We all love falafel and we all love curries, so why not combine them?! This vegan Falafel Curry is a creamy dream come true! Serve it with fluffy basmati rice and homemade naan for the ultimate Indian-inspired feast!
I love falafel and I love curries, so I figured why not combine them? The result was a rich and creamy vegan Falafel Curry. And it turned out to be one of my favorite curry recipes ever!!
How to make falafel curry
Step 1: Pan-fry the falafel for a few minutes.
Step 2: Add coconut milk, tomato purée, and spices. Stir and let it warm up.
Step 3: All done! It’s ready to serve!
The falafel
Whenever I make falafel, I always make a huge batch, because they freeze well and it’s not much more work to make a larger batch. Naturally, frozen falafel will turn out to be a bit drier than fresh ones, so using them in this curry is the perfect opportunity, because it makes the Falafel super soft again. Problem solved!
The base of the sauce
The sauce for this falafel curry is really easy to make and I also like to use this base for a variety of different curries. Add chickpeas, veggies, potatoes instead of falafel and boom… whole different curry!
You’ll only need two main ingredients for the sauce: tomato purée and coconut milk. It makes the creamiest and easiest sauce ever. I just love the combination of these two main flavors. To that, we add ginger powder, garam masala, salt, and fresh ginger. Aaand we’re done.
I’ve made a huge pan of falafel curry for an Indian-inspired dinner party lately and everyone loved it! Although there have been various curries, this one has been the star of the evening :)
Once you’ve made the falafel, the curry itself isn’t any work really. It’s a super quick and easy, but awesome dish!
Serve the Falafel Curry with …
Falafel Curry FAQ
It depends! Make sure the falafel are not too soft, otherwise they will fall apart in the curry. If your falafel are on the softer side, you can also fry them separately and add them to the curry shortly before serving.
You can, but make sure the falafel don’t end up too soft. Otherwise, follow the advice above to prevent them from falling apart in the curry.
You can use fine diced onions and ginger instead (fry them in the oil with the falafel). Or you can use totally different spices such as garam masala! Feel free to play around with different spices! The basic curry sauce of coconut milk and tomato purée is very forgiving.
No problem! Fry the falafel in a separate pan and add them to the curry shortly before serving. That way they won’t get super soggy. If you have rather dry falafel (e.g. when you’re using frozen falafel), feel free to let them sit in the curry longer to give them back some moisture.
More delicious vegan curry recipes
I hope you enjoy this curry as much as I do! Let me know if you give it a try!
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Cheers, Bianca
Vegan Falafel Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plant-based oil
- 14 Homemade Falafel *
- 1 cup tomato purée **
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 inch piece ginger root
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the plant-based oil and add in the Falafel once the oil is hot.
- Fry them for about 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat and reduce the heat to low.
- Add in the tomato purée, coconut milk, salt, ginger powder, and garam masala.
- Stir and let it cook for about 8-10 minutes (while slowly turning up the heat again). This is the point where you can adjust the curry to your taste by adding more coconut milk, salt, etc…
- Peel the ginger root piece and cut it in very thin strips.
- Once the curry is hot and it has reached your desired consistency, transfer it to a bowl and top it with the ginger strips and fresh cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was first published in April 2015. Updated in May 2019.
Carol
Sunday 13th of February 2022
Sooooooo I didn’t/still dont have a recipe for Falafals!I was hoping for something new OR interesting in a falafel!
Bob
Saturday 16th of October 2021
Does the curry sauce not overwhelm the herbs greatness in the falafel?
Diana
Friday 14th of May 2021
Thank you for this wonderful contribution. This is a great recipe! I will try the recipe you shared! Great dino run
Sunil Dogra
Thursday 5th of September 2019
I will try and share my feedback with you. Thanks for sharing.
Adriana Kassay
Saturday 8th of September 2018
Hi! I wonder if anyone has tried cooking the falafel balls in an air fryer??