Vegetable Curry

This easy vegetable curry is the best way to eat your veggies! Cauliflower, bell pepper and chickpeas swim in a flavor-packed broth.

A vegetable curry is one of the best ways to make eating your veggies taste incredible. Alex and I adore eating curry for dinner, and guess what? It’s the best way to get loads of nutrients without even noticing. This vegetable curry is so good, you’ll be shoveling it down by the spoonful. It’s full of big flavor and all the best veggies you can eat, like cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, and chickpeas. It features crisp tender veggies in a seriously flavorful broth. Serve with naan bread or rice and it’s one of the most satisfying plant-based dinners around.

What’s a curry, anyway?

Curry is a very loose term. Per Bon Appetit, in many countries it was a word used by colonizers to simplify what they saw as foreign cuisines. Today, curry is usually a dish with a spiced sauce and meat or vegetables, often eaten with rice or flatbread like naan. Many times the spice curry powder is included in the sauce, or sometimes curry paste. The dish is made in many countries, including India, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and England.

Ingredients in this vegetable curry

Knowing curry has a loose definition, Alex and I designed this vegetable curry to include a sauce with curry powder and feature a variety of healthy vegetables. This curry features crisp tender veggies and a flavorful broth. It’s important to note that it’s not as thick of a sauce as with a tomato or coconut milk-based curry, like our cauliflower curry or chickpea curry.

Here’s what’s in this vegetable curry:

• Vegetables: Onion, Carrots, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Bell pepper, Peas, Chickpeas
• Flavorings: Garlic, Ginger, Curry Powder, Cumin, Turmeric, Coriander
• Sauce: Vegetable Broth, Peanut Butter (to thicken)

What to serve with curry? Rice, naan, and more.

What to serve with this vegetable curry? There are a few options, depending on how much time you have. Alex and I created a new homemade naan recipe especially to go with this curry, which we’d reserve for dinner parties or weekend dinners. But it’s fun to make an oh so tasty! Here are our recommendations for serving this veggie curry:

• Naan bread: Store-bought naan bread is a great quick side dish for this vegetable curry. But if you have time, try homemade! Use our Garlic Naan or Vegan Naan recipes.
• Rice: Start a pot of rice before you even begin prep, and let it cook while you make the curry. Brown generally takes about 30 minutes with our quick method (below), and white takes about 15 minutes. Here are several methods for doing it:
  • Basmati rice or Instant Pot Basmati Rice
  • Brown rice or Instant Pot brown rice
  • White rice or Instant Pot white rice
• Quinoa: We’ve eaten it with quinoa and while not authentic, it tastes good and is very filling! Try our Basic Quinoa or Instant Pot Quinoa.

Is this curry spicy?

Well, yes and no! The heat level in this vegetable curry is directly related to the curry powder that you use. Here’s the thing: some curry powders are spicy, some are mild. It really depends on the brand! And there’s no way to know based on the label. So, you’ll have to do some trial and error to find the curry powder brand you like with a heat level that works for you and your fellow eaters.

Make ahead and storage info

Can you make this vegetable curry ahead? Yes! To meal prep, you can easily make it 1 day in advance and refrigerate until serving. Then just reheat it gently in a skillet, being sure not to overheat it so that the sauce doesn’t evaporate. Leftovers stay good for about 3 days in the refrigerator.

You also can make rice in advance if you’re serving with rice! To reheat the rice, place it in a pan on the stovetop and add a splash of water. Heat gently for a few minutes until the water evaporates and the rice is warmed through.

More vegetable curry recipes

We have a few other flavorful curry recipes that have become fan favorites! So if you’re looking for another type of curry, here are a few you might like (all of them are plant-based / vegan recipes):

• Easy Chickpea Curry or Quick Vegan Curry The ultimate healthy and easy weeknight dinner! Vegan, full of flavor, and done in 20 minutes.
• Quick Coconut Lentil Curry Here’s a lentil based curry that’s flavored with coconut and curry paste. A fast and easy dinner idea perfect for weeknights!
• Coconut Cauliflower Curry Everybody loves this one! It’s an easy dinner recipe is warm-spiced, nutrient packed, and ready in just over 30 minutes.

Is this an authentic Indian curry?

Is this vegetable curry authentic? As we mentioned above, curry is a loose definition and there are many varieties. While this isn’t a 100% authentic Indian curry, it uses the flavors of Indian cuisine to make a fast weeknight dinner. For an authentic Indian dinner recipe from an Indian chef, head to our Masoor Dal (Indian Red Lentils). Another great resource for authentic Indian recipes is chef and author Madhur Jaffrey.

This vegetable curry recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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More healthy dinner ideas

This vegetable curry is a healthy plant-based dinner recipe that features tons of nutrient-rich vegetables. Here are a few more healthy dinner ideas that are also vegan and plant-based:

• Vegan Enchiladas Over the top delicious! Stuffed with black beans and guacamole, they’re doused in a zesty homemade red enchilada sauce.
• Best Chickpea Burgers A hugely satisfying plant-based dinner! Here they’re painted with BBQ and served topped with vegan bacon and spicy mayo.
• Vegan Shepherd’s Pie The hearty veggie and lentil filling contrasts fluffy potatoes in this stunning plant based dinner recipe.
• Chili Baked Potatoes Top these baked potatoes with your favorite chili, like our vegan chili or healthy chili.