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From Thai green curry to Tikka Masala and Vietnamese curry, you are going to love these flavor-packed vegan curry recipes! Not only are these curries superbly seasoned, but they are also simple to make and crowd-pleasers!
📘 What is Curry
Curry is a type of dish that consists of vegetables, meat, and/or seafood cooked in a sauce flavored with spices and other aromatics. Curry first appeared in India during the 17th century and was heavily influenced by Portuguese, British, and French colonization.
Later, over the years, curry spread across other countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, etc.
🥬 What Makes a Great Curry
There are a few key elements that make curry go from meh to ah-mazing. Here are a few important ones:
- Aromatics. Most curry recipes rely on fresh aromatics like garlic, ginger, shallots, onions, chili, or galangal to create layers of flavor. Then comes the dried spices that add a wonderful aroma. The most commonly used spices in curries are cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and coriander.
- Richness and creaminess. Coconut milk, cream, or milk are used to create a smooth and creamy finish. Coconut milk-based curries are more popular in Southeast Asia, for example, in Vietnam and Thailand, while India relies more on cream or milk.
- Seasonings. A combination of sweet and salty, sometimes sour, creates a symphony of flavor. Saltiness, coming from either salt or soy sauce, is essential to enhance the overall flavor of the sauce, so make sure to adjust the seasoning to taste at the end of cooking.
🇹🇭 Thai-Inspired Curries
Easy Vegan Thai Green Curry
This restaurant-quality vegan Thai green curry packs bold flavors and a super creamy and perfectly spiced coconut sauce. It's a dish that takes about 25 minutes from start to finish to prepare, and that will surely excite your tastebuds!
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Spiciness level: 🌶🌶🌶
What readers are saying about this recipe:
- Marie said: “I found the photos of this recipe tempting. That’s why I decided to give it a shot. After following your instructions, the curry was way so good. It tasted much better than I expected.
Thank you. One more excellent recipe!!!!!“
Tempeh Khao Soi
Creamy Thai coconut curry soup with marinated tempeh, rice noodles, and peanuts. A flavorful and healthy take on the traditional Khao Soi!
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Spiciness level: 🌶🌶
What readers are saying about this recipe:
- Srivani said: “Had this bookmarked to make for a while now. Finally made it for dinner… WOW! So incredibly tasty. I could only find sliced dried shiitake mushrooms and decided to keep them in the soup. It was a great choice. Keeping this recipe handy to make again. Thanks!“
- Zak said: “We made this for dinner tonight, and it turned out really good. We used the recipe as a guide, we didn’t go exactly according to plan. One thing to note, we spiralized two zucchini in place of the noodles. I would add some more heat to the dish to improve it.“
🇮🇳 Indian-Inspired Curries
Instant Pot Cauliflower Tikka Masala
This easy 30-minute Instant Pot cauliflower tikka masala features tender cauliflower in spicy and hearty tomato sauce. It's super simple to prepare and family-friendly!
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Spiciness level: Not spicy
What readers are saying about this recipe:
- Lisa said: “This was absolutely delicious! I didn’t have canned tomatoes or v-yogurt tho, so I made my own cashew cream and used fresh organic tomatoes. Still turned out super yummy. Also, didn’t have chili powder, so I opted for Red Harissa, and it was absolutely banging good, delicious. “
- Christine said: “Delicious! Made it last night. I’m new to this whole “instant pot” cooking…Super easy recipe to follow. I recommend reading over the ingredients/recipe fully before starting & doing all the prep first…then the pot does the rest! Easier than I originally thought it would be. Thanks for the recipe!“
Vegan Red Lentil Curry
This one-pot vegan red lentil curry is insanely creamy, spiced to perfection, and so flavorful! Packed with red lentils, ginger, garlic, and coconut milk, this Indian-inspired curry is truly restaurant-quality! Serve it with a side of white rice, naan, or sautéed greens.
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Spiciness level: Not spicy
What readers are saying about this recipe:
- Anna said: “Amazing recipe: Very delicious and full of flavors 😋.”
Easy Dal Palak
This traditional Indian-inspired Dal Palak is prepared with split chickpeas, red lentils, spinach, tomatoes, and a lot of flavorful spices. It is comforting, perfectly spiced, and easy to prepare. Serve it with white rice or naan!
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Spiciness level: Not spicy
What readers are saying about this recipe:
- Erica said: “I cooked this, and it really does taste restaurant-quality! The only change I made was to add the turmeric and salt in with the lentils at the beginning of cooking, which is my habit when cooking dal (or lentils of any kind) — I find it seasons the dish more uniformly, and you wind up needing less salt. The final result was beautiful, savory, and delicious.“
- Danielle said: “I absolutely LOVED this! I used two 10 oz packages of frozen spinach (to save money), and it worked out great. This was my first time making Indian food, not in an instant pot, so I was kind of nervous, but it was really easy (I did use an instant pot to cook the lentils, which worked well). I served it with Jeera Rice and yogurt, which both complemented this recipe nicely. The husband loved it.“
1-Pot Sweet & Sour Red Lentil Soup
Easy, 1-pot, 10-ingredient red lentil soup that is sweet, spicy, and a bit sour! Flavored with garlic, ginger, onion, and tamarind!
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Spiciness level: 🌶🌶
What readers are saying about this recipe:
- Debi said: “I made this last night and it was amazing! The depth of flavor was great and so quick and easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe in your email.“
- Teresa said: “Highly recommend doubling this recipe! Love the combination of sweet, tangy, & spicy(I used 2 small chili peppers). Will add this to my regular rotation for sure!“
🇮🇩 Indonesian-Inspired Curry
Vegan Indonesian Curry
Indonesian-inspired curry with tofu and green beans! Infused with aromatics like lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and turmeric. A creamy and delicious plant-based curry!
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Spiciness level: 🌶🌶
🇯🇵 Japanese-Inspired Curry
Vegan Katsu Curry
Crispy and meaty katsu tofu served with a rich and creamy curry sauce! This Japanese-inspired dish is plant-based, hearty, and SO flavorful!
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Spiciness level: Not spicy
🇻🇳 Vietnamese-Inspired Curry
Easy Vegan Vietnamese Curry
This one-pot Vietnamese curry (Cà ri) is loaded with taro, sweet potatoes, and carrots and infused with citrusy aromatics such as ginger, lemongrass, garlic, and lime. It is super creamy, flavorful, hearty, and takes less than one hour to prepare!
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Spiciness level: 🌶
What readers are saying about this recipe:
- Kerrin said: “OMG!! I made this today, and it was so good. It is very much like the tofu curry at my fave Vietnamese restaurant in my town. I used sweet potato and extra broccoli, and carrots since I don’t like eggplant. I also added a little extra chili powder because we like spicy in my house. So good!!”
- Amanda said: “Thank you so much for this recipe!! I made this today for my Sunday meal prep, and it was SO delicious! I especially love the taro. I subbed the curry powder with Vietnamese curry soup base powder my family had on handle and it worked like a charm! Topping off with lime really adds a certain brightness to the dish and brings it together. Will be staple in my curry rotation for sure.”
🍲 Other Curries
Instant Pot White Bean Curry
Quick white bean curry prepared in the Instant Pot and infused with ginger, garlic, and red curry paste! A flavorful and spicy meal perfect for the chilly days!
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Tempeh in Creamy Mushroom Coconut Sauce
Sautéed garlic tempeh in a rich mushroom coconut sauce. Super flavorful, earthy, cozy, and packed with 20g of protein!
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Tteokbokki Curry
Switch things up with this mouth-watering Tteokbokki curry! Unlike classic Tteokbokki, this recipe features chewy rice cakes cooked in a rich and spicy red curry sauce infused with shallots, garlic, coconut milk, and a hint of lime. It's super creamy, packed with flavor, and made in just one pot!
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💬 FAQ
How can I substitute coconut milk in curries?
Your best bet is to use plant-based cream. You can use store-bought cream or homemade cashew cream. Be aware that it will, of course, change the flavor of the sauce. Milk can be a good alternative, but you will be missing the richness.
How long do curries keep?
Generally speaking, you can keep most curries for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze curries?
It all depends on what the curry contains. Curry sauce freezes very well, but if your curry contains tofu, broccoli, or bell peppers, freezing will alter its texture.
I hope you are going to love these vegan curry recipes!
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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My family love curry very much. These vegan curry recipes will be great for us. Thank you for sharing!