encourage: protein (50 g), fibre (28 g), vitamin A (900 mcg), vitamin C (90 mg), vitamin E (15 mg), calcium (1,300 mg), iron (18 mg), potassium (4,700 mg), magnesium (420 mg), folate (400 mcg) and zinc (11 mg). For each: amount ÷ (Daily Value × share), at most 1. Add them up.
- 3 nutrients to limit: saturated fat (20 g), added sugar (50 g) and sodium (2,300 mg). For each: amount ÷ (limit × share) − 1, only when above 0 and at most 3. Add them up.
- Result = 100 × (step 2 − 2 × step 3) ÷ 11, kept between 0 and 100.
- Score = 25 + 0.75 × result, rounded. The scale runs from 25 to 100 instead of 0 to 100: every edible recipe gets at least 25, and the order doesn’t change.
It follows the Nutrient Rich Foods index (NRF 9.3) with the U.S. FDA Daily Values for a 2,000 kcal day. Different from the published index: folate and zinc are added (11 nutrients instead of 9), the nutrients to limit count double and each at most three times its share, the 40 kcal floor, and the 25 to 100 scale. When some of the values it needs are unknown, the score is shown as “about”.
A recipe’s values are worked out from its ingredients, whose values are estimates.
Sources: Drewnowski A. Defining nutrient density: development and validation of the Nutrient Rich Foods index. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009;28(4):421S-426S; U.S. FDA, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.
A low score doesn’t make a recipe bad: treats and festive dishes have their place. Use the score to compare similar recipes. In the GapPlate app you also see how much of the gaps in your day a serving fills.
Units:
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil (27 g)
- 1 medium Onion Yellow (110 g)
- 3 cloves Garlic (15 g)
- 1 kg Pumpkin (1 kg)
- 3 cups Vegetable stock (710 g)
- 0.5 cup Heavy cream (117 g)
- 1 pinch Ground nutmeg (0.1 g)
- 0.25 tsp Black pepper (0.6 g)
- Salt, to taste
- Ingredients in total: 1.98 kg
- Weight lost in cooking: 180 g (mostly water boiling off)
- Net weight (cooked): 1.8 kg · 4 servings of about 450 g
Method
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a 4-litre heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add 1 chopped medium yellow onion and 3 minced garlic cloves, sauteing for 5 to 6 minutes until the onion is soft, translucent, and sweet-smelling.
- Add 1 kg peeled and diced pumpkin to the pot, stirring continuously for 2 minutes to coat the pumpkin pieces in the aromatic oil.
- Pour in 3 cups vegetable stock, raise the heat to high, and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 20 minutes until the pumpkin chunks offer no resistance when pierced with a fork.
- Turn off the heat and pureed the soup inside the pot using a stick hand blender until completely smooth and velvety; if using a regular countertop blender instead, process in small batches with the lid vented to let steam escape.
- Return the pot to low heat and stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 pinch ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and salt to taste, stirring gently for 2 to 3 minutes until warm throughout without allowing it to come to a hard boil.
- Ladle into warm soup bowls and finish each serving with a swirl of extra cream or a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition
| Nutrient | Per serving (450 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 251 kcal | 55.7 kcal |
| Protein | 4.26 g | 0.95 g |
| Water | 405 mL | 89.9 mL |
| Sodium | 636 mg | 141 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 22.8 g | 5.06 g |
| Total Fat | 17.9 g | 3.97 g |
| Sugar | 9.62 g | 2.14 g |
61 more nutrients
Carbohydrates
| Nutrient | Per serving (450 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Added Sugar | 0 g | 0 g |
Minerals
| Nutrient | Per serving (450 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Iron | 2.55 mg | 0.57 mg |
| Calcium | 98.2 mg | 21.8 mg |
| Magnesium | 43.2 mg | 9.59 mg |
| Potassium | 1,049 mg | 233 mg |
| Iodine | 5.28 mcg | 1.17 mcg |
| Phosphorus | 160 mg | 35.5 mg |
| Zinc | 1.16 mg | 0.26 mg |
| Chloride | 294 mg | 65.4 mg |
| Selenium | 2.67 mcg | 0.59 mcg |
| Copper | 0.41 mg | 0.09 mg |
| Fluoride | 0.039 mg | 0.009 mg |
| Manganese | 0.53 mg | 0.12 mg |
| Molybdenum | 1.03 mcg | 0.23 mcg |
| Chromium | 1.09 mcg | 0.24 mcg |
Fats
| Nutrient | Per serving (450 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Trans Fat | 0.41 g | 0.091 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7.54 g | 1.68 g |
| Cholesterol | 40.1 mg | 8.91 mg |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 8.29 g | 1.84 g |
| Omega-3 Fatty Acids | 0.12 g | 0.027 g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1.12 g | 0.25 g |
| Omega-6 Fatty Acids | 0.97 g | 0.22 g |
| DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid) | 0.19 g | 0.043 g |
| Arachidonic Acid | 24.9 mg | 5.53 mg |
| Medium-Chain Triglycerides | 1.52 g | 0.34 g |
| Omega-9 Fatty Acids | 10.1 g | 2.25 g |
Fibre
| Nutrient | Per serving (450 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber | 2.02 g | 0.45 g |
| Soluble Fiber | 0.81 g | 0.18 g |
| Insoluble Fiber | 1.42 g | 0.32 g |
Vitamins
| Nutrient | Per serving (450 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin B12 | 0.059 mcg | 0.013 mcg |
| Vitamin D | 0.2 mcg | 0.046 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 26.9 mg | 5.99 mg |
| Folate (B9) | 50.4 mcg | 11.2 mcg |
| Niacin (B3) | 1.85 mg | 0.41 mg |
| Vitamin A | 1,161 mcg RAE | 258 mcg RAE |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.17 mg | 0.038 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.29 mg | 0.065 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.36 mg | 0.081 mg |
| Pantothenic Acid (B5) | 0.95 mg | 0.21 mg |
| Vitamin E | 3.93 mg | 0.87 mg |
| Vitamin K | 8.54 mcg | 1.9 mcg |
| Biotin (B7) | 1.16 mcg | 0.26 mcg |
| Beta-Carotene | 7,913 mcg | 1,759 mcg |
Others
| Nutrient | Per serving (450 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Choline | 36.6 mg | 8.14 mg |
| Leucine | 343 mg | 76.1 mg |
| Lysine | 248 mg | 55.2 mg |
| Polyphenols | 212 mg | 47 mg |
| Methionine | 72.1 mg | 16 mg |
| Oxalates | 37.6 mg | 8.35 mg |
| Threonine | 191 mg | 42.5 mg |
| Tryptophan | 53.4 mg | 11.9 mg |
| Valine | 252 mg | 56 mg |
| Flavonoids | 60.9 mg | 13.5 mg |
| Histidine | 133 mg | 29.5 mg |
| Lutein / Zeaxanthin | 3.87 mg | 0.86 mg |
| Lycopene | 0.089 mg | 0.02 mg |
| Phenylalanine | 212 mg | 47.2 mg |
| Purines | 47.6 mg | 10.6 mg |
Proteins
| Nutrient | Per serving (450 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Isoleucine | 210 mg | 46.8 mg |
Worked out from the ingredients with the GapPlate food library, per 100 g of the cooked dish. Estimates, not medical advice.
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