Vegetarian Vegetable Korma
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Curl up with a bowl of the ultimate comfort food – a flavorful, warming curry. This vegetable korma ticks all the boxes: it has a flavor-packed, rich, and creamy sauce made with yogurt and a blend of aromatic spices, blended cashews, coconut milk, and an assortment of vibrant, fresh vegetables.
Vegetable korma is one of those deeply comforting meals that feels cozy and vibrant at the same time. Maybe it’s the warming spices, the creamy sauce, or the rich golden color, but every bowl feels satisfying in the best way. This vegetarian version is packed with tender vegetables and a velvety sauce that tastes indulgent yet feels surprisingly light.
Instead of relying on heavy cream or ghee, I blend cashews with coconut milk to create the creamy base. The result is silky, rich, and full-bodied without feeling overly heavy. Potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, and onion make the korma hearty and satisfying, while garlic, ginger, and tomato paste build layers of savory flavor underneath all those beautiful spices.
And there are plenty of spices here. They give the sauce warmth, depth, and that signature aromatic flavor that makes korma so irresistible. Lemon juice and yogurt brighten and balance everything at the end, while just a little brown sugar rounds out the flavors. It’s the kind of meal the whole family happily digs into — cozy, creamy, and packed with flavor in every spoonful.
Can I use cashew butter instead of cashews? Using cashew butter from a jar works well in curry recipes, but the final result can vary in taste. A cashew butter will add a bit more flavor as it is roasted.
What vegetables to use in vegetable korma
Vegetarian korma is really flexible – you can mix and match the veggies and use whatever you like or have on hand. Potatoes are a hearty and delicious addition! Cauliflower florets, carrots, green beans, and bell peppers all work well. Peas offer a little burst of sweetness, or add some spinach for a leafy green. We opt for fresh vegetables, however, frozen vegetables will taste great, too! Be aware that frozen vegetables often have a little more moisture if they’ve gotten icy in the freezer, meaning the curry will be a bit thinner.
What to serve with vegetable korma
Make some cauliflower rice, basmati rice, coconut rice, or some quinoa to soak up the beautiful sauce of the vegetable korma, and serve with some naan or roti.
For some Indian inspired appetizers, start the meal with some curried carrots or turmeric cauliflower.
If you’re making a spread of warming curries, serve this vegetable korma alongside our eggplant curry with chickpeas and tofu.
Leftovers store very well. Keep the vegetable korma in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Avoid using potatoes if you want to freeze the vegetable korma, as they will turn gritty once frozen – substitute with other vegetables instead.
Vegetable Korma Recipe
Ingredients
The Veggies
- 2 medium potatoes (cut into small, bite-sized pieces)
- 4 cups mixed chopped vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, beans, bell peppers, corn, and peas all work well)
The Vegetarian Korma Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 inch piece of ginger (peeled and chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (smashed with the back of a knife)
- 5.5 ounce can of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon EACH: curry powder and garam masala
- 1 ½ teaspoons EACH: cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom
- 1-2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon EACH: ground cloves, fennel, fenugreek, and chili flakes
- 1 can coconut milk
- ½ cup cashews
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup yogurt (omit or use vegan yogurt for vegan)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (sub coconut sugar or honey for paleo)
- Top with any or all: cashews, cilantro, lemon, and raisins
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a medium-sized pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Let the potatoes boil for 5 minutes then add the rest of the veggies to the pot. Let them boil for another 5 minutes then drain the pot and set it aside.2 medium potatoes, 4 cups mixed chopped vegetables
- While the veggies are cooking, start preparing the vegetarian korma sauce. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.1 tablespoon oil, 1 large onion, 2 inch piece of ginger, 4 cloves garlic
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the tomato paste and all of the spices. Stir well then return the pot to the heat. When the spices are fragrant and the tomato paste caramelized, after about 1 minute, add the coconut milk, cashews, lemon juice and 1 ¼ cups of water. Let the pot boil for 5 minutes to soften the cashews.5.5 ounce can of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon EACH: curry powder and garam masala, 1 ½ teaspoons EACH: cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, ½ teaspoon EACH: ground cloves, fennel, fenugreek, and chili flakes, 1 can coconut milk, ½ cup cashews, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1-2 teaspoons sea salt
- Working in batches, blend the curry until it is smooth then add it back to the pot.½ cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, Top with any or all: cashews, cilantro, lemon, and raisins
- Stir through the yogurt and brown sugar and add more sea salt, if needed. Stir the veggies into the curry and serve immediately topped with any or all of the toppings.
Video
Nutrition
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Love the mix of spices in this recipe!
Love the mix of spices in this recipe!
I’ve made this recipe 10+ times, it’s always a crowd favourite!
Aw, that makes me so happy to hear! Knowing you’ve made it 10+ times and that it’s always a crowd favorite is the biggest compliment. Thanks so much for coming back to share that — it really means a lot. 💛✨
What can I use to substitute for the cashews? Or can I just leave them out?
I am allergic to cashews.
I use the cashews to add creaminess. You can omit them if you’re allergic, or add about ¼ cup of whipping cream near the end of cooking.
Wow!!!! This is THE BEST curry I’ve ever made, and I’ve tried many different recipes. It was a little more time consuming than the recipe stated, but it was well worth it. The serving sizes must be very generous, also. I doubled the recipe and I think it’s more like 20 servings if not more, but this something we will gladly eat as leftovers. I’m hoping it freezes well? Anyways, thank you. Wonderful recipe. Chefs kiss. 👌🏼
Yes it freezes very well! Thanks, Whitney!!
Perfect balance of flavours. Thank you.
Thanks, Magali!
This recipe was delicious. The Korma sauce was perfect consistency.
Very good.
I love how you put the ingredients along with each step.
Love this 💛💛
Made it over a dozen times. But I roast my cauliflower in pieces, (coated in a bit of oil and the same spices as the recipe as well as cumin seeds, and cooked til very brown. Its delicious eating the cauliflower hot off the pan, but then I add it to the full recipe, using the same spices in recipe too). I use carrots and peppers, green beans and potatoes too. I love it, serve it with my own naan bread where I use coconut vegan yoghurt for the liquid which makes the naan very tender. I also serve it on farro instead of rice as my son prefers farro. This is my favourite Korma recipe I’ve ever tried. Serve it to company, and there’s never a drop left. For people who say they dont like curries, this recipe converts them.
Amazing recepie. I’m cooking this recepie for years now. I don’t buy any curry’s from supermarkets always make them from scratch and this recepie is the best for Korma ! We have it with loads different veggies as my daughter is vegetarian 😁
This is so popular in our house, we’ve tried it with lots of different veg as well as soy chunks (soaked first in stock).
This is fantastic! Loved the seasonings. I did not have fennel so I left it out. I also didn’t feel like it needed the sugar so I left that out as well. I used carrots and yellow and red peppers for the veggies.
Can’t wait to make this again.
This is absolutely delicious! So much flavor and turned out perfectly. I will make this over and over. An absolute keeper!!!! Thank you!
Made this recipe again today, probably for the fifth time and it is as delicious as always! This is our go to when my husband and I are visiting friends and it’s always a big hit.
The spices are perfect, the only changes we make is adding more veggies and using maple syrup instead of sugar at the end of the cooking. It is sublime! Your recipes are always so balanced!
Thank you so much for your creativity. Your blog is amazing!
Thank you so much, Maila! Your comment made my day!
Does cashew butter (assume roasted but jar doesn’t say) work as a sub for the whizzed cashews? Or is there a sub for the cashews because I’d prefer not to wash up a food processor if necessary 🙂
I have used cashew butter from a jar and it works well in curry recipes. It adds a bit more flavor since it is roasted, but it’s tasty!
Best korma recipe I’ve ever tried.
Getting ready to make this. A question – can one make the korma sauce the day before snd then reheat?
Oh yes! This reheats beautifully so you could definitely make the sauce in advance.