Vegan Thai Pumpkin Red Curry is a delicious dish to satisfy those curry cravings. It’s a super flavorful, vegan one-pot curry made with red curry paste, coconut milk, pumpkin, and other veggies. It’s easy to make in the Instant Pot or stovetop. Enjoy this curry with jasmine rice or coconut rice for a perfect meal!
I love that this curry has many veggies—pumpkin, peppers, onions, and broccoli—or you can change it with veggies of your choice. The addition of coconut milk makes it so creamy and satisfying. This is definitely a winner dinner! I took this curry to a get-together at my friend’s place, and everyone enjoyed it.
Have you tried store-bought Thai curry paste? It is the best way to make these restaurant-style Thai curries. Yes, you can make them from scratch, but there are just too many ingredients to gather, and I prefer (and respect!) the convenience of these store-bought ones.
Trust me, you will not compromise on the taste and can make the curry at home in less than 30 minutes. My favorite is the Maesri brand for a vegan red curry paste.
More delicious recipes that can be made with pumpkin or squash –
- Vegan Chickpea Squash Fritters
- Pumpkin Feta Salad
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Pumpkin Carrot Soup
- Pumpkin Dal
And if you have the seeds after using the pumpkin, make these delicious roasted air fryer pumpkin seeds.
Why You’ll Love Thai Pumpkin Curry?
- Creamy
- Satisfying
- Comforting
- Full of veggies
- Easy to make
Ingredients
Pumpkin (or butternut squash): Use pie pumpkin, kabocha squash, or butternut squash for this recipe.
Bell Pepper and Broccoli: I added these veggies, but you can add other vegetables of choice, such as sweet potato, green beans, mushrooms, zucchini, or carrots.
Aromatics: Onion, ginger and garlic
Coconut Milk: It helps to make a creamy, rich curry sauce.
Red Curry Paste: My favorite is Measri brand curry paste. It is vegan and gluten-free.
Flavorings: I used soy sauce (or fish sauce if you are not vegetarian), rice vinegar, salt, and brown sugar. Add kaffir lime leaves for a punch of flavor.
Finishing: Sprinkle some lemon or lime juice to brighten up the flavors. Garnish with roasted unsalted cashews and chopped cilantro or some thai basil leaves.
How to make Thai Pumpkin Curry in Instant Pot?
- Start by cutting the pumpkin into about 1.5-inch cubes. This step might take the most time (I know peeling a pumpkin is not many people’s favorite activity). Slice the onions and bell peppers and cut the broccoli into pieces.
- Before pressure cooking, we will add only 1/4 can of the coconut milk and cook the pumpkin with onion, ginger, garlic, curry paste, and seasoning.
- Pumpkin cooks quickly, and we don’t want it to be mushy. Hence, we will cook it for just 2 minutes at high pressure and then quick-release.
- After pressure cooking, stir in the other veggies, kaffir lime leaves, and the coconut milk and cook for 2 minutes. I added cashews to the curry, but they are completely optional if you want to make this curry nut-free.
- Garnish with lemon juice (this is a must-do). Then sprinkle some cilantro or basil leaves.
Serve this pumpkin curry with jasmine rice. You can also cook rice in the Instant Pot. Here is my tried-and-tested recipe for instant pot jasmine rice.
Note: I don’t recommend pot-in-pot rice with this curry, as we are pressure cooking for very little time, and the rice can remain uncooked.
Stovetop Method
- Heat a Dutch oven or large pan on medium-high heat and add oil. Then add onions, ginger, and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the can of coconut milk. Mix in the red curry paste. Add salt, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar, and stir.
- Add in the pumpkin cubes.
- Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the pumpkin is almost tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the sliced red peppers, broccoli, cashews, kaffir lime leaves and lemon juice. You can add water if needed to adjust the consistency of the curry. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then turn off.
- Garnish with cilantro or Thai basil leaves. Serve with jasmine rice or coconut rice.
Recipe Tips
Adjust spice: You can adjust the spice level by increasing or decreasing the amount of red curry paste.
Do not overcook: If this curry is overcooked, the veggies will completely break down and become pureed. Make sure to follow the suggested cooking times.
Add greens: You can add greens such as kale or spinach to this curry. I recommend stirring them in after the curry is almost cooked.
Add heat: Add some Thai chili or serrano peppers along with the onions to add heat to this curry.
Add protein: Add firm or extra firm tofu to this curry after the pumpkin is almost cooked. Simmer for a few minutes after adding tofu so it can soak in the curry flavors. You might also want to add more coconut milk and Thai curry paste to compensate for the increased ingredients. To add chicken, check out my pumpkin chicken curry recipe.
Side Dishes
Air Fryer Pumpkin
Oven Recipes
Gluten-free Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
Instant Pot 101
Easy Peasy Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree
Thai Pumpkin Red Curry (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 3/4 cup Onions , sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon Ginger, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon Garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon Red Curry Paste , I used Thai Kitchen
- 2 cups Pumpkin or Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed
- 1 can Coconut milk , 14 oz, full-fat, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt , adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon Soy sauce , use gluten-free if desired
- 1/2 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 cup Red Bell Pepper, sliced
- 1 cup Broccoli
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Cashews, optional
- 1/4 cup Cilantro or Basil, to garnish
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Start the instant pot in Saute mode and heat oil in it. Add onions, ginger, garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add 1/4 can of the coconut milk. Mix in the red curry paste. Add salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and stir.
- Add in the pumpkin cubes. Press cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Start in Manual or Pressure cook mode for 2 mins at high pressure. When the cooking time is done, quick release the pressure manually.
- Open lid and change setting to sauté mode. Add remaining coconut milk, red peppers, broccoli, cashews and lemon juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then turn off.
- Garnish with cilantro or basil leaves. Serve with jasmine rice.
Stovetop Method
- Heat a Dutch oven or large pan on medium-high heat and add oil. Then add onions, ginger, and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the can of coconut milk. Mix in the red curry paste. Add salt, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar, and stir.
- Add in the pumpkin cubes. Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the pumpkin is almost tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the sliced red peppers, broccoli, cashews, kaffir lime leaves, and lemon juice. You can add water if needed to adjust the consistency of the curry. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then turn off.
- Garnish with cilantro or basil leaves. Serve with jasmine rice.
I watched a video from a Thai Chef testing store bought Curry pastes. Here is the ranking best – worst. These brands can be bought in Canada and the USA at Asian Grocers or Amazon!
1. Mae Ploy (my go to, authentic Thai!)
2. Aroy-D
3. Maesri
4. Namjai
5. Thai Kitchen: was the most bland and did not taste like authentic Thai Curry.
I always get great results with either Mae Ploy or Aroy-D, both made in Thailand; it makes a difference.
Tip: for traditional Thai flavors use fish sauce in curries not Soy Sauce or Tamari (these taste much different)
Hi Lennie – Thanks for sharing. I would agree, but Aroy-D and Mae Ploy use fish sauce, hence I use the Maesri or Thai Kitchen curry paste as a vegetarian alternative. We have been loving the Maesri curry pastes much more recently.
Ohh Meeta,
You share again a wonderful meal, Pumpkin Thai red curry, I made it yesterday , and this will one of the favourite. Any dish I made from your recipes also favourites, haha.
Thanks
Rozsa
Hi – That makes me really happy. Thank you for sharing 🙂
This recipe is yummy! I made it tonight and was very glad I did! Thank you for sharing!
Hi – SO good to hear that. Thank you for sharing back 😊
Can I use taro instead of the pumpkin?
Hi Sean – I have not tried this with taro, so cannot say for sure if it will work well. You can use tofu in place of pumpkin similar to my green curry recipe. I would love to hear if you try with taro or otherwise.
Lovely blog and pictures! I have always looked for a trusted Thai curry paste brand but was afraid to try one on my own, afraid of picking the wrong one. I’ll try the Thai Kitchen Brand. Also love your dahi waale aaloo recipe, instantly transports me back to my mom’s cooking.
Hey Deepika – Thank you! So glad to hear you enjoyed the Dahi Vale Aloo. Thai Kitchen is a trusted brand, so do give it a try. I would love to hear how the curry turns out.