Vegetable Curry is hearty, flavorful, and packed with sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and other veggies simmered in a creamy coconut curry sauce.
author’s note
I Made This Curry for My Vegetarian Sister and Now Everyone Wants It!
If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I have several vegetarians in my family. I’m always on the hunt for meatless meals that truly hold their own and feel just as exciting and satisfying as the rest of the dinners I make. So when my sister told me she was craving a really good vegetarian curry, I made it my mission to create the best one I possibly could.
If you’ve ever tried my coconut chicken curry, you already know those flavors are hard to beat. I used that recipe as my starting point, then played around with the vegetables until everything clicked. The result is a vegetable curry that can easily compete with any meat-filled version. It’s creamy, full of flavor, and has officially become a family favorite across the board.
Featured Comment
Made this tonight, sooo yummy! I had been waiting patiently for you to post it since you mentioned it a few days ago. It was worth the wait! It will make a regular appearance on our menu! Love a good vegan recipe!
– Katie
Ingredients In Vegetable Curry
| Ingredient | Swaps or Tips |
|---|---|
| Coconut oil | Olive oil works just fine if that’s what you have |
| Red curry paste | Check labels if keeping it vegan |
| Full-fat coconut milk | Lite works, but the curry will be thinner |
| Sweet potatoes | Butternut squash is a great swap |
| Cauliflower | Broccoli or carrots also work |
| Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes | Regular crushed tomatoes are fine |
| Frozen peas | Stir in straight from frozen at the end |
How To Make Vegetable Curry
- Cook the base: Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger until soft and fragrant.
- Add flavor: Stir in the spices and curry paste and cook briefly.
- Add veggies: Add the sweet potatoes and cauliflower and stir to coat.
- Simmer: Add coconut milk, tomatoes, and stock. Simmer until veggies are tender.
- Finish: Stir in peas and cilantro. Add lime juice if you like.
- Serve: Serve over rice with naan.
Storage
- Refrigerate leftover vegetable curry in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months.
- Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or stock if needed.
More Delicious Vegetarian Recipes
Soups And Stews
Vegetable Soup Recipe
Dinner
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Soups And Stews
Vegetarian Chili Recipe
Vegetable Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1-1/2 cups finely diced yellow onion 1 large onion
- 1-1/2 tablespoons finely minced ginger 1-inch piece
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 3 cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teasoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste see note 1
- Salt and pepper
- 4-1/2 cups chopped sweet potatoes 3 medium-to-large potatoes
- 3-1/2 cups chopped cauliflower 1 small head or 1/2 large head
- 2 (13.66-ounce) cans coconut milk lite is ok; curry will be a lot less creamy
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Fresh lime juice optional
- Cooked basmati rice optional, see note 2
- Naan optional
Instructions
- Dice onion, mince garlic, and mince ginger. Peel and dice sweet potatoes. Set aside.
- Add coconut oil to a large, cast-iron pot and heat on medium high. Once oil is melted, add onion, ginger, and garlic. Sauté until tender and very fragrant, about 7–9 minutes. Reduce heat to low if anything burns or gets too brown. While everything is sauteing, add spices to the pot: ground turmeric, cumin, garam masala, yellow curry powder, paprika, ground coriander, and red curry paste. Season to taste; I add 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook and stir until fragrant over medium-low heat, 1–3 minutes.
- Add cubed sweet potatoes and stir to coat in spices. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. Coarsely chop cauliflower—it doesn’t need to be in individual florets, just a quick coarse chop. Add cauliflower and stir to coat. Add coconut milk, crushed tomatoes, and vegetable stock. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 18–25 minutes or until veggies are tender. Remove lid and stir occasionally, every 7 or so minutes. (Check tenderness by piercing with a fork; sweet potatoes are ready if they pierce easily). While curry is simmering, I like to cook up some basmati rice (see note 2).
- Stir in frozen peas and diced cilantro. If desired, add some fresh lime juice or serve lime wedges with individual plates. Serve over cooked basmati rice with naan bread and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Measure rice and rinse it in a fine-mesh sieve until water runs clear.
- Place rice in a bowl and cover it with water to soak for about 5–10 minutes.
- While rice is soaking, fill a large pot with water and set to boil.
- Once water is at a rolling boil, drain the rice and add it to the pot.
- Cook without reducing heat for 5 minutes, then drain and fluff with a fork.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Swap veggies: see the section above for different veggies to substitute into the curry.
- Add spice: If you want a spicier curry (as written, this recipe is very mild), increase the red curry paste to 3 tablespoons and add in some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (to your preference; start slowly and increase as desired).
- For a more Thai-flavored curry, stir in a few tablespoons of fish sauce at the end.
- Not vegan or vegetarian? Chicken broth or stock will work in place of the vegetable stock.
Just made it, tastes great! The coconut seems to predominate but I’m not used to having it in anything but I do love this recipe. Thank you for your hard work in making this
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
I am hopeful I can freeze this. Have you tried that? Wondering if the veggies hold up?
Thanks,
Lisa
Sorry, I haven’t tried freezing. I’m not sure the veggies would hold up super well, they may get mushy or watery!
Mine turned out looking exactly like the recipe. I substituted the red curry paste for tomato paste and added extra yellow curry powder. I also added pan fried tofu. Delicious! Will make this again with Thai Red Curry paste.
Was perfection, have made it several times in past week and given it to several people. All have stated it was amazing or words to that effect.
Yay!! Love hearing that 🙂
This tasted great and was easy to make.
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks! 🙂
I can’t say what I really want to say. This tasted like S..T. I left out a few spices and only used curry powder. It is so bitter we can’t eat. All that time and prep wasted. Plus wasted money.
I’m sure it could be pretty bitter with spices left out! Sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe; we make it a lot and never found it bitter when using all the ingredients called for
So… you didn’t bother to follow the recipe, and then wonder why it didn’t taste good? Seems to me the wasted time and money is on you.
It sounds like the garlic was overcooked, which is easy to do and burnt garlic makes everything in the batch taste bitter. I use jarred minced garlic and add it with the spices so it on!y cooks for a minute or two before the other veggies are added. Not quite as good as fresh garlic, but easier.
So good! Thank you!
I added some carrots and mushrooms.
Delicious! So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Made this tonight, with some changes. I substituted cauliflower for carrots, and didn’t add garam masala (doubled the curry powder instead) or vegetable stock (my pot was too small D: ) and added 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Made it with coconut jasmine rice and really enjoyed! I’ll definitely make it again!
So happy to hear that!! Thank you Mars 🙂
There are different sizes of coconut milk cans. Which size?
13.5 ounces each!
Made this tonight, sooo yummy! I had been waiting patiently for you to post it since you mentioned it a few days ago. It was worth the wait! It will make a regular appearance on our menu! Love a good vegan recipe!
I am seriously so happy to read this! And I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂