Crema De Auyama (Dominican Pumpkin Soup)
My Crema de Auyama recipe is incredibly easy to make. It’s stuffed with refreshing and hearty Dominican flavors created with only a few simplistic everyday ingredients. We will even be making our own sofrito recipe from scratch!
So, try this delicious soup today and pair it with an authentic Dominican beverage. I love Morir Soñando or Jugo de Avena the most. They are both easy to make and don’t take up a ton of time.
What Is Crema De Auyama?
Auyama is an easy-to-find Dominican pumpkin frequently used in the DR. While it technically isn’t the correct name for this vegetable, it has certainly become the go-to term. That’s why this soup is commonly known as Crema de Auyama. Another name for it is Sopa de Auyama.
So, what exactly is it? Well, if you haven’t already guessed it, it’s a delicious pumpkin soup. What makes it unique is that it contains loads more fresh flavors than your average Western pumpkin soup recipe.
For one, my recipe uses a fresh homemade sofrito sauce. It mainly consists of bell peppers, garlic, onion, and cilantro.
Then this soup is also made with coconut milk instead of heavy cream. I prefer coconut milk because it adds even more fresh flavors and delicious tropical undertones.
So, if you aren’t convinced yet, you’ll have to try it yourself. Let’s look at how to make Crema de Auyama from scratch!
Tips
- If you are short on time and need to cut a few corners, buy ready-to-use sofrito sauce (fresh). Granted, it only takes about 1 minute to blend the ingredients for the homemade version. But the ingredient prep also takes some time. Other than these, there aren’t any other shortcuts.
- You can substitute the vegetable broth with anyone you like. To keep it a plant-based option, try using mushroom broth. It is incredibly hearty and will add a bunch of umami flavors to your Crema de Auyama.
- The exact cooking time for the pumpkin depends on the size of the blocks you have. Larger blocks will have a longer cooking time. And smaller blocks will obviously cook faster. Monitor the pumpkin while cooking it.
- Another garnish (besides pumpkin seeds) I love to add is a crumbly cheese. You can use a vegan cheese option if you’d like. Feta cheese works incredibly well and adds some creamy salty flavors too.
- This pumpkin soup can be placed in an airtight container and stored inside the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. And thawing it is incredibly easy!
FAQs
Is Crema de Auyama vegan?
My cream of pumpkin soup is completely vegan. Because I use coconut milk, vegetable broth, and olive oil, it is one of the ultimate animal-free soups out there.
That also means that these elements can be substituted with more frequently used alternatives. For example, you can use heavy cream, yogurt, or sour cream instead of coconut milk. And you can use chicken or beef broth instead of vegetable broth.
What are great substitutes for pumpkins?
You can use my recipe as a base to create a multitude of other squash-based soups. You can use butternut, sweet potatoes, hubbard squash, and acorn squash. Have a look at this list to get some more ideas.
How do you make Crema de Auyama Dominicana thicker?
Before blending the cooked pumpkin, remove some of the vegetable broth from the jug. This way, you can keep adding more broth after the soup has been made. That is a great way to have control over the consistency of the soup before, during, and after it has been blended.
If your soup is still too runny, you will need to create a roux or thickening paste with cornstarch. Mix a little bit of flour or cornstarch with pumpkin soup. Keep adding runny soup until you have a smooth runny paste. Add the paste to the rest of the soup and bring it to a simmer. That should do the trick.
What can you serve with Crema de Auyama?
Any type of bread is always a great (and safe) choice to serve with a soup. My Homemade Garlic Bread recipe is an excellent example of a tasty side for pumpkin cream soup. You can also serve this soup as a starter or appetizer to a meal or a side dish.
More Delicious Soups
Crema De Auyama (Dominican Pumpkin Soup)
Ingredients
For The Sofrito
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 small red bell pepper
- 1/2 small yellow bell pepper
- 1/4 onion
- 1 tsp dried oregano
For The Pumpkin Soup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 2,6 pounds pumpkin, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Pumpkin seeds, for garnish
- 2 Tbsp coconut cream, for garnish
Instructions
Make the sofrito
- Prepare your sofrito before making the soup. To start, combine all of the ingredients in a blender.
- Blitz the mixture until you have a completely uniform lump-free soft green paste.
- Keep it aside until you need it.
Make the Crema de Auyama
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the sofrito to the pot and gently cook it for a couple of minutes.
- Add the diced pumpkin and sliced carrots. Allow them to sweat for about 5 minutes while stirring now and again.
- Finally, add your vegetable broth. Increase the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Once it has begun to boil, lower the heat and allow the pumpkin to simmer. Keep a lid on and leave the mixture for roughly 15-20 minutes.
- Once the pumpkin is completely soft, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked mixture to a blender. Pulse until you have a smooth, lump-free soup mixture.
- Return the pumpkin soup to the large pot. Then, whisk in the coconut milk.
- Season your cream of pumpkin soup with salt and pepper to your liking.
- If your mixture has cooled a lot, you can gently reheat it. But, if you heat it too much, the coconut milk will separate.
- Serve your Crema de Auyama immediately with some extra pumpkin seeds and a swirl of coconut milk.
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