Vegan Pumpkin Curry
on Sep 23, 2021, Updated Oct 21, 2023
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This easy pumpkin curry recipe is a fantastic fall one-pot meal. With tofu, red bell peppers and kale, both pumpkin puree and coconut milk make it a warm and cozy dinner. Serve it with rice or your favorite cooked grains. It cooks in 30 minutes.
If you’re looking for another way to cook with pumpkin puree, try this vegetarian pumpkin chili with black beans and lentils or baked pumpkin risotto.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Pantry ingredients give this curry its spice and flavor. That includes canned pumpkin puree, one of my fall favorites, canned coconut milk and red curry paste. They work beautifully with fresh ingredients like bell peppers and kale.
Canned pumpkin puree shines in savory recipes not just sweet ones. Straight from the can, pumpkin puree is neutral. It’s up to you if you sweeten it, but it goes really well with chillies and things that are spicy. I absolutely love it in soups, and it even works for a quick pumpkin pasta sauce.
This recipe is vegan comfort food. It calls for light coconut milk, not full-fat coconut milk. This is a healthier coconut curry recipe that has plenty of dark leafy greens and vegetables.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Tofu: Because it is easy to cut into cubes and holds its shape, extra firm tofu is best for this curry.
- Pumpkin: The recipe calls for one can of pumpkin puree.
- Red curry paste gives the curry its signature taste. Used in many Thai dishes, red curry paste is a combination of red chilies, spices, garlic, ginger, shallots, lemongrass and more. You can find it in the Asian food section at the grocery. It’s an important ingredient in this recipe because it is the flavor starting point for the curry.
- Coconut Milk: I use light coconut milk rather than full-fat because that with the pumpkin puree is enough to make the curry turn out silky and rich.
- Onions: As the onions sauté, they really soften and end up blending right in.
- Red Peppers: For veggies, I include red bell peppers in the pumpkin curry.
- Garlic & Ginger: Even though there is garlic and ginger in the curry paste, I always make sure to add fresh minced garlic and ginger.
- Kale: Once the curry is nearly finished, I stir in chopped kale. It will look like a lot at first, but the heat will gently wilt the leaves.
- Cilantro & Lime: To finish the curry, I sprinkle it with chopped cilantro and serve it with lime wedges. Thai basil is another great option for fresh herbs for garnish.
- Rice: A scoop or two of brown rice is great to pair with the curry. Cauliflower rice would be great with it too.
Optional Additions
You can stir any of the following into the curry:
- Nuts: Sprinkle the finished dish with cashews or peanuts for something nutty.
- Chickpeas: Stir in 1 cup cooked chickpeas when you add the tofu to the curry.
- Leftover roasted vegetables: If you have diced roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes leftover from another meal, stir them into the curry with the tofu and give them a few minutes to warm.
How To Prep Tofu
When you open a package of tofu, you will see that it is a block sitting in liquid. And it’s important to remove as much of that liquid as possible.
To do this, pat the tofu dry with a towel. Then wrap it in a dry towel and put a cast iron pan or cutting board on top of it. That weight will push out more liquid. Once the tofu is pressed, you can cut it into cubes.
If you cook tofu a lot like I do, you can buy a tofu press, which is a gadget that will do the same thing. What’s great about the tofu press I have is that I can put in the block, stash it in the fridge and the press catches all the liquid in a basin. It’s very compact and convenient.
How To Make Pumpkin Curry
1. Press the tofu. Pat the tofu with a towel. Then wrap it in another dry towel and put something heavy on top of it like a cast iron pan to press out the liquid. After that, cut the tofu into cubes.
2. Cook the tofu. Heat vegetable oil in a pan and lightly brown the tofu on all sides. Move the tofu to a plate.
3. Sauté the vegetables. Start by sautéing the onions until soft and then add the red peppers to the pan.
4. Add the aromatics. Things get very fragrant when you add the minced garlic and ginger, Thai red curry paste, salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the pumpkin puree and coconut milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer to really let the flavors meld.
6. Add the kale. The heat from the curry will lightly wilt the kale in minutes.
7. Add the tofu back into the curry to complete the dish.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with brown rice and give it a nice squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Serving
As mentioned, I love serving Thai pumpkin curry over rice. You can even cook the rice a day ahead and warm it in the microwave. If you’re looking for a side dish, try chili lime roasted root vegetables, roasted curried cauliflower or roasted crispy brussels sprouts.
Storage & Leftovers
You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Warm them in the microwave or in a pot on the stove over low to medium heat, stirring frequently. Because this recipe has tofu, I do not recommend freezing it.
Recipe Tips
Don’t skip pressing the tofu. In order for the tofu to properly sauté, you need to remove the excess moisture. You can do this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.
If you aren’t a fan of kale, you can stir in baby spinach instead. Since spinach leaves are more tender, they will really disappear into the curry. Kale is more hearty and holds its shape and bite.
Always use fresh ginger and do not substitute with ground ginger. They are not equal substitutes and have very different flavor and impact especially in this curry.
More Soup Recipes
Chickpea Soup
Cauliflower White Bean Tahini Soup
Hearty Vegetable Soup
Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chickpea Stew
Quinoa Chili with Corn and Beans
Vegan Pumpkin Curry with Tofu
Ingredients
- 1-14 ounce block extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1-13.5 ounce can light coconut milk
- 2 cups chopped curly kale
- Chopped cilantro and lime wedges for serving
- Brown rice for serving
Instructions
- Pat the tofu dry with a towel. Wrap it with a dry towel and place a cast iron pan or cutting board on top to remove more liquid. Let stand for 15 minutes. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the tofu and sauté until lightly golden, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
- Add the onions to the pan. Sauté until they start to soften and turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Then add the red peppers and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, red curry paste, salt and pepper. The mixture will turn fragrant in about 30 seconds.
- Then add the pumpkin puree and coconut milk, gently stirring to combine. Once the curry reaches a simmer, cook it for 8-10 minutes, letting it start to reduce.
- Stir in the kale. Give it a couple minutes to wilt and then add the tofu to the curry.
- Top with chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges and rice.
Notes
- Nuts: Sprinkle the finished dish with cashews or peanuts for something nutty.
- Chickpeas: Stir in 1 cup cooked chickpeas when you add the tofu to the curry.
- Leftover roasted vegetables: If you have diced roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes leftover from another meal, stir them into the curry with the tofu and give them a few minutes to warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Really enjoyed this recipe! We’ve often made chicken Thai curry in the past, but have been reducing our meat intake lately. I was hesitant about the pumpkin at first, but really loved how it thickened up the dish, making it feel hearty. This is now on our list of go-to recipes. Thank you so much!