Cauliflower curry is an easy to make and delicious Indian curry recipe. It's made with a creamy coconut sauce, lots of cauliflower, chickpeas, and peas for a healthy and tasty meal!

Complete the meal with some perfect basmati rice. And if you love vegetarian Indian curry recipes, make sure to also check out our coconut lentil curry!

A pot of cauliflower curry with chickpeas and peas.

Cauliflower curry

Let's hear it for a richly-flavored and impossibly cozy vegetarian curry.

It's easy weeknight dinners, stay in weekend chill feasts, and totally lunch approved.

This is the kind of curry you'll find yourself eating again and again, happy every time.

How to make cauliflower curry

  1. The first step in making curry is adding the flavor. You'll cook the finely minced onion, ginger, and garlic until they're golden. Then you add the spices and cook them for about a minute, which helps bring out their flavor.
  2. The next step is adding the tomatoes and coconut milk to create the sauce and cooking the cauliflower in the sauce.
  3. Once the cauliflower is tender, all that you have to do is add the chickpeas (and we always add frozen peas at this step) and let them warm through for about a minute.

Full instructions in the recipe card below.

4 pictures showing how to make cauliflower curry.

Tips for making the best cauliflower curry

  1. Mince the onion, ginger, and garlic as small as you possibly can. The tiny pieces blend into the sauce and give it a better flavor than if you cut them into larger pieces. In our butter chicken recipe, we take this trick one step further by actually blending the sauce.
  2. Use fresh curry powder and turmeric. Ground spices don't last forever. Over time, they lose their flavor. If you've had them in your cupboard for more than 2 years, consider buying new spices.
  3. If you like your curry hot and spicy, add a minced chili pepper along with the ginger and garlic.
A closeup of a pot of cauliflower curry with chickpeas and peas.

Which spices are used to make this cauliflower curry recipe?

A lot of the flavor comes from the finely minced onion, ginger, and garlic.

To that trio, we add some yellow curry powder (which is a blend of many spices) and some turmeric.

How long does this curry last?

Cauliflower curry will last for 4-5 days in your fridge, making it a great option for meal-prep lunches.

Can cauliflower curry be frozen?

Yes! Cauliflower curry freezes very well. Let it cool completely then transfer it to freezer-safe containers. We love these big reusable Stasher Bags for freezing leftovers.

A bowl of cauliflower chickpea curry with rice.

Variations to try

This cauliflower curry recipe is a great choice if you've found some veggies hiding in your fridge that need to be used.

  • Broccoli
  • Red peppers
  • Diced potatoes
  • Frozen peas
  • Carrots
  • Frozen mixed veggies

Or you can add some diced chicken when you add the cauliflower. It will be perfectly cooked at the same time as the cauliflower.

A bowl of cauliflower curry and rice.
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A bowl of cauliflower curry and rice.

Cauliflower Curry with Chickpeas and Peas

  • Author: Kristen Stevens
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Indian

★★★★★

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Description

Cauliflower curry is an easy to make and delicious Indian curry recipe. It's made with a creamy coconut sauce, lots of cauliflower, chickpeas, and peas for a healthy and tasty meal!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons yellow curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 2 15-ounce cans of  coconut milk 
  • 1 ½ teaspoons EACH: sea salt and pepper
  • 1 large cauliflower, chopped into pieces
  • 1 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • Optional: peas, broccoli, red peppers, potatoes (see notes)
  • Cilantro, to serve

Instructions

  1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it turns golden, about 7 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the curry powder and turmeric and cook for 1 minute more. 
  2. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, salt, and pepper to the pot and mix well. Add the cauliflower and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. 
  3. Stir the chickpeas into the curry and serve with a little cilantro sprinkled over the top. 

Notes

The optional veggies:

  • Add the potatoes with the cauliflower
  • Add broccoli and red peppers 10 minutes after the cauliflower
  • Add frozen peas with the chickpeas

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A pot of cauliflower curry with chickpeas and peas and the recipe title written on top of the picture.