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    Home » Recipes » Indian

    Creamy Vegan Korma In Under 45 Minutes

    Published: May 14, 2021 by Jess & Dan · Modified: May 25, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links

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    A close of a curry in a green bowl with Pinterest text above the photo
    Pinterest image with a title above a pair of hands hold a green bowl of curry

    If you’re looking for a tasty and deliciously creamy vegan korma, look no further. This recipe is completely fuss-free, and you can have it ready in under 45 minutes. Perfect for those of you who don’t like to wait too long for your dinner!

    A pale green bowl filled with vegan korma curry being held by a pair of hand with pin nails against a leopard print dress
    We bet you'll love this simple vegan korma!
    Jump to:
    • 🤔 What is korma?
    • 📋 Ingredient Notes
    • 🔪 Step-by-step instructions
    • 👨‍🍳 Expert tips
    • 💭 FAQs
    • 🍛 What to serve with it
    • 🍚 Other recipes you might like
    • 📖 Recipe

    While the curry simmers, why not go all out and make some simple pilau rice to serve with it, in just 10 minutes? Friends and family are sure to enjoy this, and it takes minimal effort!

    We use aubergine because once it’s been simmered it goes beautifully soft and creamy, and it’s perfect with the creamy sauce.

    By the way, if you're looking for even more Indian recipe inspiration, check out our huge guide featuring over 60 Vegan Indian Dishes.

    🤔 What is korma?

    Korma is a dish that originates in India. It’s made by braising meat or vegetables in yoghurt or cream and spices to create a thick sauce. We’ve created this dairy-free korma by substituting the yoghurt for a coconut-based alternative, which makes it extra tasty!

    Korma isn’t usually spicy, it’s a dish that’s more about rich, deep flavours.

    📋 Ingredient Notes

    Top down view of ingredients laid out on top of a chopping board. Showing aubergine, potato, peas, onion, garlic, ginger and powdered spices and salt

    We’ve deliberately made our vegan korma recipe as simple as possible, all of the ingredients are readily available in supermarkets. You will need:

    • Aubergine - chopped into chunks, no need to salt before cooking.
    • Potatoes - chopped into cubes.
    • Onion - peeled and finely chopped.
    • Garlic cloves - peeled and finely chopped.
    • Fresh ginger - peeled and finely chopped.
    • Coconut milk – light or normal works just as well.

    🔪 Step-by-step instructions

    Top down view of onion in a pan
    1. Begin by frying off the onion. Add it to a pan with a splash of oil, and fry over a medium heat for 10 minutes. It’s important to cook the onion for this long to release the flavours. Keep it moving so that it doesn’t burn!
    2. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan, and give it all a stir.
    Top down view of onion, garlic, ginger and spices in a wok

    3. Pop in all of the powdered spices, mix well.

    Aubergine and potato with ingredients underneath it in a pan on a hob

    4. Add the potato and the aubergine.

    Top down view of potatoes, aubergine and coconut milk in a pan on a hob

    5. Next, add the coconut milk and the water. Stir again and bring the pan to a gentle simmer.

    A light brown curry in a black pan with chunks of potatoes and aubergines visible in a thick and creamy brown sauce

    6. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. This will cook the potato and the aubergine, and infuse them with flavour.

    Peas on top of a brown curry in a pan on a hob

    7. Add the peas, along with 1 tsp of salt. Simmer for a couple minutes more to ensure the peas heat through.

    Top down view of vegan korma in a green bowl with fresh coriander in a bowl behind it and another bowl just poking into the frame in the top right

    And you’re done! Serve up your delicious dairy free korma with all the trimmings such as, vegan naan, raita and fresh coriander. Enjoy!

    👨‍🍳 Expert tips

    You don’t need to salt the aubergine!

    This is old advice, and we have it on good authority from our chef friend that it doesn’t actually remove more water or add anything extra. You also don’t need to bake the aubergine first. In this recipe, simmering the aubergine in the sauce cooks it to perfection.

    Thickening the sauce

    If you want a thicker vegan korma sauce, add 3 tablespoons of almond flour mixed with 6 tablespoons of water.

    Don’t like aubergine?

    You can switch it out for tofu or mushrooms, if you prefer.

    💭 FAQs

    What does korma taste like?

    Korma is spiced for flavour rather than for heat. It’s rich and creamy, and packed with fragrant spices. Our vegan korma is made with aubergine, so it gets a lovely creamy texture from that, too.

    Is there dairy in korma usually?

    Korma isn’t always dairy based, as coconut milk is quite often used rather than dairy cream or yoghurt. However, it’s traditionally made with ghee which is a type of dairy. Sometimes dairy cream or yoghurt is used so it’s good to look out for this when eating in a restaurant, if you’re vegan.

    We’ve made our vegan korma by omitting the ghee, and using coconut milk. If you want it to be lighter, you can use light coconut milk.

    Can I use other veg?

    You certainly can! This vegan korma recipe is very versatile, so feel free to switch out the aubergine for tofu or mushrooms. You can reduce the simmer time by 10 minutes if you’re not using potatoes too.

    Can this be frozen?

    Vegan korma freezes really well. Freeze it as soon as possible after cooking (once cooled), and it should keep in the freezer for up to three months. Be sure that you defrost it thoroughly before reheating.

    🍛 What to serve with it

    Pilau rice

    Check out our guide on how to prepare pilau rice if you want to up your rice game! Our recipe is infused with turmeric and spices, making it a really special rice dish.

    Roti

    Roti is a traditional Indian flatbread made with wholemeal wheat flour, and it’s heavenly when dipped into vegan korma! Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

    Vegan raita

    Vegan raita is a must for an extra creamy hit! It’s a cooling (dairy-free) yoghurt, herb and cucumber dip which is great with curry, or as a dip.

    Poppadoms

    Poppadoms are perfect when they are piled high with vegan korma, rice and raita! We also like ours with loads of mango chutney and lime pickle. Yum. 

    Mushroom bhaji

    We love a good helping of mushroom bhaji alongside curry. Mushroom bhaji is actually quite different to onion bhaji, but still really tasty. It's more like a dry curry and isn't fried in batter.

    A top down view of a dairy free korma in a green bowl topped with fresh coriander. There's a doily style place mat underneath the bowl and a spoon next to it

    🍚 Other recipes you might like

    If you like our vegan korma, give some of our other Indian inspired recipes a try!

    • Mushroom Korma
    • Falafel Curry (this has a korma sauce base)
    • Aubergine Bhaji (otherwise known as Brinjal Bhaji)
    • Creamy Vegetable Pasanda
    • Mushroom Biryani in 40 minutes

    Did you make this recipe? Leave a review and a rating below, or tag us in your photos on Instagram! Alternatively, bookmark it in your browser or save to Pinterest for later.

    If you love our content, please consider supporting it by buying us a coffee.

    📖 Recipe

    Hands holding up a green bowl filled with vegan korma showing potato, aubergine, fresh coriander and sauce. The background shows a leopard print dress

    Creamy Vegan Korma In Under 45 Minutes

    This recipe is a delicious, fragrant vegan korma that is completely fuss-free. Plus you can have it ready in under 45 minutes! We've even included variations and handy tips in the notes section below.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 378kcal
    Author: Jess & Dan

    Ingredients

    Metric - US Customary
    • 1 tbsp Oil
    • 1 onion - peeled and finely chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic - peeled and finely chopped
    • 1 inch ginger - peeled and finely chopped
    • 1 tsp cumin powder
    • 1 tsp turmeric powder
    • 3 tsp garam masala
    • ½ tsp coriander powder
    • Pinch cinnamon
    • Pinch chilli powder
    • 400 g aubergine - chopped into chunks
    • 350 g potatoes - peeled (optional) and chopped into cubes
    • 250 ml water
    • 400 ml coconut milk
    • 1 cup peas
    • 1 tsp salt

    Instructions

    • Pop a splash of oil in a large saute pan and fry off the onion over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Keep it moving so that it doesn’t burn!
      1 tbsp Oil, 1 onion
    • Add the garlic and ginger and give it all a good stir
      4 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger
    • Next sprinkle in all of the spices and continue stirring.
      1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 3 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp coriander powder, Pinch cinnamon, Pinch chilli powder
    • Add the potato and the aubergine and mix well.
      400 g aubergine, 350 g potatoes
    • Pour in the coconut milk and water, stir and bring up to a gentle simmer.
      250 ml water, 400 ml coconut milk
    • Simmer for 20 minutes in order to cook the potato and the aubergine thoroughly.
    • Add 1 tsp of salt and the peas. Ensure the peas are hot by simmering for another few minutes.
      1 cup peas, 1 tsp salt
    • Serve with roti, raita and rice.

    Notes

    • Make sure to fry off the onion for 10 minutes to create a great base for the curry. If you skip this step, the results won’t be as good, but it’s up to you.
    • If you want a thicker sauce, add 3 tablespoons of almond flour mixed with 6 tablespoons of water after simmering.
    • This curry freezes well for up to 3 months. Just make sure to defrost and reheat thoroughly in the microwave before eating.
    • Use light coconut milk for a calorifcally lighter meal.
    • You could try switching the potato and aubergine for tofu and mushrooms. If doing so, you can reduce the simmer time by 10 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 609mg | Potassium: 990mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 309IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this recipe? Tag us today!Mention @vegan_punks or tag #veganpunks!
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    Hey there! Thanks for checking out Vegan Punks. We're Dan and Jess – a husband and wife team who love creating and sharing vegan recipes. We draw on our experiences of travelling the world and learning about different cuisines. That's why you'll find plant-based versions of traditional dishes from all around the globe on our blog. And, of course, all with a pinch of punk attitude.

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