Mushroom Spinach Curry (15 minutes, 6 ingredients)

Name: Mushroom Spinach Curry
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp coconut oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds ((optional)); 1 medium onion ((thinly sliced)); 1 sprig (about 10-12 leaves) curry leaves ((optional)); 8 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms ((or button mushrooms, sliced)); 5 oz baby spinach; 2 tbsp curry powder; 14 oz coconut milk ((canned)); Salt to taste

by Vaishali Honawar · Jul 31, 2024 · 47 Comments

5 from 25 votes

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Total time: 15

This tasty, six-ingredient Mushroom Spinach Curry goes from stovetop to table in less than 15 minutes. The creamy coconut sauce flavored with curry powder is simple yet out of the world! Serve this divine curry with basmati rice.

Love curries with mushrooms? You might also like these recipes for mushroom curry, mushroom matar and mushroom makhani.

Vegan mushroom spinach curry made with coconut milk in a white bowl with spoons on the side.

One of my favorite curries to make in a hurry is this dazzlingly flavorful and utterly simple mushroom spinach curry. It needs a handful of ingredients, is super-nutritious, and tastes great served simply with rice.

I make this curry with homemade curry powder but you can also use a store-bought curry powder. A big advantage of having premade, flavorful spice mixes like these on hand is that you can really cut down on cooking time while keeping all of the flavor and complexity in your dishes. If you love cooking Indian food, I strongly recommend keeping a jar of curry powder and another of garam masala on hand.

I hope you will try this delicious mushroom spinach curry and if you do, be sure to know in the comments below or take a photo and tag me @HolyCowVegan on Instagram. I'd love to see!

Table of Contents

Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients
How to make Mushroom Spinach Curry
Expert tips
Serving suggestions
More Indian mushroom recipes
Recipe card
Reviews

Why you'll love this recipe

Easy. It goes from scratch to done in practically 15 minutes.
Very little prep work needed, besides chopping an onion and some mushrooms.
Tasty. Flavorful veggies swimming in a creamy, spiced coconut sauce. What's not to love?
Versatile. You can tweak it to your tastes by adding other things you love. Chickpeas? Check. Bell peppers or zucchini? Check.
One pot

This is really good! It's not easy finding Indian recipes with few ingredients that taste good. I will definitely make this again. - Nina

Creamy mushroom spinach curry in a white bowl with rice and a vegetable side.

Ingredients

Button or crimini mushrooms: Mushrooms shine brightly in Indian dishes like Mushroom Makhani or my Chettinad Mushroom Masala. Either cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms work in this mushroom spinach curry recipe, or you can use portobello or even dried wild mushrooms. If using dried mushrooms make sure you reconstitute them by soaking 30 minutes in hot water before adding to the dish.
Baby spinach or regular spinach. Use fresh or frozen. If using baby spinach no need to chop, but if using the larger spinach leaves chop them coarsely.
Coconut oil: Any oil is fine but coconut oil is best here. It adds even more flavor and healthfulness.
Black mustard seeds (optional): These are not absolutely necessary, the curry powder has mustard added to it, but if you have some toss them in here for more flavor.
Onion: For the curry base, and for lots of flavor.
Curry leaves (optional): The curry powder has curry leaves so you can leave them out if you don't have them. Or use cilantro and add it at the same time as you would the curry leaves.
Curry powder: Use a good homemade blend like the one I shared with you. If you have sambar powder, a south Indian spice blend, that works really well in this recipe too.
Coconut milk: Use full fat coconut milk, which is thick and creamy, for this curry. Stir the coconut milk in the can well before using.

How to make Mushroom Spinach Curry

Onions and curry leaves with mustard seeds in skillet.

Spinach added to skillet with mushrooms and onions.

1. Make the "tadka" or tempering by heating oil and then adding the mustard seeds to it. Wait for the mustard seeds to start sputtering and crackling, then add in the onions and curry leaves, if using, with a pinch of salt and saute until the onions are soft and translucent but not browning.

2. Add the sliced mushrooms and spinach and saute for a minute until the spinach has wilted down.

Curry powder added to mushrooms and spinach with coconut milk in skillet.

Spinach and mushrooms cooked in coconut sauce.

3. Add the curry powder and half the coconut milk and mix well.

4. Add half a cup of water or vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

Pour in the remaining coconut milk and add salt if needed. Stir well and allow the curry to heat through but turn it off before it comes to a boil.

Expert tips

Always wait until the oil is very hot (but not smoking) before adding tadka ingredients like mustard seeds. Otherwise they won't sputter and bloom and will leave a bitter undertone in your dish.
Adding a pinch of salt to your onions ensures they cook faster and become more flavorful.
Add more cayenne or red pepper flakes if you want more heat in this recipe.
If you use dried mushrooms in this dish, save the water or stock that you reconstituted the mushrooms in and use it instead of the water in step 4. It will add lots of flavor.

Serving suggestions

Serve with plain brown rice or white basmati rice.
With Carrot Rice or Jeera Rice.
On the side, serve a yummy potato dish like Jeera Aloo or Bombay Potatoes.

More Indian mushroom recipes

Closeup of vegan mushroom spinach curry in a white bowl.

Recipe card