We all know that Lauki a.k.a Bottle Gourd (or Long Melon or Calabash) is a healthy veggie. Usually in the Indian cuisine, we make many recipes with it. This creamy Lauki Soup is one such healthful recipe that you can make with bottle gourd. The Bottle Gourd Soup is herby, creamy and absolutely smashing on the palate!
About Lauki Soup
I was introduced to this simple, yet flavorful soup recipe by my Spanish friend. So, this is a Spanish way of making the Bottle Gourd Soup.
Since zucchinis and courgettes are more popular in Spain, the Spaniards prefer their version of this soup with this family of summer squash, and not bottle gourd.
But one day my friend used bottle gourd in her recipe and the result was this amazingly delicious thick, creamy and wholesome Bottle Gourd Soup.
In India, lauki is found in abundance and we have many recipes of our own with this humble and nutritious vegetable. Eating lauki also aids in weight-loss.
Since my friend shared her recipe with me, I made this recipe a couple of times at home. As she would do, you can also make this soup with courgette or zucchini.
As bottle gourd has many health benefits, this soup is an excellent source of essential nutrients for kids and aged people alike. See, its really simple. Prepare this yummy, flavor packed soup and feed it to children who fuss over eating lauki.
Making this soup is a cakewalk! Just get your ingredients ready and follow the recipe to prepare one of the healthiest soups that you can consume.
Have this Lauki Soup as a starter with some bread on the side or with rice. Some crispy golden croutons can be added in the soup for that extra element of texture. This soup also is a fab idea for your brunches as well as light dinners.
How to make Lauki Soup
Prep and Cook Lauki
1. Rinse 350 grams bottle gourd in enough water, peel, chop and set aside. You will need about 2.25 to 2.5 cups chopped bottle gourd for this recipe.
Note: Before prepping bottle gourd, check the taste from both its ends. It should not be bitter. If the bottle gourd has a bitter taste, trash it. Bitter tasting bottle gourd should not be consumed as it can lead to severe and critical abdominal complications including disturbances in the blood pressure levels.
What do you do with the peels? You can make a fab coconut chutney with the peels or a bottle gourd peels chutney.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup roughly chopped onions and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic.
Instead of olive oil use any neutral-flavored oil like sunflower oil. You can also use butter if you prefer.
3. Sauté stirring often on medium heat until onions soften.
4. Add chopped bottle gourd sauté for about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add 2 cups of water to the vegetables.
6. Pressure cook on medium heat for 2 whistles or for 9 to 10 minutes. You can also opt to cook the bottle gourd in the Instant Pot.
7. Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker. Then only open the lid. Allow the heat reduce a bit and let the bottle gourd pieces become warm.
Keep a pan or bowl beneath a strainer. Pour the entire mixture from the cooker in the strainer. Collect the broth or stock (the water in which the bottle gourd was cooked).
Set it aside. It will be about 1.5 cups of stock.
In the steps below I have blended the cooked lauki in a blender, but if you have a hand-held electric blender or immersion blender, do not strain the stock. Using it blend the cooked lauki in the cooker itself.
Make Lauki Soup
8. Transfer the cooked and softened bottle gourd, onions and garlic in a blender.
9. Blend and puree the veggies to a fine consistency. You don’t need to add any water while blending. But if needed, can add some of the stock while blending.
10. Transfer the blended and pureed mixture to the same cooker or in a saucepan.
11. Add the stock also.
12. Mix thoroughly.
13. Flavor it with ½ to 1 teaspoon of dry mixed herbs and ¼ to ½ teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper. Also, add salt to taste.
14. Mix and simmer until hot. No need to boil the soup.
If you like and for a creamier consistency, add 1 to 2 tablespoons cream cheese or grated cheese. In Spain, they add some cream and cheese instead of cream cheese.
15. Serve the Lauki Soup or Bottle Gourd Soup hot as is or with a toasted bread or baguette. You can also serve it with bread croutons.
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Lauki Soup | Bottle Gourd Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ to ⅓ cup onions – chopped, 1 small to medium-sized onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic – chopped, or 4 to 5 small to medium-sized garlic cloves
- 2.25 to 2.5 cups bottle gourd – chopped, – 350 grams (calabash, long melon, lauki)
- 2 cups water
- ½ to 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs or add as required
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper or as required
- salt as required
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cheese – grated, vegetarian parmesan or cheddar or cream cheese – optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse the bottle gourd in water first and peel it. Chop the bottle gourd and set aside.
- Roughly chop the onions and garlic and set aside these too.
Making bottle gourd soup
- Heat olive oil in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add the roughly chopped onions and garlic.
- Sauté stirring often on medium heat until onions soften.
- Add chopped bottle gourd and sauté for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour 2 cups of water. Stir and mix.
- Pressure cook on medium heat for 2 whistles or for 9 to 10 minutes.
- Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker. Then only open the lid. Let the heat reduce a bit and the bottle gourd pieces become warm.
- Keep a pan or bowl below a colander or strainer. Pour the entire mixture from the cooker into the strainer.
- Collect the broth or stock (the water in which the bottle gourd was cooked). Set it aside. It will be about 1.5 cups of stock.
- Transfer the cooked bottle gourd, onions and garlic in a blender or food processor.
- Blend or process the veggies to a smooth and fine consistency.
- Transfer the blended and pureed mixture to the same cooker or in a saucepan.
- Add the stock also. Mix thoroughly.
- Flavor it with the dry mixed herbs and freshly crushed black pepper. Also, add salt as needed.
- Mix and simmer until hot. There is no need to boil the soup. Turn off the heat when the soup becomes hot.
- For a creamier consistency, optionally add 1 to 2 tablespoons cream cheese or grated cheese.
- Serve Lauki Soup or Bottle Gourd Soup hot or warm, as is or with a toasted bread or baguette. You can also serve it with bread croutons.
Notes
Making Calabash Soup in Instant Pot
- You can also opt to cook the bottle gourd in the Instant Pot. First sauté the onions and garlic using the sauté option.
- Add the chopped bottle gourd and water. Stir to mix.
- Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes using manual or pressure cook mode.
- Quick release the pressure after 5 minutes and follow the recipe as mentioned above.
Cooking in a pot on the stovetop
- The recipe can also be made in a pot on the stovetop. First sauté the onions and garlic with olive oil.
- Add chopped bottle gourd and water.
- Cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until the bottle gourd is tender. Check a few times when the veggies are cooking. If the water dries up, add some more water.
- When the bottle gourd pieces are softened, let the soup mixture become warm. Choose to blend the veggies using an immersion blender. Or strain the bottle gourd and reserve the stock. Blend the softened bottle gourd in a blender or food processor. Then follow the recipe as mentioned above.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Lauki Soup recipe from the archives first published in August 2011 has been republished and updated on December 2022.
I’m not sure where I missed the notes about the stock.. how much and how is it prepared?
The stock is the water in which the bottle gourd and onions etc was cooked.
Can Tomato be added to this soup
Yes.
Loved the recipe! Tastes so flavourful despite so little going into it! Thanks a ton:)
Thanks for the feedback and welcome.
Hi this soup is amazing..I got to taste it when I was unwell and was at relatives place..So thought of viewing it on it site..As I follow ur recipes most of the time..
I made it with ghee tadka,sauted cumin powder and a hint of lemon in it..
thank you bharti. i am glad that you liked the bottle gourd soup. yes, definitely ghee tadka can be given and even lemon juice can be added. many variations can be done in this soup recipe.
Bottle gourd works very well in soup form .This was very easy to make and with only a few ingredients and mixed herbs it was very yummy.Added some milk instead of cream cheese. Loved it.
thanks a lot winnie. milk or even cream can be added instead of cream cheese in this soup recipe. thanks again.
Hello Dassana. Can’t tell you how satisfying this soup is. My husband is really really picky about food, and he LOVED this soup and has asked me several times to make it again.
Although, I didn’t add any cream or cheese, just added milk towards the end. It was light and flavourful. I’ve tried so many of your recipes and everything has turned out delicious. Thank you so much!
thank you sneha. this is our favorite soup too. cream cheese or cream can be skipped. adding milk as a substitute also works well in this recipe. welcome and happy cooking.
Dear Dassana
Your recipe of doodhi soup is a fantastic one. Everyone at home liked and enjoyed
And your demonstration skills appreciated. Thank you so much.
thanks for the positive feedback and rating.
All your recipes are amazing .. Whenever I want to try something new I just scroll through ur recipes and do it. So easily explained with every possible details. Thank u so much ..
Welcome Anila and thanks for this lovely feedback. Happy cooking.
Can we avoid putting the cream and cheese.. Can we add some milk instead to make it creamier?
yes you can add milk and skip cream and cheese. but add milk towards the end. mix and then switch off flame.
Thanks for this amazing recipe!! I have tried to like lauki in several forms, but nothing ever helped.. but I must say I just love it in this form!
I added oregano, basil, thyme (dry herbs) and I added cream and cheese instead of cream cheese.. I plan to use thickened version of this soup as white sauce for pasta… 🙂
thanks N. this recipe of bottle gourd soup is too good and i agree lauki tastes delicious this way. definitely you can thicken the soup and use it as a pasta sauce.
Quite useful. Thanks for also explaining what’s stock (water at bottom) is. Tried the same and like it
Welcome Haresh.
Was liked by everyone!
Sweta, glad to know this
Shalini: can we add tomato to lauki soup
Shalini, yes you can add tomatoes.
Thanks, you have a great way of demonstrating any recipe . Plz suggest some other soups useful in jaundice .
thanks. when having jaundice, just have some light non spicy soups with little or no fat.
BOTTLE GOURD SOUP- I APPRECIATE YOUR ART OF DEMONSTRATION WITH PICTURES SO THAT ANY ONE CAN UNDERSTAND.NO NEED FOR VIDEO DEMONSTRATION.IT IS FANTASTIC.KEEP IT UP.
Thanks G.MALLIKARJUNAIAH for your kind words.
Excellent website. Very easy soup recipes. I am going on a diet and was looking out for soups. Will be trying all ur soups one by one. Thanks for make my life easy
welcome jully.
Hey!! After blending is it ok to strain the puree?? If it is not strained some pieces of the bottle gourd settle at the bottom soup?
if you blend thoroughly, then you won’t get any pieces of bottle gourd. if not blended well, then you will get small pieces.
i did not understand this part – now let the veggies and stock cool. in a blender or food processor blend the veggies. but keep the stock aside.
what is this stock supposed to be…am sorry if this is a silly question but i did not get it 😐 🙂
the stock is the broth or water in which the lauki, onions etc have been cooked. while blending, you don’t need to add stock or water as the boiled lauki blends easily in the mixer/blender.
eager to make it ,so simple
Can u post the recipe for chutney
plan to add.
Nc recipe. Gng to try it
Dasanna,
I had recently visited your website and I find your website very user friendly and tasty.Yesterday I made cauliflower paratha and it was a superhit. The kids simply loved it. Thanks for the wonderful website and keep updating with more recipes for us.
welcome viji and my thanks to you for writing this positive and motivating comment.
Dassana,
I will try ur this soup too and after reading such a positive reveiw ..i am sure it will be a hit….
i have oregano with me…can u guide me what else cud be in the list of dry herb that can be added to most of the soups and dishes……..
Dasasna…….i am very interseted in knowing how to make chutney with peels…please reply in short…..
and one thing ………to be very frank….ur step by step receipe with photographs rank above the video receipe…….as i mentioned earlier this makes ur blog unique….ur writing skills and art of photography adds further to it…..
one more thing…………why don’t u try in mastrechef….????????????????
renuka, i have sent a mail to you.
I just love your website and hooked to it. I tried Bhindi masala and the Panner Kadai. They were a super hit at home and office. Will try this soup for sure. Atleast this way i can eat bottle guard…
Thanks a lot!
Divya
thanks divya for giving positive feedback on bhindi masala and paneer kadai. would like to know your feedback on bottle gourd soup.
i want to know the receipee of dry bottlegourd soup in kashmiri style but could not get pl help
i shall look out for this particular recipe. i know of the bottle gourd yakhni since i have already made it before. but never heard of a dry soup… both the words dry and soup are a perfect contrast with each other.
Amazing recipe, simple easy and tasty.
thanks soniya
Tried this recipe and it turned out to be delicious! Few alterations: I used just 1 tbsp olive oil, didnt add cream cheese.. put few drops of lemon juice instead! Tasted good!
thanks indu. 1 tsp of olive oil is also alright and adding cream cheese can also be optional. lemon substitutes well in this soup also. nowadays i make this soup without adding cream cheese.
excellent dish for diabetic person
I made this soup today, it turned out good, though I added indian spices, next time I will add the herbs mentioned. I absolutely love this site.
Thanks
Deepti
good to know that, deepti. may be i should also try out with indian spices. i am sure the soup will taste good with indian spices.
and do try it with other herb mixes also like herbes de provence or italian herb mix. even adding dry rosemary or basil makes the soup really flavorful and yummy.
Hi Dassana
This is a wonderful and healthy soup recipe. I would surely try this one. I don’t have any idea about dry herbs. Could you please tell me a substitute for this.
as a substitute to dry herbs, you could add fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, parsley, coriander, celery etc.
try the fusion of different herbs or you could even try it with one type of herb.
bottle gourd is bland and if you make the soup without adding any herb, then the soup will taste bland even though the recipe has onions and garlic. this is coz the proportion of onions and garlic used in the recipe is less as compared to the proportion of bottle gourd.
when you add fresh herbs, just before you close the fire, add them. they need to be a cooked for a minute or so.
Thanks Dassana for your reply.
I tried making the soup and added oregano herb. The soup was really liked by everyone in my family.
thats good shilpa and thanks…
I just stumbled upon your website – and am hooked!
Juts fabulous!
thanks ren…
Also cool pics
loved it will surely try this soup :))
thanks maria…. do try and let me know