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Pumpkin curry is a quick and easy one-pot meal made with canned pumpkin, vegetables, lentils, and chickpeas in a creamy coconut curry sauce. It's so nutritious and perfect for busy weeknights.
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The BEST pumpkin curry
Indulge in restaurant-quality comfort food right at home with this pumpkin curry recipe. It's creamy, comforting like a stew, and mildly spicy with a robust curry flavor. Whether you prefer the pressure cooker or stove, it's an easy dinner you'll want in your collection.
This recipe also reduces waste because it calls for a whole can of pumpkin puree, not a partial can. So, you won't ever need to store the puree or, even worse, end up throwing it away.
You'll also love that the ingredients are available at most grocery stores, including curry paste. I love this product because it conveniently packs so much flavor, and you can dial the heat level to your liking. Make this naturally vegan culinary delight ahead or at the last minute for the ultimate weeknight dinner!
Ingredient notes
- Coconut oil - Has a high heat capacity for sauteing and helps build the coconut flavor in the curry.
- Carrots, onions, garlic, and ginger - These everyday vegetables are budget-friendly aromatics that add flavor and volume.
- Curry paste - I use canned curry paste because it offers a convenient blend of flavors. I love the red flavor and color, but green or yellow work great, too.
- Unsweetened canned pumpkin puree - So convenient right in the can!
- Tomatoes - I'm using fresh tomatoes, but canned tomatoes will work too.
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) - adds volume and protein. Use canned or pressure-cooked chickpeas.
- Lentils - I use dried brown lentils in this dish because they maintain shape and texture.
- Coconut milk - Canned coconut milk (or canned coconut cream) makes this pumpkin curry rich, but any milk variety will be delicious.
- Vegetable broth - use any cooking liquid in place of vegetable broth.
- Kale - use any loosely chopped kale or other leafy greens.
How to make pumpkin curry
This curry requires either a heavy soup pot or a pressure cooker. You'll find instructions for both in the printable recipe card below.
Here are the basic steps for the stove method. First, you'll want to sauté the onion, carrots, and garlic until tender. Then, add the curry paste and sauté a bit longer to get those veggies to absorb all that rich, curry-flavored goodness.
Next, add the pumpkin puree, tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, coconut milk, vegetable broth, salt, and kale. At this point, the curry resembles soup. However, once you boil and simmer these ingredients, your pumpkin curry will become a creamy, irresistible, comforting stew.
Note: You can cook the curry using the pressure cooker or stove as directed in the recipe card below. Both methods take about the same time, but the pressure cooker is more hands-off.
To serve, I like to drizzle coconut milk over the top, along with a few Thai basil leaves.
Recipe tips
- Grating tool: Use a Microplane fine grater to grate the ginger and garlic to ensure no large chunks enter the dish.
- Spice level: I classify this entree as medium-level spicy. Green curry paste is spicy, red is medium, and yellow is mild. You can pick your curry based on your heat preference. You can make it hotter by increasing the curry paste or milder by decreasing it.
- Serving idea: I like to serve curry next to a bowl of brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. The grains help soak up the delicious sauce with every bite.
- Great leftovers: Pumpkin curry is as delicious on the second and third day because refrigeration and time allow the flavors to develop.
Ingredient substitutions
- Canned pumpkin - Substitute an equal amount of homemade pumpkin puree.
- Canned tomatoes - Use an equal amount of chopped, fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes.
- Coconut milk - Any dairy or non-dairy milk can work for this recipe; it just won't be as thick as coconut milk.
- Lentils or chickpeas - Substitute diced potatoes in equal amounts for either or both.
- Vegetable broth - Use any cooking liquid (water, stock, broth, etc.).
More Asian recipes
If you enjoy Asian-inspired cooking, you'll love my Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles, Thai Coconut Soup, and Vegan Thai Red Curry.
More pumpkin recipes
We love popping open a can of pumpkin and making sweet treats like easy pumpkin bars and pumpkin cheesecake, especially during pumpkin season!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Curry Recipe
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Note about scaling
When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil, or preferred oil
- 1 large Carrot, diced
- ½ large Onion, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 inch Ginger Root, peeled and finely grated
- 2 tablespoons Thai Curry Paste, red, yellow, or green
- 1 (15-ounce can) Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
- 1 (15-ounce can) Crushed Tomatoes, or 1.5 cups fresh tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can Chickpeas (drained), or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup Uncooked Brown Lentils
- 1 (13.5-ounce can) Coconut Milk, reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish
- 1 ½ cups Vegetable Broth, or any cooking liquid
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 4 cups Kale, loosely chopped
Instructions
Stove instructions (get pressure cooker method in footnotes)
- Heat OIL in pot over medium-high heat.
- Add CARROT, ONION, GARLIC, GINGER and sauté a few minutes until tender.
- Add CURRY PASTE and sauté a few minutes, stirring as needed.
- Stir in PUMPKIN PUREE, TOMATOES, CHICKPEAS, LENTILS, COCONUT MILK, VEGETABLE BROTH, SALT, and KALE.
- Increase heat and bring just to a boil, stirring as needed.
- Cover loosely and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are cooked through, stirring as needed.
- Note: To thicken the curry, continue simmering to reduce the liquid amount to your liking, stirring as needed. For a thinner consistency, add a few splashes of water or broth as needed.
Serving and storage
- Serve warm garnished with Thai basil or cilantro and a drizzle of the reserved coconut milk.
- To store, cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days or 30 days in the freezer (or longer if vacuum sealed). To thaw, transfer container to the refrigerator for an overnight stay and it will be ready to heat and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Select "Sauté" on the cooker and add OIL. When the display reads "Hot", add CARROTS, ONIONS, GINGER, and GARLIC. Sauté until tender, stirring as needed.
-
Add CURRY PASTE and sauté a few minutes, stirring as needed.
- Press "Cancel". Then stir in PUMPKIN PUREE, TOMATOES, CHICKPEAS, LENTILS, COCONUT MILK, VEGETABLE BROTH, SALT, and KALE.
- Secure lid, turn pressure valve to "Sealing" position. Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook” 6 minutes on HIGH pressure. When cook cycle is done, allow pot to sit undisturbed for a 10-minute (NPR) natural pressure release. Carefully turn pressure valve to "Venting" position to release any remaining steam.
- Remove lid, stir, and serve warm.
Equipment
- 4.5-quart Dutch oven or stockpot or 6-quart pressure cooker
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.
Susan Finnell says
I really enjoyed this. I added a diced sweet potato in lieu of spooning over rice. I'm definitely going to make this again.
Traci says
Yay! I love that idea and glad you found a keeper in my recipe. Thank you for sharing your feedback 🙂
S says
Has anyone tried this with canned lentils instead? I'd assume less liquid would be needed, but I've a small budget so not so willing to experiment myself if someone else has already 😅
Jaybee says
Wow! I was a pumpkin curry skeptic until I had this! It really is super easy and hits the spot for Thai cravings. I love that it uses a whole can of pumpkin puree too and that it's not too pumpkin-ey, it's just right. Great recipe. thanks!
Traci says
Yay!! I'm so glad you went for it and love it as much as I do! Thanks for sharing your experience and happy pumpkin season. Enjoy!!
EC says
This recipe seems amazing but I keep getting the BURN notice in my pressure cooker. Tried adding more broth/water and still having issues.
Traci says
Hiya! This sounds like your pot isn't coming to pressure, so adding liquid doesn't solve the problem, per se. When the notice happens, it's signaling you that the cooker isn't operating as it should, often because the sealing ring isn't seated properly, but other things can cause it too.
Girlfriend says
Girlfriend, this curry is simply marvelous!! I love curries and am so glad you came up with this recipe. The use of pumpkin is genius. I followed the recipe as written but did use more carrots and a whole onion. Came out fantastic. It tastes so rich but is actually very healthy. I will be making this often this winter season. Thank you Kitchen Girl for this outstanding curry recipe.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yayyyy girlfriend!!! I'm soooo glad you're loving the pumpkin curry. I'm down with more more carrots and onions always LOL. I'm just so happy to inspire another dish for you. Woot woot!
Beth Sachs says
Such a hearty and filling curry recipe. I love how pumpkin can take on all these wonderful spices.
Carrie Robinson says
I just love curry! I can't wait to try this fall flavor twist. 🙂
Sara Welch says
Served this for dinner last night and it does not disappoint! So rich and creamy, and just in time for fall! Looking forward to enjoying this all season long!
Pat says
This was so good! we love pumpkin and curries. It will be a repeat meal for us all fall and winter. I did bump up the spice for us
Jessica Formicola says
I love pumpkin this time of year, but especially love when it's made into savory dishes! My family loved this and I can't wait to make it again!
Tara says
Such an amazing one pot seasonal meal! Love the use of pumpkin. All those flavors sound incredible.
Aimee Robinson says
Recipe looks good! Can I add chicken? If so, would the cooking time change?
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Aimee, yes you can always add cooked chicken after the curry has cooked. But you can also drop any boneless chicken piece(s) in there and it'll cook perfectly in the given amount of time. Let me know if you have more questions...I'm here for it 🙂
Maria says
I'm a huge fan of curry! But I never heard of mixing pumpkin with it. I should try this tonight.
The Kitchen Girl says
Oh yes! If you love curry, you'll love this fall recipe. Enjoy!
Beth says
This Thai pumpkin curry sounds wonderful and so flavorful! My husband and I love curry, and we can't wait to try this one for fall! Such a filling and very tasty recipe!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! Hope you enjoy, Beth!
Pam says
We loved this curry and we made ours quite spicy! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome! I'm no stranger to the spicy also LOL. Thanks for the review!
Alison says
This is a such a flavorful and nutritious dish packed with veggies! It's a feel good from the inside out kind of recipe!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! So glad you like it 🙂 Thanks so much
Rika says
This is my favorite type of curry to make on a cold day! It's so easy to make and very filling.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yes! Cue up the cool weather curries 🙂 Thanks!
Carrie says
I am such a huge fan of curry! I am loving this pumpkin twist. 🙂
The Kitchen Girl says
Yesss! So glad you're enjoying it...thanks! 🙂 It's my fav during the fall (but I'll eat it anytime of the year LOL)