Pumpkin bhaji recipe with step by step photos – Simple, easy and minimally spiced pumpkin sabzi with coconut. A vegan pumpkin recipe.
This is again one of those recipes which I often make at home. Somehow I never added the recipe on blog.
As I mentioned above, The pumpkin bhaji recipe is minimally spiced and brings out the sweetness and flavors of pumpkin very well. The coconut also add to the sweetness of the pumpkin. I usually make this sabzi as a side dish with sambar-rice. Though even with a roti or chapati, the sabzi tastes very well. Also makes for a good tiffin box lunch for kids.
For the post, I have used green striped pumpkin. You can also use pumpkin with orange skin. Basically any variety of pumpkin can be used.
How to make pumpkin bhaji
1. Rinse the pumpkin well. Then chop the pumpkin. Avoid chopping in small pieces. You can remove the peel if you want. For this sabzi, I usually keep the peel. You will need 300 grams of pumpkin.
2. Heat 1 to 1.5 tablespoon oil. Lower the flame and then add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. You can use sunflower oil or peanut oil.
3. Let the mustard seeds crackle and the cumin seeds also sizzle.
4. Now add 1 sprig curry leaves (10 to 12 curry leaves), and 1 green chili (chopped), 3 to 4 crushed garlic with their peels and a pinch of asafoetida (hing). You can also add 1 dry red chili (broken and seeds removed) instead of green chili. Stir well.
5. Then add the chopped pumpkin.
6. Add a generous pinch of turmeric powder and salt as per taste.
7. Stir and mix well.
8. Cover the pan with a rimmed lid and pour water on the lid. The water in the lid creates steam in the pan and helps in cooking the pumpkin cubes.
9. On sim or a low flame, cook the pumpkin. Do check at intervals of 4 to 5 minutes, by carefully removing the lid. If you see the pumpkin cubes getting browned, then sprinkle some water in the pan.
Usually, the pumpkin cubes do not get browned. But depending on the type and quality of pan, pumpkin cubes can get browned. The water should not dry out in the lid. If the water dries out, then add more water.
10. When the pumpkin is cooked and softened, add ¼ cup grated coconut. Mix well.
11. Switch off the flame. Keep the pan covered. After 5 minutes add 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
12. Serve pumpkin bhaji with dal-rice, sambar-rice or chapatis.
Few more sabzi recipes for you!
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pumpkin bhaji
Ingredients
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 dry red chili - broken and deseeded or 1 green chili, chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic - crushed with their peels or chopped
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 300 grams pumpkin (kaddu) - cubed or chopped
- 1 pinch turmeric powder
- ¼ cup grated coconut
- salt as required
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
- Rinse the pumpkin well. Then chop the pumpkin. Avoid chopping in small pieces. You can remove the peel if you want. For this sabzi, I usually keep the peel.
- Heat 1 to 1.5 tablespoon oil. Lower the flame and then add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle and the cumin seeds also sizzle.
- Now add 1 sprig curry leaves (10 to 12 curry leaves), and 1 green chili (chopped), 3 to 4 crushed garlic with their peels and a pinch of asafoetida. You can also add 1 dry red chili (broken and seeds removed) instead of green chili. Stir well.
- Then add the chopped pumpkin.
- Add a generous pinch of turmeric powder and salt as per taste. Stir and mix well.
- Cover the pan with a rimmed lid and pour water on the lid. The water in the lid, creates steam in the pan and helps in cooking the pumpkin.
- On sim or a low flame, cook the pumpkin. Do check at intervals of 4 to 5 minutes. If you see the pumpkin getting browned, then sprinkle some water in the pan. Usually the pumpkin does not get browned. But depending on the type and quality of pan, the pumpkin cubes can get browned. The water should not dry out in the lid. If the water dries out, then add more water.
- When the pumpkin cubes are cooked and softened, add 1/4 cup grated coconut. Mix well.
- Switch off the flame. Keep the pan covered. After 5 minutes add 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
- Serve pumpkin bhaji with dal-rice, sambar-rice or chapatis.
This recipe is quite simple and easy to make.Adding coconut and coriander leaves gives a nice taste.
yes it is simple and definitely coconut and coriander give a good taste. thanks again winnie.
Dassana,
I use your recipes a lot, at home and at the kids school as part of their restaurant kitchen and the gardening “Farm to Fork” class. Just last week, we tried out your Baingan Bhaja recipe with 9 year olds. It was simple and absolutely delicious. Congrats and thankyou.
Just a small clarification in the process you have mentioned above, in the pumpkin recipe. The water on the lid basically helps condense the steam escaping from the vegetable onto the inside of the lid and fall back into the vessel thereby creating a cycle and thereby cooking the vegetable in its own moisture content.
Keep going strong!!
Miru
thank you much and congrats to you too. the concept of ‘farm to fork’ is very good. thank for this clarification. i have not been able to write it so well as you have done. you have explained it very well. thanks again.
Hi! Your recipes are so simple to follow with great results. Wanted to ask – my sabji turned out a little mushy and sticky because the pumpkin took longer to cook. I did not have a rimmed lid – could that be the reason? Still tasted decent though ?
lalita, if the pumpkin cooks too much, the sabzi will become mushy. did you add water in the bhaji while cooking? if yes, then the pumpkin will become mushy. when water is added or if the pumpkin gets cooked too much, the sabzi/bhaji will become mushy. but the best part of cooking pumpkin is that whether mushy or not, it always taste good.
this looks easy to make and tasty too…thank u for sharing
welcome ipsita
what is this, white pumpkin or yellow pumpkin. You have already posted the Punjabi Pumpkin recipe, I have already made it referring to yours.? it was nice. Thank you.
welcome jigna. nice to know this. i have used green striped pumpkin. you can also use pumpkin with orange skin. basically any variety of pumpkin can be used.
was going to make pumpkin today only. so thanks for the recipe.
sure priyanka and thankyou 🙂
I’m not sure what you mean by the rimmed lid with water. Do you mean that you invert the lid on the pan and fill it with water?
maureen, you have to keep a lid which has a rim on the edges (circumference). so that when you put water then water does not fall down. basically a lid with 1/4 to 1/2 inch wall around the edges.
this is south indian style pumpkin bhaji….plz share punjabi style khatti meethi sabzi
thankyou simmi have noted your request for the punjabi style kaddu sabzi, allow us some time to post the same thanks.
Thank you for your wonderful and awesome recipes…can we skip coconut in this recipe???
do add coconut. you can also add desiccated coconut, if you do not have fresh coconut. coconut gives a very good taste.
Love pumpkin subji!!! Your version looks scrumptious…
thanks vanitha.