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.
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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 š 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 200Ā°C (390Ā°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 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 š or feel free to tag me in your posts on Instagram and I will reshare them to my stories – I am @glowdiaries___ š
Watch Me Make This Recipe
Cauliflower Korma Tray Bake
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower (1.5kg/3.3lb including leaves) broken into large florets, leaves roughly chopped
- 1 large yellow (brown) onion sliced into eighths
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 3 (400g) can of chickpeas (1200g total) drained and rinsed
- 400 g canned diced tomatoes
- 800 ml canned coconut milk unsweetened
- 3 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp vegetable stock powder (bouillon) or crumble a stock cube, or sub for salt
Spices
- 2 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper optional
To serve
- coriander leaves
- natural yogurt unsweetened (I use soy or coconut)
- chopped or slivered almonds
- cooked basmati rice
- naan
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200C/390F (180C fan forced).
- Add cauliflower, cauliflower leaves, onion, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and all spices to a large roasting pan. Rub with your hands so that it is well coated. Roast for 20 minutes.
- Add chickpeas, coconut milk, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, almond butter and vegetable stock powder to the roasting pan. Stir well to combine, being careful not to burn yourself. Return the tray to oven for a further 20-25 minutes until sauce cauliflower is tender and easily pierced by a fork.
- Remove tray from oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Serve over basmati rice or with naan bread. Top with yogurt, slivered almonds and coriander leaves.
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