This Easy Vegetarian Curry is packed with veggies and packed with flavor! Add rice or naan, and dinner is done.
Curry makes a pretty frequent appearance at our house. We both love it, the leftovers are great for lunch the next day, it’s packed with flavor, and it’s easy to make.
I usually throw together a chicken curry, but when I got a request for a vegetarian dish from a reader, I knew that an Easy Vegetarian Curry was in order.
The request for a vegetarian dish came from my friend Lisa. Lisa is a vegetarian, and she put in her request for a vegetarian dish on the blog a few months ago. We live right down the street from her, so to thank her for her suggestion, Lisa has a big container of this showing up on her doorstep soon!
To me, vegetarian and vegan cooking requires a little more creativity. If you follow any vegan folks on Instagram, one look at their amazing smoothie bowls will show you just that.
I was perusing the aisles of Trader Joe’s and was intrigued by these Sweet Potato Ribbons. Since this curry is quick cooking, they were the perfect choice for this recipe.
I love cooking, but I hate doing the dishes after eating. I’d rather have the kitchen (mostly) clean when I sit down to eat. This Easy Vegetarian Curry is perfect for that. Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients
- Canned coconut milk forms the base of the sauce. You can use either lite or full-fat coconut milk here.
- You’ll need to raid your spice cabinet for the curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne pepper. They combine to create a delicious, aromatic sauce.
- Canned chickpeas add protein and texture.
- I used a mixture of cauliflower, red pepper strips, sweet potato ribbons, and snow peas for the vegetables.
- Shallot, ginger, and garlic add lots of savory flavor to the dish. Substitute an onion for the shallot, if you’d like!
Process for making vegetarian curry
Prepping ahead is key to enjoying the cooking process. Here’s my 4-step process for how to work in the kitchen.
1. Take all of the ingredients out of the pantry/refrigerator
2. Chop/dice/slice all of the ingredients
3. Start cooking
4. Clean up and put away extra ingredients while the curry cooks
I really helps to take 10–15 minutes to knock out steps 1 and 2. Cooking is so much easier and more enjoyable when you prep first.
I’m often guilty of not prepping first, but for this one, it made sense. Plus, I can use the cooking time to clean the kitchen instead of hastily chopping the final ingredients!
Once your ingredients are prepped, you just need to cook them! Follow the instructions below for making the perfect curry.
What to serve with curry
To go with it, I got some store-bought naan and brushed it with salted butter and fresh grated garlic. I grated the garlic first with this fine grater
to avoid big chunks of garlic, and then I baked it for 5–8 minutes at 350°F. The naan is perfect for scooping up the last of the curry sauce in the bowl!
White rice or brown rice is a class accompaniment for curry, and I’d recommend either one for this dish.
I was so pleased with the final result of this Easy Vegetarian Curry. It’s creamy and tastes indulgent, courtesy of the lite coconut milk. It’s packed with flavor. It’s full of veggies and protein from the chickpeas. It reheats beautifully. It’s a feast for the eyes, too. It’s not only vegetarian but also vegan. I could go on and on!
I hope you love it as much as I did. If you make it, tell me your thoughts in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Easy Vegetarian Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 (15 oz) cans lite or reduced-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup cauliflower, cut into small florets
- ½ red pepper, sliced thinly
- 4 oz sweet potato ribbons (I found them at Trader Joe’s)
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1½ cups basmati rice
Instructions
- Place the rice and 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir for 30 seconds to release the flavors of the spices.
- Shake each can of coconut milk before opening. Pour the coconut milk into the pan and stir to combine with the spices. Bring the coconut milk to a boil.
- Add the cauliflower florets and sliced red pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sweet potato ribbons and chickpeas. Stir and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Finally, add the snow peas, stir, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Remove the rice from the heat. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
- Place 1 cup of cooked rice in each bowl or dish. Spoon the vegetable curry over the top. Serve immediately.
Lisa B. says
Ahhhh. It was amazing!!! I am in love with this dish. Thanks for lovin’ on a vegetarian and thanks for the special delivery. This single gal is thrilled to have easy recipes to whip up and not live on chips and guacamole (-: You are the goods sister!
Kate Shungu says
Woohoo! I’m so glad you love it! Thanks for the vegetarian inspiration. 🙂