Banana Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas
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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.
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A friend made this dish at a dinner party this week and it was delicious! He shared the recipe and looking at it I just realized I have all of the ingredients on hand to make it today, I look forward to trying it out! Thanks!
What a serious banger of a dish… You can do so much with the sauce. Great as a vegetarian dish or throw in some shrimp or chicken. Really enjoyed this. And virtually fool proof. Very easy.
Hi! Do you know what kind of curry powder works best? (Or what spices are in the blend you’re using?). Thank you!!
I’ve made this with a number of different curry powders. Some of my favorites are from Monsoon Coast. But I’ve even had great results with this recipe using generic, store-bought curry powder.
Great curry! I was sceptical about the bananas being in there, but by the end, the taste was good and both my husband and I enjoyed it. Although, we did preferred the taste better before adding the rest of the bananas at the end, so next time I’ll use less of them.
Otherwise, as vegetables, I used sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, red bell peppers and cauliflower rice and it was yummy.
Thanks for an other delicious recipe!
This was so good! It’s definitely going in our rotation. I think this is the only cauliflower dish I’ve ever made that my husband liked. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow. 🙂
Tried it and we all loved it.
OMgawd! Thank you for repeating measurements under instructions <3
Is there anything I can use as a substitute for the coconut oil? Thanks!
You can use any type of cooking oil. 🙂
This meal is reasonably simple to prepare and tastes fantastic. However, I added the juice of a lemon to really make the curry taste zing.
I had a lot of bananas that needed eating so found this recipe and loved it! I think maybe my bananas were a bit too ripe, as they went a little mushy when frying, but I just added more of them to the sauce and it was lovely and thick. Instead of cauliflour and sweet potato I chose green peppers and spinach. I cannot wait to eat the other portion! Will definitely be making this again.
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe. How well does this freeze with the bananas? Does the fruit turn brown?
Yes, you can. I froze this successfully once and the bananas didn’t brown. 🙂
Never in a million years would I have tried or expected these flavors to come together so so good!!!
Highly recommend this, I even added a little buttrrnut squash with the sweet potatoes, and spucy peanut sauce too. Ir was phenomenal
Looks great! I am not vegetarian and cannot have chickpeas, are there any animal-based proteins you think might go well with the flavors of this dish?
I would opt for either chicken or shrimp. For chicken, add bite-sized pieces along with the cauliflower and sweet potato. For shrimp, add them in the last 5 minutes of cooking. 🙂
Smells amazing as I cooked it ahead for my dinner tonight. I added some raisins and I may add some sunflowers seeds when I serve it for some crunch. Maybe you could add some nuts like cashews or almonds?
I think some nuts on top are a great idea!
This looks wonderful! My kitchen smells great from the cooked bananas.
The recipe says to put 1/2 cup of the bananas in the blender, but what do I do with the rest of the bananas? Do I put them in the sauce with the vegetables?
I’m sorry for that confusion! Yes, the remaining cooked bananas get stirred into the sauce at the very end.
I love this recipe! Is it available in a cook book?
Nope … just here on my website. So glad you like it! 🙂