Indian vegetable curry with coconut milk is a warm and flavorful dish that tastes great anytime of the year. This Indian curry is loaded with sweet potato, red pepper, chickpeas, potatoes and cauliflower that are roasted to perfection in the oven then finished on the stove with a creamy curry coconut milk sauce. Serve this Indian vegetable curry alongside some fluffy basmati rice and with a mango lassi for the full Indian restaurant experience. Once you see how delicious this vegetable curry with coconut milk is, you will be adding it to your weekly meal rotations!

About this vegetable curry with coconut milk
One of our favorite dishes that is in our dinner rotation is this Indian vegetable curry. This Indian vegetable curry is packed with delicious curry and coconut milk to add a delicious creamy touch. It is very easy to make and full of healthy ingredients on top of tasting delicious.
The veggies are cooked on a sheet pan first to caramelize and really bring out the flavors of the vegetables. The Coconut milk, spices and vegetables are then mixed together in a large sauté pan so all the flavors meld together and it becomes creamy and delicious.
The spices that are in this Indian vegetable curry are just amazing and make anything you throw into this dish taste great. It is a great way to make an all vegetable meal taste amazing.
Vegetable curry ingredients
- Curry powder. This is a basic yellow orange curry powder that is labeled curry powder in the grocery stores. You can also make your own by scrolling down for the recipe.
- Curry paste: Like Pataks curry paste. You can make your own as well by following the recipe below.
- Baby potatoes. The potatoes roast up so nicely in the oven.
- Sweet potatoes. Like the baby potatoes, these are great for roasting and add so much flavor and nutrition.
- Chickpeas. Roasting chickpeas is so good. I also always have this on hand for quick meals like chickpea salad or pasta with chickpeas.
- Cauliflower. (optional) I do not always add this but if I have it, cauliflower takes on the wonderful curry spices really well.
- Red Pepper. Adds a touch of sweetness and color.
- Garlic. Try to use fresh garlic if you can.
- Vegetable oil.
- Coconut milk. Look for canned coconut milk not the coconut milk in the milk section of the grocery store.
How to make vegetable curry
Making this vegetable curry with coconut milk is so simple. It takes no time at all and the best part is, it makes the most amazing leftovers.
Here is what you do (full recipe below):
- Roast Veggies in oven: On a large sheet pan, add all of your vegetables, oil curry and toss. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Saute: garlic the and curry paste and cook for one minute.
- Add coconut milk: Add in the coconut milk and mix in well.
- Simmer: for about 5 minutes.
- Add roasted veggies: Mix the roasted vegetables into the curry and coconut milk sauce.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Serve with a side of Basmati rice, poppadoms and enjoy!
I love roasting the veggies in the oven first to caramelize them and to bring out their flavor before adding them into the pan with the coconut milk.
The bulk of this Indian curry recipe is the veggies baking in the oven. It only needs minutes on the stovetop to finish it off.
Why you will love this Indian vegetable curry
We often make our curry with chicken but sometimes, like with this recipe, we only use vegetables. I can honestly say that not one thing is missing from the flavor by doing it this way.
To really enhance the flavor of the vegetables I like to roast them in the oven first with curry powder. It really makes the taste so much better than just throwing the vegetables into a pan on the stove.
The vegetables in this dish are sweet potatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, cauliflower and small potatoes. To add to the nutrition and flavor, I love adding chickpeas to my vegetable curry.
I use canned chickpeas to make it easy but you can use fresh ones as well and just make sure to cook them first.
These vegetables are by no means the only vegetable you can use in this curry dish. Use whatever you have in your fridge and just follow the steps in the recipe for roasting them.
Curry spices in this recipe
For the spices in this curry recipe, I like to use an Indian blend paste called Pataks masala. This really helps with the flavors in the dish and make things easier. If you have store bought curry powder (the orange/brown kind found in American and UK grocery stores) this will work fine too.
Just mix this with some oil to make a paste for the sauce. The curry powder used for roasting the vegetables will remain dry in a powder form.
If you are into Indian spices and making your own blend even better then you will use a masala spice blend to make this dish.
How to make your own Curry Powder (masala blend) you need:
If you do not have curry powder on hand you can make your own by mixing these spices together.
- cumin (1 tsp)
- coriander (1 tbsp)
- turmeric (½ tsp)
- paprika (2 tbsp)
- cinnamon (¼ tsp)
- black pepper (¼ tsp)
To make a curry paste
Mix 3 tablespoon of curry powder mixed with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. If you are making the curry powder for this recipe and for the curry paste, double the recipe for the curry powder so you will have enough.
Note: This is a curry blend that does not include the traditional Indian chili powder that Indian spice blends have in it but it will be what most people have at home. I have improvised to make this recipe work for everyday cooks.
What to serve with this vegetable curry with coconut milk
When I serve this Indian vegetable curry, I like to make Basmati rice with a few smashed cardamom pods (this is optional) and a side of poppadoms or homemade flatbread which I just love! Cardamom pods are not something everyone has in their home so if you don't have that, just omit it from the rice.
You can also make a traditional cumin flavored rice called Jeera rice which would really add wonderful flavor to this recipe.
Variations for this recipe
If you do not have coconut milk on hand but still want to make this delicious Indian curry, here are some of my favorite substitutes for the coconut milk in this recipe.
- Heavy cream makes a great substitute for coconut milk. Just turn off the heat after the curry has been added to the pan then add in the cream and mix well.
- Diced tomatoes also make a wonderful substitute for the coconut milk. The diced tomatoes add just enough liquid to mix with the curry spices and adds a beautiful tomato base to the curry.
- Chicken broth (or stock) is a great sub for thee coconut milk and like thee tomatoes that I mentioned above, it will blend nicely with the curry seasonings.
Cooking poppadoms for this Indian curry
If you have eaten at an Indian restaurant, poppadoms are those crunchy delicious wafers that are brought to your table at the beginning of a meal.
I find these at my local grocery store or online. They come in a small box and are paper thin before cooking.
The poppadoms are really easy to make.
To make these poppadoms, I place one of them at a time in the microwave (on a paper towel) for 30-40 seconds. When they are done they look puffy and delicious.
I have tried placing them on a plate in the microwave but the plates just absorb the heat and ruin the puffing. Stick to the paper towel method and they will come out perfectly.
Give this Indian vegetable curry with coconut milk a try and see how delicious and easy it is to make. It is a great way to eat your veggies and it is ready in no time.
FAQ
Making a delicious vegetable curry is so easy since so many vegetables go so well with the curry flavor. Some of our favorite vegetables to add to curry are potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, peppers, onions and cauliflower.
Choosing which curry to use for an Indian vegetable curry depends on your taste. We often recommend a more mild masala blend curry paste to make vegetable curries since it is not too spicy. If you love spicy, vindaloo curry paste is a great option.
More like this
If you love this Indian vegetable curry, you may also like these:
More Creamy Recipes You May Like
If you love this creamy Indian Vegetable curry with coconut milk, you may also like these recipes:
Indian Vegetable Curry With Coconut Milk
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 4 small red potatoes quartered and all the same size
- 1 large sweet potato (or 2 small ones) quartered and all the same size
- 1 red pepper quartered and all the same size
- 1 head of cauliflower (optional) Cut into medium florets
- ½ cup coconut milk from a can make sure to shake can well to mix up the solids and liquids.
- 3 tablespoon of Pataks Masala Curry paste You can also make your own curry powder spice blend by mixing 3 tablespoon of curry powder mixed with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to form a paste (found in the international section of the grocery store
- 2 cloves of garlic diced
- 2 tablespoon of curry powder or your own masala spice blend
- 2 tablespoon of coconut or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large sheet pan, add all of your vegetables making sure they do not overlap.4 small red potatoes, 1 large sweet potato (or 2 small ones), 1 red pepper, 1 head of cauliflower (optional), 16 ounces can of chickpeas
- Drizzle over top 1 tablespoon of your oil. Now add your curry powder to the vegetables and salt and toss well to coat evenly.2 tablespoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of salt
- Roast your vegetables in the oven until they are fully cooked and caramelized about 30-35 minutes depending on your oven.
- After you have cooked your vegetables, in a large saute pan, heat the remainder of your oil on medium low heat and add your diced garlic and curry paste and cook for 1 minute.2 cloves of garlic diced, 3 tablespoon of Pataks Masala Curry paste
- Add coconut milk then stir well. Bring to a simmer then set heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.½ cup coconut milk from a can
- Now add your vegetables from the oven and mix into the coconut milk mixture.
- Season with more salt to taste.
- Serve with a side of Basmati rice, poppadoms and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Debbie says
The whole family really enjoyed this. It was such a great way to use up so many veggies we had in the fridge and the flavor was amazing.
Melissa says
So glad everyone enjoyed it 🙂
John says
This Indian curry was delicious. I will definitely be making this again
Taran says
We made this curry and it was so delicious! We didn’t have coconut milk so we used a little cream and it was perfect!
Melissa says
I am so glad you enjoyed it! The cream addition sounds wonderful 🙂
Linda P says
This was so delicious, even though I didn't have coconut milk on hand so substituted 1/2 cup chicken stock. One other "tweak", I added the curry paste to the garlic and oil, stirring constantly. Then added the roasted veggies. This is a perfect dish to use other vegetables from the garden such as green beans and chopped tomatoes.
Melissa says
Hi Linda. I love the substitutions and veggie ideas! I am glad you enjoyed it
Megan says
I made a large batch of this for leftovers for the week and it was so good. I am adding it to my meal prep list now. Easy and delicious
Supriya Kutty says
Thank you so much for this amazing article that you have shared, the recipe sounds just yum and a must-try will surely try preparing the recipe and also pass it on to my friends and family as well.
Keeping It Simple says
Hi Supriya. So glad to hear that!