Easy Pumpkin Curry with Chickpeas Recipe (Vegan, Gluten-free) (2024)

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This one pot pumpkin curry is an easy, autumnal red curry featuring veggies, chickpeas, and creamy pumpkin!

I’m having my annual trepidation about pumpkin season. In particular, I’ve been having recurring nightmares about remaking and upgrading my pumpkin bread pudding recipe. But I remind myself, that whenever I’m afraid of an ingredient, I can make a great curry with it :D.

Curry taught me how to love eggplant, and it has most definitely rekindled my love for pumpkin, too! Adding pumpkin puree makes this vegan pumpkin curry lower fat* but still creamy, and the sweetness from the pumpkin means that there’s no need to add sugar. Win! Plus, the red curry and pumpkin give this dish a stunning orange hue.

As always with my soups and stews, the key to this dish is building layers of flavor beginning with browning some shallot in oil; adding aromatics; infusing in a touch of warming spices (cinnamon, cumin and turmeric); and then frying off some Thai red curry paste.

Your kitchen will already smell spectacular by now, and all that’s left to do is stir in some coconut milk, pumpkin, chickpeas, and veggies of your choosing, and simmer it for a few more minutes until the veggies are cooked. Season with a squeeze of lime, and dinner is served!

Mix and match this plant-based Thai red pumpkin curry with veggies of your choosing, other vegetarian proteins such as baked tofu or seared seitan, or wilting in some spinach at the end. You can also substitute pureed butternut squash or sweet potato for the pumpkin. This curry is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, so (almost?) everyone can dig in.

I hope you enjoy the One Pot Pumpkin Curry, and if you make it please let me know in the comments or tag me on Instagram at @yupitsvegan so I can see your creations!

Vegan One Pot Pumpkin Curry

This one pot pumpkin curry is a home run in the flavor department and comes together quickly. Mix and match with veggies and proteins of your choosing, and enjoy a hearty vegetarian dinner that's also naturally gluten-free and soy-free.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian

Keyword pumpkin curry

Ingredients

Saute mixture:

2 tsp olive oil or other oil
1 large shallot diced
1 and 1/2 inch fresh ginger peeled and minced or grated
3 cloves garlic minced or grated
1 chili pepper finely chopped (I used a cayenne chili)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
3 tbsp Thai red curry paste

Remaining vegan pumpkin curry ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups full-fat canned coconut milk (1 standard can)
1 and 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (canned or fresh; be sure not to use pumpkin pie filling)
1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas rinsed and drained (1 standard can)
2 crowns broccoli cut into small florets (about 8 oz)
1 and 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
salt to taste (or use soy sauce if not soy-free)

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the shallot with a pinch of salt, and stir frequently until starting to brown, 3-5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, and chili, and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cinnamon, cumin, and turmeric with another pinch of salt, and cook for another 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in the Thai red curry paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until starting to stick.
Stir in the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, and chickpeas, and bring a boil. Reduce the heat, stir in the broccoli, and cover the pan. Cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is bright green and tender. Stir in the lime juice and season to taste with additional lime, and soy sauce or salt. (As a reference point, in my soy-free version I used about 1/4 tsp additional salt. When making this with low-sodium soy sauce I added about a tablespoon.)
Serve hot, with rice or other accompaniments of choice. (Pictured is white jasmine rice and steamed sweet potato).

Notes

VEGETABLES: Mix and match this one pot pumpkin curry with other veggies such as cauliflower, asparagus, kale or collard greens (added when the broccoli is added), regular or sweet potato (added with the red curry paste), spinach or bok choy (wilted in toward the end of cooking). Baked or fried tofu can also be substituted for the chickpeas.

Nutrition

*Lower fat than usual, y’all. It’s still coconut milk we’re talking about.

Other tasty curry recipes on the site:

Lentil Spinach Curry

Easy Coconut Chickpea Curry