By Jehan Yusoof  |  Updated October 10, 2026  | ★ 4.6 (20 reviews) | 6 comments

My home-cooked Pumpkin curry (wattakka curry) is known for its thick coconut milk gravy and aromatic tempering, which complement the pumpkin’s natural sweetness.
The result is a nourishing and healthy vegetarian curry.

★★★★★
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With a tempering of onions, garlic, curry leaves, and mustard seeds, this pumpkin recipe is easy to make and is a popular vegetarian curry served with rice and curry.
Cooked with everyday ingredients and spices found in a Sri Lankan kitchen, enjoy this traditional and authentic dish with a variety of other side dishes.
Warm, hearty and rich with flavorful ingredients, a home-cooked meal with this pumpkin curry is bound to be memorable.

Ingredients for the Pumpkin curry

You’ll find exact quantities in the recipe card below.

• For the tempering
  • Oil: any cooking oil, preferably coconut, vegetable or sunflower oil.
  • Curry leaves, onion and garlic: sliced fine; they add aroma and flavour.
  • Turmeric powder and chilli flakes: swap the flakes for red chilli powder or whole red chillies.
  • Black mustard seeds
• For the curry
  • Pumpkin: preferably yellow pumpkin
  • Garlic, turmeric powder, cardamom and cinnamon: bruise the cardamom pods slightly to release their aroma.
  • Water: to soften the pumpkin before the coconut milk goes in.
  • Thick coconut milk: canned, powdered (made up as the pack says) or coconut cream diluted with water.
  • Salt: to taste.

What you will need in the kitchen

• Chopping board and knife.
• 2 medium-sized plates or bowls to hold the measured spices and tempering ingredients
• Wooden spoons are to be used for cooking the curry and tempering
• A medium-sized cooking pan to cook the pumpkin coconut milk curry.
• A small bowl to hold the tempered onions and mustard once it is done.
• A large bowl to serve the pumpkin curry.

How to make the Sri Lankan Pumpkin curry

Photo tutorial

Make the tempering

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat for a few seconds.
Add the curry leaves, sliced onion and garlic, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until soft.

Add the turmeric powder, red chilli flakes and mustard seeds.
Maintain low-medium heat and continue to cook the ingredients while stirring with a wooden spoon.
The constant stirring will allow the ingredients to sauté but not burn.
Sauté for a few seconds, allowing the mustard to blister.

Continue cooking for another 2 minutes over low heat.
Allow the ingredients to cook until they turn golden brown.
Once Sautéed, transfer the ingredients to a bowl and set aside.
Tempering is what gives the creamy coconut curry more flavour.
Make sure to do the tempering without burning the mustard or the red chilli flakes.
Burnt mustard and chilli flakes ruin this pumpkin curry if not done correctly over low-medium heat.

Prepare the pumpkin

• Wash the pumpkin.
• Place the pumpkin over a hard surface and use a heavy knife to cut through the ridges you have already found in the pumpkin.
• You will be cooking the pumpkin with the skin. As the pumpkin has a hard, thick skin, use a sharp, heavy knife to cut through the thick skin. 
• Remove all the seeds and then cut the wedges into 2-inch-thick cubes.

Simmer the pumpkin curry in coconut milk

Use the same pan used to temper the ingredients.
Add the pumpkin and pour in the water (1 cup; keep 1/2 a cup more just in case you need more water to semi-cook the pumpkin before adding the coconut milk)
The pumpkin cubes should be soft before you add the coconut milk.
If this means adding extra water than mentioned in this recipe, then please do add to reach the correct consistency.

Set the heat to medium while the pumpkin is cooking.
Add turmeric powder, garlic slices, cardamom pods, and cinnamon.
Mix well with the pumpkin and let it slow-simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pumpkin turns soft.

While the pumpkin cooks, either cover it with a lid or leave it open.
Leave your wooden spoon in so that the water doesn’t spill over, but use caution when touching the spoon again, as it will be hot.
Cook until the water reduces and the pumpkin pieces turn soft.

Once the pumpkins are tender, reduce the heat.
Pour in the coconut milk, mix and season with salt.
Simmer over medium heat for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

Cook until the desired consistency; milky with a thick gravy and soft Pumpkin pieces.
Reduce heat to low, then add the tempered ingredients into the pan.

Mix the tempering over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve warm with your rice and curry.

How to store, freeze and reheat the pumpkin curry

• Storing
  • Let the pumpkin curry cool down before transferring it to a container.
  • Store in an airtight glass container, as the spices will stain plastic. Refrigerate and consume within 2 days.
• Freezing
  • Once the curry is cool, transfer it to a container and freeze.
  • Consume within a week; because of the coconut milk and pumpkin’s texture, the longer you freeze, the more the taste may change.
• Reheating
  • Remove from the freezer, let the curry reach room temperature, then reheat on a stovetop or microwave; cover to avoid splattering.
• Less waste
  • Cook only as much as you need; refrigerate any leftovers or share with family and neighbours.

What to serve with yellow Pumpkin curry

Here are a few serving suggestions for pumpkin curry. You can use the same menus or reduce the amount of other side dishes mentioned below as per your needs.

• Menu 1
  • White rice, pumpkin curry, beef curry, Wambatu moju, Poppadom, beans curry, and a raw cucumber salad.
• Menu 2
  • Serve red rice, canned salmon curry, this spiced pumpkin curry, pol sambal, devilled potato and some thibbatu stir-fry.
• Menu 3
  • White rice, chicken curry, tomato-onion raw sambol, beetroot curry, Pumpkin curry and a Gotu kola sambol.

More pumpkin curry recipes

Sri Lankan beef and pumpkin curry
Vegetarian pumpkin-mushroom chickpea curry
Black pumpkin curry

Watch more Sri Lankan recipes on my YouTube channel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JEHAN
Recipe creator. Food Blogger. Video creator
I’ve been cooking and sharing Sri Lankan recipes, along with other dishes I love making at home on Island Smile since 2015. I’ve tested every recipe on this site more than once in my own kitchen before it goes on the blog.
I grew up eating this food, and I still cook it the same way my family taught me, just written down clearly enough that you can follow it too.
If a recipe doesn’t work the way I say it will, tell me in the comments; I read every one, and I’ll help you fix it.