Pumpkin Curry Recipe

Name: Pumpkin Curry Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 8-10 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces ((about 2 breasts)); 1 medium yellow or white onion, sliced into crescents; ½ cup carrot sticks ((about 2-3 carrots)); 1 head broccoli, cut into florets ((can peel and slice broccoli stems as well)); 3-4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon minced or grated ginger; 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste ((for spicier sauce add 2 additional tablespoons)); ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree; 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk ((full-fat will give you the best results)); 1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth; ½ lime, juiced ((about 2 tablespoons)); 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce; 4 cups cooked jasmine rice, prepared sticky; fresh cilantro for garnish ((optional)); lime wedges for garnish ((optional))

Published: Dec 7, 2021 by Emily · This post may contain affiliate links · 36 Comments

This Thai-inspired Pumpkin Curry Recipe is easy to make and tastes just like take-out! Loaded with lots of veggies, chicken, coconut milk, and pumpkin puree, this is the perfect meal to make for chilly and busy nights.

pumpkin curry over rice with cilantro garnish

This Pumpkin Curry Recipe is a Thai-inspired version that has lots of fresh vegetables and chicken covered in a creamy and slightly spicy sauce. The sauce gets its flavor and spice from coconut milk, pumpkin puree, and Thai red curry. This recipe is on repeat for my household since it's easy to make, healthy, warming, and delicious. What more do you need? This is also a great recipe to make when you have leftover rice!

Ingredients Needed to Make Thai-Inspired Pumpkin Curry

olive oil
boneless skinless chicken breasts
yellow or white onion
carrot sticks
broccoli
garlic cloves
fresh ginger
red Thai curry paste
kosher salt
pumpkin puree
coconut milk (full-fat will give you the best results)
chicken or vegetable broth
freshly squeezed lime juice
soy sauce or fish sauce
Jasmine rice, prepared sticky

two bowls with chopsticks of coconut Thai curry

How to Make Pumpkin Curry

Prepare all of the ingredients first so they are ready to go before cooking.
Heat a large pot or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in the oil then remove it from the pan into a bowl and set it aside.
Add the onion, carrots, and broccoli stems (if using) to the pan and stir into the remaining oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the red curry paste, garlic, ginger, and salt to the pan and stir to combine. Continue stirring and cooking for 2 more minutes.
Pour in the pumpkin puree and coconut milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Add 1-2 cups of broth depending on how thick or thin you would like your curry to be.
Place the cooked chicken and the broccoli florets in the pan and stir everything to combine. Allow the curry to cook for 3 more minutes and then remove it from the heat. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce (or soy sauce).

bowls of pumpkin curry over rice with chopsticks

How to serve Pumpkin Curry

Pumpkin curry is delicious when served over sticky rice. I make my Instant Pot Jasmine Rice recipe while the curry is cooking and the timing is perfect. This method takes about 20 minutes in an electric pressure cooker and comes out perfect every time.

This Thai Pumpkin Curry is so good, it doesn't necessarily have to have a garnish. However, for a nice burst of freshness, you can add a few fresh cilantro leaves and a lime wedge on the side for garnish.

a bowl of jasmine rice made in an electric pressure cooker — Sticky Jasmine Rice prepared in the Instant Pot

Tips for Making Pumpkin Curry

Preparing all of your ingredients ahead of time will make the cooking process much easier and smoother. The actual cooking process goes pretty fast so you want everything to be ready to go before you start.
The stems of the broccoli make a great addition to this dish. Just make sure you peel the stems first and then slice them into thin disks. Less waste and more healthy veggies for you!
When you add the red Thai curry paste to the pan, the fumes can be spicy so be careful not too get to close (trust me on this one).
A tip for ginger: I always have frozen ginger root in my freezer. When a recipe calls for ginger, I grate the frozen ginger. It's so much easier than trying to mince ginger into small pieces and you don't even need to peel it if you don't want to!
If you want a spicier curry, you can add more red Thai curry paste to the mixture while cooking.
The curry sauce will thicken as it cools. This is where the broth will come in handy. I personally like my pumpkin curry on the thicker side and don't add as much broth. If you have leftovers, you will want to add broth or water to the cold curry before re-heating because it does thicken up quite a bit in the fridge.
Store any leftover curry in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Tools Needed to Make Pumpkin Chicken Curry

I use my dutch oven to make this Pumpkin Curry. The pot gets nice and hot but is deep enough to be able to store in all of the veggies and liquids without feeling like it's too full.

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