Sweet Potato & Vegetable Vindaloo

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This spicy vegetable vindaloo is packed with veggies, kicky spices, and a touch of sweetness…thanks to sweet potatoes! Serve with rice and fresh cilantro for a delicious knock-your-socks off vegan Indian-inspired meal.

Vindaloo was always one of my favorite dishes to order at Indian restaurants, but I never actually knew what it was all about until recently. Potatoes are an important part of vindaloo. The “aloo” part of vindaloo literally translates to potatoes. I always thought the dish was all about the super spicy sauce!

This is kind of funny because at this point I’d invented some vindaloo recipes of my own, without any potatoes.

So, do sweet potatoes count as “aloo”? Probably not. But that’s okay! We can still have some fun by including them in this vegetable vindaloo.

Vindaloo Paste

An awesome vindaloo starts with a great vindaloo paste. You’ll need onion, garlic, ginger, and lots of spices, but it’ll be totally worth it. Other than gathering your ingredients, making the paste is super easy. Just stick everything in a food processor bowl.

And blend it up to make a smooth paste.

Tip: I like to make a double batch of the paste and freeze half for later.

How to Make Vegetable Vindaloo

Most of my curry and stew recipes start with a step of sautéing some aromatics in a bit of oil. With vindaloo, your aromatics are in the paste, so you’ll be sautéing the paste.

Once you’ve cooked the paste for a minute or so, add some broth, followed by your sweet potatoes. Bring the liquid to a simmer and let the sweet potatoes cook for about 5 minutes before adding the rest of your veggies. Simmer everything together until the sweet potatoes are soft.

Serve your vindaloo with some rice and fresh cilantro.

FAQ & Tips for Making Awesome Vindaloo

  • Feel free to adjust the heat level to your liking. Vindaloo is typically very spicy, and this version is comparatively mild. Add more chili paste at the end if you like.
  • Feel free to switch up the veggies with your favorites. Broccoli, carrots, and even regular old potatoes (in place of the sweet potatoes) would be excellent.
  • Is this recipe gluten-free? Yup!
  • Want to add some protein? Pan-fry some tofu cubes according to this method and stir them in at the end.
  • Vindaloo paste freezes well. Make a double batch and freeze half for later!

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4.29 from 7 votes Print

Sweet Potato & Vegetable Vindaloo

This spicy vegetable vindaloo is packed with veggies, kicky spices, and a touch of sweetness…thanks to sweet potatoes! Serve with rice and fresh cilantro for a delicious knock-your-socks off vegan Indian-inspired meal.

CourseEntree CuisineIndian Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 45 minutes Servings 4 Calories 354 kcal Author Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

For the Vindaloo Paste

  • 1small onion,quartered
  • 4garlic cloves
  • 1(1-inch) piecefresh ginger,peeled
  • ¼cupfresh cilantro
  • 2tablespoonssambal oelek(or to taste)
  • 1teaspoonsalt
  • 2teaspoonsground cumin
  • ½teaspoonground turmeric
  • ½teaspoonground coriander seed
  • ½teaspoonground cinnamon
  • ½teaspoonground fenugreek
  • ½teaspoonblack pepper
  • ¼teaspoonground cloves
  • 2tablespoonstomato paste

For the Vindaloo

  • 2tablespoonscanola oil(or high heat oil of choice)
  • 1 ¼cups vegetable broth
  • 1 ½poundsfresh sweet potatoes,cut into ½ inch cubes, optionally peeled (I didn’t peel mine)
  • 1cupcanned diced tomatoes
  • ¼cuptomato paste
  • 2cupscauliflower florets(about ½ of a medium crown)
  • 1 ½cups fresh green beans,cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1medium red bell pepper,roughly chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For Serving

  • Cooked rice
  • Fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. Begin by making the paste. Place all ingredients into a food processor bowl and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

  2. Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and place it over medium heat.

  3. When the oil is hot, add the vindaloo paste and sauté it for about 1 minute, until it begins to become fragrant.

  4. Stir in the broth and sweet potatoes, raise the heat to high, and bring the liquid to a simmer.

  5. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes.

  6. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, cauliflower, green beans, and bell pepper.

  7. Continue simmering the mixture until the sweet potato is fork tender, about 15 minutes.

  8. Remove the pot from heat and taste-test. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add some extra sambal oelek for extra heat, if desired.

  9. Divide onto plates with rice and top with cilantro. Serve.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information does not include rice.

Nutrition FactsSweet Potato & Vegetable VindalooAmount Per ServingCalories 354Calories from Fat 74% Daily Value*Fat 8.2g13%Saturated Fat 0.8g4%Sodium 881mg37%Potassium 2157mg62%Carbohydrates 65.5g22%Fiber 12.2g49%Sugar 9.3g10%Protein 8.1g16%Calcium 70mg7%Iron 3.1mg17%* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.« Coconut Almond Butter Vegan TrufflesVegan Cheeseburger Soup »

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Looks incredible and I will be trying it later this week. Actually, Vindaloo is a Portuguese dish, not Indian, although they do serve it in Indian restaurants.

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  • Made this tonight. My husband liked it, but I didn’t love it. The paste smelled amazing and the dish looked beautiful when it was done. I taste heat, but not a lot of flavor, if that makes sense. Maybe it’s a dish that tastes better the second day.

    Reply


  • This was so good! I had it for lunch the next day and I was looking forward to it all morning!

    Reply


  • This was excellent! I made it as the vegan offering for a mixed group of carnivores, vegetarians and a vegan, and all agreed it was great, loads of flavor and just the right amount of heat. I didn’t change anything about the recipe and, after making it once, don’t see any changes I’d make. This one is definitely going into the rotation.

    Reply


    • Actually, the name Vindaloo has nothing to do with Potato. Its from the Portuguese carne de vinha d’alhos (literally “meat in garlic wine marinade”),

      Reply


      • Delicious recipe exactly as written! Ty!

        Reply


      • This was unfortunately my first “miss” of a recipe from here. I followed the directions and even went heavy on the spices but this dish came out very bland. Ate one serving then went back and threw every spicy thing I could find in my kitchen into the pot for leftovers.

        Reply

      • Hi, I’m Alissa! I’m a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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