Make this easy vegan pumpkin stir-fry with Red Kuri squash or any other pumpkin variety and an abundance of vegetables for a dinner that's simple, healthy and comforting. It's brilliant for a cold evening in fall or winter, and ready in under 30 minutes.
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In my opinion, it's never too early for pumpkin recipes. As soon as September 1st rolled around, I went to every grocery store looking for this wonderful orange vegetable.
Only one had it. At least I got there in the end, with a bit of time and effort.
There's also no such a thing as too much pumpkin. The more really is the merrier (even if things don't get merry in a literal sense until Christmas).
So, today I'm sharing a recipe that's very representative of how I like to eat: simple, effortless, with plenty of flavor to go around.
Except 'go around' insinuates sharing, but you'll definitely want to make a huge portion to keep all to yourself. This recipe is so perfect on a cold evening after a long day at work.
So if you want to enjoy pumpkin season with very little time and effort, this easy vegetable pumpkin stir-fry is the recipe for you.
I know that the word 'comforting' is overused, but it's pretty accurate here. Served over a bed of rice, each forkful brings in so much flavor you almost forget that these veggies are super good for you too.
The sauce adds a hint of sweetness to compliment that of the pumpkin. Put simply, it's incredible.
I mean - I like to switch up my meals. Cooking is a creative outlet to me. But I have a feeling I'll keep coming back to this recipe as long as pumpkin season is here because it's too good to make only once (or twice, or three times...)
And it's is a great reminder of what you can create with simple, whole ingredients.
What pumpkin varieties can I use?
While you are probably picturing the jack-o-lantern variety, there are actually many kinds of pumpkin out there. And frankly, which squash varieties are referred to as "pumpkin" is completely regional in nature. Just about every kind of Cucurbita is called a "pumpkin" somewhere in the world. So which should you use for this stir fry?
I'd 100% recommend you use Red Kuri squash for this pumpkin stir-fry recipe. It has a subtle sweet flavor, a dense texture, and falls apart slightly throughout the cooking process to give more flavor to the sauce.
However, if you can't find red Kuri squash or don't have it on hand, feel free to replace it with any winter squash or pumpkin variety.
For example, Butternut or Hokkaido squash would work well too because they're on the sweeter side, just like Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin).
However, also keep in mind that some pumpkin varieties may cook quicker than others- so the cooking times on the recipe card may vary a bit.
How to make pumpkin stir-fry
You're probably used to roasting pumpkin in the oven. Here, it's not necessary because the red Kuri squash cooks quickly in a frying pan or skillet.
We'll start by adding the squash pieces to a frying pan with around ¼ cup water on a medium-high heat. Cook for around 5 minutes, until tender, and turn over the pieces occasionally to prevent sticking.
Next, we're gonna add the remaining veggies with another splash of water. The vegetables I used are zucchini, mushrooms and onion, but you can add in anything else you have in the fridge (carrots, bell pepper, aubergine, etc).
Season with dried coriander and black pepper, stirring everything for 5 minutes until the veggies start to soften.
Then, lower the heat and add cashew milk for extra creaminess, followed by the sauce shortly after.
The sauce we're using is a simple combination of tamari (or use soy sauce/liquid aminos), liquid sweetener or your choice, water and corn starch. It's super uncomplicated, but really helps bring out the flavor of the dish.
Continue stirring everything for another 5 minutes or so. At the last minute, turn off the heat and stir through a handful of spinach until it wilts down.
And that's it - your vegan pumpkin stir-fry is ready!
Serve it with noodles or rice, garnish with sesame seeds and fresh coriander and you've got yourself a 25 minute dinner that's healthy and tastes phenomenal.
More Tasty Vegetarian Ideas
- If you love pumpkin, check out these savory pumpkin recipes and these pumpkin desserts.
- Make your autumn much cozier with creamy tomato pasta with tofu
- Or how about digging into a bowl of easy black bean and vegetable rice soup?
If you're here planning your holiday menu, don't miss our new Vegan Christmas and Vegan Thanksgiving cookbooks. They're packed with all my favorite holiday-worthy recipes for a plant-based feast.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Deep Frying Pan or wok
Ingredients
- 1 lb Red Kuri squash , or any winter squash of your choice
- 1 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1.5 cups mushrooms, such as chestnut or button
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup cashew milk, or any other plant based milk of choice
- 1 large handful fresh spinach
- rice or noodles, cooked, optional, for serving
For the sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon tamari, or soy sauce if not GF/liquid aminos
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Chop the red Kuri squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the squash to a large frying pan or wok on a medium-high heat with around ¼ cup water. Cook for around 5 minutes, rotating the pieces occasionally, until they start to soften.
- Meanwhile, stir together the tamari, maple syrup, 3 tablespoon water and cornstarch in a small mixing bowl.
- Add the onion, zucchini and mushrooms to the frying pan. Season well with dried coriander and black pepper, cooking and stirring for 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Lower the heat and pour in the cashew milk together with the sauce, stirring on a low-medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- Turn off the heat and stir through the fresh spinach. Serve immediately with cooked rice or noodles.
Zehlia says
Super tasty and rich, satisfying mix of textures (I had it with white rice) and the maple/soy was a great touch too! I would just recommend adding in nutritional yeast at the end for an even creamier texture. Also it did take over 25mins to get all the veggies cooked down. I'd say this is more like a 40min recipe. Thanks!
Tyler Brooks says
Great seasonal pick — Red Kuri squash cooks much faster than the usual oven-roasted approach, making this a realistic weeknight dinner. Cashew milk plus a simple tamari-maple-cornstarch sauce builds flavor without a long ingredient list. Nice touch offering substitute squash varieties too, for anyone who can't find Red Kuri locally.