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….
you a amazing thank you I am now ready to cook
Enjoy Linda!
This recipe was amazing! I added a bit more chilli and used lentils, spinach and chickpeas with cauliflower and sultana rice! It was so aromatic and hearty!
Sounds great Ellie!
AMAZING RECIPE! Honestly this is SO GOOD I’m eating leftovers from last night right now. I didn’t have cashews and I used vegetable stock instead, otherwise followed the recipe and loved it all. For vegetables I used pumpkin and bitter melon, frozen peas and cauliflower as well as some quorn vegan mince. It is so delicious. Thank you SO much.
I cooked this in my instant pot. I made the recipe the same, sauteed everything and then added the sauce, pumpkin and pressure cooked for 2 minutes. Instant release, then I added bitter melon and simmered on low sauce setting for 2 minutes, before adding the frozen veg and quorn mince, simmering another two mins then serving over rice. Amazingggg truly amazing thank you!
That’s great Natalie!
You must be getting a big head. Every recipe I make of yours (and I have made heaps) is soooo good. I have never had a failure and this one is no exception. I used all vegetables with chick peas and cashew nuts for the protein. I have a heap of recipe books that are getting dusty on the shelf. You are my go to for just about every meal. Am about to try your recipe for baked beans. Will let you know when done. Thank you Thank you.
Wahoo, that’s so great to hear Christine, thanks so much!! I hope you love the baked beans!
Hi Nagi , I’m cooking this on the weekend for my family as a couple of members are vegetarian. Could you kindly suggest something simple I could serve for the non vegetarians to enjoy with this curry ?
Love all your recipes btw , can’t fault any of them & I have tried heaps!!!
Thanks Heaps 😁
Hi Jenny, I think the non vegetarians would love this as well! But if you’re looking for a non vegetarian curry, browse my curry collection – there’s something you’re going to love there!
Yummy, enjoyed immensely.
Great!!
This is a delicious curry! I made the suggested pumpkin lentil version. My 4yo who doesn’t usually eat pumpkin, ate heaps of it tonight.
The only change I needed to make was reduced curry powder to be acceptable to her tastebuds.
The time to cook as per recipe is accurate too. A lot of other recipes I manage to go over the time specified, which leads to late dinners. Haven’t had that issue once since I found your site! So, thank you 🙂
That’s awesome Jessica!
Hi Nagi, going to try it with chixken wings and veggies. Just a question would a couple. Of tblspn of tomato paste in the chixken broth work as I don’t have passata nor tin of tomatoes?
Do you have fresh tomatoes you could blend? I sometimes find paste too concentrated – N x
OMG! Another one to add to the favorites, and so easy! Thank you!
Made this dish tonight for my vegetarian son and daughter in law it went down really well I enjoyed it more than the chicken korma I had made and I will definitely make it again
I’m so happy it was a hit Dianne!
This was great – loved it! But don’t understand how it is so high in fat? Seems like the fat should be less?
It would be because of the coconut milk and cashews – N x
Hi Nagi, I did all the same things but the taste of the sauce seems bitter. I added some leak as veggie could that have been the mistake? Please help. Thanks
Hi Ulu, I’ve found that different brands of curry powder have slightly different flavours – can I ask what brand you used? Or it could have possibly been the passata, I sometimes add a little sugar to take away the tartness of passata and tinned tomatoes.
Another great recipe. But i have redused the curry powder to 2 tsp in stead of 2 tbsp. And no garam masala. For extra heat i used 1 tsp chiliflakes.
Thank
Great to hear you enjoyed this one Elisabeth! Thanks for letting me know – N x
This dish was soooo delicious. Thanks for another great recipe 😊
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Michelle! Thank you for letting me know! N x
Making this just now, have had a little taste test… really good. I love the fact that everything in this recipe was in the fridge or pantry, except fresh coriander.
I just made this last night and loved it. What spice do you recommend to increase the heat?
HI Rob! Cayenne pepper or any chilli powder will go great in this!
Hi Nagi, Another winner! Could this be frozen? Cheers, Kellie
Yes! This freezes SO WELL! N x
Another great flavoursome curry! Very quick and easy to make. Can’t wait to try other recipes!
That’s so great to hear Simone! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x
Another smashing recipe that goes into the hubby-approved pile 🙂 His comments went from “it’s good” to “this is really good”! For reference, I used a mild curry powder, a medium garam masala, and a hot paprika – perfect for us. Thanks Nagi!
Love hearing that Lara! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤
Oh! And I forgot to mention, I decided to try using coconut cream rather than milk, it gave a beautifully thicker sauce that worked brilliantly!
Hi have you try adding chicken thigh fillets in the curry before?
I totally make this curry using chicken, it’s SO GOOD. Sear first, remove, then proceed with recipe and add it back in with the pumpkin 🙂