Creamy Cauliflower Curry

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This creamy cauliflower curry is bursting with flavor and studded with hearty chickpeas. Delicious, comforting, and easy enough for a weeknight!

Curries are in constant rotation in my house. They’re one of those meals that can be so easy and so flavorful! This cauliflower curry in particular is full of spices, so it tastes like it took a long time to make, but it really comes together in a cinch.

There are so many ways to cook up a curry, but for this one I went with Indian-inspired spices, although the recipe is far from authentically Indian. The method is simple and involves briefly sautéing your spices and aromatics, followed by a longer simmer for your veggies and liquids.

Let’s talk about how how it’s done!

What You’ll Need

• Olive oil. Feel free to substitute any high-heat oil.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Ginger.
• Spices. We’re using garam masala, cumin, paprika, and turmeric.
• Coconut milk. Use full-fat coconut milk from a can. Light coconut milk might work, but your curry won’t be as creamy. I don’t recommend using coconut milk beverage (the stuff that’s sold in cartons near the soy and almond milk).
• Diced tomatoes.
• Cauliflower.
• Chickpeas. Use canned or precooked chickpeas.
• Frozen peas.
• Cornstarch.
• Water.
• Salt & pepper.
• Fresh cilantro. Feel free to leave this out or substitute with scallions if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
• Cooked rice. Just about any variety of rice (or even another grain, like quinoa) will work, but I really like basmati rice for this dish.

How to Make Cauliflower Curry

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

• Heat up your oil in a large pot, the add diced onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, until it starts to soften up.
• Now add minced garlic, grated ginger, and spices. Cook everything very briefly — for about 1 minute. Keep stirring the whole time. Be careful not to burn your spices or they can turn bitter.
• Now stir in your coconut milk, tomatoes, cauliflower florets, and chickpeas. Raise the heat and bring the liquid up to a boil.
• Lower the heat, cover the pot, and let your curry simmer for a while, until the cauliflower is tender. Be sure to check on it every now and then to avoid burning or overcooking the cauliflower.

• Now stir your cornstarch together with some cold water in a small container. Remove the lid from your pot and stir the cornstarch slurry into the curry.
• Bring the curry back up to a simmer. It should thicken up pretty quickly.

• Stir in the peas and take your curry off of the burner. Season the curry with some salt and pepper to taste.

• Serve your cauliflower curry with cooked rice and a sprinkle of cilantro. Dig in!

Leftovers & Storage

This curry makes for excellent leftovers! Store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this curry gluten-free?

It is!

Can I make this dish with frozen cauliflower?

Probably, but I haven’t tested the recipe this way. Since frozen cauliflower is actually precooked, my recommendation would be to thaw it out and add it at the end of cooking — right before the cornstarch slurry.