This Cauliflower and Potato Curry (also known as Aloo Gobi) is a delicious and filling vegan curry. Comforting chunks of potato and cauliflower make the base of this budget friendly curry, all brought together in an easy and flavour packed creamy sauce. It's rich and hearty and freezes well, making it perfect for batch cooking.
The smell when this curry with cauliflower and potatoes is cooking is amazing. A really rich and fragrant dish that smells, and tastes, like something you would get from your favourite Indian restaurant.
We have added our "secret" curry ingredient to it for a little sweetness and an extra punch of flavour. See below for that!
Vegan curries can still be deliciously creamy and filling and this potato cauliflower curry certainly ticks those boxes. Hearty from the vegetables and then creamy from the coconut milk with the perfect blend of spices.
This is such a quick and easy meal to make and most of the cooking time is hands off, as it is just letting the sauce bubble away and the potatoes cook through.
This potato and cauliflower curry is our favourite meal when we are trying to save some money, but we don't want to sacrifice on flavour. If you are looking for some more budget friendly curries, why not try our 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Oil - This is what the curry is cooked in. We used olive oil, but you could use sunflower or vegetable oil. You could also use coconut oil or ghee if you prefer.
- Potatoes - This is what the bulk of the curry is made up of. To keep this potato and cauliflower curry budget friendly you can use any potatoes you like, however waxy potatoes will keep their shape better when cooking due to the low starch and high water content. Waxy potatoes include Charlotte, Maris Peer, and Jersey Royals.
- Shallots - This is the base of the curry and we find that shallots add a nice sweetness. You could swap them for a small brown onion though.
- Cauliflower - Along with the potatoes, this is the star ingredient. You could use a mixture of cauliflower and broccoli if cauliflower by itself isn't your favourite.
- Garlic and ginger - A must in a curry in our option. You can save time by using a jar of chopped garlic and ginger, or even use frozen.
- Curry powder - To save time, we have used a good quality curry powder blend rather than mixing the herbs and spices ourself. You could use a curry paste instead if you wanted a more intense flavour. You could use different curry pastes like masala or madras, to change it up a bit and change the spice level.
- Chilli powder - We don't find curry powder by itself very spicy, and we like our curries to have a nice kick of heat, so we add some extra chilli powder. However, you could leave it out if you don't like spicy curries. Equally, add extra if you like really spicy.
- Tomatoes - This is the base of the sauce and helps make it thick and rice. Try to use the best quality tinned tomatoes you can, as you really will be able to taste the difference. Cheap tinned tomatoes tend to be really watery and you will end up with a thin sauce.
- Coconut milk - We love a creamy curry and this is a cauliflower and potato curry with coconut milk. You could just leave it tomato based, but we find the coconut milk just takes this potato and cauliflower curry to the next level. You can use full fat or light, but full fat will have the most flavour. Make sure you give the can a good shake before opening it up.
- Mango chutney - This is my secret ingredients for all curries. Seriously, give it a try. It adds a lovely touch of sweetness, and loads of flavour. Why not try our homemade mango chutney?
- Stock - This is to loosen up the sauce. Try to use the best quality stock you can find.
- Coriander - We finish the curry off with a sprinkling of fresh chopped coriander to lighten it all up.
Cauliflower and Potato Curry Variations
Use this cauli and potato curry recipe as a base and then adapt it to suit your own tastes. Make it as spicy or as mild as you like and add different vegetables to use up what you have and reduce food waste.
This is a really simple curry, so you don't want to over complicate it too much. However, you can add some different vegetables if you want to bulk it out a little, and add more nutrients. We like adding some mushrooms to it, although that is far from traditional. Give the curry a green boost by stirring in some spinach or kale.
If you want to add some protein to this vegan curry, then some canned chickpeas or butterbeans is an easy way to do that. You could add lentils too.
For a real flavour boost, and to also add some extra creaminess, you can stir in a heaped tablespoon of smooth peanut butter.
How To Make Cauliflower and Broccoli Curry - Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger. Cook on a very low heat for 5 minutes or until softened.
- Step 2: Add the curry powder and chilli powder. Stir and cook for a further minute.
- Step 3: Add the tomatoes, potatoes and cauliflower. Mix well.
- Step 4: Add the stock. Mix well and cover with a lid. Cook on a low heat for 25 minutes.
- Step 5: Stir in the coconut milk and mango chutney.
- Step 6: Cook for a further 3 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This is a really filling curry on its own, as it has potato in it. However, if you did want to serve it with something, then I would recommend Turmeric Rice, Easy Homemade Flatbread and Raita. Lots of pickles and chutneys with some poppadoms go well with it too.
We also think our Peshwari Naan and Tomato and Cucumber Salad would be a great addition.
Storage
Store: It will also keep in the fridge for a couple of days, but because of the cauliflower it might start to make your fridge smell unless it is in a really tight container.
Freeze: Wait until it is fully cooled and then put it in freezable containers and then it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Defrost: Defrost overnight in the fridge.
Reheat: Make sure it is fully defrosted and then you can either reheat it in the microwave, or heat it through on the hob. Make sure it is pipping hot all the way through before serving.
Tips For Making The BEST Potato and Cauliflower Curry
- Cut all the vegetables to a similar size, so that they all cook evenly.
- Make sure not to overcook the cauliflower, so that it doesn't go too soggy.
- You can adjust the spice levels to suit your own tastes. Making it spicier or more mild.
- Try to use the best quality canned tomatoes that you can get, as you will really taste the difference. Cheap ones tend to be really watery.
- You could swap the individual spices for curry powder, or you could use some curry paste instead.
- If you want to speed up the cooking time of this curry, then you could par-boil the potato. The softening of the potato in the tomato sauce is where most of the cooking time comes from. You could even use a can of new potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
You could add meat to this curry, but it really isn't missing it. But, if you want a vegan base, and then an option to add some meat for everyone else at the dinner table, then you could stir through some (shredded) leftovers from our Slow Cooker Whole Chicken.
Yes, this curry can be made in the slow cooker. I would recommend softening the potato and cauliflower a little first, by simmering it on the hob for 5 minutes. Then add it to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and cook for 4 hours on high.
More Curry Recipes
If you’ve tried this easy cauliflower curry, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Cauliflower and Potato Curry with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 3 Shallots - peeled and diced
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 600 g (1.33 lb) Cauliflower - cut into florets
- 350 g (12.5 oz) Potato - peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
- 45 g (1.5 oz) Fresh ginger - grated
- 3 tablespoon Curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
- 400 g (14 oz) Chopped tomatoes - canned
- 1 Vegetable stock pot
- 250 ml (1 cups) Boiling water
- 200 ml (0.85 cups) Coconut milk
- 100 g (0.33 cups) Mango chutney
- Fresh coriander (cilantro) - to serve
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon Olive oil in a large pan. Add 3 Shallots, 2 Garlic clove and 45 g Fresh ginger. Cook on a very low heat for 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add 3 tablespoon Curry powder and 1 teaspoon Chilli powder. Stir and cook for a further minute.
- Add 400 g Chopped tomatoes, 350 g Potato, 600 g Cauliflower250 ml Boiling water and 1 Vegetable stock pot. Mix well and cover with a lid. Cook on a low heat for 25 minutes.
- Stir in 200 ml Coconut milk and 100 g Mango chutney. Cook for a further 3 minutes.
- Serve topped with Fresh coriander (cilantro).
Recipe Tips
- Cut all the vegetables to a similar size, so that they all cook evenly.
- Make sure not to overcook the cauliflower, so that it doesn't go too soggy.
- You can adjust the spice levels to suit your own tastes. Making it spicier or more mild.
- You could swap the individual spices for curry powder, or you could use some curry paste instead.
- Try to use the best quality canned tomatoes that you can get, as you will really taste the difference. Cheap ones tend to be really watery.
- If you want to speed up the cooking time of this curry, then you could par-boil the potato. The softening of the potato in the tomato sauce is where most of the cooking time comes from. You could even use a can of new potatoes.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
Do you often buy imported vegetables? Puglia is an amazing area of Italy to visit.
Mellissa Williams says
I do like a good vegetable curry recipe and this looks delicious. Must make this for my husband
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
Is this like an aloo gobi? A great way to use cauliflower as it gives it some flavour with the spices.
Rhian Westbury says
Wow only 12 days until the baby is due, that's so exciting. Looks like such a nice curry x
Rachel says
I love cauliflower in a curry, it really does add that little something to the dish because of the texture x
Rach @ This Italian Family says
Only 12 days away?! So soon! How exciting! :)
Charlie @ The Kitchen Shed says
I LOVE cauliflower in a curry! This looks beautiful!
kate @ VeggieDesserts says
This looks like such a lovely quick curry. Good luck with the impending due date!
Mary says
I don’t think I’ve ever had Italian potatoes, but now I’m dying to try them. I’m a fan of cauliflower curry, really anything with cauliflower in it warms my heart.
Hannah Fedel says
How exciting that the baby is nearly here. One of the best things we did was make lots of meals ahead of time, as it saved us from ordering takeaway all the time.
Wendy says
This is such an excellent quick curry idea and I love that that it is vegan too, without using any hard to find ingredients.
I never knew that about Italian potatoes either, so thanks for the info.
Sarah Bailey says
Oh yum this sounds absolutely delicious - I have been craving curry of late and this sounds like a good one to try. x
Ana De- Jesus says
This is just in time for my dinner tonight; I have some left over veg and this would be perfect so thank you for the recipe.
Elizabeth says
Mmm proper quick and easy comfort food, this! My kind of midweek dinner idea!
Claire says
This sounds delicious! I might make this (and add a little shredded chicken for a protein boost) after one of our weekend walks.