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This vegan coconut curry is a quick and affordable way to enjoy your favorite takeout flavors at home. I love how you can make it with just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
Vegan Curry with Coconut Milk
The key to the creaminess in this recipe is using coconut milk as the base. I use full-fat canned coconut milk to make it as creamy as possible, but you could use pretty much any type of coconut milk that you like. (Just keep in mind that “light” coconut milk simply has water added to it to reduce the fat– which makes me feel like I’m not getting my money’s worth!)
How to Make Vegan Coconut Curry
Making your own vegan coconut curry at home is as simple as stirring together some coconut milk, spices, and vegetables. You can make it heartier by adding some lentils, like in my Lentil & Sweet Potato Curry recipe, but the recipe below is entirely vegetable based.
I love serving it over cooked quinoa as a complete source of protein for the meal, but you can serve it over white or brown rice, too.
When I’m in a hurry, I’ll use a bag of frozen vegetables instead of chopping fresh ones (frozen tend to cook faster, too!). This recipe is easily adaptable, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 4 teaspoons curry powder (or more, to taste)
- 1 14 oz. can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon tamari , or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or more, to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 sweet potato , chopped
- 1 pound assorted vegetables , chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat, and sauté the onions until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir for one more minute.
- Add in the coconut milk, curry powder, tamari, maple syrup and salt and whisk well to combine. (Since curry powders can vary by brand, feel free to start with only 3 teaspoons and add more to your taste.)
- Taste the sauce and adjust any other flavors as needed (keep in mind that the addition of veggies will dilute the saltiness), then bring the sauce to a simmer and add in the chopped sweet potatoes. Cover the pan, and allow the sweet potatoes to steam in the sauce for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the rest of the vegetables, since non-starchy vegetables will cook faster than the sweet potatoes. Stir the vegetables to coat them in the sauce, then cover the pot again. Lower the heat and cook until the sweet potatoes and vegetables are fork-tender, about 8 to 10 more minutes.
- Serve the vegetables and curry sauce over cooked rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. Leftover curry can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Per serving (not including rice): Calories: 280, Fat: 3g, Carbohydrates: 56, Fiber: 12g, Protein: 10g
Recipe Notes:
- For the vegetables in the photos here, I used a red and yellow bell pepper, plus two large handfuls of chopped kale. I also love this dish with cauliflower florets, or a pound of frozen assorted vegetables.
- I call for curry powder in this recipe because it’s a dry pantry staple that I always have on hand, but you can use curry paste if you would prefer a little more depth of flavor. (It’s usually sold near soy sauce at your grocery store.)
- I use tamari to keep this recipe gluten-free, but you can use soy sauce if you don’t need to be gluten free. For a soy-free recipe, try coconut aminos instead, and add a little extra salt, if needed.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite type of take-out food? Thai food had been ours up until recently, but now we hardly have the need for it!
Made this for dinner and it was super fast and omg…Delicious!!!
I was really craving coconut curry , so I did a search and found the lovely recipe. The pictures are beautiful and it looked delicious. I made it last night and didn’t have coconut milk, but had coconut cream, so I used that instead. Big mistake because I didn’t realize how much sugar is in coconut cream and still added the 1 T. of maple syrup. The sauce came out WAY too sweet and I ended up adding whole milk to try and dilute the sweetness. It helped, but now I think I might go out to buy coconut milk – unsweetened – to add to the leftovers so we can still enjoy it – it made a lot of food. I added extra firm tofu and sauteed before hand. I omitted the sweet potato and glad I did – would have been even sweeter had I added that. I did add sauteed red and green peppers as well. I think it’s worth another go since I was the one who messed it up :-). I don’t think I will add the maple syrup next time and will taste the sauce FIRST and then see if it needs it. Maybe add LESS maple syrup.
This has officially been added to our meal rotation! So yummy! Thank you!!
I LOVE this recipe! Basically a staple for me. I am just wondering if you (or anyone else) has tried using a combo of spices instead of just curry? Like coriander, cumin, tumeric, etc, and in what proportions? I was thinking of experimenting tonight but will hate if I screw up a batch!
This recipe was simple and so satisfyingly good!! This will become a regular in our house. THANKS for the yummy easy recipes.
Yummy! Thanks
This is the first time that I have left a comment on a recipe that I have tried on Pinterest but I just had to post this! This easy meal was not only quick to make but it was absolutely delicious! I made mine with Red Quinoa!
Thanks for posting this! It will be a new addition to my Indian recipes! It’s really good with Chicken Masala!
I eat for my blood type and coconut milk is not on my list of good foods for me. To make this sauce, could I substitute soy or almond milk? Any suggestions?
This look fantastic! I will be making this for dinner tonight and will add some left over turkey I have in the freezer! Yummy!
Transported me to an Indian or Thai restaurant it was so good. Used only chopped kale and carrots for veggies, and mixed the cooked quinoa directly into the sauce before serving. Now I have a go-to versatile curry recipe that tastes fantastic!