This easy vegetable curry recipe is a weeknight dinner favorite! Chickpeas are simmered with chunky mixed vegetables in a lightly spiced, creamy coconut milk sauce. Video included.
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Vegetable curry with coconut milk and chickpeas
I created this vegetable recipe on a weeknight when I needed to put dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. I had carrots and bell peppers in the refrigerator and the pantry yielded sweet potatoes, potatoes, coconut milk and a can of chickpeas. With the help of a few spices, I pulled together a curry recipe that has kept me and my family fed, nourished and coming back for seconds over many, many weeknights since.
And it's not just my family; since I first shared this vegetable curry recipe, hundreds of readers have made it and loved it because it's so tasty and so easy to make. In fact, once you've eaten it, it might be the only veg curry you will want to cook ever again.
What's special about this curry is that although it comes together so quickly, it tastes like a curry you might order at a high-end Indian restaurant. It has mouthwatering, aromatic flavors from cardamom and curry powder. It's luxuriously creamy, thanks to the coconut milk. And it has chunky, irresistible texture from the assortment of vegetables.
This is a beginner-friendly recipe and you will need just one pot to make it. You can throw into it nearly any veggie that's sitting in your fridge - or freezer - right now. You need just two spices - curry powder and ground cardamom - and they are balanced perfectly for the most delicious results. This is a vegan curry, of course, and it's also gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free, so everyone can eat it. Serve it over a bed of rice tonight and wait for the rave reviews!
Watch how to make vegetable curry
Recipe card
Vegetable curry recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (or use seeds of four cardamom pods - crush into a coarse powder before use)
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne (tweak to your taste)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or crush six cloves of garlic and a 1-inch knob of ginger in mortar and pestle)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (cut in ½-inch dice)
- 2 medium potatoes (yellow or red is fine, diced into ½-inch cubes)
- 1 large carrot (sliced into thin rounds)
- 1 large green bell pepper (diced)
- 2 cups green beans (chopped lengthwise into ½-inch pieces)
- 1½ cups vegetable stock (or water)
- 14 oz canned or cooked chickpeas (drain out all liquid)
- 1½ tablespoon curry powder (or garam masala)
- 14 oz coconut milk (approximately one can of full fat coconut milk. You can also use fresh-squeezed thick coconut milk)
- 3 scallions (green and white parts chopped, optional)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped, for garnish)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil. Add the onions followed by the cardamom pods and saute over medium heat until the onions start to sweat and turn translucent.
- Add the turmeric, cayenne and ginger garlic paste and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and carrots. Season with some salt and cover the pan. Turn the heat to low and let the vegetables cook about five minutes. If the veggies start to stick, add some water.
- Now add the green beans and green peppers and ½ cup of water or vegetable stock. Cover again and cook five more minutes.
- Check to see if the potatoes and sweet potatoes are cooked and fork-tender. If they are not, continue to cook, covered, for a few more minutes.
- Stir in the chickpeas, curry powder and another cup of vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the coconut milk and scallions, if using. Lower heat to a simmer and turn it off as soon as the curry comes to a boil.
- Stir in the lemon and cilantro and add more salt if needed. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Recipe FAQs
No, any spiciness from the cayenne and ginger is balanced nicely by the coconut milk and sweet potatoes. You can always adjust the amount of cayenne up or down based on your tolerance. Some curry powders (including mine) may include red chilies. In that case skip the cayenne.
Substitute the veggies in my recipe with others that cook quickly, like cauliflower, broccoli, winter squash, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms and green peas. Greens like spinach, chard and watercress work too. You can also add diced tomatoes to the pot 2-3 minutes before you finish cooking.
Yes! Use a 16-oz bag of your favorite frozen vegetables or mixed veggies.
Swap out an equal quantity of garam masala instead of curry powder.
Serve the vegetable curry with basmati rice or jeera rice.
Mary-Ann Norgren says
This is so flavourful, will make again.
Vaishali Honawar says
Yay! So happy to hear.