This slow cooker vegetable curry is loaded with veggies and bursting with flavor. Try this easy, hearty, freezer-friendly comfort meal for your next cozy night in!
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!
Vegetable Curry
This gluten-free vegetable curry recipe has a lot going for it.
- Spicy yet sweet.
- Complex yet easy.
- Weeknight-friendly yet company-ready.
- Bold yet familiar.
It’s also incredibly freezer-friendly. I love to make up a double batch and have an easy vegetable dinner on hand!
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!
Vegetarian Curry Recipe Ingredients
This vegetarian curry recipe includes a few fresh produce items, plus some pantry staples that I keep on hand. That means it’s really easy to throw together! Here’s what you need for slow cooker curry:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Pineapple. Fresh is best.
- Bell Peppers. I like red but use whatever kind you have on hand.
- Onions
- Garbanzo Beans (A.K.A Chickpeas)
- Coconut Milk. Canned full-fat coconut milk gives you the best depth of flavor.
- Curry Powder. I prefer a yellow curry, but red curry powder will work too.
- Kosher Salt
- Granulated Garlic
Vegan Curry Ingredient Notes
To make the best slow cooker vegetable curry, skip the canned pineapple – it’s usually full of added sugar. Instead, cut your own using my tutorial. It only takes about 5 minutes, and the flavor is absolutely worth every minute!
I usually cook my own beans from scratch using either my Slow Cooker Beans method or my Instant Pot Beans method. Both are really easy and hands-off, but you can also use canned beans. (Be sure to rinse three times to help de-gas canned beans!) If you don’t have chickpeas, substitute navy beans instead.
Add in extra veggies! Good options include a frozen mixed vegetable bag, kale, spinach, cauliflower, or even green beans!
How to Make Curry Recipe in Slow Cooker
Making this sweet potato curry in the slow cooker couldn’t be easier! The instructions are pretty much load-and-go.
Step 1. Whisk together the coconut milk, 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 over cooked rice or quinoa. Top with peanuts, cashews, fresh cilantro, or green onions.
Note: You can also use your Instant Pot in slow cooker mode. Be sure to use the correct lid for slow cook mode!
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Curry Tips
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!
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 two options:
- At the Beginning: Add one pound of raw chicken, cut into 1” pieces.
- At the End: Add already cooked diced or shredded chicken.
For an extra bit of crunch, add some cashew pieces when serving. For even more flavor, add some chopped fresh cilantro or green onions to the top of each bowl.
Turn this Thai curry into a freezer meal by adding all 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 leftovers in single serve portions so we can have a mix and match soup night.
FAQS for Vegetarian Curry Recipes
What size slow cooker is this suitable for?
I used a 6-Quart slow cooker. If you use a slow cooker that’s 5 quarts or smaller, you may want to halve the recipe.
Could I use my Instant Pot for vegetarian curry recipes or is this best used on slow cook mode?
You can absolutely use your Instant Pot and use the slow cooker mode! Be sure to use the correct lid in slow cooker mode.
Can I substitute sweet potatoes for baby yellow potatoes?
Yes! You can even use purple potatoes or yams or any other potato you want! Butternut squash or cauliflower make a good sub too.
What vegetables are best in curry?
We used sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, and onions, but you could also try carrots, peas, or broccoli. Use what you have on hand and mix and match to find your favorite combination!
Try These Other Vegetarian Dishes
30 Minute Dinners Sample Menu
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Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry
This slow cooker vegetable curry is loaded with veggies and bursting with flavor. Try this easy, hearty, freezer-friendly comfort meal for your next cozy night in!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3-6 Hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 3 Tbsp curry powder (I used red curry powder)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 ½ tsp granulated garlic
- 1 fresh pineapple, cut into 1” pieces (how to cut a pineapple)
- 1 pound of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” pieces
- 2 green bell peppers, cut into 1” pieces
- 2 onions, cut into 1” pieces
- 2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed three times (or 3–4 cups of homemade beans)
- Cooked white or brown rice, for serving (optional)
- Cashews, for topping (optional)
- Cilantro or green onions, chopped, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk together the coconut milk, curry powder, salt, crushed red pepper, and garlic in a slow cooker (like this one).
- Add the remaining ingredients and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours. If you want your sweet potato to be more firm, aim for a shorter cooking time.
Notes
- Turn this into a freezer meal by adding all the ingredients to the freezer bag, removing as much as possible, labeling, and freezing. To cook, thaw the freezer meal in the refrigerator overnight and then cook as directed!
Nutrition
- Calories: 1030
This recipe was the BOMB DOT COM! My family asked for 3rds! I’m definately using this recipe again! I did not have fresh pineapples but the ones from the can works well! I put those in the last hour of the cooking! Delicious!
I want to make this, but I only have Canned pineapple. Will that work or do I have to wait to get a fresh one?
Hi Julie,
We recommend skipping canned pineapple, it’s full of added sugar. Hope this helps!
I LOVE this recipe. Comes together so quickly and the hit of pineapple is so flavorful. Thank you! Somewhere I missed serving size and cals/ serving? Thx 😊
Hi Char! We don’t track serving size and calories on our recipes. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it!!
This recipe was delicious. I’ve made it a couple times now and it’s always really good. My pineapple want very sweet so I added ¼ cup molasses this last time and it was next level if you live inland and can’t find really good pineapple.