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Spiced Mexican Pumpkin Crema Soup

October 22, 2026
Culture/Cultura
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This Spiced Mexican Pumpkin Crema Soup captures everything cozy about fall. It combines sweet, earth-roasted pumpkin with smoky peppers and a velvety texture using Los Altos Foods Mexican Crema. It is finished with fried Panela cheese cubes🍁 Spiced Mexican Pumpkin Crema Soup

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 35 minutes
  • Servings: 4–6

Ingredients

The Soup Base:

  • Pumpkin: 2.5 lbs sugar/pie pumpkin (peeled and cubed) or 2 cans (15 oz each) of 100% pure pumpkin puree
  • Aromatics: 1 medium white onion (chopped), 4 garlic cloves (minced)
  • Fats: 2 tbsp butter & 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Broth: 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • Spices: 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano, chipotle adobo and/or peppers (for a kick), salt and pepper to taste
  • The Crema: 1/2 cup Mexicana Crema (plus extra for drizzling)

The Cheese & Toppings:

  • Inside the soup: 4 oz Oaxaca cheese, shredded or pulled into strings (optional)
  • The croutons: 6 oz Panela cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (optional)
  • The garnish: 1/3 cup Cotija or Queso Fresco, crumbled (optional)
  • The crunch: 1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) (optional)

1. Sauté the Aromatics & Spices

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and chipotle powder. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

2. Build the Pumpkin Base

Add your pumpkin puree into the pot. Pour in the broth and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Fry the Panela Croutons

While the soup simmers, heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with a tiny drizzle of oil. Add the Panela cheese cubes. Panela holds its shape when heated; fry them for about 2–3 minutes per side until golden-brown and crispy on the outside, then set aside.

4. Blend and Make it Creamy

Remove the soup from the heat. Use an immersion blender (or transfer in batches to a traditional blender) to puree the soup until entirely velvety and smooth. Stir in the Mexican Crema until fully incorporated.

5. Add the Melting Cheese (optional)

Return the pot to low heat. Drop the shredded Oaxaca cheese directly into the hot soup and stir gently for 1–2 minutes. It will melt beautifully into long, creamy, stringy pockets throughout the base. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Assemble the Bowls

Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Top each serving with a heavy drizzle of extra Los Altos Mexican Crema, a handful of the fried Panela croutons, crumbled Cotija or Queso Fresco, and a sprinkle of toasted pepitas.

So tasty and perfect for the coming rain.

Enjoy!

Con Cariño,

Silvia

Chipotle Honey Chicken Tinga

May 1, 2026
Culture/Cultura
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I must admit that the first time I tried Tinga de pollo, I was immediately turned off by all the onion that is used in this dish. Not because I don’t like cooking with onion, but because it felt that it was more onion than chicken. It wasn’t until years later that my abuela wanted to make tinga for a video that I tried this dish again. I Hesitantly agreed and was sweetly surprised that I ended up loving tinga. She didn’t use as much onion as the one I had previously tried. I don’t know if it’s the smokiness of the chipotle or the combination of the onion with the chipotle that makes me dream about eating tinga often.

You can find the original recipe here:

But this particular recipe has a little sweet twist. We added honey to the tinga sauce and a delicious strawberry pico de gallo. Hope you enjoy.

Chipotle Honey Chicken Tinga

  • 2 Cups shredded Chicken
  • 3 roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Salt to taste

Avocado Crema

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt to taste.

Strawberry Pico De Gallo

  • 1 cup diced strawberries
  • 1/4 cup red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp honey
  • salt to taste
  1. Make the Tinga
    • Blend tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle, and honey.
    • Saute the sauce in a pan until it deepens in color, then add shredded chicken.
    • Simmer until thick and glossy.
  2. Fresa Pico De Gallo
    • Toss strawberries, onion, jalapeno, lime juice, honey, and salt.
    • Let it sit 15-20 minutes.
  3. Crema De Aguacate
    • Bles avocado, sour cream, lime, and salt until smooth.
  4. Assemble
    • Spread avocado crema on tostada.
    • Add a later of warm chicken tinga.
    • Top with strawberry pico de gallo.
    • Optional: crumbled queso fresco, and cilantro.

Provecho,

Silvia