My go-to coconut curry recipe! It's easy to make but packs a punch of flavor from turmeric, ginger, and more delicious spices. Serve with rice or naan!
This coconut curry recipe is comforting, flavorful, and—best of all—easy to make on a weeknight. It has a rich, fragrant coconut sauce that surrounds tender vegetables like cauliflower, butternut squash, and peas. The recipe cooks in one pot and uses pantry ingredients (and you can even add other veggies or a protein if you like). If you’re looking for a dinner that’s healthy, delicious, and simple, this coconut curry is for you!
This recipe has been one of my go-to weeknight dinners for years. I love that it’s quick to make yet packs a punch of flavor and nutrients. Jack and I often come close to polishing off the whole pot, but I always hope for leftovers so I can eat them for lunch the next day. This curry tastes even better after the spices have a chance to mix and mingle in the fridge!
Coconut Curry Ingredients
This coconut curry recipe isn’t an authentic version of any one traditional curry. It draws inspiration from both Indian curry dishes and Thai curries I’ve eaten to create a comforting, nourishing meal with basic spices and other simple ingredients.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Coconut milk, of course! I recommend using canned, full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest texture and richest coconut flavor. Avoid lite coconut milk or coconut milk in a carton, which will make the curry watery.
- Coconut oil – It adds extra richness and helps the vegetables soften before the curry simmers.
- Onion and garlic – They create the curry’s savory base.
- Fresh ginger and warming spices – Cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and black pepper add earthy, aromatic flavor to this recipe. If you’d like to simplify, feel free to use curry powder instead of the individual spices.
- Fresh chiles – Thai chiles, serrano, or jalapeño add delicious heat to this simple recipe. Skip them if you’re sensitive to spice!
- Butternut squash, cauliflower, peas, and spinach – My go-to curry vegetables. This recipe is flexible though—find more veggie options in the variations section below.
- Lemon and lime juice – I add them at the end of the cooking process for delicious bright flavor.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Coconut Curry
Most of the steps of this recipe are actually pictured in this post—it’s really that simple. Here’s all you need to do:
1. Start by cooking the onion. Heat coconut oil in a medium pot over medium heat, then add the onion and cook until it softens.
2. Add the butternut squash and chiles. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the squash starts to soften.
3. Simmer the curry. Add the cauliflower, coconut milk, and spices, and simmer until the veggies are tender.
4. Add the green vegetables. During the last five minutes of the simmering time, stir in the green things and add squeezes of lemon and lime to brighten everything up.
So healthy!
Recipe Variations
This coconut curry recipe is very flexible, so I encourage you to use it as a template. Here are some ideas to change it up:
- Use different veggies. If you don’t have butternut squash, use sweet potatoes. If you don’t have cauliflower, then use broccoli. Other veggies like green beans, zucchini, red bell peppers, carrots, and snow peas would be great here as well.
- Add a protein. Add a can of chickpeas, cubed extra-firm tofu, or cubed paneer to the curry when you add the coconut milk.
- Spice it up. Add extra chiles, a pinch of cayenne, or red pepper flakes.
How to Serve Coconut Curry
I love this curry over basmati rice with naan bread on the side for soaking up the rich sauce. I always top it with fresh garnishes before serving. A squeeze of lime juice and fresh basil and/or cilantro leaves really take it over the top.
Not in the mood for basmati rice? This curry is fantastic with other grains too. Try pairing it with brown rice, cauliflower rice, or even quinoa!
How to Store and Reheat
- In the fridge: This coconut curry recipe keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you have leftovers, you’re in luck—the flavors just get better as it sits in the fridge!
- In the freezer: This curry freezes well too. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then seal it in freezer-safe airtight containers, leaving an inch of space for it to expand at the top. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Warm leftover curry in the microwave or over low heat on the stovetop.
More Curry Recipes to Try
If you love this coconut curry, try one of these easy curry recipes next:
Easy Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 3 red Thai chiles, or 1 serrano, or ½ jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
- Freshly ground black pepper
For serving
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- Fresh basil or cilantro leaves
- Naan bread, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and well-browned, about 10 minutes, reducing the heat to low halfway through.
- In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the butternut squash and chiles to the pot, stir, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and then add the coconut milk and the spice mixture. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the lemon juice, lime juice, spinach, and peas and stir. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding additional lime juice, salt, and pepper, as desired.
- Serve the curry over the rice with fresh basil, naan bread, if desired, and lime wedges on the side.
Absolutely delicious dish! Just curious…where’s the curry in this curry?
I’m glad you loved it! The spice blend is a curry spice blend.
Gotcha! I didn’t know that curry was just a blend of spices. ?♂️
Anyways, we are huge fans of all of your recipes that we have tried!
aw, yay, I’m so glad you’ve been loving the recipes!
Is it THAT much of a problem to use light coconut milk? Full-fat would break the bank for my diet.
Hi Tabitha, you can use light if you like, it’ll just be a thinner curry which is why we prefer regular coconut milk.
Made this last night and it was SO good!
Hi Liz, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
It’d be nice to know what size can of coconut milk you use…
13.5 ounce
At what point of the process would I be best to freeze this? Excited to make it for my future self as a easy to heat and eat option. 🙂
Hi K,
Cook it from start to finish, then let it cool to room temp and transfer to freezer-safe storage containers and freeze. To reheat, I thaw (microwave-safe) containers in the microwave, or you could transfer to a pot on the stove and heat until just warmed through. I hope you enjoy!
This is delicious! I have tried many curry recipes and this curry has the best flavor. I doubled the garlic and also used extra onions.
Thank you!! Will make again and again!
Hi Ann, I’m so glad you loved it!
This was great! Light, flavorful, healthy. We added some tofu and it made a great dinner. Also subbed kale because I did not have spinach and that was great too. Definitely making again!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi Jeanine!
Sooooo I’m at my parent’s house and am also super new at cooking so don’t judge me too harshly but…
I got all the veggies and spices prepared and realized my parents don’t have a Dutch oven!! I was hoping you might be able to suggest an alternative? We have soup pots, skillets, and a crock pot. Thanks!!
Sara
Hi Sara,
No judgement! A large soup pot will be totally fine!
Delicious! I left out the peppers because I gave to my kids but it came out so good I will make more again soon! Thanks for sharing!
I’m new to using coconut milk so I’m trying to get familiar with the differences, specifically the viscosity of various canned coconut milks.
The full fat version I see is a big clump, like butter, over top of the liquid under.
If discarding the liquid or using for smoothies, I’m wondering what’s the point of even canning it that way, but that’s a different question.
Your photo that shows pouring the coconut milk it appears like, well, like a regular liquid ‘milk’, but your recipe calls for full fat, so did you blend the clump of coconut milk fat with the liquid to use the entire can, what we see you’re pouring is the (softened fat) blended altogether?
Hi Robin, cans of coconut milk can vary in terms of how much the fats solidify (usually based on the temperature the can is stored at). Not to worry, add the whole can to this recipe – the solid clump and liquids. As you stir it in, it will melt together and become smooth. Hope that helps!
Hi Christian, I’m so glad you loved it!
Making this right now. Adding shrimp to put in my kids bowls. It smells divine! And I have to say also I purchased Everyday and it’s the most beautiful cookbook I’ve had in a long while. I look forward to cooking it all!
Hi Shelly, I hope you love the curry and the cookbook! Thank you!!
Can you cook it in a crockpot?
You could!
Soo delicious and quick! This is a great way to get maximum veggie in my kids and husband. I added a can of chickpeas at the end to make this a complete meal.
Hi Joan, I’m so glad you loved it so much! It’s my favorite go-to curry 🙂
I made this on Monday night for a friend and it was so good. I will now use this recipe to use up CSA veggies. This was the first time I ever made a yellow curry.
Since it is already HOT in Nashville I made it in the Instant Pot – 1 minute and then we let it do a natural release while we were in the pool.
The rice was made the night before (Instant Pot.) I subbed sweet potato for the butternut squash and poured a can of veggie broth over the veggies to cook. Did step 4 as directed.
I will be using this for lots of variations on the summer. Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed this recipe and to let you know you are not blogging in vain.
I made this TWICE so far. Definitely added to my go-to list of dinners. The butternut squash in this is delicious! Perfect timing on the cooking, just before falling apart but still maintaining shape and melty tenderness.
I used kale/collards instead of spinach for more textyre. I used cayenne/red pepper instead of serrano that I used the first time (forgot to buy for second time). Both worked.
Topped generously with chopped cilantro and jemon juice worked too. Don’t forget to add some black pepper! That makes the tumeric more bioavailable (along with that coconut oil).
I used cow’s milk instead of coconut because I had a lot on hand, and it worked well, though I’m sure canned coconut milk would be excellent. To make up for it I added virgin coconut oil (instead of refined) for that coconut flavor.
Upped the peas to a cup and a whole onion because I especially like those. Served with quinoa for that protein rich meal. Thanks!
It tastes so simple
This dish is amazing ! so yummy… Thanks
Hi Andrea, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Another favorite! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Amazing recipe! I substituted a chopped sweet potato for the butternut squash and skipped serving with rice. I also added kale for extra greens. Delicious and warmed the soul!