This healthy Vegetable Korma recipe is subtly spicy, made in one pan with veggies, cashews, yogurt, and deeply flavorful Indian-inspired spices. Super easy to make and quick to clean up, this creamy and comforting dish can be modified to your desired level of spiciness, and can also be made vegan.
This has been a favorite recipe of mine for years, and I’m so excited to finally be sharing it with you! Vegetable korma is a deliciously spiced dish that is most commonly associated with India, but variations of it can also be found in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Whenever I get take-out from my favorite local Indian food restaurant, veggie korma is the first thing that always comes to my mind to order. I hope you will love my subtly spicy and richly flavored take on this dish as much as we do, it is creamy comfort food at its finest!
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📋 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Only requires one pan, making clean-up a breeze.
- Quick to make.
- Super creamy and has a perfectly balanced blend of spices for a vegetarian korma.
- Spiciness can be adjusted to preference.
- Uses healthy fats and nutrient-rich vegetables.
- Has a deeply warm and comforting flavor.
- Naturally vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free.
🥘 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Raw cashews: They add a little crunch and amazing texture, and are also rich in fiber, nutrients, heart-healthy fats, and plant protein. You can replace them with other nuts if you prefer. If you are on a nut-free diet, replacing the cashews with pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds are both delicious and healthy options.
- Potato: Filling, and adds texture, fiber, vitamins, and nutrients.
- Plant-based or Greek yogurt: Adds creaminess, protein, and gut-healthy live cultures.
- Spices: The spices in this recipe are key to the flavor, so I wouldn’t recommend adjusting or omitting any. They give this dish its unique taste and depth of flavor.
- Chili pepper: This dish is spicy but not overly so, however, if you’d like more or less spice you can modify the amount of chili pepper you use.
- Vegetables: Bring this dish nutritious volume, vitamins, fiber, and deliciousness! You can use any veggies you prefer. Peas, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, baby corn, bell peppers, and green beans are some of my favorites.
- Coconut milk: Adds so much richness and flavor that balances the spice blend, and is extremely creamy and nutrient dense. If you aren’t vegan or on a dairy-free diet, you can substitute coconut milk for heavy cream if you prefer.
🔪 How-to Make
🍽 How-to Serve This Veggie Korma Recipe
This vegan korma dish looks beautiful and appetizing garnished with cilantro, and is delicious served alongside basmati rice or quinoa. Naan bread is a perfectly paired accompaniment as well. If you are not vegan, you can throw paneer cheese into the mix which is delicious, too. Vegetable korma can be the main course all on its own, or served in smaller portions with other Indian-inspired dishes.
♨️ How-to Store and Reheat
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat until warm throughout. This makes tasty leftovers!
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Can I omit the oil in this recipe?
Yes, you can omit if on an oil-free diet! If you aren’t vegan, you can replace the oil with ghee.
How do I adjust the spiciness of this recipe?
You can modify the spiciness of this dish to suit your tastes by omitting the chili pepper if you want less spice, or adding more if you love spice!
Where can I find the spices for this recipe?
I like to purchase them on Amazon: curry powder, garam masala, coriander, cardamom.
Can I make this recipe vegan?
Yes! This recipe is naturally vegan so if you prefer that, proceed with the oil and plant-based yogurt. Or, to add dairy you can substitute ghee for the oil, and Greek yogurt for the plant-based yogurt.
Can I use dried ginger instead of fresh?
Yes, ½ teaspoon of dried ginger will replace the freshly grated ginger just fine.
🍴Recipe Tips
- You can make this veg korma recipe your own dish by using your favorite vegetables, or whatever veggies you have on hand that need to be used up!
- You may notice that this recipe requires a lot of sauteing. The reason for this method is because this is how all of the flavors are pulled through and allows them to deepen and grow more complex. It’s worth it, trust me!
- Do you want to make this in an electric pressure cooker? Try this delicious Instant Pot Vegetable Korma recipe.
🍲 More Delicious Indian-Inspired Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegetable Korma Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil I like to use avocado oil (use ghee if not vegan/dairy-free)
- 1 onion any variety, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced or grated
- 1 one-inch knob fresh ginger root grated
- 1 jalapeno or serrano chile finely chopped
- ½ cup raw cashews ground or finely chopped
- 1 potato any variety, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar we like to use coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 green cardamom pods contents emptied, or ¼ teaspoon ground
- 2 13.5-ounce can full fat coconut milk
- ½ cup plain plant-based yogurt use plain Greek if not vegan/dairy-free
- 4 cups fresh or frozen vegetables any variety you like
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped (plus extra for garnishing)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- sea salt or pink salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot or skillet over medium heat, add the oil, onion, garlic, ginger and chile. Saute for 10 minutes.
- Add the cashews, potato, tomato paste, curry powder, sugar, garam masala, coriander and cardamom. Saute for 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the coconut milk, yogurt and vegetables. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is creamy.
- Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and then salt to taste. Garnish with more cilantro before serving alongside rice or quinoa. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Sumit says
Super recipe for korma. Love the newer twists too from the original recipe. Just a suggestion - you can make a paste of cashews too which'll make the gravy creamier.
Meenakshi says
Loved what coconut milk did to the Korma. A wonderful recipe indeed. Thanks for sharing.
Tara says
Oh yum! You had me at made in one pan! This looks fantastic packed with all those spices and vegetables.
Claudia Lamascolo says
Wow this was fantastic especially with the addition of coconut milk very good recipe
Kristen Wood says
I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Mandy Applehate says
This sounds delicious, I love Indian food!
Kristen Wood says
Thank you! Yes, it is my absolute fave. 🙂