This Jamaican Pumpkin Curry is one of my latest creations and the taste is mouthwatering, to say the least. I used Jamaican pumpkin but any kind of squash, acorn squash or butternut squash can be substituted. Also, check out my, Easy Ratatouille, Butternut Squash Coconut Curry, and Jamaican Pumpkin Soup.
Jamaican Pumpkin Curry
I added creamy butter beans to my vegan pumpkin curry not only to increase the protein content of the curry but also for texture. In Jamaica, we love to cook with butter beans in our stews and soups. We tend to prefer medium to large mature white butter beans versus green lima beans.
So I have been blessed with lots of pumpkins this year from my compost pile. Last year I threw pumpkin seeds in my compost pile and this spring I had the blessing of the pumpkin seeds germinating and blessing me with vines all over my garden.
Fast forward to August and we were able to reap at least 50 pumpkins from those vines. We shared many with the staff here and I still have a lot that I’m working my way through preparing. This delicious pumpkin curry is made with the typical Jamaican seasonings, onion, garlic, green onion, thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper, and pimento.
How To Prepare Pumpkin Curry?
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, add onion, garlic, and ginger, and saute until onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in green onion, thyme, Curry Powder, cumin, allspice, and cayenne pepper, and cook until fragrant.
Add pumpkin, and butter beans and stir to coat. Add coconut milk, water, pepper, and salt. - Cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until pumpkin is tender and the sauce is thick about 15 minutes. Serve with rice.
I personally add coconut milk to 90% of my curry recipes, it is something I love to do. I grew up in a seaside town called Hopewell, in the parish Hanover in Jamaica, and as a child, tall coconut trees and groves were everywhere before many were destroyed in our area by the lethal yellowing disease.
My mom used fresh coconut milk in a lot of her recipes, she added it to her stews and curries, and she made lots of cassava pudding, sweet potato pudding, and cornmeal pudding weekly.
For the curry powder, use my homemade Curry Powder recipe or the Caribbean brand called Chief.
Serve pumpkin curry with boiled dumplings or Turmeric Coconut Rice.
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Categories
- Categories: Gluten-Free, Vegan
- Courses: Entrée, Main Course
- Cuisine: Jamaican
- Season: Thanksgiving
Nutrition
(Per portion)- Energy: 183 kcal / 765 kJ
- Fat: 13 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Carbs: 17 g
Cook Time
- Preparation: 10 min
- Ready in: 10 min
- For: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 Escallion, or green onions, chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 pound (about 4 cups) pumpkin, diced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked butter beans, or 1-14 ounce can drained
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup water, or vegetable broth, (I used water)
- 1 whole Scotch Bonnet pepper, or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, add onion, garlic, ginger, saute until onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in green onion, thyme, curry powder, cumin, allspice, cayenne pepper and cook until fragrant. Add pumpkin, butter beans and stir to coat. Add coconut milk, water, pepper, and salt.
- Cover pot, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until pumpkin is tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Serve with rice.
Notes
- Peeling the skin is optional or deepens on how soft the skin of the pumpkin is depending on the variety.
- Make sure to cook until sauce is thick, if it is watery, stir and cook longer. The flavor will be more intense.
- Using vegetable broth or 1 vegetable bouillon will definitely increase the flavor. However, you may have to reduce the amount of salt used.
This Jamaican pumpkin curry is really our favorite recipe ❤️🥰 in Sierra Leone
We had this for dinner last night, and it was so good. I only had a jalapeño on hand, so it turned out a little mild, but still yummy. Thanks so much for the recipe – healthy, quick recipes are nice after a long work day. :)
P.S. I was so focused on eating, I forgot to take a picture!
Heather, I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback, I really appreciate it.
I made this today and it was so flavorful, absolutely loved it. And said so a dozen times during dinner. I so love you curry recipes. All of them. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing them!
Saskia, I’m so happy you enjoyed them. Thank you for sharing your feedback, I really appreciate it.
Made your curry 2 weeks ago with baby butternut squash and a sweet potato instead of pumpkin. It was maybe the best thing I ever made. Used my Instant Pot. Extra ginger didn’t hurt at all. I added extra firm tofu and that made it even better. I’m going to hit this up again tonight with a large organic Thai Pumpkin Squash I got at the farmer’s market. Yumm.
How long in the instapot?? 😊 thanks
Rachel, I haven’t made it in the Instant Pot but 8 minutes should be fine.
This was out of this world! Subbed butternut squash for the umpkin as I didn’t have any. My Jamaican partner inhaled it. Big hit! Love and appreciate your recipes. Thanks so much :-)
Suzanne, that’s awesome, I’m so happy you and your partner enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
I didn’t usually add pumpkin to anything or eat anything with it evident until in recent times, though I loved the juice. I tried this but subbed broad beans for the butter beans and turmeric for the curry powder and it came out amazing.
That’s awesome Coreen, I’m happy it turned out great with your substitutions. I appreciate your feedback.
This dish is everything!! Fulls my belly everytime!! Thank you for sharing! 😊
Jojo, I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your feedback. I really appreciate it.
Hi Michelle! I made this recipe for the very first time and I subbed the pumpkin for the butternut squash only because my local store didn’t have any. I added a little honey and a little extra ginger and it came out wonderful! My Jamaican husband loves it! He said, he didn’t know Puerto Rican/Dominican’s can cook with curry 🤣🤷🏽♀️
Thanks for the recipe hun!❤️
Jeannie, I’m happy you enjoyed it. Loved how you adjusted the recipe to your liking. Tell your hubby that my assistant chef is Puerto Rican and has fallen in love with curry lol