Instant Pot Pumpkin Curry (Pressure Cooker)

North Indian sweet and sour pumpkin curry made in a pressure cooker or instant pot. This is a delicious and healthy vegetable curry that can be made in less than 30 minutes for a weeknight dinner. Vegan & gluten free! 

Is it pumpkin season yet?  Oh...yes! Fall is here and we are enjoying the abundance of pumpkins in our grocery stores.

I am going to share a very simple North Indian pumpkin curry. It has the sweetness of pumpkin, spiciness of the Indian spices and tanginess of the dry mango powder or lemon juice. Pick out those kabocha squash or butternut squash and try this easy curry in your instant pot.

Pumpkin is also known as kaddu or petha in Hindi, so another name for this delicious curry is kaddu ki subzi or punjabi pethe ki subzi. Pair this pumpkin curry with something spicy. Enjoy it with paratha or naan, or even better with poori.

Another way I have been using all the pumpkins is making pumpkin puree, which can be used in a variety of dishes. I have used it in pancakes, parathas, and pie's already. And if you want to try a Thai curry, check out this Thai Pumpkin Red Curry made in the instant pot.

Health benefits of pumpkin

The bright orange color of pumpkin easily gives away that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health. A diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protect against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases as well as some degenerative aspects of aging.

Pumpkins also have loads of fiber, and they are low in calories. Hence they are a great way to include fiber rich vegetables in your diet.

How to make Indian Pumpkin Curry in Pressure Cooker?

I used butternut squash for this recipe, but you could use the large orange pumpkins or kabocha squash as well. The hardest part of this recipe is peeling the pumpkin. I use a peeler to peel the pumpkin and then cut it into pieces. You don't have to cut very small pieces as after pressure cooking, we are going to mash the pumpkin.

Cook this pumpkin curry in ghee.  It adds tremendously to the taste. You can also make ghee at home in the instant pot, see recipe here. To make this vegan, use your favorite plant based oil.

Start with heating the pressure cooker and sauteing cumin seeds, onion, chilies, ginger and garlic. Once they start to change color, add the tomato, spice, pumpkin pieces and some water.

That is it, now close the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.  Once the cooking is done, quick release the pressure.  Pumpkin should be cooked.  Add the tanginess with dry mango powder or lemon juice.

Pro Tips for making delicious Pumpkin Curry

• If the pumpkin is not as sweet, then add some sugar, but this is completely optional.
• You can choose to eat the pumpkin curry as is or you can mash some pieces using a masher. I prefer the in between, so I mash some pieces but not all.
• If there is any residual water, which may happen depending on the pumpkin, you can change to saute mode and cook for couple of minutes.  Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

What to pair with pumpkin curry?

• Enjoy with parathas (indian flatbread) or naan.
• A side of yogurt goes great with this curry.
• A light lentil soup (moong dal - yellow or green)

I enjoyed this pumpkin curry with methi or fenugreek parathas for lunch 🙂

Enjoy this easy and delicious Pumpkin Curry.

If you like this recipe, you might like the below curries made in a pressure cooker:

• Chole Masala
• Lauki or Bottle Gourd Curry
• Saag Paneer