Choose from over 40 delicious vegetarian curry recipes from classics like Tikka Masala, Korma, Keema and Rogan Josh, to home-style favourites like Palak Paneer, Saag, Rajma and Chana Masala.
These vegan and vegetarian curry recipes are deeply flavoursome and the instructions are easy to follow, even if you’ve never cooked Indian food or curry before.
Each dish can be adapted to suit your taste and depending on what you have in the cupboard.
Whether you’re a long-term vegetarian, or are simply looking to introduce more plant-based meals into your diet, these vegetarian curry recipes will give you plenty of flavor options to explore.
What is the secret to a good curry?
Time. In order to develop fully, spices and ingredients need time to simmer, infuse and deepen.
Of course, it’s possible to make some curries quickly. The best ones are usually the dry sabzis consisting of stir-fried vegetables like this Gujarati Potato and Okra Curry, or 30-Minute Tindora and Corn Curry.
For restaurant-style Indian vegetarian curry recipes like Paneer Tikka Masala, Saag Paneer, Malai Kofta and Rajma, time is your greatest ally when it comes to the secret to a good curry.
Always be sure to brown your onions properly if a recipe calls for that, season with salt adequately and remember that your vegetarian curry will most likely taste better the next day!
The same is true for daal (lentil-based dishes) like Daal Makhani or Tadka Daal.
What are the basics of curry?
The secret behind my mother’s superpower is about to be revealed. If you have any vegetables or lentils you want to make a basic, everyday curry out of, this is the formula for how to do it.
It’s a very unspecific guide, but it generally works for the simplest vegetarian curries and daals.
To make curry out of anything, add your ingredients in the following order:
- FAT
- WHOLE SPICES
- ASAFOETIDA (if using)
- AROMATICS (brown the onions, add garlic, ginger, curry leaves afterwards)
- TOMATOES
- GROUND SPICES
- VEGETABLES OR LENTILS (plus water, if required)
- TIME
After slow or quick cooking, the dish can be garnished with fresh coriander before serving.
Five spices to make any curry great
Every cook has their own go-to collection of spices depending on the style of curry they like to make most often.
My top five spices to make any curry delicious are… Cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala (is that last one cheating?).
Vegetarian Curry Recipes
Learn how to make delicious vegetarian curry at home with this collection of simple, flavorsome curry recipes. Dive both home-style and restaurant-style vegan and vegetarian curry recipes which can be adapted to suit any tastes. From Vegetable Curry with Coconut Milk, to Tofu Korma, Palak Paneer, Mushroom Rogan Josh, Potato Curry and even Vegan Butter Chicken! The Paneer Tikka Masala and Chana Masala recipes will become firm favorites in your home!
Vegetable Curry with Coconut Milk
This simple Vegetable Curry with Coconut Milk is rich with aromatic spices, nuts and a rainbow of colourful vegetables. Make it in an Instant Pot if you have one, or simply simmer away on the stove. Serve with dosa for a delicious vegan meal that's gluten free too. It also pairs perfectly with rice, roti or paratha. Feel free to add any vegetables you have in the fridge, as long as the total weight is around 600g.
Home-style Chana Masala
A truly classic Indian dish of soft chickpeas and potatoes simmered with spices for a hot and sour finish. It's loaded with flavour and can be served with Bhatura (fried bread), roti, naan or rice. Best of all, this quick and easy version takes just 30 minutes to make. Try it for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Matar Paneer
Matar Paneer is a popular Indian dish made with paneer cheese and peas in a creamy tomato-based sauce. It's a delicious and nutritious vegetarian curry. This recipe for Matar Paneer is also easy to make, making it an amazing option for home cooks or people new to Indian food. Matar Paneer is typically served with rice, naan or roti, but feel free to choose your favourite accompaniments.
Keema Curry (Vegan)
Unbelievable! This deeply flavoursome Indian Keema Curry features plant-based mince (soya mince), warming spices and fresh herbs. It's packed with protein and highly versatile. Enjoy it with naan, roti, rice... or even in hot sandwiches! A great vegetarian and vegan Keema recipe for batch cooking. It freezes beautifully, making it an excellent emergency meal for busy schedules. This is one of my go-to dinners all year round.
Gujarati Ravaiya (Stuffed Aubergine Curry)
Gujarati Ravaiya (Stuffed Aubergine Curry) is a true vegan comfort meal from western India. Stuff baby aubergines with a spicy peanut masala for Gujarati grandma vibes.
Tofu Korma
A rich and creamy vegan Indian curry with tofu, aromatic spices and nuts. With a royal history, Korma is an emblem of imperial Mughal cooking traditions. Here's a plant-based Korma recipe everybody will love alongside rice and naan. It's mild and perfect for those who enjoy warm spices over chilli heat.
Indian Masala Baked Beans
A dose of British nostalgia, complete with Indian spices. Almost every British South Asian home has its' own take on curried baked beans. I cook mine with ghee, cumin seeds and a liberal heap of garam masala. These spicy, buttery beans are delicious on toast, or with roti or rice.
Paneer Tikka Masala
Learn how to make the most delicious Paneer Tikka Masala, just like your favourite Indian restaurant! Pieces of paneer (cottage cheese) and vegetables are first marinated in yoghurt and spices, and then skewered and grilled to smoky perfection. The tikka pieces are then removed from the skewer and folded into a creamy curry sauce made with tomatoes, spices and cream. Here's an easy to follow video recipe and video.
Spinach and Mushroom Curry
A quick and easy Spinach and Mushroom Curry with delicious Indian flavours. Sometimes called mushroom saag or mushroom bhaji, this tasty 11-ingredient curry is simple enough to cook during busy weeknights and with few spices and ingredients. Add cauliflower, tofu, paneer, beans or butternut squash along with the spinach puree to increase the veg content.
Cabbage and Potato Curry
This simple Cabbage and Potato Curry (Kobi Bateta nu Shaak) is an everyday favourite Indian recipe. It pairs perfectly with roti for a wholesome main dish, or as a light vegetable side dish. It's a dry-style sabzi with tender white cabbage, soft potatoes and mild spices. I find this is an Indian curry recipe the whole family enjoys. Add a handful of peas to turn it into a more veg-heavy meal.
Palak Paneer Recipe (Easy, Beginner-friendly)
A quick and easy Palak Paneer recipe with delicious, fresh flavours. Palak Paneer is a popular Indian restaurant dish that's made with spinach and paneer, a soft and squidgy Indian cheese. This tasty vegetarian curry is simple enough to cook during busy weeknights and with few spices and ingredients. This recipe for Palak Paneer is perfect for beginners and seasoned cooks alike. It's a great make-ahead dish and also freezes well. Serves 4 people as a main dish, or 6 as a side dish.
Vegetable Curry Recipe
A delicious and nutritious Vegetable Curry recipe. This recipe for Vegetable Curry is also easy to make, making it an amazing option for home cooks or people new to Indian food. Prepare this dish with any veggies you have in the fridge, freezer or pantry. Vegetable Curry is typically served with rice, naan, paratha or roti, but feel free to choose your favourite accompaniments.
Melt-in-the-Mouth Burnt Aubergine and Spinach Curry
I live and breathe Gujarati food. They are simple vegetarian dishes I eat every evening, and have done since I was young. Burnt Aubergine and Spinach Curry (Oroh) was one of those dishes mum would cook as a midweek dinner.
30-Minute Tindora Curry with Corn
This simple, dry curry with ivy gourd and corn is delicious with roti, paratha or rice. If you’re on the hunt for a minimal-effort curry recipe to add to your weeknight meal rotation, you’re in the right place.
Bharela Marcha (Stuffed Bullet Chillies)
I stuff the chillies with mixed masalas, jaggery and besan (chickpea flour). Each one is like a hot little flavour bomb.
Tofu Dopiaza
Tofu Dopiaza is kadai-fried tofu with double onions, crunchy green peppers & aromatic masalas. A restaurant quality vegan curry recipe.
Aloo Bhindi Tawa Masala
Stuffed and steamed okra and baby potatoes cooked in a spicy tomato and yoghurt masala.
Saag Paneer Recipe
This traditional Punjabi Saag Paneer recipe is pure magic! Soft paneer chunks in a creamy mustard greens and spinach curry. Every bite of this classic Indian curry will melt in your mouth. Make it with any leafy greens you have, although mustard leaves and spinach are the most typical.
Vegan Butter Chicken
One of North India's most famous curries, Butter Chicken. Also known as Murgh Makhani, it's known for having a lusciously-smooth and tomato cream sauce laced with mild, fragrant spices.
Dahi Varo Oro (Burnt Aubergine in Yoghurt)
Flame-grilled aubergine and crunchy peppers tossed with cooling yoghurt. This is a dish typical of Gujarati farming communities along the Kathiawar peninsula of western India. Serve it cold alongside your favourite Indian flatbread - millet or sorghum rotla are most traditional, but this tastes incredible with just about any type of unleavened bread. If you like the smoky flavours of Baba ghanoush, this will be your new go-to Indian dish. It even works well as a dip for parties, picnics and barbecues.
Saag Recipe
Warming Punjabi Saag is a curry made from vibrant greens and spices. In the native tongue, it's referred to as Sarson da Saag, a peppery blend of mustard leaves and various greens beaten with ghee (clarified butter), onions, garlic and green chillies. Serve with Makki di Roti (cornmeal flatbread) for feast plucked straight from India's land of the five rivers, Punjab.
Paneer Curry
Try this easy Paneer Curry recipe with a delicious mix of aromatic Indian spices. Sauté the soft cubes of Indian cottage cheese in a golden onion and tomato masala. The flavours of cumin, black pepper, ginger and garam masala add warmth and excitement.
A kadai-fried curry like this (without too much sauce) is perfect to serve with naan, roti or paratha. I even like using it as a dosa filling when making Paneer Masala Dosa. If you prefer your Paneer Curry with a thick Indian gravy, try Paneer Makhani or Matar Paneer.
Mung Bean Curry
Mung Bean Curry is wholesome Indian vegetarian dish to enjoy with roti. It's thick, creamy and cooked with an aromatic paste of ginger, green chilli and coriander. Shards of crispy, ghee-fried garlic add bold flavour and texture. Serve it as a main meal, or as a side dish for your favourite Indian recipes. It's particularly delicious with Kadhi and rice.
Vegan Katsu Curry
This vegan katsu curry recipe (yasai katsu curry) combines aubergine and sweet potato coated in panko breadcrumbs, served with a creamy coconut curry sauce. Serve with salad and Japanese pickles. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients for the sauce — it all goes into one pot.
Mushroom & Black Chickpea Rogan Josh
Try this hearty vegetarian take on Kashmiri Rogan Josh. My recipe uses juicy mushrooms and protein-rich black chickpeas for an aromatic curry that pairs beautifully with rice.
Restaurant-Style Shahi Paneer
Delicious, rich & creamy Shahi Paneer is a vegetarian food hero in North Indian cuisine. Scoop this curry up with flaky parathas or serve with basmati rice.
Gobi Bhurji (Cauliflower Curry)
Gobi Bhurji Gobi Bhurji (Cauliflower Curry) is one of my favourite ways to enjoy cauliflower. This north Indian-style Gobi Bhurji is perfect with buttered toast and soothing chai.
Potato and Pea Coconut Milk Curry
One of my favourite quick dinners growing up was pea and potato curry. It’s a simple staple in every Gujarati home and perfect with just rice and/or Homemade Chapattis – Gujarati Rotli depending on how hungry you are.
Gujarati-Style Okra & Potatoes
Gujarati-Style Okra & Potatoes (Bhinda Bateta nu Shaak) is an everyday comfort food in many Gujarati homes, including mine. It’s usually scooped up with soft, hot rotlis (chapattis), which is our daily bread
Vegan 'Butter' Cauliflower and Perfect Jeera Pilau
Garnish the Vegan ‘Butter’ Cauliflower with a final flourish of chopped coriander and a drizzle of coconut milk for that luscious restaurant-style finish.
Gujarati Potatoes and Spring Onions Sautéed in Chickpea Flour
Fresh flavoured, dry curries are done so well by Gujaratis. It’s all about taking simple ingredients and packing in as much flavour as possible.
Gujarati Koru Bateta nu Shaak
A tried and true recipe for Gujarati Koru Bateta nu Shaak (dry-style potato curry). This is my mother’s exact recipe and the only way we make it at home. She has a few fabulous tips for achieving intense flavours and the perfect dry bhaji-style texture every time. This shaak pairs perfectly with Masala Poori and dahi (plain yoghurt).
Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry)
While most of us use kidney beans as a filler ingredient in chillies, stews and salads, this Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) makes the humble red bean the star of the show. The sauce is deeply aromatic, smooth and robust enough to take the beans from basic to beautiful. This is North Indian comfort food at its best.
Vegan Kadai Tofu & Vegetables
Vegan Kadai Tofu & Vegetables is a raid-the-fridge dinner. Balanced, flavoursome and so easy to prepare! Zero waste.
Gobi Musallam
Whole-roasted cauliflower curry with a Mughlai-inspired curry sauce. Nuts, spices and warm flavours meld into this meltingly-soft cauliflower curry.
Cardamom Tofu Curry
Cardamom-scented cream is added to luxurious tomato sauce in this delicate and fragrant vegetarian tofu curry.
Melt-Away Malai Kofta
I call this creamy paneer kofta curry Melt-Away Malai Kofta simply because they melt away as soon as you put them in your mouth. Malai Kofta are the ultimate North Indian vegetarian curry recipe to dazzle friends and family. A celebration of rich flavours and warming spices.
Bodhi's Keema Pau Bhaji (Vegan)
Bodhi’s Keema Pau Bhaji (Vegan). A complete meal and super nutritious for the whole family. Don’t be fooled though, this buttery, curried veg and soya medley packs a huge flavour punch. It’s so moreish.
Slow Cooker Aubergine Makhani
Slow Cooker Aubergine Makhani. Beautiful, butter-soft aubergines in a rich makhani sauce. This velvety-smooth curry is perfect with rice and fluffy naan.
Stuffed and Baked Baby Kolhapuri Aubergines
If you’re a fan of vegetarian Indian main courses that pack enough punch to trounce any meaty curry, look no further. These gorgeous aubergines might be small but the smooth-as-velvet sauce and filling make it an unforgettable veggie curry you’ll want to make over and over again.