Pumpkin Rice Deluxe
Updated November 20, 2025
- Ready In
- About 1 hr
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
½ pound sugar pumpkin or other pumpkin or winter squash, such as kabocha, butternut or red kuri, peeled and deseeded
1 cup basmati rice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced, leaves reserved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated fresh turmeric or ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
4 fresh thyme sprigs
¼ cup roasted peanuts
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
83 grams carbs; 23 milligrams cholesterol; 519 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 16 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 442 milligrams sodium; 11 grams protein; 2 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Cut the pumpkin into manageable chunks for grating, if needed, then finely grate it on a box grater (or using a food processor with the grating disk) until you have 1 heaping cup. Dice the remaining pumpkin into ½-inch pieces. Set both aside.
- Step 2
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Drain and set aside.
- Step 3
Melt the butter in a large lidded pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the leek and half the sliced celery, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown in parts.
- Step 4
Add the grated pumpkin, drained rice and turmeric. Toast the rice for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the grains are coated. Stir in the diced pumpkin, 1 ½ cups of water (or the suggested amount, if the rice package directions differ) and season with salt and pepper until the cooking liquid tastes like a well-seasoned broth.
- Step 5
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high, add the thyme, cover and cook over medium-low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered for an additional 10 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed.
- Step 6
Fluff the rice with a fork and remove the thyme sprigs. Stir in the peanuts, scallions, remaining sliced celery and reserved celery leaves.
Private Notes
Comments
Look, we're all thinking it (canned pumpkin), so I did us a favor and tried it (canned pumpkin). I used half a 15 oz can of puree. It worked great and I didn't have to grate a freaking pumpkin. If serving this on its own, I would use a broth instead of water -- it needs that for flavor.
@Anjali Both appreciate your helpful feedback on using the canned pumpkin and the delivery of your feedback - I actually had to stifle my laugh to not wake up my husband!
@Anjali thanks for the chuckle and for taking one for the team and experimenting with the canned pumpkin. I may try this now.
Basmati cooks quicker than other types of rice, so I found it hard to cook the butternut squash without overcooking the rice. Next time I'll try roasting the squash for a few minutes ahead of time.
Fresh pumpkin and grating was very doable. I used a Cinderella pumpkin, which is pretty easy to slice, peel, and grate. Im no magician with a cooking knife and did not find this to be particular cumbersome. Great recipe for the fall season!
Good but I felt it needed a boost. Added a handful of dried cranberries and a teaspoon of garam masala for depth of flavor.