Vegetable curry is a creamy, Indian-inspired one-pot recipe that you can make in 30 minutes with peas and chickpeas for protein.
It’s flavorful, nourishing, and surprisingly easy to make. Louise adores this curry, it’s one of her favorite way to eat a variety of veggies in one meal 🥰.
And we get it! Once you know the simple steps, you can whip up a delicious curry with almost any vegetable you have on hand.
In this version, we combine chickpeas and peas for a protein boost, and load it up with broccoli, sweet potato, and spinach.
I call this curry our clean-up-your-fridge curry; use the veggies you have at hand and give them new life with a spiced coconut gravy.
Vegetable curry is best served with boiled basmati or jasmine rice, naan bread or paratha. Top it with yogurt, raita, or a quick tadka (flavored oil).
Best of all, it’s a cozy, satisfying meal ready in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Flavor base
- Olive oil: we recommend olive oil or extra virgin olive oil. You can substitute coconut oil, avocado oil, or another vegetable oil for olive oil.
- Onion: you can use white, red, yellow onion or shallots.
- Garlic: fresh garlic, grated. Substitute garlic paste.
- Ginger: fresh ginger, grated. Substitute ginger paste.
Spices
- Curry powder, Turmeric powder, Ground coriander, Ground cumin, Red pepper flakes, Black pepper, Salt
- Garam masala (added at the end, shortly before serving the curry)
Veggies (fresh or frozen)
- Sweet potato: substitute potatoes, eggplant, carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, kabocha squash.
- Broccoli: substitute cauliflower, cabbage, red bell pepper, or mushrooms.
- Chickpeas: you can use canned or dried chickpeas that you previously cooked in water.
- Peas: substitute snap peas, green beans, or black beans.
- Spinach: substitute kale, bok choi, or Swiss chard.
Other
- Coconut milk: you can use full-fat or light coconut milk.
- Vegetable broth: you can use reduced-sodium vegetable broth or substitute water.
- Canned tomatoes: use diced or crushed tomatoes. Substitute with ripe fresh tomatoes, chopped into small dice.
How to make vegetable curry
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven.
Add the chopped onion and sauté on medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring often.
Add grated garlic and ginger, curry powder, turmeric powder, ground cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
Stir and toast the spices for one minute until you smell their fragrant aroma. If the pan gets dry, add two tablespoons of water and stir until a paste forms.
Tip: Remember to cook the rice so it’s ready with the curry! Brown rice takes about 30 minutes, and white rice takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, canned tomatoes, drained chickpeas, peeled and diced sweet potatoes.
Stir, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add broccoli florets and frozen peas and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Stir occasionally.
Turn the heat off and stir in the spinach and garam masala, then taste and adjust for salt before serving.
How to serve vegetable curry
For a delicious dinner, serve this vegetable curry in a bowl with cooked basmati rice or brown whole-grain rice. You can substitute naan or roti for rice.
We recommend a dollop of Greek yogurt, a squeeze of lemon, chopped cilantro, toasted cashews, and a drizzle of tadka.
Tips
- MEAL PREP TIP: Make a double or even triple batch in a large Dutch oven. Let it cool completely, then divide it into freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
- USE OLD VEGGIES: Swap in whatever vegetables are hanging out in your fridge or freezer—think carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, cabbage, or even leftover roasted veggies. Just keep the total quantity similar so the sauce-to-veggie ratio stays perfect.
Storage
Make ahead: Vegetable curry is an excellent meal prep recipe as it keeps well for days.
Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container for four days.
Freezer: Let the curry cool down completely, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost it in the fridge over several hours, or pop it in the microwave for a few minutes.
Reheat: Thaw in the microwave or a saucepan on the stove. If it is too dense, add a splash of water.
If you tried this Vegetable Curry or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
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