Here’s a fantastic Coconut Curry Sauce with great depth of flavour made from everyday spices. This Indian-style sauce is incredibly addictive and works with chicken, vegetables, and legumes. I’ve made a Coconut Curry with pumpkin, lentils, and cashews, but check the recipe for more options. Ready in 30 minutes!
Easy Coconut Curry Sauce
If you’ve ever dumped curry powder into liquid then stomped your foot in a huff when you found the sauce to be meh, then this easy Coconut Curry Sauce is for you!
You’re going to absolutely love that you can find all the spices at supermarkets.
You’re going to adore the beautiful coconut flavour that mingles with the spices.
You’ll go bonkers over how it tastes like a full flavoured coconut Indian curry – except you made it in 30 minutes from scratch.
And you’re going to really enjoy lapping up all the compliments from your family and friends. (“OMG that’s the best curry I’ve ever had!!” <– True story, text from a friend)
Coconut curry sauce spices
The spices in the coconut curry sauce are:
curry powder
tumeric
coriander
cumin
paprika
garam masala*
Curry powder is the base for this Easy Coconut Curry, but it’s too bland if you don’t add other spices. I experimented with various combinations and tried to cut down on the number of spices but it just wasn’t the same. So they’re all staying in!
What is garam masala?
Garam masala is a crucial spice mix in Indian cooking and smells like a potent curry powder. It really makes a difference in simple curry sauces, so be sure not to skip it! Here in Australia, you’ll find it at all the major supermarkets nowadays, and it costs no more than other spices.
Making the coconut curry sauce
There’s nothing tricky about the coconut curry sauce:
Sauté onion, garlic and ginger (fresh please!);
Add Spices and cook – this brings out the flavour of the spices, making them bloom;
Add coconut milk, tomato passata (tomato puree in the States, or even Tomato Sauce) plus chicken or vegetable broth/stock;
Simmer to bring the flavours together
And there you have your curry sauce. And this is where you can unleash your wild side and let the creative juices flow. Or, as the case may be, rummage in your pantry and squabble around in the fridge and use whatever you can find. 🙂
What to put in Coconut Curry
This is where things get fun. You can literally put anything in this Easy Coconut Curry Sauce and it’s going to taste great. Here are some ideas:
Lentils, pumpkin, spinach and cashews (pictured). Terrific combination my friends go bonkers over;
Chicken, fish or prawns – sear before starting recipe, then add them back in later;
Sweet potato, normal potato, zucchini, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, squash;
Other legumes – chickpeas are sensational, and any other type of beans.
I’ve included a guide in the recipe notes for when to add different ingredients. For proteins, it’s well worth searing them before starting the recipe, then just add them back in later once the sauce is done.
30 minutes. That’s how far away you are from a homemade-from-scratch Coconut Curry.
The flavour is not quite as in-your-face punchy like with Butter Chicken or Chicken Tikka Masala, but but it’s still got quite an intense Indian-style curry flavour. But then again, you haven’t had to marinate overnight and you’ve used half the spices, and you only had to go to your local grocery store rather than an Indian grocer.
And no one would ever say this is lacking in taste. No one has ever accused me of making bland food – and I intend to keep it that way!! – Nagi x
PS If you’re after a milder, more creamy style Western curry, try this Everyday Chicken Curry – a 5 ingredients from scratch curry sauce. And all my curry recipes can be found in my Curry Recipes collection. There’s a fair few – I love curries!
Watch how to make it
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Easy Coconut Curry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, ghee or any regular cooking oil (canola, olive oil etc)
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger , finely grated
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped (brown or yellow)
- 400g/14oz can coconut milk (full fat)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup tomato passata (tomato puree) (Note 1)
- 400 g/14 oz can brown lentils , drained
- 250 g / 8 oz pumpkin (~3 cups) , cut into 2cm / 4/5″ cubes
- 2 cups (tightly packed) baby spinach
- 1/2 cup cashews , unsalted (roasted or raw) (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp each cooking/kosher salt + black pepper
Spices:
- 1 tbsp garam masala (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp curry powder (mild or spicy, your choice, Note 4)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp paprika (sweet, or hot for spice!)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Serving garnishes:
- Coriander/cilantro leaves , whole or chopped
- Chopped cashews (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics – Heat oil in a deep skillet or pot over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger, cook for 2 minutes until onion is a bit tinged with gold.
- Cook off spices – Add Spices and stir for 1 minute. Don't worry if it looks a bit dried out.
- Coconut sauce – Add coconut milk, passata and broth. Stir until incorporated. Add lentils and pumpkin. Bring to simmer then adjust heat so it's simmering energetically.
- Simmer for 10 minutes or until pumpkin is tender but not mushy, and sauce has thickened.
- Stir through baby spinach until wilted, then cashew nuts. Add salt and pepper last, adding more if needed.
- Serve over rice, sprinkled with coriander and extra cashews, if using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
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Life of Dozer
Yes, he even eats shampoo bubbles….
Made the lentil and pumpkin recipe yesterday and it was so simple. Delicious and tastes even better today! I’m going to try some of the other recipes on your website. Thank you.
Hi Nagi
If I don’t add the lentils would this affect the consistency of the sauce?
I’m going to use chicken and another veg
Cheers
Hi Kylie, that’s fine! Even chickpeas would work too 🙂 N x
Yummy rich tasty comfort food. Loved it.
Hi Nagi,
This recipe looks amazing but I’m unsure of what to use with shrimp and cashews or even if the cashews go. I have spinach, lentils, chickpeas, and some other vegetables. Super excited to make some version of this curry though.
Hey Nagi! This sounds delicious and so very easy. I was wondering if I can omit or replace the tumeric with a different spice? I have a child with ceramic braces and tumeric is sadly a big no no! TIA!
Hi Marissa, now this is the first time anyone has said that to me! Just leave the numeric out 🙂 N x
Thanks Nagi!! Can’t wait to try it.
Big hit! Made it yesterday with cauliflower, lentils and chicken over cauliflower rice. Everyone loved it, so today I’ll make it again with leftover veggies – eggplant, broccoli, carrot and chickpeas. Thanks Nagi!!
Sounds great N!! N x
Hi Nagi
I haven’t made yet, but could I make a ‘huge’ batch and freeze ? Would be great if too tired to cook
Anita
Hi Anita, yes you can! Enjoy! N x
Hi,
Just in the middle of making this now, and realised I’m out of passata. I have can diced tomatos or also a can of rosella tomato soup. Which would be the better substitute?
Hi Sarah, sorry for the late response – how did you go with this? N x
I compiled three different recipes for Garam Masala, and I thought I would incorporate the best elements of each, but I realized I wasn’t familiar enough, so I just stuck with this one as it seemed the most legit. Pretty good stuff. I just subbed Better Than Boullion Vegetable Stock base for the Chicken Stock and did not add the water (just added it to the coconut milk). Also left the tomato out (I tried a little with tomato paste and decided it took the recipe in a direction I didn’t want to go–seemed the tomato stole the show / masked the spices too much).
I am grateful for this recipe. It felt like a good starting place. Now I can experiment a little–I’d like more cardamom, clove, peppercorn.
Hi Daniel, I’m so glad you could modify it to your tastes, that’s great to hear! N x
This is a beautiful vegetarian curry. You’ve done it again, Nagi with your brilliant recipes.
Thank you so much Brooke!
Hi Nagi, we made this curry last night. It was good, but the taste of cumin was a bit overpowering. I wonder, is it ground cumin or seeds? I added coconut milk and salt and it was very good, thanks again and again!
Cathy
Hi Cathy – this is made using ground cumin, sorry if you found it overpowering, you can always reduce the amount to taste – N x
YUM! I made this tonight and it was divine. Very mild but flavorful. Don’t forget the salt (as I initially did) or else the other flavors don’t pop. So tasty!! I made “my” version with mushrooms, lentils, butternut squash, and spinach! Delicious. Will definitely be trying your other recipes!
I made it today the first time an it was a hit! My son loved it. I used chickpeas, potatoes, carrots and broccoli (that is what I had at home).
Sounds fantastic Tina!!
Hello!! Can I use frozen butternut squash cubes instead of pumpkin and also would I just add them frozen to the curry or would I need to defrost first? Thanks
Yes definitely! Always thaw before adding L – N x
Hi Nagi! I plan on making this recipe tomorrow (super short notice) and was hoping to make it with just chicken breasts- do you recommend I marinate the chicken at all before searing? If so, in what? Also, you have some beautiful flavoured rices and I was wondering which one you might recommend I make alongside a chicken breast version of this? I am eyeing your coconut cilantro lime rice in particular but am not too sure about the flavour combination. Thank you!
Could I make this with dried red lentils instead? 😀
Hi Ash, yes you can – directions are in the recipe notes 🙂
Love this sauce made a heavy on the veggies dish…DELISH!!!!
Hi Nagi!
I can’t get Garam masala or turmeric where I live – any substitutes you could please suggest?
Thank you, another amazing looking recipe!
Sarah
Hi Sarah – have you tried making your own version? Try the following:
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
That sounds great – I will give it a go – thank you so much!
Made this for my partner who is Indian. It has his stamp of approval! The spices were perfect, the sauce was rich and creamy, and it even quelled my massive coconut curry craving. Will definitely be keeping this recipe again and again! Thank you so much for sharing! 😊❤
Wahoo, that’s great Krissy!!
Made this last night! The Only thing I changed was I used sweet potato instead of pumpkin. It was amazing!!
Perfect Kim!