Banana Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Banana curry might sound a little strange, but it’s so good. Thick banana slices are sauteed with coconut oil until extra sweet and caramelized. They’re cooked with your favorite curry spices, cauliflower, sweet potato, and chickpeas for a delicious and filling vegetarian curry.
The idea for this recipe came from a Monsoon Coast, a local-to-me spice blend company. While I found the all-banana version overwhelming for my taste, I loved the idea. I tested several curry recipes with bananas, and when I tasted this one, I knew it was the winner.
The bananas here add a gorgeous natural sweetness, but the flavor stays in the background where it belongs. You get just the right amount of banana without it taking over the whole dish. It melts into the creamy coconut milk and warm curry spices, giving the sauce a silky richness that tastes far more complex than the ingredients suggest.
To balance everything out, I add cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and chickpeas. They soften and simmer in the sauce, mellowing the sweetness and adding hearty texture to the curry. The result is a beautifully balanced dish — comforting, a little unexpected, and downright delicious.
FAQs
How long does banana curry keep? This curry will keep well for at least 5 days in your fridge. Like most curry recipes, this one gets better after a day or two. Reheat it gently on the stovetop or in a microwave before serving.
Can I use different veggies? Yes! You can use any veggies that you love or have in your fridge. You’ll want to use about 6 cups of chopped veggies.
Serving ideas
No curry is complete without a side of rice – I always make a pot of basmati rice. Another nice option is coconut rice. And no one will complain if you bring some naan to the table!
Banana Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (divided)
- 4 ripe bananas (cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 2 inch piece of ginger (chopped)
- 15 ounce can coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 cups chopped cauliflower
- 1 medium sweet potato (chopped)
- 19 ounce can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- Cilantro (to serve)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large, nonstick pan. Add the bananas, cut sides facing down. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they are well browned. Flip them over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove them from the pan.4 ripe bananas
- Add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil, the onion, garlic, and ginger to the pan. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.1 medium onion, 4 cloves garlic, 2 inch piece of ginger
- Transfer the onion mix to your blender. Add ½ cup of the cooked bananas, the coconut milk, curry powder, and salt and blend on high speed until smooth.15 ounce can coconut milk, 2 tablespoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Pour the sauce into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower, sweet potato, and chickpeas and bring the curry to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir the remaining caramelized bananas into the sauce then serve with cilantro sprinkled on top.4 cups chopped cauliflower, 1 medium sweet potato, 19 ounce can chickpeas, Cilantro
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Popular Vegetarian Curry Recipes
If you love curry as much as we do, make sure to check out all of our curry recipes!
I have lots of frozen bananas. Would they be ok to defrost and use or cook from frozen
I frozen banana will be too mushy for this recipe. But one of my favorite things to make when I have lots of frozen bananas is this ice cream.
Is there a veg you recommend in place of the cauliflower (not broccoli, either, please)? I’m not a very good cook & don’t feel like I could pick a veg which would be a good sub. Thank you for sharing this recipe and your time!
I think some green beans or peas would be nice in here. Some diced peppers would be good too. All three of these options should be added in the last few minutes of cooking, once the sweet potato is soft. You could also add 2 sweet potatoes instead of one to make it a bit heartier.
Hello, do you peel the bananas or are the skins included?
I peel them!
Honestly this has got to be one of the best curry recipes ever. I’m married and my hubby is a meat eater so we eat separately, I therefore batch cook. I make this recipe and freeze the other portions.
It’s a fantastic recipe and thank you so much for publishing.
I’m thrilled that you made this! I really enjoy this one, too. Thank you for coming back to comment!
It’s amazing😋😋
Thanks, Alicia!
Unfortunately mine didn’t turn out fantastic (though I managed to save it & no one complained). I’ve still gave the recipe 5 stars as I think it’s a winner & it was my error. I just want to save others making my mistake. I think my banana’s were a bit over ripe & also wasn’t sure of curry powder to use (medium/mild?) I used medium in the end which did cover the taste of over ripe banana but would love to know which spice you used in the one in the photo. Looking forward to trying it again as apart from that it looked & smelled amazing.
I used Surjat (the brand) madras curry powder, which is mild in flavor. As curry powder is simply a blend of spices, each brand will taste a little different, but they will all add lots of delicious flavor to the curry!
Honestly this has to be one if the best recipes I’ve made, it was awesome. Sadly I didn’t take a photo but anyone that makes it will definitely want to make it again.
Thank you for this very tasty recipe.
Were the chickpeas supposed to be drained first? Also, I always learned to toast my curry powder in oil in the pan first, so I was wondering if there’s any particular reason you didn’t do that first?
Yes the chickpeas are drained. You can definitely toast the spices! We chose not to in this recipe as it’s already very flavorful and we wanted to simplify the process.