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Thai Pumpkin Curry is a delicious and satisfying meal that takes just 25 minutes to make. This version is vegan (as long as you use vegan fish sauce), but you can use regular fish sauce if you prefer) and includes chickpeas, but you can add tofu, chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp if you like.
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What is Thai Pumpkin Curry?
Thai Pumpkin Curry is a spicy curry made with sweet cubed pumpkin and Thai
I use fresh pumpkin in this delicious Thai Pumpkin Curry rather than puree because I like to puree only part of it, giving it a thick texture with some tender chunks of pumpkin. You could add a cup of pumpkin puree if you want to skip the part of the recipe where you pull out some of the pumpkin to blend it.
This recipe includes chickpeas for some protein, making it a satisfying one-pot meal. But you can substitute tofu for the chickpeas if you like. If you're not vegetarian, feel free to add chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp.
You can add other vegetables, too, like carrots, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, or eggplant. More vegetables will only make this dish even more satisfying and nutritious.
If you're looking for a more classic American way to use pumpkin, don't miss Grandma's Pumpkin Soup.
What kind of pumpkin should you use?
The best pumpkin to use for Thai Pumpkin Curry is any good eating pumpkin. I like sugar pumpkins, Japanese pumpkins, and other types of squash in the same family, like kabocha squash, acorn squash, or butternut squash.
What is the best brand of Thai curry paste ?
Thai red
There are several brands available in the US, which vary in terms of flavor and heat level. Which you like best will depend on your personal preference for spice level and flavor.
I love a spicy kick and Mae Ploy brand
Thai Kitchen brand
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What ingredients do you need to make Thai pumpkin curry?
The list of ingredients for this Thai curry may seem a little long, but most are common pantry items or ingredients that are easy to find at any supermarket (note that the complete recipe, including ingredient measurements and detailed step-by-step instructions, is included in the recipe card at the bottom of this post).
- Cooking oil (olive oil, coconut oil, or vegetable oil)
- Bell peppers (red, orange, yellow or a combination)
- 1 red chile pepper (serrano or jalapeno pepper), seeded and chopped
- Onion
- Garlic
- Thai red
curry paste - Diced fresh pumpkin
- Ground turmeric
- Ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
- Ginger
- Makrut lime leaves (also called kaffir lime leaves, or use bay leaves)
- Fish sauce or vegetarian fish sauce
- Lime juice
- Palm sugar or brown sugar (optional)
- Vegetable broth or chicken broth
- Full fat coconut milk (you can substitute light coconut milk if you prefer)
- Canned chickpeas
- Spinach
- Fresh cilantro (or substitute Thai basil)
How do you make it?
This Thai Pumpkin Curry recipe is easy to make and takes just about 25 minutes from start to finish (note that the complete recipe, including ingredient measurements and detailed step-by-step instructions, is included in the recipe card at the bottom of this post).
- Saute peppers in a skillet to soften them.
- In a Dutch oven or
stockpot , saute onions to soften, then add garlic,curry paste , - turmeric, and cumin.
- Add the pumpkin, salt and pepper, and cook until the pumpkin begins to soften.
- Add the softened peppers to the pot along with the ginger, lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, if using, broth, and coconut milk. Simmer until the pumpkin is tender.
- Remove about 1 cup of the pumpkin pieces and put them in a blender (or use an immersion blender to partially puree the soup). Process until smooth and then return to the pot.
- Add the chickpeas and let them heat through, then stir in the spinach and cilantro and cook a minute or two until the spinach wilts.
- Serve hot over steamed rice or Coconut Rice.
What to serve with Thai Pumpkin Curry
Serve this Thai Pumpkin Curry with white rice (like jasmine rice), brown rice, Instant Pot Coconut Rice, or Thai Fried Rice with Pineapple and other Thai dishes like Thai Curry Puffs, Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cakes), Pad Kee Mao or Drunken Noodles, Noodles with Peanut Sauce, Thai Larb, and Chicken Satay.
If you're looking for more ways to use pumpkin, try this Indian-style Pumpkin Chickpea Curry, Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake, or Pumpkin Ice Cream with cinnamon. Oh, and if it's pumpkin season, you don't don't want to miss this Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake or Pumpkin Swirl Bread!
Thai Pumpkin Curry
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon cooking oil divided
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 1 small orange or yellow bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 1 red chile pepper serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 to 4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 ½ cups diced pumpkin
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 2 makrut lime leaves leaves or use bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or use vegetarian fish sauce or soy sauce for vegan version
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
- 3 ½ cups spinach leaves
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a medium skillet on the stove top, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chile pepper and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat.
- In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to
shimmer, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, curry paste, turmeric, and cumin and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more more. - Add the pumpkin, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring to mix the ingredients well, until the pumpkin begins to soften, about 5 minutes more. Add the reserved peppers along with the ginger, lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar, if using. Stir in the broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the pumpkin is tender, about 5 minutes more.
- Once softened, take out about 1 cup of pumpkin and put it in a blender. Process until smooth and then return to the
pot. - Add the chickpeas and bring the soup back to a simmer over medium heat. Cook briefly, until the chickpeas are heated and then stir in the spinach and cilantro and cook a minute or two until the spinach wilts. Remove from the heat.
- Serve hot.
Made as written. Double batch. Delicious recipe, but one critique… 5min prep is a pipe dream. I’d like to see the average home cook slice and chop the veg in 5 minutes… not to mention peeling seeding and dicing a pumpkin or kabocha squash. For this double batch it took me a solid 1.75hr to prep all the mise to be ready to cook.
Worth it tho!
This sounds delish, could I use canned pumpkin? In my old age I cannot clean a pumpkin since I broke my hand.
Another great recipe by Robin!!
This is the first thai recipe I’ve made that actually tasted like it could be from a thai restaurant!! I immediately saved the recipe and will definitely make it again and recommend it to friends!
For the sugar I used coconut sugar, I had pureed pumpkin in the freezer which I used instead of chunks, and I added mushrooms and zucchini too, which I would really recommend the mushrooms.
I’m so glad you liked it! And great idea about the mushrooms!
This recipe was so good! I will make this one often. It takes awhile to chop and dice all of the ingredients. But it was absolutely worth the time. I added mushrooms, carrots, rotisserie chicken, and plantains. Thank goodness for leftovers!
Such a fabulous recipe. So full of flavor and all levels of spice and sweetness. Great balance. Thanks for all your work with this recipe!!!!
Is the pumpkin tossed into the curry raw and diced or cooked?
Yes, raw and diced.