Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry is a wonderfully comforting and flavourful meal that is simple to prepare and perfect for an easy dinner. This easy dinner recipe creates a hearty vegetable curry that is warm, satisfying and full of cosy flavour.
Made with pumpkin, kumara, carrot and chickpeas, this dish is a lovely option for relaxed family meals or when you want a wholesome dinner that comes together with minimal effort.
Originally published May 22, 2025. Updated March 14, 2026.
A Simple Vegetarian Pumpkin Curry
I have had so many requests to share this curry recipe so I am delighted to finally bring it to you. Not every meal needs to be meat based and this curry can absolutely be made completely vegetarian or vegan if you wish.
Pumpkins are plentiful in autumn and fall, so it is the perfect time to create new recipes and enjoy old favourites.
Easy Ways to Cook This Curry
Making this dish, like all slow cooker meals is so lovely and easy. It can be cooked on LOW, HIGH or even made in 20 minutes in an instant pot or pressure cooker! Plus I have included stove top and oven methods in the notes below.
I have adapted this recipe over the years to suit what we often have on hand, combining several recipes and tips into this one delicious dish.
What Variety Of Pumpkin Can I Use In This Curry?
Any! A lovely firm fleshed pumpkin is best, so anything from Butternut, Buttercup Squash, Crown, Japanese etc.
Ingredients That Bring This Curry Together
This slow cooker recipe contains pumpkin, orange Kumara (or sweet potato), carrots and chickpeas. It has a lovely blend of both red curry paste and curry powder to bring so much flavour.
A good red curry paste should include chilies, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, cilantro root (coriander root), kaffir lime zest, white peppercorns and often shrimp paste (find one without if you wish to make this dish vegetarian.
The better quality the paste the more flavour you will have. It is not designed to be hot and spicy as such, rather full of flavour.
What Is Curry Powder?
Curry Powder is a premade spice consisting of ginger, garlic, fennel, mace, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric. It can be found worldwide if not in stores, then online.
Then it is a matter of combining all the ingredients and cooking slowly (or faster if you wish) to develop lovely flavours and tender pumpkin and chickpeas and finishing with coconut milk.
Coconut milk added to a slow cooker can split, but this is actually desirable in a curry where those fats and liquids split to create the gorgeous final mouth feel. Here I have added it at the beginning and the end to get the best of both worlds.
How To Cook This Curry In The Pressure Cooker Or Instant Pot?
Prepare the ingredients as above. Use the sauté function instead of the frying pan stage as above, add the brown sugar, pepper (and a pinch of cayenne if using), the stock, soy sauce and half a can of the coconut milk and stir gently to combine. Then add the vegetables, red lentils and chickpeas and stir to combine.
Pop on the lid and close the valve, then set to 12 minutes pressure cook, then allow a ten minute natural release.
Have a slow cooker question? I’ve gathered the most common ones in my Slow Cooker FAQ if you’d like to learn a little more.
How To cook This Curry On The Stove Top Or Oven?
Use a dutch oven (for oven and stove) or a large stock pot with a lid (5-6 litre capacity – stove top only)
Prepare the recipe as per the recipe card above, doing each step on the stove top in the dutch oven instead of a frying pan and slow cooker. Once all combined bring to a simmer then reduce to a medium/low heat for 35-40 minutes or until the pumpkin and chickpeas are tender and liquid has reduced. Stirring occasionally.
Or pop it in a 200C oven once simmering for approximately the same time.
Serving Suggestions For This Curry
How you serve it is entirely up to you! I like to serve it over rice with crushed peanuts or cashews, this adds a lovely texture to an otherwise soft meal. Lime juice and coriander lift it again. You could also serve it alone with a crusty bread on the side.
I cook mine in my 6 litre slow cooker, it makes around 10-12 cups of curry, so a lovely generous meal, or plenty for leftovers or to freeze. I hope you love this one! It is such a flavoursome and easy dish.
If your curry sauce turns out a little thinner than you’d like, you can easily adjust it using these simple tips for how to thicken slow cooker sauce.
If you’re building up a collection of meat-free meals, my Easy Slow Cooker Vegetarian Meals is a great place to start.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry Recipe
The full ingredient list and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry
Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry is a comforting vegetable curry made with pumpkin, kumara, carrot and chickpeas, creating a hearty and satisfying dinner that is simple to prepare.
Ingredients
- 600 g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
- 600 g orange kumara, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 2 x 400 g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ⅔ cup red split lentils (about 135 g), rinsed and drained
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2½ cups vegetable or chicken stock (625 ml)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 x 400 ml tin coconut milk
- 120 g spinach leaves
To finish
- lime juice, to taste
Optional to garnish
- crushed roasted peanuts or cashews
- lime wedges
- fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Reduce the heat and add the curry paste, curry powder, ground cumin and turmeric. Mix well and cook the spices for a few minutes until fragrant, being careful not to burn them.
- Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker and add the brown sugar, pepper (and a pinch of cayenne if using), the stock, soy sauce and ⅓ of the coconut milk and stir gently to combine.
- Add the pumpkin, kumara, carrots, chickpeas and red lentils.
- Press the vegetables into the liquids as best you can.
- Cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW, until the vegetables and chickpeas are tender.
- Half an hour before the cooking time ends, add the spinach leaves and the remaining coconut milk and stir through, cover and complete cooking.
- Stir in the lime juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Serve over rice or with roti or naan. Top with crushed nuts and fresh coriander.
- Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently until piping hot before serving.
Notes
What variety of pumpkin can I use in my Slow Cooker Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry?
Any! A lovely firm fleshed pumpkin is best, so anything from Butternut, Buttercup Squash, Crown, Japanese etc
How to cook a Pumpkin & Chickpea curry in the Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot?
Prepare the ingredients as above. Use the sauté function instead of the frying pan stage as above, add the brown sugar, pepper (and a pinch of cayenne if using), the stock, soy sauce and half a can of the coconut milk and stir gently to combine. Then add the vegetables, red lentils and chickpeas and stir to combine.
Pop on the lid and close the valve, then set to 12 minutes pressure cook, then allow a ten minute natural release.
How to cook a Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry on the stove top or oven?
Use a dutch oven (for oven and stove) or a large stock pot with a lid (5-6 litre capacity - stove top only)
Prepare the recipe as per the recipe card above, doing each step on the stove top in the dutch oven instead of a frying pan and slow cooker. Once all combined bring to a simmer then reduce to a medium/low heat for 35-40 minutes or until the pumpkin and chickpeas are tender and liquid has reduced. Stirring occasionally.
Or pop it in a 200C oven once simmering for approximately the same time.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 221Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 334mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 7gSugar: 11gProtein: 8g
This nutrition calculation for Just Slow Cooker Recipes has been automated, please use your discretion with the calculation and use your own if unsure.
More Curry Recipes To Try
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like some of my other favourite slow cooker curry recipes below:
- Slow Cooker Vegetarian Red Lentil Curry
- Slow Cooker Lamb & Potato Curry
- Slow Cooker Coconut Thai Beef Curry
Or for more delicious slow cooker dinners, please check out my collection so far here.
I Would Love To Hear Your Feedback
I hope you love this Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry as much as we do. It’s such a lovely comforting dinner for cooler autumn or fall days, and one I come back to again and again.
If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you in the comments below.
Also, if you enjoy this recipe, please leave a ⭐ rating in the recipe card above. Your feedback helps other readers and really supports my recipes.
Thank you so much for visiting and taking the time to try this recipe. I hope you find plenty of slow cooker inspiration here on my blog.
If you’d like to see more of my latest recipes and kitchen adventures, be sure to follow along on Pinterest.
Happy cooking!
Anna
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