This Vegetable Korma recipe is rich and creamy with plenty of spices. Made with cashews and coconut milk and ready to enjoy in about 30 minutes. Dairy free and gluten free!
What is vegetable korma?
Korma is an Indian curry dish, usually mildly spiced with a rich, creamy sauce. It’s often made with yogurt, nuts, coconut, spices, chicken or vegetables and has become wildly popular around the world.
This non-authentic vegan version gets its creaminess from blended cashews and coconut milk. If you want to make a more authentic korma recipe, check out this Veggie Kurma from Vegan Richa.
My recipe makes quite a lot of food, perfect for meal prep or freezing. The leftovers are just as incredible, so enjoy korma all week long!
Don’t forget to make a batch or basmati rice and vegan naan.
How to make vegetable korma
This is an overview with photos of the process. For the complete, printable recipe, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom.
First, get your cashews soaking in hot water so they soften and boil the vegetables in a large pot. While they cook, prepare the curry sauce.
Add the canned tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic to a blender or food processor. Blend until a smooth puree forms.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and the tomato puree to a large sauté pan and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for a few minutes.
Now add the spices, stir and cook for another few minutes.
Blend the soaked cashews and coconut milk in a blender (no need to even rinse out your blender if you don’t want to). Pour into the pan.
Add the frozen peas and stir.
Once the vegetables are tender and cooked, drain and add to the pan with the korma curry sauce.
Stir and cook on low heat until ready to serve. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, naan and rice. Enjoy!
How long will leftovers keep?
Leftovers will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container. Re-warm on the stovetop or the microwave. It makes a great meal prep for the week with a batch of rice.
Can you freeze korma?
Yes, it freezes beautifully! My favorite way to freeze it is in individual small containers that are freezer friendly. That way I can just pull it from the freezer and warm it up whenever I want a delicious, cozy warm curry.
You can freeze larger portions in containers as well.
Want more vegetarian Indian-inspired recipes?
Easy Vegetable Korma
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 1/2 pounds red or gold potatoes, peeled and chopped in 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 1 cup chopped green beans
For the puree
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, fire roasted preferred
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
The rest
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 13.5 ounces full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon dried coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less depending on spice preference
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1-2 teaspoons salt, to taste
For serving
- 2-3 cups cooked basmati rice
- Vegan Naan
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Soak the cashews: Add 1 cup of raw cashews to a small bowl, and cover with boiling hot water. I use my tea kettle to warm the water up. Let them soak while you get the vegetables boiling.
- Boil the vegetables: Add the carrots, potatoes, cauliflower and green beans to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain and set aside.
- While the vegetables are boiling, make the puree: Add the canned tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic to a blender (or food processor). Blend until a smooth puree forms.
- Transfer the puree to a large saucepan (big enough to hold all the vegetables when they're done cooking!) with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and bring to a boil. Simmer over low-medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Now add all the spices (garam masala, curry powder, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper) and stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Drain the cashews. Add the cashews and the can of coconut milk to your blender (no need to rinse it out from the tomatoes), and blend until smooth. Pour the cashew/coconut mixture into the pan with the tomato puree.
- Add the frozen peas, stir and cook for a minute. Now add the cooked carrots, potatoes, cauliflower and green beans. Stir until combined and warm, about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Serve with cooked basmati rice, chopped cilantro and vegan naan. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you have a cashew allergy, you can omit the cashews or use almonds/sunflower seeds instead. Or use two cans of coconut milk in place of the nuts.
- This recipe makes quite a lot, but it freezes well! I like to freeze individual portions in small freezer safe containers.Â
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Feel free to switch up the vegetables if you’d like. Sweet potatoes, broccoli, asparagus or chickpeas could all be added with good results.
- Nutrition calculation is only for the korma, and does not include rice or naan.
Nutrition
This recipe has been reposted with new photos and a better recipe, though it was originally published in 2018. I increased the curry powder and added cayenne pepper for more spice. I also added green beans to the vegetable mix. Otherwise, it is unchanged.
So good! Ended up having most of the ingredients in the pantry and freezer. The coriander is nice and fragrant. Thanks for Your help to make an amazing korma, couldn’t have done it without you!!
You’re welcome! Glad it was good!
This is a family favorite. We make it just like the recipe and it’s not spicy at all for my kids. It’s so hard to find a meal that all three kids (9, 7, and 4) love. They get seconds and clean their plates. Thank you so much, Nora!
You’re welcome! So glad to hear it!
Hi Nora, just made this korma. Great recipe! I found it a little bland which seems to happen to me whenever I try a new recipe. What do you suggest I add to make it more spicy? Thanks!
Yes, this is purposefully quite mild and not so spicy. I would add cayenne pepper to taste for more spice, or increase the spices to taste. Thanks!
Hi!
How would you make this oil free? It sounds delicious!
All you need to do is replace the olive oil with water. Thanks!
Really tasty and simple to prepare. Will definitely be making this delicious Korma again.
Thanks so much!
Tasty! This recipe came together easily and quickly! The steps seemed a little complicated when reading the recipe over (not used to using a blender so much) but in action it was speedy and easy. I liked how I didn’t have to chop onion or garlic, bonus!
Makes 4-5 generous sized servings and was great for leftovers throughout the week. Boyfriend approved, too!
I’m so glad you liked it and it was simple to prepare!
I made this and the cashews were still very granular in the sauce. Do I need to strain it? Or perhaps do I need a different food processor?
The cashews will not get as creamy with a food processor, I would recommend a high powdered blender like a Vitamix instead. It’s what I use. Straining will not help. You could also skip the cashews and just use another can of full fat coconut milk if you prefer. Thank you!
Even with omitting the cashews this still turned out great. I like things spicy but my SO likes things mild so this was perfect as I just put red pepper flakes on mine and he was fine with it as is. Even better the next day!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you.
I want to make this for a potluck. Will this fill an instapot or would I need to double it?
That depends on the size of your Instant Pot. I have a 6 qt, and I haven’t made it in the Instant Pot, but I think it would just about fill it.
I stumbled across your site today looking for a vegan korma recipe and have just finished eating the result. Just perfect!! Flavour and consistency of the sauce were spot on. So easy and quick to cook. My whole family want it cooked regularly now. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, and I’m glad you found the site!
Sounds delicious and I’m definitely going to try this recipe. My only question is why would you need to rinse out your blender between the tomato mixture and the coconut mixture – all the ingredients end up in the same pot, right?
I guess you wouldn’t really! Hope you enjoy it!
Is this korma sweet? I can’t wait to try
I would not say it’s sweet. It’s really delicious, hope you love it!
This was super amazing, and the flavors were perfect. Mine came out very thick though, what do you recommend to make it more saucy and less veggie-y? Maybe one more can of coconut milk plus one more can of tomato? Or less veggies?
If you want it to be less thick and more saucy, I would say yes one more can of coconut milk (light or regular is fine). I’m not sure you would need any more canned tomatoes but you could. You may also need to up the spices a bit though. Or just add less veggies. Thanks!
Wow, this dish looks so delicious. I love the bright color and I am almost feeling the bursting flavors…
This was a hit. I even learned how to make my own Garam masala! A delicious recipe.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I should do that sometime, I always buy a mix!
This was soooo easy and delicious. I used sweet potatoes instead of carrots because that’s what I had on hand. Also topped with peanuts and raisins after cooking. Definitely a keeper.
This recipe is AMAZING!!! It came together so quickly and everyone loved it, even my picky no-vegetable-eater!
I’m so glad even your picky eater loved it, that’s great! Thank you!
Could a fresh head of cauliflower be substituted for frozen?
Absolutely! Thank you.
This looks great! I’m curious about the “coriander” in the recipe. Are you talking about the dried herb or fresh leaves?
Thank you! I’m talking about the dried herb, in powder form. Sorry, I probably need to clarify that in the recipe. Thank you, and enjoy!
I have only recently fallen in Love with vegetable Korma, and I needed it to also be Vegan, so this recipe is my Dream come true!!
Hey! I’m so excited to try this, but I’m wondering if it is spicy? I haven’t cooked with these spices before, and I really don’t like spicy. I like flavorful, but nothing that makes my tongue burn ? is this spicy at all?
Hi there! 🙂 I understand. Well, it’s a bit spicy, but not overly so I wouldn’t say. My kids will all eat it, and they don’t like a lot of heat! If you are concerned, you could add only half the garam masala and the curry powder. Then adjust as necessary if you can handle more spice. Thank you!
Hi Nora!
I made this recipe for the first time last night and have to say, it’s DELICIOUS! My husband is not a vegan and he enjoyed the dish. We both love spicy foods though and found this not be spicy at all. I know everybody has different tolerances for spice though. I think the next time I make it, I will add some hot peppers or spices to kick it up a notch!
This is phenomenal!! So easy and filling, spiced perfectly and quick. You are my go to for vegan recipes, this one and your nacho cheese are my favorites!! I really appreciate you sharing these with us online!! xoxoxo
Thanks so much Lakeisha! That means so much to me! 🙂 This is one of my favorite dishes.
My family loved the recipe! Thank you!
This recipe was amazing! My husband requested it 2 nights in a row! I haponestly know I can’t go wrong when I use your recipes! You are my go to for yummy dishes!
Aw thank you!!
She truly is the best. Her dishes are simple but taste out of this world.
I think this is my first ever blog comment! I’m writing this while I eat this deliciousness because I don’t want to forget to tell you how good it is! Definitely going in the rotation. Like every other day kinda rotation! Indian is my favorite food but I have had SO many flops. Thank you for this!! In heaven!
Wow, well what a great comment! Seriously, you have made my day. 🙂 I’m so happy you are loving the korma so much, it is so delicious! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know.
Sooo good!! The last time I attempted Indian cooking was a major flop. Very excited to have tried this recipe and have a success under my belt!
I’m so glad to hear it Jessica!! Sometimes Indian cooking can seem very overwhelming, which is why I like to keep it simple. 🙂