Food, Recipes, Seafood, Soups & Stews

Creamy Pumpkin Curry

This recipe was inspired by a reader who emailed me a recipe that he created for a seafood curry that was served over roasted pumpkin.  Of course I can never leave anything alone so I revised his recipe to make this Creamy Pumpkin Curry. The whole family loved this savory fall soup and I hope your family does as well!

Pumpkin Curry

Creamy Pumpkin Curry

1 small sugar pumpkin

2 pounds of shrimp or other seafood/protein of your choice

2 carrots, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 small zucchinis, diced

1 14oz can coconut milk – (make sure you have your coconut milk in the fridge a day ahead of time so that the coconut cream is solid on the top)

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon coriander

½ tablespoon turmeric powder

sea salt to taste

1) Preheat oven to 350. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds (save them for roasting).  Place the pumpkin cut side up in a glass baking dish with about a cup of water in the bottom of the dish and bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour.

2) In a large soup pot, saute the onion and carrots in the coconut oil over medium heat until the onions become translucent.

3) Turn up the heat on the onions and carrots to medium high, scoop out just the cream from the canned coconut milk and add to the hot soup pot.  Let it sizzle and stir until the cream is melted and mixed well with the onions and carrots.  Turn down to medium low and let it simmer.

4) While the coconut cream, onion and carrots are simmering, scoop the roasted pumpkin into a food processor or blender along with the remaining coconut water from the can, the chicken broth, and all of the spices.  Process or blend until completely smooth.

5) Add the zucchini to the soup pot and pour the pumpkin mixture into the pot as well.  Mix well and bring to a simmer.

6) Add the peeled and de-veined shrimp to the soup and cook until the shrimp are pink and firm (about 3-4 more minutes).  

7) Serve in bowls topped with  fresh diced cilantro.

If using a different protein, such as chicken, add the chicken in immediately after you add the coconut cream into the pot to give it enough time to cook prior to adding the zucchini and remaining ingredients.  Do not add at the same time as the zucchini or your zucchini will turn into mush. 

As always, enjoy!

Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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54 Comments

  1. michelle says:

    can pure canned pumpkin be used if short on time?

    1. Sarah says:

      Absolutely! I would use at least 1 1/2 cups.

  2. Courtney says:

    Thank you for adding the info on the chicken option. My daughter is severely allergic to shellfish and I get bummed out when I see a delicious recipe with shellfish that we can’t have. On our menu plan for next week.

    1. Sarah says:

      Hope you all enjoy it!

  3. Laura B says:

    I always forget how much I love pumpkin (and the other yummy winter squashes and gourds) until fall arrives. This looks fantastic!

  4. This sounds AMAZING. And I was looking for a way to use up the canned pumpkin in my fridge as well. SWEET!

    Thanks!

  5. I just wanted to say your blog is so inspiring! I just recently found out, after years of suffering annoying unexplainable symptoms, that I have severe food allergies including rice, dairy, wheat. I’m now living a paleo lifestyle, and your blog has been so helpful and really gets me excited about my new diet! I can’t wait to try your recipes! I have a random question about eggs which I’m not used to eating a lot of. I buy organic cage-free but is it better to eat the whole egg than just the egg whites? What’s the whole deal with the cholesterol in the yolk?

    Keep posting recipes and especially cooking demos!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Alyssa! So glad you are enjoying the blog! Yes, it’s way better to eat the whole egg, especially if you are eating eggs from pasture raised chickens, and some even argue that eating just the yolk is better than eating the whites at all. Check this out! http://paleodietlifestyle.com/an-egg-yolk-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away/

  6. Pinning this on Pinterest to share! Yummy!!

    1. Sarah says:

      Thank you!!

  7. Marcheline says:

    Dude…. this sounds AMAZING! Cool thing is that you can put whatever protein you want in there – chicken, shrimp, whatevs – or none at all, and this is still going to be absolutely kick-arse. Can’t wait to try this. I was jonesing for some good fall soup, and this just fits the bill. WOOT!

    1. Sarah says:

      Hope you enjoy it Marcheline. We LOVED it and I can’t wait to make it again. : )

  8. Nicole says:

    Thank you for another delicious recipe!!!! I got some pumpkin’s this week from my CSA and wasn’t sure what to do with them… perfect timing!!

  9. Leigh says:

    This is wonderful, Sarah. Thank you so much! I attempted to use pumpkin as the base for a breakfast-porridge of sorts, delicious, and the kids loved it. Also, with the onset of Thanksgiving I have been thinking a lot about using pumpkin, even canned, as a sauce/thickener. I made a pumpkin-rosemary “spoonbread” that came out fantastic. It was a welcome change to the normal side dishes!! I will continue to experiment.

  10. This looks awesome, can’t wait to try it.

  11. We made this tonight and it was amazing. Thanks Sarah! I love your blog, own your book, and I’ve lost almost 200 pounds in the last year eating healthy (mostly paleo) and moving more. We cook one of your recipes almost every Sunday night as a family. Keep ’em coming!

    Here’s a pic of the curry: http://tiniertim.tumblr.com/post/11847888936

    1. Sarah says:

      Congrats on your weight loss Tim and I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes!

  12. Monica says:

    I made this last night with cauliflower rice, it was even better than I thought it would be! Sooooo goooood! Thank you!

    1. Sarah says:

      OHHH, I love the idea of serving this over cauliflower rice, thanks for the idea!!

  13. I’ve seen sugar pumpkin mentioned in a few fall paleo recipes, but I am not having much luck finding them! What would be the best substitute pumpkin to use? Is it the same as a pie pumpkin (I find those all over!) or the huge ones sold for Halloween decorations? I can use canned pumpkin, but would prefer to use the “real thing” now that they are in season. Help – need some pumpkin tutoring!

    1. Kristy says:

      sugar pumpkin = pie pumpkin

      They are usually 2-4 pounds — much smaller and sweeter than your average pumpkin for decorating.

      Here’s a great tutorial for roasting them: http://www.elanaspantry.com/how-to-roast-a-pumpkin-in-10-steps/

      Hope that helps!

  14. Hailey says:

    WOW! this was more like a stew than soup. It’s in the pot RIGHT NOW. I’m waiting, impatiently, for the shrimpies to get pink 🙂

  15. Hi Sarah, I’m wondering if you have a week meal plan you could share. My family and I are paleo”ish”. However eating paleo for 5 requires planning . I would like a plan that builds on leftovers making it easy to heat up vs boiling pasta and meat sauce or sandwich for an easy meal. As always I enjoy your site and love your recipies. Thank You!

  16. Emily says:

    Can you substitute the pumpkin with butternut squash soup? Or something else? I might try the canned pumpkin- I am always short on time (2 jobs).
    Thanks!

  17. Rebecca says:

    So delicious! The perfect fall soup for a chilly fall night. I used canned pumpkin, but otherwise stayed true to the recipe and it turned out perfectly.

    Thank you Sarah for sharing your yummy recipes (and your inspiring life) with us!

    1. Sarah says:

      So glad it turned out!

  18. Janell says:

    Delicious! I substituted canned pumpkin for fresh, chicken for shrimp, and curry for turmeric. Although the picky eater in our family rolled his eyes when I stated what was on the dinner menu, he ended up running back for seconds. This one’s a keeper . . . thanks!

    1. Sarah says:

      So glad it was a success!! : )

  19. The recipe as is… how many does it serve?

    1. Sarah says:

      It will serve 3-4 adults!

  20. I’m enjoying a bowl of this sweet but savory soup as I type. *pause for bite*
    I decided to make along with the “Laura’s Amazing Cookies!!” to make good use all of the pumpkin puree I opened. I went with a vegetarian style, since it was just a snack. I can always add the shrimp later for a meal! I have ‘plenty’ of extras 🙂

    Thank you for the inspiration!

  21. I’m enjoying a bowl of this sweet but savory soup as I type. *pause for bite*
    I decided to make it along with “Laura’s Amazing Cookies!!” in order to use all of the pumpkin puree I opened. I went with a vegetarian style, since it was just a snack. I can always add the shrimp later for a meal! I have ‘plenty’ of extras 🙂

    Thank you for the inspiration!

  22. Wow! Simply Delicious!! I Love to cook for my family of four. Your blog and cook book are making a paleo lifestyle so easy ~ Thank you Sarah 🙂

  23. Wow this looks so good. I love the combination of shrimp and pumpkin. Something I would have never thought to do. I made a Paleo Bacon Butternut Squash recipe the other day that would have been perfect with shrimp! Check out my recipe at PaleoDiet Reviews

  24. Wow! This is amazing! I added 1.5 tsp of The Spice Hunter Curry Seasoning along with 1/2 the spices mentioned and Johnny’s All Natural Jamaica Me Crazy seasoned salt 1/4 tsp (which I have to order by the case from the company since I have not been able to find it in Redding). I shredded one zucchini into it so my kids couldn’t really tell what it was. You may want to make a batch and a half if you have big eaters. We have 5 in our family. So good!

  25. AnnabelM says:

    Amazing! Thanks so much. I tried this with canned pumpkin and turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving and my husband loved it! Only I would use a bit less coriander the next time.

    1. Sarah says:

      So glad you loved it!

  26. Kacper says:

    I have to say I had my doubts at first. It was hard to imagine pumpkin going into curry!! However, I made it today with canned pumpkin (thanks for the conversion instructions) and I have to say it is unbelievably good!!! Thank you for this outstanding recipe!!

  27. This looks delicious – just wondering, do you think I could substitute almond milk for the coconut milk? I’m new at paleo cooking – still trying to get the hang of things. 🙂

  28. Anna says:

    I made this last night using canned pumpkin for convenience and ground turkey since I had it on hand and thought it would hold up better for leftovers. The soup was delicious! This is going to be on permanent rotation at my house!

  29. J'Nelle says:

    Love it! I happen to have most of these ingredients, so I’m making this tonight for my husband 🙂

  30. Coral Anderson says:

    Hi, Sarah! We are stoked stoked stoked on your way with food that heals and helps. My little ones have very many ailments, and a lot of pain. We are eating a diet that is very soft on one sadly damaged gut – she’s six years old, the daughter with the everyday tummy aches. Interestingly, many paleo recipes, as this one, rely on coconut milk… but my two year old grommet is allergic. Sigh… They can, however and happily, have dairy. What is your best idea for substituting the fabulousness that is coconut, which we disappointingly must do without?

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Coral! I would substitute with heavy cream from pasture raised cows. I hope you enjoy!!

  31. meaghan says:

    Made it this morning. Super flavorful. I like a little kick to I added some cayenne and red pepper flakes. I used 12 oz shrimp and 12 oz bay scallops. LOVE IT! Better yet, I now have lunch made for at least the next week. Sweet!

  32. Thank you for this incredible recipe! I I used canned pumpkin and it worked great. I also used about 1/2 cup of coconut cream and extra vegetable stock and left out the coconut milk. I could literally eat the entire batch in one sitting. So yummy and healthy!

  33. Ken Johnson says:

    I have made this soup probably 5 times in the 3 months since I found this recipe. I’m wicked lazy, so I just use extra coconut oil instead of planning ahead, hit it with an immersion blender to make it smooth, omit the zucchini because I just don’t think it sounds like it belongs, and substitute curry powder for the spices. My family is crazy about the flavors (sweet from the pumpkin, carrots and coconut, salty from the broth, and savory from the curry powder). I’ve forwarded this web address to more people than I can count. Thanks SO much for posting such a delectable soup!

    1. Thank you Ken!! Awesome!

  34. Lauressa says:

    This recipe is so good, and I’ve made it a different way every time—different vegetables (loads of brocolli, mushroom and peppers) and even different starches–butternut squash or sweet potatoe work just as well!
    Everyone loves it.

  35. Lauressa says:

    However, I have found that the white shrimp add the most of that delicious flavor into the broth/sauce. I’ve tried scallops and pink shrimp, and they just aren’t as flavorful.

  36. Petra says:

    Made this last night and it came out great! The pumpkin I had was not very sweet or flavorful, so I added some red curry paste and it worked out well.

  37. Maureen says:

    Very flavourful! I would recommend throwing the garlic in at the beginning with the onion to melow it a bit. I used salmon and bass whcih worked beautifully…I also tripled the broth. Delicieux!

  38. Hi there,

    Can already precooked, peeled and deveined (pink) shrimp be used?

    Thanks

  39. Central PA Chris says:

    Just made this, it was OK, however even with increased garlic and ginger it was pretty bland. I recommend adding some red curry paste at the thick/solid coconut cream cooking step to give it some depth.

    Chris

  40. Thank you so much for posting this recipe! Looks yummy

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