Tofu Pumpkin Curry Quick Easy

4.91 18 Published Oct 17, 2020, Updated Jan 23, 2024 This tofu pumpkin curry is inspired by my sweet potato curry recipe. Curry is the perfect comfort meal year round. I love the bold flavors and seasonal produce you can incorporate. I also have to mention that we served some of the tofu and squash from this dish to Olivia for supper one night and she loved it. So it’s also baby approved too… win, win!

Tofu Pumpkin Curry Ingredients

vegetables – red onion, yellow bell pepper, pumpkin, baby greens, garlic and fresh ginger extra firm tofu red curry paste – I like the Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk water or vegetable broth coconut sugar olive or avocado oil sea salt and pepper optional for serving: rice, basil, limes and cashews

What Type of Pumpkin to Use

I used kabocha squash for this recipe which is Japanese pumpkin, but sugar pumpkin, butternut squash or even sweet potato would work as well. Kabocha squash doesn’t need to be peeled, but if you use pumpkin or butternut squash be sure to peel it before using.

How to Prep Tofu for Curry

A couple notes about tofu for this recipe: I recommend buying extra firm and remember to press it to get all the liquid out. The tofu pressing process takes a little bit of time, but is not labor intensive… promise. You’ll start by draining your tofu – cut a slit in the tofu package and drain the liquid out. The next step is to press the excess liquid out. You can use a tofu press for this, but if you don’t have one there are some other easy ways to press tofu! Simply wrap the tofu block in paper towels or a clean dish towel and set it on a flat surface. Stack a few heavy items on top to press the moisture out – I typically use a cast iron skillet, canned food or cookbooks. This process can take 30-90 minutes depending on how heavy your items are.

How to Make Tofu Pumpkin Curry

Press your tofu – if you haven’t already, press your tofu! I gave the full rundown on how to do that above. Sauté veggies – heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the curry paste and tofu, toss and sauté for another 2 minutes. Simmer – add the pumpkin, coconut milk, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook until the pumpkin is tender and cooked through. Finishing touches – stir in the baby greens and cook until they’ve just wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Serve over white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice.

Substitutions & Modifications

This is one of those recipes that is so versatile! Here are the substitutions or modifications you can make:

Pumpkin – the kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) used in this recipe can be swapped for a different winter squash. I’ve tried it with butternut squash, but I’m sure any type of winter squash will work. Sweet potato also works or you can just try my sweet potato curry instead. Vegetables – have different veggies on hand or want to clean out the fridge? Feel free to throw them in the curry! I love mixing and matching vegetables in curries. Protein – I love the tofu in this recipe but it would also work with other protein options. Shrimp, chicken or chickpeas would all work well! Rice – You can serve this curry over brown rice, white rice or cauliflower rice!