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One-pot pumpkin rice uses a combination of veg stock and coconut milk with heaps of real pumpkin for a creamy, comforting, tasty, and satisfying fall side dish!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Pumpkin isn’t just for pumpkin pie (check out this easy vegan pumpkin pie), guys! Sure, I love whipping up sweet pumpkin treats (I baked a fresh batch of pumpkin oatmeal muffins just this morning), but pumpkin has so much more to offer. Enter: pumpkin rice. It’s creamy, cozy, and packed with flavor. Plus, with plenty of real pumpkin and some coconut milk, it’s bursting with good-for-you vitamins and minerals (like vitamins A and E, Fiber, and Potassium).
Pumpkin rice is also a great upgrade to a fairly basic side dish, adding a creamy, sweet-savory twist by making the rice with coconut milk, pumpkin, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and simple seasonings. It’s easy to make in just one pot and budget-friendly, yet still feels ‘fancy’, making it great for for family dinners as dinner parties and Thanksgiving. It’s a great addition to your fall and winter menu.
You might also enjoy my roasted pumpkin couscous salad (that you can enjoy warm or chilled!) or a creamy pumpkin risotto.
Ingredient Notes
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients, quantities, and substitutions.
- Pumpkins: Make sure to use a tasty culinary pumpkin (like a sugar pie pumpkin or crown prince) – not carving pumpkins, which can be watery, stringy, and flavorless. In Jamaica, they usually use a Calabaza (West Indian pumpkin).
Can’t use pumpkin? try Kabocha or butternut squash.
Recipe Variations and Add-Ins
- Turmeric: Add a large pinch to give the coconut milk rice a beautiful golden color.
- Fresh herbs: Like scallions (green onion) or cilantro, added before serving.
- Vegan butter: Add a little towards the end for ‘buttery’ richness.
- Other veg: Like green peas or spinach for extra nutrients.
- Protein: Add chickpeas, black beans, or diced quick crispy pan fried tofu.
- Tofu feta cheese: To crumble over the top when serving for salty, creamy flavor.
- Fruit: Boost the sweetness with dried cranberries or raisins, or pomegranate seeds.
- Curry seasoning: Sub seasonings with curry powder, turmeric, cumin, & optional ginger.
- Jamaican-inspired pumpkin rice: Replace the allspice and Italian seasoning with scallions and fresh thyme (sauté with the veg).
How to Cook Pumpkin Rice
Step 1: First, peel and dice the onion and garlic, de-seed and dice the bell pepper, and peel, de-seed, and cube the pumpkin. Then, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based, lidded pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté the vegetables for 5-10 minutes.
Step 2: Meanwhile, wash the rice well. Then, drain it thoroughly and set aside in a colander. Then, add the seasonings to the veggies and sauté for 20-30 seconds.
Step 3: Add the pumpkin, coconut milk, bouillon cubes, and water (or veg stock), stir well, and bring to a boil.
Step 4: Add the rice, lower heat to a simmer, and cover it with a lid. Cook the pumpkin coconut rice for 15 minutes, untouched, then leave off-heat for a further 10 minutes, undisturbed. Lift the lid and gently mix. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Step 5: Finally, serve the pumpkin coconut milk rice optionally garnished with fresh parsley and crushed red pepper flakes – enjoy!
If the rice or pumpkin isn’t tender, replace the lid and leave undisturbed for 10-15 minutes.
FAQs
Absolutely! In fact, I often prefer brown rice for its extra nutrients and heartier texture. Just keep in mind that it takes a bit longer to cook (around 25-30 minutes on the stove then the 10 mins off heat) and usually requires a little more liquid.
I don’t recommend using frozen pumpkin in this recipe for pumpkin rice, as it’s more likely to become overly soft or mushy in the dish.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Rinse the rice: It’s important to do this for individual, fluffy grains, not a sticky, stodgy mass of rice.
- Use a heavy-based pan: So the rice doesn’t burn/stick to the bottom of the pan while it cooks (which is a process done entirely untouched).
- Cook then rest: The last of the liquid evaporates for perfectly cooked, fluffy pumpkin rice.
- For more flavor: Optionally sauté the rice at the end of step 5, until golden and fragrant for a deeper, nuttier flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this comforting pumpkin rice recipe as a side or part of a main in buddha bowls/ other bowl meals, on your Thanksgiving/Holiday table, and at dinner parties, with:
- Protein: Like this quick crispy pan fried tofu, tempeh, or seitan, etc.
- Roasted vegetables: Like roasted Brussel sprouts with cranberries, oven charred broccoli, glazed carrots, etc.
- Othe veg sides: Like sauteed spinach/kale or sautéed mushrooms with garlic and thyme.
- Salad: A leafy green salad with bright vinaigrette nicely balances the rich, creamy flavors in pumpkin coconut milk rice. Strawberry kale salad or a shaved Brussel sprout salad would also work.
- Bread: Like garlic bread, vegan focaccia bread, easy vegan dinner rolls, or this easy no knead bread.
You can also enjoy this pumpkin and rice dish as a hearty side to simple stews and curries like creamy chickpea carrot curry, quick eggplant curry, or vegan chickpea stew.
Storage Information
Store: Make sure to transfer it to the refrigerator within 24 hours, storing it in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freeze: In an airtight container for up to 3 months. Then, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Note, it will be mushier upon thawing.
Reheat: In a microwave, with a splash of extra water/broth, and covered (to steam) until piping hot. Alternatively, reheat on the stove over low, stirring often.
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Easy Pumpkin Rice
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of neutral oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon of allspice
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 pounds of pumpkin peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can of full-fat coconut milk
- 2 ½ cups of water
- 2 bouillon cubes
- 2 cups of long-grain rice
Instructions
- In a large pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until they begin to slightly char.
- While the veggies are cooking, wash the rice. Place the raw rice in a large bowl and fill it with water, using your hands move the rice around. Dump the cloudy water and repeat the process until the water comes out mostly clear. Drain and set aside in a colander.
- Once the veggies are beginning to char, add the allspice, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix continuously for 20-30 seconds. Add in the pumpkin and stir until combined.
- Add the coconut milk, water, and bouillon cubes.
- Bring to a boil, mix well, and add in the rice. Mix the rice in, cover with the lid, and lower the heat to simmer.
- Cook for 15 minutes. Once the 15 minutes have passed, do not lift the lid. Leave the pot undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- Lift the lid and gently mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper levels.
- If the rice is slightly raw, cover with the lid and leave it undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes. The rice should be creamy and rich.
Notes
- Rinse the rice: It’s important to do this for individual, fluffy grains, not a sticky, stodgy mass of rice.
- Use a heavy-based pan: So the rice doesn’t burn/stick to the bottom of the pan while it cooks (which is a process done entirely untouched).
- Cook then rest: The last of the liquid evaporates for perfectly cooked, fluffy pumpkin rice.
- For more flavor: Optionally sauté the rice at the end of step 5, until golden and fragrant for a deeper, nuttier flavor.
Could you add lentils for more protein? When would you throw them in, if so? Thanks!
Hi Danielle! You likely can. We on the PBOAB team haven’t tried it out yet so I can’t give the best guidance but I imagine adding it with the rice would be a good place to add them in! Let us know how it turns out for you 🙂
Can I use canned pumpkin?
Hi Amy! We on the PBOAB team haven’t tried canned pumpkin for this recipe just yet so I can’t give the best guidance for using it instead. Please let us know how it turns out if you give it a try 🙂
Can you use butternut squash if cutting a pumpkin up is too hard? Or sweet potato?
Hi! Yes 🙂 Butternut squash would also work out nicely for this recipe. Enjoy!
So easy and so delicious!