16 of our best vegetarian curry recipes

Vegetarian dishes are the core diet of the majority of India, and when vegetables can taste this good, it’s easy to see how meat falls by the wayside. Find below our 16 best vegetarian curries, including dishes with their origins in Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Saag paneer

If eating more greens means this saag paneer from Chetna Makan, then sign us up! It’s so simple to make, and the hit of lemon juice adds a beautiful acidity to compliment the creamy paneer.

Peanut butter, sweet potato and spinach curry

Say we told you that you could make a vegan curry from scratch with just 15 mins prep… would you believe us? This curry is packed with peanut butter, sweet potatoes and spinach for nothing but good times.

Rajma paneer curry

You can use dried red kidney beans, soaking them overnight, then boiling them before making this curry, or tinned beans (which makes everything much quicker) here. This dish is great served with rotis, naan, rice or pilau rice.

Mushroom curry

Taking inspiration from methi murgh, the Indian chicken dish, this mushroom curry uses addictive dried fenugreek as a key ingredient. Adjust the spice to your taste, and make it a day ahead for even more depth of flavour.

Butternut massaman curry

This veggie massaman from Dr Rupy Aujla’s is naturally sweet, fabulously creamy and full of goodness from the added spinach and sugar snap peas. Try pairing it with a light beer.

If you like this sound of this, take a look at our Thai curry collection.

Mughlai paneer kofta curry 

Name us a better duo than potato and cheese! You can’t go wrong with a paneer; we suggest serving these cheesy potato and nut dumplings with rotis to soak up the sauce, which gets fragrancy from cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.

Sweet potato and chickpea curry

Feed the masses with our ever-popular sweet potato and chickpea curry. It’s all cooked in one pot, can easily be adapted to feed more people, happens to be vegan, AND it tastes sensational.

Courgette kofta curry

Can you tell we have a thing for veggie koftas? This recipe from Chetna Makan sees courgette dumplings shallow fried and then placed in a bowl of warming tomato curry, drizzled with cream. Yes please.

Aubergine and squash Thai green curry

Green curry is a highly adapable classic, and this easy-to-make version offers deliciously tender aubergine and squash in a spicy coconutty sauce. A satisfying meal for the family (if they can handle the heat).

Okra and potato curry

This fragrant vegetarian curry from Dhruv Baker’s is made with new potatoes and okra, and the warming spices of nigella, fennel and coriander make this a deeply flavourful dinner.

Malaysian-style vegetable and coconut curry

This wonderfully creamy Malaysian-style curry comes from vegetarian cookbook writer Rose Elliot. Serve scattered with coriander and crushed peanuts.

Whole egg curry

If you’ve never had a whole egg curry before, we hope we can convince you with this warming dish which sees mustard seeds, spices and coconut cream come together in a comforting sauce. Finish with the fresh zing of mint and you’re on to a winner.

Chana masala

A chana masala doesn’t miss out on meaty textures and flavours. This recipe employs a punchy mix of spices (think chilli, ginger, cumin and turmeric) and a kick of tang from the dose of creamy yogurt. Irresistible.

Vegan katsu curry

The ever popular katsu is reimagined here with breadcrumbed tofu instead of chicken. Because nobody should miss out on a good Japanese curry.

Sambhar

A sambhar is a lentil-based soup popular in South India and Sri Lanka which is often eaten alongside dosas or other curries. It’s a warming and comforting dish, and making the spice blend from scratch is well worth your time.

Tamarind aubergine (imli baigan)

While not strictly a curry, this stir-fried aubergine dish makes a cracking main served alongside some saucier curry dishes, but is great enough to enjoy in its own right. Fried onions, fennel and a tamarind tang are a match made in heaven.

Find more smashing meat-less curry recipes here.