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These curry recipes are perfect for dinner: they’re delicious, easy and packed with vegetables! Here’s how to whip up curry in a hurry.
Looking for dinner recipes that are easy, healthy and delicious? Try a curry! Warming curry recipes are what we recommend again and again. Because without fail, they’re an easy way to load on vegetables and healthy ingredients while making them taste like a sumptuous treat. The curry can star just about any ingredient: chickpea curry, shrimp curry, lentil curry, squash curry…the list goes on!
Below is a list of our favorite curry recipes to make as quick and easy dinners. Keep in mind: curry is a British term to describe a style of cooking that originated in India and Southeast Asia: it’s a loose term used by colonizers that reduces a lot of the complexities of a rich cultural cuisine. Below the recipes we’ll cover what a curry is, and some of the major ingredients of regional curry recipes.
But first…some great curry recipes to try!
Curry recipes are one of the best concepts for quick and simple dinner recipes. And this Indian-inspired curry is a fan favorite easy weeknight meal: chickpea curry! In 20 minutes, warm spices and coconut milk make it one the most tastiest things you can make in that short time window—hands down. Saute onion, garlic and fresh ginger, then add tomatoes, chickpeas and coconut milk to make a thick sauce. It's a go-to quick dinner!
This Thai-style shrimp curry recipe tastes better than a restaurant, but it’s a quick and easy dinner you can make at home! There is so much flavor going on here: rich coconut milk, aromatic curry paste, tangy lime and peppery basil surrounding tender, juicy shrimp. Serve it over jasmine rice and your friends and family will be singing your praises. This one is a keeper and even better: it’s a healthy dinner in less than 30 minutes.
A vegetable curry is one of the best ways to make eating your veggies taste incredible. It’s the best way to get loads of nutrients without even noticing. This vegetable curry recipe is so good, you’ll be shoveling it down by the spoonful. It’s full of all the best veggies you can eat, like cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, and chickpeas. Serve with naan bread or rice and it’s one of the most satisfying plant-based dinners around.
This recipe the most delicious dinner you’ll put on your regular rotation immediately. Try this Tofu Curry! The brilliant red broth is flavored with coconut milk and red curry paste, with the zing of lime and a hint of spicy sweetness. The Thai-style flavors are the perfect way to introduce tofu to those wary of it. And if you’re already a lover (like us!), you’ll appreciate this delightful way to serve it.
Tender sweet potatoes and bell peppers swim in a luscious broth of coconut milk and Thai curry paste, topped with fresh cilantro and crunchy peanuts. There’s so much flavor going on, you’ll want to take another bite before you’re finished savoring the first. Welcome to: your easy weeknight dinner soulmate: this sweet potato curry recipe.
Here's another favorite curry recipe: this quick vegan curry! Coconut milk and curry powder make healthy vegetables taste like a decadent treat. And, it takes under 25 minutes to whip up! It’s an ode to the simplicity of plant-based ingredients and great seasoning. This spin on our chickpea curry has even more veggies and nutrients without affecting the overall cook time…which is crucial on weeknights, in our book. It comes out so delicious in such a short time: you’ll feel like a kitchen magician.
You know about natural flavor pairings like peanut butter and jelly, and tomatoes and basil. Here’s another unique pairing that works like a charm: butternut squash and Thai curry paste! There’s something about the sweetness of squash and the spicy aromatic flavors of curry paste that go hand in hand. Try them together in this butternut squash curry recipe! It’s easy to make, full of colorful vegetables and bursting with Thai curry flavor.
Here's another fan favorite: this tasty coconut cauliflower curry! It’s easy to make and full of all the good stuff: sweet potatoes, spinach, chickpeas, cauliflower and tomatoes. A bowl of it tastes positively transcendental. It’s warm-spiced, cozy, and nourishing all at once. When we ask readers what recipes they make the most, at the top of the list is cauliflower curry.
This 30-minute coconut lentil curry is one of our most popular curry recipes to date. It’s a fast and easy dinner idea that’s healthy and full of flavor. One of our fan favorites, we hear things like: “This is a new favorite!” and “Absolutely LOVED IT! Definitely am making again.” It’s surprising how much humble brown lentils can inspire so much enthusiasm!
Last up in our curry recipes...a soup that's not quite a curry, but it's flavored like one! This curry soup is full of hearty red lentils and root vegetables, and the broth is swirled with red curry paste and coconut milk. With all the texture and flavor going on, it feels rich and luxurious. But at the same time it’s a healthy, plant based meal!
What’s a curry, anyway?
Curry is a pretty loose term. Per Bon Appetit, it was a word used by colonizers to simplify what they saw in foreign cuisines. Today, the word “curry” usually describes a dish with a spiced sauce and meat or vegetables, often eaten with rice or flatbread like naan. The dish is made in many countries, including India, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, South Africa, Britain, and more.
Curry powder vs curry paste
Curry powder and curry paste both feature in curry recipes. Keep in mind: both are inventions to allow home cooks around the world to use the complex spices and ingredients in Indian and Southeast Asian curry recipes. Here’s are main differences between the two:
- Curry powder takes the common spices of Indian curries and packages them into a spice blend. Traditionally in India, curry spice blends are homemade by the cook and vary based on the region and household. You can find some quality curry powder brands at the store, but some more inexpensive brands use spices that aren’t fresh. Try to find the best curry powder you can!
- Curry paste is a jarred paste that features Thai, Cambodian and some Indian curry recipes. The curry paste you can most easily find at the store in the US is Thai curry paste. There are three types of Thai curries: red curry, yellow curry, and green curry. Curry paste is a mix of chile peppers, spices and other flavorful ingredients like lemongrass and galangal. Our favorite Thai curry paste is Thai Kitchen brand.
10 Curry Recipes (Easy Chickpea Curry & More!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
Description
This chickpea curry is the ultimate healthy and easy weeknight dinner! It’s done in 20 minutes, totally plant based, and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
- 6 cups (5 ounces) baby spinach leaves (or chopped spinach)
- 28-ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas
- ½ cup coconut milk
- White or brown basmati rice, to serve
Instructions
- If you’re serving with rice, start the basmati rice.
- Mince the onion. Mince the garlic. Peel and mince the ginger (or grate it). Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and spinach and saute for 2 minutes until the spinach is fully wilted.
- Carefully pour in the tomatoes, then add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, salt, and chickpeas. Cook for 5 minutes until bubbly.
- Stir in the coconut milk until fully combined, then remove from the heat. Serve with basmati rice.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Curry recipes
Last updated: March 2021