Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Recipe
Jamaican pumpkin rice is one of my favourites, especially when the pumpkin is really sweet. This dish is a must try.
The pumpkin adds a bit more zest to that same old plain boiled white rice. It adds both a nice colour and flavour to the rice. You have to try the recipe.
The simple side not only taste great but it is also very easy to prepare and pumpkin is very healthy.
This pumpkin rice recipe is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
What Is Pumpkin Rice?
No, it isn’ rice made from pumpkin!
Pumpkin rice is sweet pumpkin cooked with plain rice giving it a bright yellow orange colour.
If the pumpkin is sweet the rice dish will also have a sweet taste to it.
The Pumpkin Type
The type of pumpkin that gown in Jamaica have green skin and sometime with orange/peach blush and the flesh is a bright yellow orange.
This type of pumpkin have a sweet taste, which contributes to the delicious taste of the dish.
You can also get this type of pumpkin to by outside of Jamaican, try any Caribbean supermarket.
How To Cook It
Just like you would when cooking boiled white rice, you just add a few steps before adding the rice.
It is that simple!
First you prepare the pumpkin, wash, peel, seeds removed and put it to cook with thyme and little salt.
Once the pumpkin is cooked, mash the pumpkin in the water before adding the rice. Then wash the rice and add it to the pot.
Once upon a time I use to use butter when I am cooking rice, but these days I try to eat a bit more healthy I no longer butter in my cooking.
Instead of adding butter to my rice, I use extra virgin oil as the recipe shows. Now, you can use butter if you wish, in fact this recipe originally had butter in it so it does work.
Add a inch of water above the rice in the pot, cover and leave to cook.
What To Serve It With?
Rice dishes are so versatile they go well with all most any main dish, this pumpkin rice is no different. Serve pumpkin rice with your favourite main dish.
The sweet taste of this dish goes so well with the savory of this prawns and okra steamed in coconut milk dish.
If you want to have sweet on sweet serve it with our Jamaican brown stew chicken main dish.
Related Recipes
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Jamaican Pumpkin Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Rice
- 1 cup Pumpkin chunks
- 1 tsp Extra Virgin oil
- 3 Sprig of thyme
- Salt To your liking
- Water
Instructions
- Wash, peel and crop the pumpkin into small chunks.
- Add the pumpkin to a pot with just enough water to cover them. Add the thyme and ¼ tsp of salt. Put to cook on medium heat
- Once the pumpkin is cooked, crush it in the water.
- Wash the rice with top water until the water is clear. Pour in in the pot along with the crush pumpkin.
- Add enough water to be about an inch above the rice in the pot.
- A the extra virgin oil. Add salt as needed.
- Cover the pot. Once the liquid started to bubble, turn the heat down and let the rice steam for 15 to 20 minutes or until the liquid is reduced and the rice is cooked.
My best friend sonyah as ask me to cook it for her with curry sea base and winter veg 👌
Sounds good, mmmmm 😋
Good morning Lesa. , My name is Lesa as well 🤣, I work up early to make my pumpkin rice , it for lunch today , I am go to eat it with a little curry chicken
Hi Lesa, wow, don’t meet a lot of Lesa. I hope you enjoyed your pumpkin rice with your curry chicken. Great combination.
You know Jamaican Sunday dinner nuh normal so Pumpkin rice it is using a likkle coconut milk in mne though main course a pork and french fry chicken
mmm, may have to try that. Hope it came how great.
I did it and it tasted delicious, thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear that. Thanks for stopping by
Thank you for taking time to share your knowledge
And thank you for stopping by
Hi you didn’t explain this one well. For ex, you mention butter or oil but don’t say when to add it and usually rice is cooked with neither. It’s also confusing when you say add the rice to the mashed pumpkin then say rinse the rice, as in rinse the rice on top of the cooked pumpkin(?). Its probably you rushing and not proofreading but if you could make the directions more clear,, that would be great.
Good day Leesa, just made it today used cinnamon & brown sugar to flavour pumpkin prior to rice; will enjoy for Sunday dinner.. thank you!!
The pictures are gorgeous, love these food recipes which I am trying one tonight.
Sorry, but this recipe was “tasteless.” I’m not a schooled chef, but my friends think I am. Anyway, I added some brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to try to help this along…still was just blah. Not a keeper.
ha ha ha, your comment made me laugh. Thanks for the laugh!
Hi Lesa I made your pumpkin rice today 🙏🏾Came out beautifully easy recipe thank you 🙏🏾
Hi Shiloh, I am very glad to hear that and you are very welcome!