Vegan Pumpkin Curry with pumpkin puree, butternut squash, and plenty of vegetables! This hearty, comforting curry recipe is quick and easy to make and a lovely meal for fall.
For those evenings you’re on the prowl for a fall-infested meal that makes you feel super cozy and satisfied, I have JUST the thing!
You guessed it – Pumpkin Curry.
Butternut Squash makes this vegan curry recipe extra comforting and with that fall appeal. The sauce turns out ultra thick and flavorful with pumpkin puree, and curry paste ensures you’re still receiving that authentic curry flavor.
While you can absolutely use fresh pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree to make pumpkin curry, I keep it super easy by using canned pumpkin.
Two of my favorite features? This curry comes together lightning quickly, AND it is super versatile.
You can change up the curry paste (I go with Thai red curry paste, but you can use your favorite!), add, subtract, swap vegetables to your heart’s delight, add plant-based or animal protein…Plenty of room for adaptation!
Here’s what you need to make this thing happen!
Ingredients for Vegan Pumpkin Curry:
Sauce: Full fat coconut milk, pumpkin puree, curry paste (you can use red curry paste, yellow curry paste, or green curry paste), fresh ginger, pure maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice (this is optional), and liquid aminos (or soy sauce).
This combination results in silky-smooth curry sauce that is nice and thick and inviting.
If you have curry powder on hand, feel free to use it instead of Thai curry paste.
To cut down on the fat, you can use light coconut milk instead of full-fat canned coconut milk; however, I recommend using full-fat coconut milk for the best result.
Be sure to use pure canned pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin pie filling, which has sugar and spices added in.
Vegetables: Onion, garlic, butternut squash, broccoli, yellow squash, carrots, and peas.
I adore this combination because it results in plenty of flavor, varying textures and lots of color (i.e. variety).
You can get creative with which vegetables you use! Add green beans, sweet potatoes, kabocha squash, red bell pepper, or chopped sugar pumpkin if you have one on hand. If you’re able to find Thai basil, be sure to stir it into the curry just before serving.
For Serving: Steam up some brown rice or white rice to serve the curry.
If you love fried rice, make my Basil Fried Rice or my Red Curry Fried Rice. I also like serving this Thai red pumpkin curry with fresh lime wedges so that I can drizzle fresh lime juice over everything before eating.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, like make this easy Thai pumpkin curry recipe.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Curry:
Add all of the ingredients for the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a full boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook at a gentle bubble, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Chop all of the vegetables.
Heat the coconut oil (or avocado oil) in a large skillet. Sautee the onion, garlic, and butternut squash. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have begun to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer the sauce to the skillet and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables have reached desired done-ness (you’ll want the butternut squash to be very soft), about 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve with steamed rice, and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This easy vegan pumpkin curry recipe tastes even better the next day and the following 3-4 days after prep. For this reason, I love using this as a meal prep recipe.
Tips for Preparing This Recipe:
Butternut squash can be quite the time commitment to peel and chop. If you can find frozen chopped butternut squash in the freezer section or fresh chopped butternut squash in the produce section of your grocery store, it will save you some time.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Add 1 to 2 tsp fish sauce if you aren’t vegan.
- Replace the butternut squash with any winter squash such as acorn squash, kabocha squash, fresh pumpkin cubes, etc. Yukon gold potato, or sweet potato work as replacements for butternut squash, too.
- Mix it up by incorporating your favorite veggies!
- Add 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter to the sauce for an ultra thick, sultry sauce!
- For added plant-based protein, add 1 can of chickpeas (or your favorite beans) or chopped extra-firm tofu.
- If you aren’t vegan, you can add 1 large chopped chicken breast, and/or shrimp to the curry for a protein-packed version.
- Add 1 can of garbanzo beans for added plant-based protein.
- Looking to spice it up? Add one chili pepper or multiple Thai chilies to your personal taste.
- If you can get ahold of some kaffir lime leaves, feel free to add them in. Most Asian markets have them but they can be difficult to find at a regular grocery store.
Delicious savory pumpkin recipes are a fabulous way of making the most of pumpkin season, and this delicious Thai pumpkin curry is no exception.
This easy pumpkin curry recipe makes the most luscious weeknight dinner, especially when paired with naan bread.
What will you put in your pumpkin curry??
Looking for more Thai curries? Here are some of my favorites.
More Vegan Curry Recipes:
- Vegan Red Curry Zucchini Noodle Bowls
- Coconut Curry Vegetable Soup
- 30-Minute Thai Green Curry with Avocado
- 6-Ingredient 30-Minute Vegetarian Curry
- 30-Minute Summer Vegetable Red Curry
You put the pumpkin in the coconut and mix it all up 😀
Vegan Pumpkin Curry
Ingredients
Pumpkin Curry Sauce:
- 1 15-oz can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 Tbsp red curry paste or green or yellow curry paste
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice optional
- 3 Tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce
Vegetables:
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1/2 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled and chopped into cubes
- 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 crown broccoli chopped into florets
- 1 medium yellow squash chopped
- 1 medium zucchini squash chopped
- 1 cup peas canned or frozen
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook at a gentle bubble, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Chop all of the vegetables while the curry sauce is cooking.
- Heat the coconut oil (or avocado oil) in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and butternut squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have begun to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the sauce to the skillet and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables have reached desired done-ness (you’ll want the butternut squash to be very soft), about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Do you think this could be made with non-dairy milk instead of coconut milk? Or is the coconut milk a crucial aspect?
Hi Sarah! I would say the coconut milk is crucial because of the richness and texture it brings to the recipe. However, if you’re okay with thinner sauce with less flavor, you could use a different unsweetened non-dairy milk like cashew milk. I wouldn’t recommend using almond milk because it will change the flavor too much. Hope this helps!
Loved this recipe-it was just the thing to use up some open cans and veggies in my fridge! I found that the soy sauce made it turn an unpleasant color-so next time I might try only 1T soy sauce and salt to taste.
So thrilled you enjoyed the recipe! Great tip regarding the soy sauce 🙂
This was yummy, but I had to add another tablespoon of the curry paste and cook it a lot longer for the squash to cook through. Also, prep time was a bit longer than 10 minutes to clean and cut up all the veggies, but well worth it!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Denice! xoxo
This was very good recipe full of veggies. The sauce was very good and subtle in flavor. I used two tabs of thai red chili past but next time will go for three. I used tamari but only one tab,and pacific light unsweetened coconut milk to cut fat and calores which I prefer to do in recipes. I varied the veggies as to what I had on hand and used broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, red bell pepper, peas, and added cilantro and thai basil cashews with a squeeze of lime. I had my own home cooked pumpkin which was great to use in this recipe. A favorite.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Frances! Thank you so much for sharing your changes and for the feedback 🙂 xoxoxo
Julia, this is really good! I wasn’t sure about the pumpkin pie spice, but I used it anyway. It’s just the right amount of spice. It takes awhile to chop all the veggies, but it’s worth it! The only thing I did differently was to use red onion instead of the yellow as I had some to use up.