Vegetable Curry

This slow cooker vegetable curry is loaded with veggies and pineapple. Spicy, sweet, and hearty, this easy vegetarian curry tastes amazing and is quick to put together.

Do you ever feel like you’re making the same thing for dinner, over and over again? I know I do!

When I’m in a meal planning rut, sometimes I want to make something that tastes DIFFERENT from everything else I’ve made lately. Something that’s bold with pizzazz.

When a friend shared her recipe for Thai pineapple vegetable curry, I fell in love. THIS is exactly what I’ve been searching for!

SWEET POTATO VEGETABLE CURRY

This sweet potato vegetable curry recipe has a lot going for it.

• Spicy yet sweet.
• Complex flavor yet easy to put together.
• Weeknight-friendly yet company-ready.
• Bold and aromatic yet familiar.
• Gluten-free and vegan, but with enough heft to please your meat-eaters too.

I’m also not fond of odd ingredients that you only use a few times, like fish sauce and garam masala sauce. Instead, I picked ordinary ingredients that you most likely have on hand.

Using simple ingredients also means it’s budget-friendly. Purposefully planning a few meatless meals on our meal plan helps keep our budget low.

It’s also incredibly freezer-friendly. I love to make up a double batch and have an easy dinner full of veggies for a dump-and-go meal!

SLOW COOKER CURRY RECIPE INGREDIENTS

This vegetarian curry recipe includes a few fresh produce items, plus some pantry staples that I always have in the kitchen. That means it’s really easy to throw together! Here’s what you need for slow cooker curry:

• Sweet Potatoes. You can also make this vegetable curry with medium potato like russets or golden potatoes, or even purple potatoes!
• Pineapple. Skip the canned pineapple – it’s usually full of added sugar. Instead, cut your own fresh pineapple using this method.
• Bell Peppers. I like red or green bell peppers, but use whatever kind you have on hand.
• Onions. Cut them into about 1” pieces.
• Garbanzo Beans. Also known as chickpeas. I usually cook my own beans from scratch using either the Slow Cooker Beans method or the Instant Pot Beans method – both are hands-off and really easy! But a can of chickpeas works too. If you don’t have chickpeas, substitute navy beans instead.
• Coconut Milk. Canned full-fat coconut milk gives you the best depth of flavor and a creamy base.
• Curry Powder. I prefer a yellow curry, but red curry powder will work too.
• Kosher Salt. If you’re going to use salt, make sure it’s a good one like Ava Jane’s Kitchen that doesn’t have microplastics! You can get a free 8-oz. bag of sea salt right now (just pay shipping and handling!).
• Granulated Garlic. Garlic powder works just fine here, or use minced fresh garlic if you prefer.

HOW TO MAKE RECIPES FOR VEGETARIAN CURRY IN SLOW COOKER

Making this sweet potato vegetable curry in the slow cooker couldn’t be easier! The instructions are pretty much load-and-go.

Step 1. Whisk together the coconut milk and spices: curry powder, salt, crushed red pepper, and garlic in a slow cooker (I have and recommend this 6-quart slow cooker).

Step 2. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours. I like my potatoes fork-tender, but if you want your sweet potatoes to be firmer, aim for a shorter cooking time.

Step 3: Stir and serve warm as is or with your choice of sides.

Note: You can also use your Instant Pot in slow cooker mode. Be sure to use the correct lid for slow cook mode! If you want to make this on the stove-top, bring all the ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Then lower the temperature to medium heat to simmer for 30 minutes.

SERVE WITH VEGETABLE CURRY RECIPES

Serve this vegetable curry on its own, with rice, or with quinoa. We have tried it with brown rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, and white rice. All were delicious!

Naan bread would be very tasty too. You could use this flatbread recipe, which is similar!

For an extra bit of crunch, add some peanuts or cashew pieces when serving. For even more flavor, add some chopped fresh cilantro or green onions to the top of each bowl. match soup night.

RECIPES VEGETABLE CURRY VARIATIONS

This slow cooker vegetable curry recipe has a good balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, but you can adjust it to fit your specific food goals.

Add in extra veggies! Good options include a frozen mixed vegetable bag, kale, spinach, cauliflower florets, tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkin or even green beans! You can also double any of the veggies already included in the recipe.

Boost the protein. You can even add meat to bulk it up even more, although it’s delicious as is! Chicken goes great with this easy vegetable curry recipe, and I recommend either of these two options:

• At the Beginning: Add one pound of raw chicken, cut into 1” pieces, to cook with the rest of the crockpot vegetable curry.
• At the End: Stir in 1-2 cups of cooked diced or shredded chicken and heat until warmed through.

FREEZER-FRIENDLY VEGETABLE CURRY FOR SLOW COOKER

Turn this Thai curry with vegetables into a freezer meal by adding all of the ingredients to a freezer bag, removing as much air as possible, labeling, and freezing. To cook, thaw the freezer meal in the refrigerator overnight and then cook as directed!

I often freeze recipes vegetable curry leftovers in single-serve portions so we can have a mix-and-match soup night.

FAQS FOR VEGETARIAN CURRY RECIPIES

TRY THESE OTHER VEGETARIAN DISHES

• Easy Vegetarian Chili
• Vegetable Fried Rice
• Our Favorite Beans and Rice Recipe
• Sweet Potato and Black Bean Vegetarian Enchiladas
• Easy Baked Ziti
• Cheesy Lentil Pasta

WATCH HOW TO MAKE THAI PINEAPPLE VEGETARIAN CURRY