Pumpkin Rice With Coconut Milk Greenbowl2Soul

A dish doesn’t always need to be bursting with flavors to taste good. Sometimes the simple, mild flavors taste even better. This pumpkin rice is one such simple dish. The creaminess of coconut milk, the sweetness of pumpkin, and the slightly spicy kick from black pepper and red pepper flakes go really well with rice. It’s a perfect side dish for the holiday season that can be served with a lot of different dishes. This pumpkin and rice recipe can be prepared in just 30 minutes. It’s vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions

Pumpkin: Use whichever type of pumpkin you like. Rice: I have used basmati rice but jasmine rice or any medium or long grain rice is fine too. Use white rice, brown rice is not a good choice for this recipe. Garlic: Instead of fresh garlic, garlic powder can also be used. Onion: Red, brown, or white onion, use whatever is available to you. I prefer red onion. Cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, use fresh parsley or spring onion. Coconut milk: Coconut milk is a key ingredient in this dish and I won’t recommend replacing it with any other milk in this recipe. However, if you don’t like the flavor of coconut milk, use the milk of your choice or just cook rice in vegetable stock. Vegetable bouillon cube: If you don’t have vegetable bouillon cube, cook rice in vegetable stock instead of water. Seasonings: I have used only red pepper flakes and ground black pepper as I feel this pumpkin coconut milk rice tastes the best with minimal seasonings. If you want, you can add more seasonings of choice. Olive oil: Instead of olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil can be used too.

Other ingredient details and nutritional information are given in the recipe card.

How to make (step-by-step instructions)?

To make rice with pumpkin, just follow the easy step-by-step cooking process given below: Step 1: Heat olive oil in a pot. Add chopped onion and cook until it turns translucent. Step 2: Add minced garlic and saute for a few seconds. Step 3: Add crumbled bouillon cube and red pepper flakes. Saute for another few seconds. Step 4: Add chopped pumpkin and mix. Step 5: Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the pumpkin becomes slightly softer. Step 6: Rinse the uncooked rice grains and add to the pot along with salt, and ground black pepper. Step 7: Saute with pumpkin cubes for 1-2 minutes. Step 8: Add coconut milk. Step 9: Add vegetable stock and mix. Step 10: Cook covered on medium heat for around 15-20 minutes or until all the water gets absorbed. Turn off the heat and don’t remove the lid for 5 minutes. Step 11: After 5 minutes, remove the lid and add chopped cilantro. Step 12: Fluff rice with a fork. Your simple pumpkin and rice is ready to be served.

Serving pumpkin rice

Serve this coconut pumpkin rice hot or warm. It can be enjoyed with a lot of different dishes like curries, gravies, stews, or grilled vegetables. To keep it simple just serve a refreshing salad like kachumber salad, spicy onion salad, Middle Eastern tomato salad, or this fava bean and chickpea salad on the side. Or, enjoy it with a chutney like this mint chutney or tomato coriander chutney. Non-vegans may also pair it up with a refreshing raita like onion raita, cucumber raita, or, potato raita.

Storing, freezing, and reheating tips

Store the leftover pumpkin rice in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will be fine for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it in airtight, freezer-safe containers for 3 months. To reheat, if the pumpkin rice is frozen, thaw it first. Then reheat either in the microwave or on the stovetop. For microwave reheating, transfer to a microwave-safe container, add a splash of water, and microwave for a minute. Take out the dish, stir, and put it back in the microwave. Microwave again until heated evenly. Otherwise, transfer to a pan. Add a splash of water. Put on the lid of the pan and reheat covered on low heat until heated well. Keep checking and stirring in between.

Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions

You can also make this recipe with butternut squash or any winter squash. Cut the pumpkin into small pieces, very large chunks of pumpkin won’t taste good. Also, small pieces will get cooked faster. If you don’t like chunks of pumpkin, roast or sautee pumpkin and then puree. Use that pureed pumpkin in the recipe. I have used basmati rice with medium-sized grains. You can use any variety of white rice with long or medium grains. You may need slightly less or more water depending on the type of rice you are using. Rinse the rice well before using it in the recipe. Pumpkin rice can be made without coconut milk too but it tastes a lot better with coconut milk. Also, if you are skipping coconut milk, increase the amount of water. You may add more seasonings of your choice to flavor pumpkin rice. However, I feel this dish tastes better if mildly seasoned. Leafy greens like spinach can also be added to this dish.

Frequently asked questions

More easy rice recipes

Looking for more recipes for rice dishes? The following rice recipes collected from all over the world are worth checking out:

Tomato rice Lemon rice Mexican bean rice Mushroom rice Curried rice with vegetables Edamame rice Peanut butter rice Vermicelli rice Pineapple fried rice Greek spinach rice