Pumpkin Rice
Pumpkin Rice is a savory Jamaican-inspired rice dish made with real pumpkin and coconut milk. Serve it with almost any main dish for a fall-inspired side dish. Everyone loves this creamy and satisfying recipe that is plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Nothing says fall like pumpkin, and there are so many great ways to use this orange-fleshed vegetable.
This is an amazing recipe that is the perfect side dish to any meal. You can also enjoy it on its own as a light lunch.
Key Ingredients
- Pumpkin contains vitamin C and beta carotene as well as being naturally sweet. You can also use butternut squash in this recipe if you don’t have pumpkin available. Be sure to cut either type of squash into small pieces to help them cook faster. Don’t use pumpkin puree.
- White rice is easily digestible and gluten-free. Use any type of long-grain white rice here, including basmati or jasmine.
- Coconut milk brings dairy-free creaminess. No heavy cream needed!
- Jalapeño pepper adds traditional spice to this dish, without being too hot. The authentic Jamaican version uses whole scotch bonnets which are extremely spicy. Feel free to adjust the type of pepper you use to make this dish either mildly spicy to very spicy!
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Steps
Step One: Sauté the pepper, onion, and garlic in a saucepan or skillet.
Step Two: Add the rice, coconut milk, and broth, and stir to combine.
Step Three: Bring to a boil and cook according to the recipe card instructions below.
Step Four: Fluff with a fork and serve.
I hope you love this Jamaican Pumpkin Rice recipe. It’s very flavorful and a great way to serve rice in a different way.
Recipe Benefits
- This one-pot meal is very easy to make and is hands-off once you get it started. It’s also naturally vegan as it uses coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
- The bright colors are so cheerful on the plate even kids can’t wait to dig in.
- It’s easily customizable based on the ingredients you have on hand. It’s also very budget-friendly! You can use whatever type of squash you can find. Don’t have pumpkin? Use butternut squash instead.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but you will need to increase the cook time to 40 minutes to ensure that the rice gets cooked through.
You can chop a pumpkin or if that’s too difficult to find or do, look for butternut squash or Kabocha squash. You may also use sweet potato if that’s what you can get.
I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.
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Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Recipe
Pumpkin Rice is a savory Jamaican-inspired rice dish made with real pumpkin and coconut milk. Serve it with almost any main dish for a fall-inspired side dish. Everyone loves this creamy and satisfying recipe that is plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil (I used coconut oil)
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup chopped pumpkin (cut into 1/2-inch pieces; see notes for substitutions)
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed well in a fine-mesh colander
- 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- Chopped parsley (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the thyme, pumpkin, rice, broth, and coconut milk and stir to combine.
- Let the mixture come to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed almost all of the liquid.
- Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and use a fork to fluff the rice.
- Serve hot, with optional chopped parsley on top as a garnish.
Notes
- If you can’t find a real pumpkin, you can use peeled and chopped butternut squash instead. You can also use peeled and chopped Kabocha squash (sometimes called Japanese pumpkin).
- Traditional Jamaican pumpkin rice is usually made with a hot pepper called a Scotch Bonnet pepper. This version uses a jalapeno pepper, but you can feel free to use a hotter pepper. Or, if you don’t like spicy food, feel free to leave out the pepper altogether.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Jamaican-inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 208
- Sugar: 1.3 g
- Sodium: 143.5 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.2 g
- Fiber: 0.7 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and is a certified holistic nutritionist. She is a top wellness and food blogger with over 5 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send her a message through her contact form.
My husband loved this dish! We ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. Delicious!