Vegan Thai Pumpkin Red Curry is a delicious dish to satisfy those curry cravings. Super flavorful, Vegan one-pot curry made with red curry paste, coconut milk, pumpkin, and other veggies. Easy to make in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. 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 change with veggies of your choice. It is so creamy and satisfying with coconut milk. 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 brought Thai curry paste? They are the best way to make these restaurant-style Thai curries. Yes, you can make them from scratch, but it is 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 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.
How to make Thai Pumpkin Curry in Instant Pot?
Start with cutting the pumpkin into about 1.5-inch cubes. This step might take the most time (I know peeling a pumpkin is not the favorite activity for many). 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 mins at high pressure and then quick release.
After pressure cooking, stir in the other veggies 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 cook rice the instant pot as well. 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 less time, and the rice can remain uncooked.
Give it a try, and I am sure you will love it –
- Creamy
- Satisfying
- Comforting
- Full of veggies
- Easy to make
Here are more easy and healthy pumpkin & squash recipes you can enjoy!
- Indian Mashed Pumpkin Curry
- Air Fryer Roasted Pumpkin
- Gluten-free Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree
- Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry
Instant Pot Thai Pumpkin Red Curry
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
- Start the Pressure Cooker 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.
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.