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    Cauliflower Curry

    Updated October 9, 2024 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    Easy, rich, creamy and warmly-spiced, this cauliflower-loaded coconut curry redefines comfort food. It’s vegan and gluten free, so it’s a great meal to serve to folks with food sensitivities.

    creamy Indian cauliflower curry with rice and torn naan in a large serving bowl

    Creamy Cauliflower Coconut Curry.

    We are huge fans of curry. Curry Meatballs, Pumpkin Curry, Chicken Curry, Butter Chicken (yes, a curry!) give us all the curries! As of late though, the curry dish that has our curry-crazed hearts is curried cauliflower. This recipe brings two things that we love together and makes for one incredible meal.

    creamy vegan cauliflower curry with white rice and torn naan in a serving bowl

    A Cauliflower Curry Star Was Born.

    The roots of this recipe began when we decided to start cutting back on our meat intake by incorporating at least one meatless dinner a week in our homes. As we racked our brains for dinner ideas, a good vegan curry recipe was the first thing to come to mind for many reasons:

    • Our families love curry.
    • It can be cooked in one pot, seriously saving on time and clean up.
    • The creamy coconut curry sauce is so loaded with flavor you really won’t miss the meat.
    • Did we mention it can be cooked in one pot?
    • So, now that you know the “why” on this vegetarian wonder of a dish, let’s move on to the “how."
    Ingredients laid out for vegetarian cauliflower curry; cauliflower, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, turmeric, tomatoes

    How Do You Make Homemade Curry?

    There are several approaches to making curry depending on what part of the world your curry is coming from. However, every good curry has something in common: a proper base layer of flavor that is created through rich and fragrant spices.

    This curry begins with onions, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger. Big flavor at the get-go! Because this curry is Indian-inspired, we used the following spices to layer rich flavor into the dish:

    • Cumin
    • Cinnamon
    • Yellow curry powder

    If you wanted to up the spice ante of this dish, you could also add:

    • Garam masala
    • Allspice
    • Coriander
    • Cardamom

    Once the base is finished, we add tomatoes and coconut milk and blend until smooth. At this point you may be tempted to drink the mixture with a straw, but be strong and resist! It just gets better from here.

    Indian style curry spices with tomatoes and coconut milk in a large pot
    coconut curry with raw cauliflower in a pot

    What Goes Into Vegetarian Curry?

    We’ve kept this recipe simple by only using cauliflower—we love a short ingredient list—but there are many other incredible vegetables you can add if you’re feeling wild! Coconut curry is super versatile. If you aren’t going meatless, a cup or two of shredded chicken is wonderful. Potatoes are a classic ingredient in Indian coconut curry, and would be delicious in this curry.

    Some of Our Favorite Curry Add-Ins:

    • Peas
    • Chickpeas
    • Broccoli
    • Carrots
    • Potatoes
    Indian style curry in a pot
    Creamy cauliflower curry in a pot

    Is Curry Healthy?

    Because we’ve chosen to use coconut milk as the base for this curry, the dish is high in fat, but it also has very few carbs. That being said, depending on what you’re going for it can be very healthy because the fats from coconut milk are the good ones that your body needs. It’s Keto and Whole30 friendly, but if those diets aren’t your bag have no fear because it’s just down right delicious anyway.

    Indian style cauliflower curry on white rice in a large serving bowl

    What You Should Serve with Cauliflower Curry:

    This warming, creamy, cauliflower-laden coconut curry comes together quickly with little effort and it’s certainly satisfying enough to stand on its own, but a scoop of white rice and a warm piece of naan with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro are a welcome addition.

    More Favorite Vegetarian Dinners:

    Indian style cauliflower curry on rice served with torn naan

    Everything Tastes Better When You Share!

    When this cauliflower curry makes it to your dinner table, be sure to post a pic to Instagram and tag @themodernproper and #themodernproper. We’d love to see how it turned out and fully expect to hear how much you loved it!

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    Cauliflower Curry Recipe

    Updated October 9, 2024

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  35 min
    • Calories:  283
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    Description

    Easy, rich, creamy and warmly-spiced, this cauliflower-loaded coconut curry redefines comfort food. It’s vegan and gluten free, so it’s a great meal to serve to folks with food sensitivities.

    Video

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
    • 3 tablespoons yellow curry powder
    • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons cumin
    • 2 teaspoons sea salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
    • 3 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk or unsweetened coconut cream
    • 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
    • Cooked rice, for serving (optional)
    • Minced cilantro, for serving (optional)
    • Warmed naan, for serving (optional)

    Method

    1. Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

      Ingredients laid out for vegetarian cauliflower curry; cauliflower, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, turmeric, tomatoes

    2. Add in curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, 1½ teaspoons salt, cayenne and diced tomatoes and stir until combined. Increase the heat to high and stir in the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.

      Indian style curry spices with tomatoes and coconut milk in a large pot

    3. Use an immersion blender to blend the liquid directly in the pot. (Alternatively, transfer the liquid to the base of a blender, let cool briefly, and blend until smooth. Then return it to the pot.)

      coconut curry with raw cauliflower in a pot

    4. Bring the curry to a boil over high heat. Add the cauliflower, return the heat to low, and simmer until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with remaining salt

      Creamy cauliflower curry in a pot

    5. Serve over rice with cilantro and naan.

      Cauliflower Coconut Curry

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 283
    • Protein 4 g
    • Carbohydrates 18 g
    • Total Fat 23 g
    • Dietary Fiber 6 g
    • Cholesterol 0 mg
    • Sodium 890 mg
    • Total Sugars 8 g

    Cauliflower Curry

    Questions & Reviews

    Rated 4.9 stars by 24 readers

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    • Anne

      What would you add to make this spicier? I love the current MN spice but my kids would like a little heat added.

      You can add more cayenne to spice it up more. Hope you enjoy!

    • Christine

      I would like to know if this is freezable .Thanks

      Absolutely! Hope you enjoy!

    • Linda

      How many servings do you expect from this recipe?

      Serves 6! Hope you enjoy LInda!

    • Susan

      Hello
      Are the teaspoons/tablespoons heaped or levelled flat please?

      Thanks
      SW

      Flat. Hope you enjoy Susan!

    • Diana

      Hi! If I was going to add chicken breast to this, would you recommend cooking it by itself first and then adding it? or could I add it raw and have it cook with everything else?

      You can just cook it separate and stir it in at the end. Hope you enjoy Diana!

    • Alexsandra

      I bought a 1/2 gallon of coconut milk from the grocery store - it isn't nearly as thick as what is shown in the video. What is the difference?
      ALSO
      The recipe calls for curry powder - "curry powder" is just a blend of spices mixed with turmeric. Can you please identify what spices are in your curry powder in your recipe?

      Hi Alexsandra, you need canned coconut milk, get the full fat not light. It contains a lot of the coconut cream as well (where as the 1/2 gallon stuff doesn't) so it's a lot thicker. Curry powder is just a single spice. You can buy it on the spice aisle. It is called curry powder and it will be yellow in color. Hope you enjoy!

    • Cherie

      How hot is this curry, I like very mild.

      It's not spicy at all. Yellow curry powder doesn't have much heat just leave out the cayenne pepper. Hope you enjoy Cherie!

    • Lloyd

      Just to be clear, not sure anywhere else in the world, but 1 can of coconut milk here in the UK makes the 14oz needed!! i have now made the mistake of using the 3 cans advised and now have x3 the amount needed :(

      If you want less sauce, you can cut down the amount of coconut milk, but our family of 5 always needs three cans worth of milk to make enough sauce. Thanks for the feedback.

    • Rob

      Hi,
      You mentioned raising the ante with the following spices: allspice, coriander, garam masala, Garam masala, and cardamom. How much of each? And should they all be added together with the cumin, cinnamon, and curry powder? Even the garam masala? (I’m asking specifically about that last spice because I often see it being added at the final stage of cooking.
      One last thing: what’s the approximate weight of what you consider a ‘large’ cauliflower?
      Thanks

      Around 2 1/2 pounds for a large head (I think) The cauliflower doesn't get blended into anything, so really just put as much or as little as you'd like. I would start with 1/4 teaspoon of all spice or cardamom, both of those are strong. Coriander and Garam masala you could prob use 1 teaspoon each. I like to just mix it up a bit sometimes!

    • Fran

      Can it freeze

      It should freeze just fine, hope you enjoy Fran!

    • Janmaus

      This is a lovely basic recipe! I love its flexibility, and I've made it several ways since I first encountered it. I do up the heat a bit with more cayenne--1/2 tsp--and have used this recipe with mixed veggie (bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, green beans, diced cabbage, etc.), diced chicken, or diced pork tenderloin--using additional veg with the meat options. While yellow curry powder is mostly turmeric, most of the spices found in garam masala are already in the recipe, so I stick with the recipe.

      Thanks Janmaus, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Cathryn

      This is an easy and tasty vegan entree. The recipes calls for three cans of coconut milk. I only used two cans and it was way more than enough. I also used a lot more fresh grated ginger than it calls for. I did not sauté the onions enough -- be sure to get them golden brown. There was a lot left over so the next day I used an emersion blender to turn the dish into a creamy soup.

      Thanks Cathryn, so glad you loved it!

    • Estelle

      I roasted the cauliflower beforehand, seasoned with Garam Masala. I made the sauce as a sauce and only one can of coconut milk, 1/2 the portion of tomatoes, more warm spices (cardamon, nutmeg, etc.) and 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. After simmering for about 10-15 mins I added the roasted cauliflower (5-10 mins) and let it simmer another 5-10 mins. The cauliflower could have been boiled or steamed as well but I think the roasting gives it tons of flavour. The reason I changed the recipe was 3 cans of coconut milk which essentially was to cook the cauliflower. Saving money these days is what I am about. Thanks for providing the inspiration to tinker with.

      Thanks Estelle, so glad you enjoyed it and were able to make it work more budget friendly. Love hearing ideas like this!

    • Linda

      This is a great recipe except that I mistakenly used a can of coconut cream not realizing it was sweetened! Had to throw out. So won't do that again when I make this recipe all over again!

      Sorry to hear that Linda, glad you still enjoyed the recipe!

    • Elizabeth

      This recipe was fabulous! A big hit at the dinner table!

      Thanks Elizabeth, so happy you love it!

    • Stephen

      I make a lot of curries. I had a big head of cauliflower and googled a recipe. Yours came up. So delicious. I liked it so much I've make just a big pot of it without the cauliflower then freeze it in batches to use when I want to make a quick curry. I've added frozen peas, chickpeas, cubed tofu baked in my air fryer, cashew. Thank you so much.

      Thanks Stephen, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Sue

      Really enjoyed this recipe. I didn't notice it called for three cans of coconut milk, I just used one with some passata and water and there was enough sauce and it was thick enough. Also added a can of chickpeas to add a bit of protein. It was delicious and an excellent way to use cauliflower.

      Thanks Sue, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Ronald

      The curry sauce in this recipe has a balanced flavor that is just right: it is not so rich that it becomes overwhelming to you but still provides full smooth delicious flavor to the other ingredients. This is the key. 5 stars all the way!

      Thanks Ronald, so glad you loved it!

    • Kaila

      So delicious!! I didn’t have enough coconut milk so I used 3 cups of homemade chicken broth and one can of coconut cream instead of milk. I also added chicken and green peas! It turned out wonderfully! Will definitely be making it again.

      Thanks Kaila, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Janette

      Made this exactly as described but used only one can of coconut cream (all I had on hand), one bag of frozen peas and a can of chick peas. It is so good! Can't wait to try it with the right amount of coconut milk soon. Thank you for the awesome receip.

      Thanks Janette, we are so glad you loved it!