Cauliflower Korma

This easy, creamy korma is vegan friendly and a one-tray dinner made in the oven that is perfect for weeknights. It is mildly spiced and filling, with chickpeas for protein. It’s mostly-hands off, with only 15 minutes prep time, it’s the perfect family dinner that will be on the table in one hour. Serve with basmati rice or naan.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Quick and Easy: With just 15 minutes of prep time and minimal hands-on effort, this one-tray dinner is perfect for busy weeknights.
• Nutritious and Filling: Packed with vegetables, chickpeas for protein, and healthy fats from coconut milk and almond butter, it’s a satisfying and wholesome meal.
• Family-Friendly: Mildly spiced and creamy, this korma is a hit with both kids and adults, making it an ideal family dinner option.

Ingredients

Now the ingredients list looks a little long, but once you’ve pulled the spices out and prepped your veggies, there’s not too much to do here! The specific quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. For convenience, here’s a shopping list of everything you’ll need to make this Cauliflower Korma:

• Head of cauliflower (including leaves)
• Yellow (brown) onion
• Vegetable oil
• Garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Canned chickpeas
• Canned diced tomatoes
• Canned coconut milk (unsweetened)
• Almond butter
• Tomato paste
• Vegetable stock powder (or stock cube/salt)
• Garam masala
• Curry powder
• Turmeric
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper (optional)

To Serve:

• Coriander leaves
• Natural yogurt (I use soy or coconut)
• Chopped or slivered almonds
• Basmati rice
• Naan

How to Make Cauliflower Korma

I made this recipe in the oven rather than the stovetop to free up your time to go and do something else while the curry is cooking. You only need to add the sauce ingredients part-way through cooking, and aside from that, it’s very hands-off. Perfect for busy weeknights when you’ve got a bunch of other things to do while dinner is cooking (in my case, getting Oliver, my toddler ready for bed).

There are detailed instructions included in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. For the visual learners like myself, here is a step-by-step guide with photos on how to make the recipe 🙂 if you scroll further down, you’ll also see there is a video tutorial as well.

Here’s how to make this Cauliflower Korma one-tray bake:

Step One: Using your hands, coat the cauliflower florets, cauliflower leaves, and onion with minced garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and spices. Roast for 20 minutes at 200°C (390°F).

Step Two: Remove the roasting pan from the oven and add chickpeas, canned coconut milk, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, almond butter, and vegetable stock powder. Return to the oven for 25-30 minutes.

Step Three: Once the cauliflower is tender, remove the korma from the oven and leave to stand for 5-10 minutes for the sauce to thicken further.

Step Four: Serve with your choice of sides and toppings. I love this with basmati rice, naan, yogurt, fresh coriander and some sliced chili to garnish.

Substitutions

Here are a few substitution options if you don’t have all the ingredients you need for the recipe as-is.

• Chickpeas: Use canned lentils or white beans for a different protein source.
• Cauliflower leaves: If your cauliflower has already had the leaves removed, you could use another leafy green like kale (tuscan or curly both fine, make sure stems are removed and leaves roughly chopped) or spinach leaves. Do not roast these with the cauliflower at the start though, add them in when you add the sauce ingredients. They only need to wilt, not roast.
• Almond Butter: You can substitute almond butter with almond meal, or for a slightly different flavor profile you could use cashew butter or peanut butter.
• Canned Coconut Milk: Replace with canned coconut cream, using only half the quantity and topping up the rest with water to maintain the right consistency. Make sure to use unsweetened coconut cream – this is critical! Some coconut creams are meant for desserts and contain added sugar, which will taste terrible in a savory recipe like this.
  Vegetable Stock Powder: In the US, this is referred to as bouillon powder. You can also crumble a stock cube, or simply use salt. If you do swap it for salt, taste-test once done and adjust with extra as needed.

Storage

• Refrigerator: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
• Freezer: This korma can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
• Reheating Tips: Add a splash of water or coconut milk while reheating to restore the creamy consistency.

I hope you love this easy Cauliflower Korma – it has served us my family well this winter on those cold weeknights when we are too tired to cook anything elaborate but still want something wholesome. If you want to try some other easy wholefood dinners, check out my Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Dal, Harissa Chickpeas on Sweet Potato, Mushroom Stroganoff, Dumpling Soup, or Butter Tofu.

If you make this recipe, as always, I would love to know what you think. If you have time, a star rating and review in the comments section below is always appreciated 🙂 or feel free to tag me in your posts on Instagram and I will reshare them to my stories – I am @glowdiaries___ 🙂

Watch Me Make This Recipe

Print

Cauliflower Korma

This creamy vegan korma is an easy one-pan dinner made with chickpeas and cauliflower. Just 15 minutes prep—serve with basmati rice or naan.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6 serves

Calories 499kcal

Equipment

• Oven

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower approx. 3.3 lb; 1.5 kg, cut into large florets; leaves roughly chopped
• 1 large yellow onion sliced into eighths
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 3 15 oz cans chickpeas drained and rinsed; approx. 1200g total
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes approx. 400g
• 2 13.5 oz cans coconut milk unsweetened; approx. 800ml or 568g total
• ¼ cup almond butter approx. 68g
• 2 tbsp tomato paste approx. 29g
• 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder or crumble 1 stock cube; or sub with salt
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper optional

To serve

• fresh cilantro optional garnish
• plain vegan yogurt optional; unsweetened; soy or coconut-based
• slivered almonds optional; or chopped
• cooked basmati rice to serve
• naan to serve

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). If using convection/fan-forced, preheat to 350°F (180°C).
• Place the cauliflower florets, cauliflower leaves, and sliced onion into a large roasting pan. Add the garlic, ginger, oil, garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, salt, and cayenne (if using). Toss with your hands until evenly coated.
• Roast for 20 minutes, uncovered, until the vegetables begin to soften and brown lightly.
• Carefully remove the tray from the oven. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, almond butter, and bouillon powder. Stir everything together gently in the pan (it will be hot—use a spoon or spatula to avoid burns).
• Return the tray to the oven and roast for another 20–25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is fork-tender and the sauce is thickened slightly.
• Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes to settle before serving.

Serve and garnish.

• Spoon over cooked basmati rice or serve with warm naan. Top with vegan yogurt, slivered almonds, and fresh cilantro if desired.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 499kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 718mg | Potassium: 1007mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 249IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 5mg