My adzuki bean curry is a vegan, gluten-free curry made with tender adzuki beans simmered in a creamy coconut milk broth with garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and a touch of chili flakes. It comes together in about 90 minutes (plus time to soak the beans) with simple pantry spices and no hard-to-find ingredients.
By now I’m certain you’ve caught on to my love for curries, but throw in some red adzuki beans (also known as azuki beans) and you’re in for one big nutritional punch of a curry! Adzuki beans are packed with antioxidants, protein, fiber and folate; and they’re mild, nutty flavor really complements the warming spices and creaminess of a curry. I think you’ll find you concur!
Why You’ll Love It
- Hearty and comforting.
- Easy to make.
- Perfectly flavorful.
- Makes excellent leftovers or meal prepping food.
- Packed with fiber and protein.
- Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, no sugar-added, nut-free, soy-free.
How to Make Adzuki Bean Curry
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to soak adzuki beans?
No, you do not. But, they will cook quicker and will be easier to digest if you do! If you end up skipping the soaking stage, simply simmer the beans until they are soft and tender. Dependent upon the quality and age of the dried adzuki beans you have on hand, this can take up to 2 hours.
I’m not a fan of spicy food, can I omit the red chili flakes?
Yep! The red chili flakes in this recipe actually do not add as much heat as you would think but instead round out the flavors a bit. But if you are not a spicy fan at all, you can most definitely add less or omit altogether.
More Curry Recipes You Might Like
Adzuki Bean Curry
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry adzuki beans soaked overnight or at least 4 hours
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil you can use ghee or butter if not vegan
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger root minced or grated
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes or fresh
- 1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime juiced
- sea salt or pink salt to taste
Method
- Soak adzuki beans in water overnight or for at least 4 hours.
- Drain and rinse beans.
- Place the rinsed beans in a large pot over high heat, fill the pot with water until the beans have at least 1 inch of water above them. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are tender. Drain and set aside.
- In a large pot or skillet over medium heat add oil, garlic and ginger. Saute ginger and garlic for 5 minutes or until turning golden.
- Add tomatoes, coconut milk, cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chili flakes, and adzuki beans. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Salt to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated using a third-party calculator and is an estimate only.
I soaked my beans overnight, I used a pressure cooker to
Cool it in 7 mins under high pressure. I added potatoes and onions when cooking it with ginger, cumin seeds, lemon juice, coconut milk, coriander and cilantro. I made it oil free and it’s delicious.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I was looking for a recipe for my first attempt at cooking with adzuki beans and this looked delicious. I do think it benefitted from some of my additions to the recipe: onions, red pepper, tamari, a little sesame oil, and pepper, all over brown rice. It’s a keeper and great way to get vegetable protein and nutrition. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’ve read this recipe 4 times. Where’s the curry? How much do I use? Am I just missing it?
You are making your own curry spice blend with the spices used in the recipe. I hope this helps! 🙂
I’m confused how it’s “curry” spice if there’s no curry.
Have you ever looked at the ingredients on a bottle of curry powder? Curry comes in many different forms and blends! 🙂 The true definition of a curry is simply a dish seasoned by spices. I hope this helps clarify! 🙂
Never mind. I’m making this now and can’t wait for the answer. I just threw in some curry.
I hope you enjoy! I’ve never added store-bought curry in addition to the homemade curry blend, but it’s likely tasty, too. 🙂
I just picked up some adzuki beans and this recipe looks so amazing. I’m having a hard time with tomatoes recently. Do you think this would still be good without them? Anything you recommend I use as a substitute?
Thank you
Hi Jess – I think this would still be delicious without them! A substitute wouldn’t be necessary taste-wise, but if you wanted to add additional body, a chopped bell pepper or two would do the trick. I hope this helps! 🙂
I made this tonight for dinner and was pleased! (trying to do more meatless proteins…) Thought I’d share a couple modifications:
– I made my beans in my instant pot (22 min on high pressure, natural release) — cuts down on need to soak the beans!
– I added:
– 1/2 diced red onion (sauteed first in pan, before adding garlic and ginger to brown)
– 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
– 1 1/2 tsp allspice
Definitely needs the pinch of salt and the acid from the lime… makes a nice, fresh flavoring and covers all the bases!
Thanks for the recipe!!
This is really good. I think next time I will make it ahead to let the flavors meld overnight. I used just a pinch of chili flakes but it definitely would be better with a bit more. I just can’t have spice. 🙁
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Super flavorful with a rich curry broth, and filling adzuki beans! This recipe is a keeper!
You had me at curry! I love that it’s vegetarian and a great way to reset after the holidays.
We loved it as written. Picky vegan resistant husband scraped his bowl. Served with couscous. Thank you
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I am such a fan of this curry! Aduki beans are so nutritious and delicious! The coconut milk makes them extra hearty!
So easy and delicious. I served mine with some brown rice and it was such a comforting meal on this cold day!
This recipe for Adzuki Bean Coconut Curry was off the chain excellent tasting! I loved all the flavors, and my picky kids enjoyed it so much! Happy Holidays.
This curry was hearty, satisfying, flavorful and delicious!! Love that it’s vegan friendly and gluten free too! Yum!
So happy to hear! Thank you! 🙂
I tried this recipe based on the 1 gram of saturated fat pet serving, which is wrong. If a can of “full fat” coconut milk has 60-65 grams of saturated fat and this recipe serves 6 people, then it’s at least10 grams of saturated fat in each serving. This is a very “unhealthy” recipe for anyone trying to reduce their LDL cholesterol. I threw the uneaten portion down the toilet!
Oh my goodness, thanks for letting me know! I’m sorry you had a negative experience. I do not personally calculate the nutritional information for my recipes. There is a built-in nutrition calculator in the recipe card I use (and most other food bloggers use). I’m not sure why it didn’t process the coconut milk correctly. I will try running the ingredients through again. If the issue remains, I will add a note here in the recipe card. Thanks again for bringing this to my attention, and again, my sincere apologies.
Oh my….you really should do more research regarding the fat in coconuts and coconut milk. It’s actually healthy for you. Geesh!!
This recipe is absolutely delicious and has become a staple meal at our house! We also serve it over brown rice
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I wasn’t familiar with adzuki beans so I loved finding this recipe with something new to try! Thanks for sharing.
This is such a great recipe. The curry is perfect. I made sure to soak up every ounce.
Thank you!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
This is so satisfying and delicious! It was a delicious dinner for the family, thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I’d never head of adzuki beans and cannot wait to try them in this recipe! I’m a big fan of curries and always love discovering new versions. Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
This is perfect! Simple, delicious, and healthy! Thank you for this great recipe
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to share. 🙂
Did you notice that although the “full fat” coconut milk has 60-65 grams of saturated fat? So if the recipe serves 6, that means at least 10 grams of LDL cholesterol increasing saturated fat in each serving. But the amount of saturated fat per serving posted is a very misleading 1 gram. And, she refused to post my comment because it was only 1 star.
Hi, Catherine! I replied to your first comment. If you ever do not see a comment appear right away, that is because I approve all comments prior to them posting, as otherwise you would see hundreds of spam bot comments on the blog. I corrected the recipe card’s nutritional error. Again, I’m sorry for your negative experience.
When I made this curry, my whole family raved about it! It will definitely become one of our regular dinners!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Kristen, this was so delicious!! Thank you for taking the time to share and post! It was so simple to make, and so flavorful. Definitely adding to our rotation.
This means a ton to hear! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to share! 🙂
I made this curry last night, I also added half a red pepper and a small pack of smoked lardons both required
using up, I also thickened the source with a small amount of cornflower, had the leftovers for lunch today, I would make this again, all five of us (including two fussy boys) enjoyed this recipe.
That’s great! I’m so happy to hear this. Thank you for taking the time to share!
I made a few substitutions and used what I had on hand. I didn’t have red pepper flakes and used chayenne.
I cooked the beans on high in my instant pot on high for 15 minutes then followed your recipe. I substituted ground for fresh ginger and ground cumin instead of cumin seeds. I used lemon instead of lime juice and added crumbled firm tofu and I didn’t have cilantro and It still tasted great. Thank you for the recipe.
Those modifications sound great! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!
Awesome recipe! love this beans!! Your recipe reminds me of a particular curry we make in Kerala (southern part of India) with red beans and gourd… Thanks for sharing this! Brought back beautiful memories! Keep up the good work!
Oh, this makes my day! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and share. 🙂
Thrilled at the wonderful taste of spice and layers. Wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you. I’ve frozen some for a later dinner, wonder how that will be. I will say though, after soaking my beans, it did take 2+ hours to cook them. They were not new, but they soaked for 12 hours… So don’t get frustrated if that happens.
Hi Claudia – I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by and share this feedback. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
How was It frozen? I made enough for 12 and live alone so I plan on freezing It.
I have these freezer-safe glass storage containers I use, but freezer-safe bags or anything like that will work. Just make certain the curry has cooled completely, seal tightly and place in the freezer. To reheat, you can thaw it first or as I like to do, I place a frozen portion in a sauce pan over low heat and let defrost that way, then turn the heat up a little until it’s warmed throughout. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi! I am making this now. I am wondering why it is called curry when there is no curry spice listed in ingredients?
Thank you!
Peggy
Hi! That is because you are making your own curry spice blend with the spices listed! 🙂 I hope you enjoy.
Cumin, turmeric and coriander are giving you a lot of curry flavors.
I made this yesterday exactly as directed * and it was lovely. Flavors were wonderful and its true, the red pepper flakes dont make it hot, and I am quite sensitive to peppers. Served it with a basmati mixed with steamed asian greens.
*Except my adzukis took 2 full hours to cook
Hi Donna – I really appreciate you taking the time to share this and I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
I’m really excited to make this tomorrow for dinner, but do the beans really only need to simmer for ten minutes? That seems so fast for beans.
Oh my gosh! So sorry! I don’t know how I left that out. I so appreciate you catching this. You simmer the beans on their own with water for 1 hour or until tender and then you add into step 5 as written! I just updated the recipe card as well. 🙂
I’m not going to lie, I was really hoping they were some kind of magic bean that just cooked super fast ? Thank you for responding so fast!!
This is the tastiest bean curry that I’ve practiced. I feel the light fat and flavor of coconut. This curry is ideal to serve with steamed rice. I like spicy so I added more red chili powder.
This curry looks absolutely fantastic my friend! Breathtaking photos and videos!! Woww wow wowwww
Thank you so much, my friend!!! That means a ton. 🙂