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 enjoy 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, the spiciness of Indian spices, and the tanginess of 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 by making pumpkin puree, which can be used in various dishes. I have used it in pancakes, parathas, and pies already.
If you want to try more pumpkin recipes, check out this Thai Pumpkin Red Curry and Curried Pumpkin Soup made in the instant pot.
Table of Contents
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 converting 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 cancer types and offer protection against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases and 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 the Pressure Cooker?
I used butternut squash for this recipe, but you could also use large orange pumpkins or kabocha squash. 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 of the pumpkin, 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. 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 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. The 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, add some sugar, which is completely optional.
- You can 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 a couple of minutes. Garnish with cilantro, and enjoy!
What to pair with pumpkin curry?
- Enjoy with parathas (Indian flatbread) or naan.
- A side of raita 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:
Instant Pot Pumpkin Curry Recipe (Pressure Cooker)
Ingredients
- 600 grams Pumpkin , about 4 cups cut pieces
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green Chili Pepper, slit (optional)
- 1/2 tablespoon Ginger, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon Garlic , minced
- 1/2 Onion, diced
- 1 Tomato , chopped
- 1/4 cup Water
- 2 teaspoon Dry Mango powder (Amchur), or lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Sugar, adjust to taste
- Cilantro, to garnish
Spices
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 2 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne or Red chili powder , (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt , adjust to taste
Instructions
- Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode and heat oil in it. Add cumin seeds and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add green chili, onions, ginger and garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and spices.
- Add cut pumpkin pieces and water. Mix well. Press Cancel and close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position.
- Set instant pot to MANUAL or pressure cook for 5 minutes at high pressure. When the instant pot beeps, do a quick pressure release manually.
- Add dry mango powder, sugar and mix with the pumpkin. You can eat this curry as is or mash some of the cooked pumpkin pieces with a masher in the pot.
- If you prefer a dry consistency, change setting to SAUTE mode and cook for couple of minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and pumpkin curry is ready to be enjoyed with parathas or naan.
Notes
- If the pumpkin is not as sweet, then add some sugar, but this is completely optional.
- This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Pressure Cooker.
Can I substitute butternut squash into this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Anchal – yes, you can use butternut squash in this curry too. Hope you enjoy it!
This looks delicious! Can I add cut up boneless chicken thighs and would this effect the cooking time? Many thanks.
Hi Sharon – I believe the same cooking time will work well even if you add boneless chicken thighs. Hope you enjoy the curry!
Okay update – I made this curry and it was delicious. I was worried with only 1/4 cup of water that it wouldn’t come up to pressure properly and burn the bottom, but it was fine.
Next time instead of 5 mins high pressure, I think I’ll do 3 so the pumpkin is a little more tender.
As an FYI – I live in Australia and used “Kent” pumpkin in smallish 1/2 inch cubes.
Thank you for the recipe 🙂 Next time I’ll also add some cauliflower. Yum yum
Hi – So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂