1-Pot Pumpkin Yellow Curry

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Using a wooden spoon to stir a cooking pan filled with vegan Yellow Pumpkin Curry

Two words: Pumpkin Curry.

Friends, this fall has me going crazy over all things apple and squash, and this curry may be one of my favorite curry recipes to date! Shall we?

Pumpkin cut in half to show the seeds and rich orange color of the flesh

Origins of Yellow Curry

Yellow curry, also known as gaeng garee, is a Thai curry with Indian influence (source). It typically includes spices such as turmeric, cumin, and coriander (source).

Turmeric is what gives yellow curry its vibrant color. This magical spice has been used in India for nearly 4,000 years and has gained popularity throughout the world in part due to its vast medicinal uses (source).

How to Make Pumpkin Yellow Curry

This simple curry requires just 1 pot to make! It all starts with gorgeous pumpkin, which is peeled, seeded, and cubed into bite-size chunks.

The flavor comes in waves thanks to ingredients like curry paste, chili peppers, ginger, garlic, and shallot – a.k.a. the curry dream team.

Metal tray with tomato paste, serrano, ginger, shallot and garlic for seasoning our AMAZING Yellow Pumpkin Curry recipe

For vegetables, I went with vibrant red bell pepper and broccoli. That’s all you really need!

And to keep the curry creamy and rich, I opted for light coconut milk, which complements the spicy flavors perfectly.

Stirring shallot, peppers, ginger, and tomato paste for vegan Yellow Pumpkin Curry
Pouring coconut milk into cooking pan filled with veggies and spices for vegan Yellow Pumpkin Curry

For a healthy fat and EASY protein, I went with roasted cashews (something I always have on hand). But, if you aren’t into cashews or can’t do nuts, you could also add Quick Crispy Tofu, include Red Lentils, or simply serve over quinoa.

Two bowls of rice and Yellow Pumpkin Curry with a side of cashews for garnishing

I hope you all LOVE this curry! It’s:

Creamy
Subtly spiced
Pumpkin-y
Vegetable-rich
Hearty
Satisfying
Comforting
& Delicious!

Make this curry for hosting guests this winter and fall or when you need a satisfying dinner on the table fast. It would be an especially great dish to make ahead and pack for lunches throughout the week, as it reheats beautifully!

It’s delicious on its own, but it would also pair well with my Thai Spring Rolls, 20-minute Asian Kale Salad, Coconut Curried Greens, Coconut Curried Lentils, or even Thai Iced Tea!

If you try this curry, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see how your curry turns out. Cheers, friends!

Up close shot of two bowls of vegan Yellow Pumpkin Curry served with rice

1-Pot Pumpkin Yellow Curry

Easy, 1-pot Pumpkin Curry with yellow curry paste, coconut milk, fresh vegetables, and pumpkin. A simple yet satisfying plant-based, gluten-free dinner!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Bowls and skillet of our Amazing Vegan Yellow Pumpkin Curry recipe
4.85 from 165 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4
Course Entrée
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Indian-Inspired, Thai-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

CURRY

  • 1 ½ Tbsp coconut oil (or avocado or grape seed oil // sub water if avoiding oil)
  • 1 medium shallot (minced)
  • 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 small red chili or serrano pepper (stem + seeds removed // thinly sliced)
  • 1 large red bell pepper (thinly sliced lengthwise)
  • 3 Tbsp yellow (or red) Thai curry paste (I prefer Thai True brand)
  • 3 ½ cups peeled and cubed pumpkin or butternut squash
  • 2 (14-ounce) cans light coconut milk (sub full-fat for extra creamy texture or 1/2 of the coconut milk for vegetable broth for thinner curry)
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar (plus more to taste // or sub stevia to taste)
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 healthy pinch sea salt (~1/4 tsp)
  • 1 Tbsp coconut aminos (or sub tamari or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
  • 1 cup chopped broccoli
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup roasted cashews* (lightly salted or unsalted are best)

FOR SERVING optional

Instructions

  • Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add coconut oil, shallot, ginger, garlic, and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add bell pepper and curry paste and stir. Cook for 2 minutes more. Then add pumpkin and stir. Cook for 2 minutes more.
  • Add coconut milk, maple syrup or coconut sugar, turmeric, sea salt, and coconut aminos and stir. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  • Once simmering, slightly reduce heat to low and cover. You want a simmer, not a boil, which should be around low to medium-low heat.
  • Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to soften the pumpkin and infuse it with curry flavor.
  • At this time, also taste and adjust the flavor of the sauce/broth as needed. I added more maple syrup for sweetness, sea salt for saltiness, and a bit more curry paste for a more intense curry flavor. Don’t be shy with seasonings – this curry should be very flavorful.
  • Once the broth is well seasoned and the pumpkin is tender, add broccoli, lemon juice, and cashews and cover. Simmer for 3-4 minutes more over low to medium-low heat.
  • Optional: Scoop out half of the broth/sauce and half of the pumpkin (try to exclude the broccoli) and blend until creamy and smooth in a blender for a thicker, creamier curry. Return to pot and warm for a few minutes before serving.
  • Serve as is or over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. This dish gets elevated with the addition of fresh lemon juice and Thai or regular basil or cilantro for serving.
  • Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot.

Notes

*For protein, if you aren’t into cashews or can’t do nuts, you could also add Quick Crispy Tofu, Red Lentils, or simply serve over quinoa.
*Recipe inspiration from Food Network.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without sides/toppings, calculated with coconut oil.

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 423 Carbohydrates: 39.9 g Protein: 9.1 g Fat: 29.1 g Saturated Fat: 13.5 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 459 mg Fiber: 7 g Sugar: 13.7 g
Top down shot of a bowl of gluten-free vegan Yellow Pumpkin Curry served with rice and cashews

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  1. Amanda says

    I have been making various versions of 1-pot curry for years. NZ winter supplies a surplus of pumpkin/squash, so I went looking for an actual recipe for pumpkin curry. I doubled the recipe – used crown pumpkin, two blocks of firm tofu, didn’t have a chili, and forgot to add the lemon and cashews. The result was delicious and significantly more tasty than my non-recipe versions. I will be making this all winter! Thank you for sharing!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe and will be making it on repeat this winter! Thank you for the lovely review, Amanda! xo

  2. Ben says

    This was really good, I made a few poverty substitutions such as only having about 1/3 the coconut milk (with water added) and no cashews and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.

  3. Ang says

    This recipe is a hit every time I make it. I usually skip the chili and sweetener, and it’s delicious! I only make this every once in awhile because I hate chopping butternut squash, but it’s always worth it when I do make it. I wonder if it would work with sweet potatoes instead of squash? Then I could make it more often :D

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Ang! Thank you for the lovely review! Sweet potato would be amazing. We’re excited for you to be making it more often :)

  4. Kate says

    Great recipe! I wanted to use up leftover pumpkin and butternut squash I had, which this worked well for. I did, however, end up using extremely spicy curry paste which was a bit too much for my family. That was certainly a user error though, so no points off for this recipe. I would make this again with a different curry paste.

  5. Alix says

    Wow what an amazing recipe. I was too lazy to deal with cutting pumpkin so I subbed Japanese purple sweet potatoes and regular Japanese sweet potatoes. I wanted yellow curry paste but did not have so used red-will make my own curry paste next time. But so so so delish.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Alix. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo

  6. Robin says

    I just made this last weekend, and oh, my goodness – absolutely DELICIOUS! I baked a whole pumpkin to use in this and that was a bit labour intensive, but worth it. My veggies were a pepper and I think zucchini. (My husband and I are back on Fast Metabolism Diet and this makes an excellent Phase 3 lunch!) Thank you so much for creating these splendid recipes! :)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Robin. Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! xo

  7. Tyler says

    I’ve made this more times than I can count, but never seem to have all the ingredients at once (very typical here), so tonight I used kabocha squash (the best for this recipe IMO), snow peas, water chestnuts, red bell and kale…delicious!

  8. Beth says

    Your recipes sound wonderful and what I was looking to make. But all the advertisements are overwhelming and make reading the recipes almost impossible as they bounce around on the page with pop ups and advertisement intrusions. I’m going to try elsewhere for these sorts of recipes that don’t have so many intrusive advertisements.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Beth, Thank you for your honest feedback and sorry for any inconvenience. We always try to optimize for user experience, while also having ads to keep the content free and high quality. One idea would be to press the “print” button when ready to make it, which will show a version without ads.

      • Beth says

        Thanks so much! I didn’t know that trick. I’m going to try it. And I’ll start with your sweet potato curry. . .

  9. Eliza says

    I made this as written but added tofu as suggested. I needed to up the spices but that’s okay, I usually do. This was very tasty and with some minor changes I am keeping this recipe.

  10. Lara says

    This recipe is fantastic! Highly recommend! We added tofu and fish sauce but kept everything else the same. I have made it numerous times and will continue to do so.

  11. Mona Temchin says

    Love your recipes! This was yummy. I made the coconut quinoa (with light coconut milk) which turned out so much fluffier then my usual way of cooking quinoa. It did badly need salt though. I used pink Himalayan salt in a grinder, which is my go to salt. I used delicata squash, but roasted it in the oven first (1 inch slices on a baking sheet with vegan butter, salt, pepper at 425 degrees). Made half the recipe (enough for 2 meals for me), but mistakenly used the full 3 tbs of curry paste (Mekhala yellow). That was ok though; it was nice and flavorful. Out of bell pepper and broccoli so left them out. But added some cauliflower with the coconut milk; also a can of chickpeas. Used half a jalapeño, as I thought the Serrano would be too hot for me. I used full fat coconut milk. Used Bragg’s aminos in place of coconut aminos. It came out so good. The roasted delicata squash lent a sweetness to the sauce. Filling and delicious.

  12. Mitzi says

    Omg, it is delish! I’m new to cooking and made this with butternut squash. I used 1 can full fat coconut milk and 1 can pumpkin (instead of the second can.)

    A bit more than the called for cup of broccoli!

    During the simmer phase I added 1 can of rinsed garbanzo beans. Omg, it is heavenly! Thank you so much!!!

  13. Patty says

    Great recipe. Love curry, but never made it before. Still came out great, and easy to make. This was done on the spur of the moment, so some substitutions. Added half cup red lentils, with the butternut squash. Thank you for well thought out and clear recipe.

  14. Maria says

    Delicious. Made this yesterday. Used Thai green curry as it was the one I had and used kale instead of broccoli. Absolutely delicious.
    Thank you for the recipe.

  15. Rebecca says

    This was very close to the curries I’ve had in restaurants! I loved it. A few subs based on what I had at home, including sweet potatoes for squash. My recommendation is to taste as you add the aminos, lemon juice, etc, to get it where you want it. I actually liked it better before the aminos (I used soy sauce and only half) and lemon juice.

  16. Debbie says

    Any chance you can give a quick easy recipe for the Thai paste? I’m unable to find a kosher one and would love to just make one. Thx so much!

  17. Heidi Vickers says

    The recipe was SUPER SPICY – almost inedible!! I had to add another can of coconut milk and more maple syrup to tone it down. I think next time I will omit the serrano pepper. Once I toned it down it was delicious which is why I gave 4 stars

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks for sharing your experience, Heidi. Curry pastes can very greatly in heat, as can fresh peppers, maybe you just got some extra spicy ones? Glad you managed to salvage it!

  18. C Hazard says

    So delicious! It took me a bit longer to make due to peeling the pumpkin and adding some extra ingredients, but it was worth every minute. I added a tbsp of fish sauce and miso paste- wowie zowie! Will add more pumpkin next time!

  19. Kim says

    How big is a serving? You say there are 4 servings in total, but I am curious how much that is. Thank you! It smells AMAZING!!!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kim, We don’t have a precise measurement, but would estimate about 2-3 cups per serving. Hope that helps!

  20. Michaela says

    I made this exactly as the recipe stated (minus the serrano pepper), and it tasted bitter. Not sure why! Maybe it was the pumpkin I used?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Michaela, sorry to hear that! Is it possible you used a carving pumpkin or another variety that isn’t intended for eating?