As soon as the days get shorter and colder, a warm bowl of soup is just what you need. Autumn vegetables like pumpkin, mushrooms, carrot, sweet potato and celeriac are perfect for nutritious and flavorful soups.

In this overview you'll find seven tasty autumn soup recipes: from creamy pumpkin soup and spiced lentil soup to a classic French onion soup. Serve them as lunch, a starter or a complete dinner with fresh bread.

Which vegetables work well in an autumn soup?

Autumn offers plenty of vegetables with which you can make a hearty, warming soup. Think for example of:

• Pumpkin
• Mushrooms
• Carrot
• Sweet potato
• Parsnip
• Celeriac
• Leek
• Onion
• Potato
• Cauliflower

By roasting vegetables in the oven first, they develop a deeper and slightly sweeter flavor. Then add broth, herbs and optionally cream or coconut milk.

1. Creamy pumpkin soup with Yalla Yalla

Pumpkin soup is perhaps the best-known autumn soup. The soft, slightly sweet taste of pumpkin pairs well with warm spices. Pomegranate seeds provide a fresh accent and a bit of bite.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 1 bottle pumpkin of about 1 kg
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Yalla Yalla
• 750 ml vegetable broth
• 100 ml cooking cream or coconut milk
• Pepper to taste
• Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Preparation

1. Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into cubes.
2. Chop the onion and finely chop the garlic.
3. Heat the olive oil in a soup pan and sauté the onion for a few minutes.
4. Add the garlic, pumpkin and Yalla Yalla. Fry everything for two minutes.
5. Pour in the broth and let the soup simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
6. Puree the soup until smooth and stir in the cream or coconut milk.
7. Taste and add pepper if necessary. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Also see the full recipe for Yalla Yalla pumpkin soup.

2. French onion soup with thyme

French onion soup gets its rich flavor from the onions slowly caramelizing. Take your time with this: the longer the onions gently cook, the fuller and sweeter the soup will become.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 750 g yellow onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 30 g butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 liter beef or vegetable broth
• 4 slices baguette
• 100 g grated Gruyère or mature cheese
• Black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Cut the onions into thin half rings.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan.
3. Cook the onions over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Stir regularly.
4. Add the finely chopped garlic and thyme and cook briefly.
5. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well.
6. Add the broth little by little and let the soup cook for another 15 minutes.
7. Divide the soup among ovenproof bowls. Place a slice of baguette on each bowl and sprinkle with cheese.
8. Gratinate for a few minutes under a hot grill.

3. Sweet potato soup with coconut and curry

This sweet potato soup is creamy without needing cream. Coconut milk and curry give the soup a full, spiced flavor. For extra heat, optionally add a pinch of chili.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 700 g sweet potato
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons curry spices
• 750 ml vegetable broth
• 200 ml coconut milk
• Juice of half a lime or lemon
• Fresh cilantro or parsley to taste

Preparation

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes.
2. Chop the onion and finely chop the garlic.
3. Heat the oil and sauté the onion for about five minutes.
4. Add the garlic and curry spices and fry for one minute.
5. Add the sweet potato and broth.
6. Let the soup cook for about 20 minutes, until the potato is soft.
7. Add the coconut milk and puree the soup until smooth.
8. Season with lime juice and garnish with cilantro or parsley.

Also see the full recipe for sweet potato soup.

4. Creamy mushroom soup with garlic

Mushrooms have an inherently deep, savory flavor. By reserving some of the sautéed mushrooms separately, the soup gets some texture in addition to a creamy base.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 500 g mixed mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium potato
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 750 ml vegetable broth
• 150 ml cooking cream
• Black pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Preparation

1. Clean the mushrooms and slice them.
2. Chop the onion, finely chop the garlic and cut the potato into cubes.
3. Heat the butter or oil and fry the mushrooms over high heat until golden brown.
4. Reserve about a quarter of the mushrooms.
5. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and sauté for a few minutes.
6. Add the potato and broth and let the soup cook for 15 minutes.
7. Puree the soup and stir in the cooking cream.
8. Divide the reserved mushrooms over the bowls and garnish with parsley and black pepper.

5. Roasted tomato-pepper soup

By roasting tomatoes, pepper, onion and garlic first, the flavor of this soup becomes extra intense. A smoked spice mix or smoked paprika powder works especially well here.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 750 g ripe tomatoes
• 2 red peppers
• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
• 500 ml vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Black pepper to taste
• Fresh basil for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Cut the tomatoes, peppers and onion into large pieces.
3. Arrange the vegetables and unpeeled garlic on a baking tray.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika powder.
5. Roast the vegetables for 25 to 30 minutes.
6. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin and put everything in a soup pan.
7. Add the broth and tomato paste and puree the soup.
8. Heat for a few more minutes and garnish with fresh basil.

6. Carrot-ginger soup with orange

Carrot and orange make a fresh combination, while ginger provides a warming note. Don't use too much orange juice: the carrot should remain the base of the soup.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 750 g carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 to 3 cm fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 750 ml vegetable broth
• Juice and zest of half an orange
• 100 ml coconut milk, optional
• Black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Peel the carrots and slice them.
2. Chop the onion and finely chop the garlic and ginger.
3. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion for five minutes.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and fry briefly.
5. Add the carrot and broth and let cook for about 20 minutes.
6. Puree the soup until smooth.
7. Add orange juice, a little zest and optionally coconut milk.
8. Warm the soup briefly without bringing it back to a boil.

7. Habibi Veggie lentil soup

This creamy lentil soup with carrot, sweet potato and tomato is spiced, nutritious and wonderfully warming. The Habibi Veggie spices give the soup a full flavor. Serve it with fresh Turkish bread or simit for a complete meal.

Ingredients for 4 to 6 people

• 200 g carrot
• 250 g sweet potato
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1.5 tablespoons Natural Spices Habibi Veggie spices
• 175 g red lentils
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 liter water
• Fresh parsley for garnish
• Turkish bread or simit to serve with

Preparation

1. Peel the carrot and sweet potato and cut them into roughly equal cubes. Also cut the tomatoes into cubes. Chop the onion and finely chop the garlic.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pan. Fry the onion and garlic for about two minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and fry briefly.
4. Put the carrot, sweet potato, tomato and Habibi Veggie spices in the pan. Fry everything for three to four minutes.
5. Add 1 liter of water and the bouillon cube. Bring the soup to a boil and let simmer gently for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, rinse the red lentils in a sieve with cold water.
7. Add the lentils and let the soup cook for another 15 minutes over medium-high heat.
8. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Add some extra water if you want the soup thinner.
9. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with Turkish bread or simit.

How to make soup creamy without cream

You don't always need cooking cream for a creamy soup. You can also puree part of the vegetables or let a potato cook along. Other options are:

• Coconut milk
• White beans
• Cashew nuts
• Plant-based cooking cream
• Crème fraîche
• A spoonful of yogurt when serving

Add yogurt or crème fraîche only when the soup is no longer boiling. This prevents curdling.

Which herbs go with autumn soup?

The right herbs give a simple vegetable soup much more depth. Pumpkin and sweet potato pair well with curry, cumin, ginger and warm spices. Mushrooms go well with thyme, garlic, rosemary and black pepper.

For tomato and pepper soup you can use oregano, basil or smoked paprika powder. Bay leaf, parsley and thyme are good choices for hearty lentil and vegetable soups.

Briefly fry dried herbs and spices with the vegetables before adding the broth. This releases the aromas better.

Storing and freezing soup

Cool homemade soup as quickly as possible after cooking. In a well-sealed container, soup generally keeps for two to three days in the refrigerator.

Most autumn soups can also be frozen well. Divide the soup into portions and leave some space in the container, because the contents expand during freezing. In the freezer the soup stays good for about three months.

Soup with cream may change texture slightly after thawing. You can therefore add cream only after reheating.

Turn autumn soup into a complete meal

With bread and a few simple toppings you can easily make soup into a complete lunch or dinner. Think of:

• Roasted chickpeas
• Pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
• Fried mushrooms
• Whole grain bread or sourdough bread
• Grated cheese
• Fresh herbs
• A spoonful of yogurt or crème fraîche
• Homemade croutons

Use toppings with different textures. A creamy soup, for example, becomes extra delicious with crunchy seeds, croutons or roasted chickpeas.

Frequently asked questions about autumn soup

1. Which soup is best suited for freezing?
Pureed vegetable soups and lentil soup are very suitable for freezing. Preferably add cream only after thawing.

2. Do you have to sauté vegetables before making soup?
It's not necessary, but by sautéing onion, garlic, vegetables and spices first, the soup gains a deeper flavor.

3. How do I thicken a soup that is too thin?
Let the soup simmer without a lid to reduce it, or puree part of the vegetables. You can also add a cooked potato or some white beans.

4. How can I thin a soup that is too thick?
Add warm broth or water little by little until the soup reaches the desired consistency.

5. Which autumn soup is suitable as a meal soup?
Lentil soup is naturally very filling. Pumpkin, mushroom and sweet potato soups also become a complete meal with bread, legumes and a nutritious topping.