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!!
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 tons of spices such as ginger powder, onion powder, curry powder, 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 …
- basmati rice
- garlic naan
- spelt chapati
- 4-ingredient sesame naan
Falafel Curry FAQ
Do I have to make the falafel myself? Can I use store-bought Falafel instead?
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.
Can I use canned chickpeas for the falafel?
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.
I don’t have onion powder or ginger powder. What can I use?
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.
I want to prepare this curry in advance. Any advice?
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.
- 10 Homemade Falafel *
- 1 cup tomato purée **
- 1 1/2 cups full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon plant-based oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 inch piece ginger root
- In a large pot, heat one teaspoon of 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 and spices.
- 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.
*If you're using other homemade or store-bought falafel for this curry they might fall apart, so add them later to the pan and handle them carefully.
**I used store-bought tomato purée (with salt, no additional herbs) for this recipe - it's often canned or in cartons, not to confuse with tomato paste which is thicker in consistency.
Serve with: The Curry is best served with some Homemade Naan and basmati rice. Check out the post for more side dish recommendations!
If you give this vegan & gluten-free Falafel Curry a try I’d love to hear how it went! Write me a comment, rate the recipe or post a picture on instagram, use the hashtag #elephantasticvegan and tag me via @elephantasticvegan to make sure I’ll see it ^.^ I love to see all your lovely creations! Thanks! <3
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More delicious vegan curry recipes:
15 Amazing Vegan Curry Recipes
Falafel and curry is like chocolate and ice-cream: you improve two already awesome things by combining them. That’s genius, no less. It also sounds like an easy-to-make recipe one can make a big batch of since it’s basically the same amount of work. Also, curries usually freeze well… I wish I could cook as much as I’d like to but our freezer is already full and we can only eat so much.
On my to-cook-list it must go then :)
Oh yes! You’re so right, we have exactly the same problem. We’d love to cook more than we can eat, there is simply too much delicious food out there. Love the chocolate & ice cream reference :D
I’ve never thought of making something like this, but it just seems like a genius combination! And those ginger strips look so pretty on top….I am totally amazed by this recipe :)
Awww! Thank you so much Evi! The falafel & curry combination is really great :D
Mmmm….falafel in a curry sauce sounds fantastic! Alex has been asking me to make falafel for a while now and this post inspired me to do so. Thanks Bianca!
You should totally make your own falafel, Linda! It’s totally worth it and it’s not really that much work. Good luck ^.^
What an awesome idea, Bianca :) Love it. I just picked up some rutabaga to play around with — inspired by your schnitzels by the way :)
Whoops — I meant kohlrabi not rutabaga!
Looks pretty much the same to me. Especially in the roots-section there are so many veggies I’ve never tried and I think rutabaga is one of those.
Great to hear that, Audrey! I love trying out new dishes with neglected vegetables and I hope you create something wonderful :)
Everyone loves curry. Everyone loves falafel. I think you just might be on to something ;)
Hah, I just love the combination. Fusion Cuisine is awesome :D
Oh YUM! What an incredible idea of making Falafel curry. This looks so rich, creamy and delish. Please, send me that comforting bowl filled with goodness of falafel and curry ASAP. :D
I wish food beaming would be a thing by now. It would be the greatest thing ever! Thankfully it’s super easy to make, so no excuses :)
Lovely idea! Can’t wait to try it. A friend just sent me this recipe and your blog is beautiful! Got to browse around now… :)
Aww, Leslie! I’m so happy to have you here! Welcome and thank you for your kind words <3
This ideas is genius! I never thought to combine the two but I love it! Beautiful blog :)
Thank you so much, Liz! I appreciate your kind words :) I love curries and I love falafel, so the idea of combining them had to happen sooner or later.
I can’t wait to try this one! I am a soup lover and the idea of falafel in soup sounds awesome . Thanks for the recipe!
ok just noticed it’s not a soup, but it still looks amazing!
Curry, soup,… it’s pretty much the same anyway :)
I do have some weird soups like this Traditional Austrian Pancake Soup on the blog, so you can never be too sure about anything anymore :D
This is already a thing, called kofta in India. You should try frying your spices in the oil before adding the tomato paste and coconut milk, for more depth of flavor.
Hi Mala, thank you so much for your comment. As far as I know, kofta describes the balls which can consist of potatoes, veggies, paneer,… The falafels in this recipe are not fried, therefore a healthier alternative to usual kofta recipes. Thanks for tip about frying the spices – I’ll have to try it out next time :)
Can we use canned chickpeas?
It depends on the falafel. Usually falafel made with canned chickpeas are softer and not firm enough to hold up in the sauce. If you think they turn out firm enough, give it a try and let me know how it worked out for you!
I might toss some asparagus, broccoli or mushrooms in there! Hopefully that is enough sauce but it looks like itll be fine.
I made this tonight for supper and it was delicious! My falafel started to fall apart once I started to cook them in the sauce, so I would recommend removing them after they’re browned and then add them back once the sauce was finished, especially if they’re fresh like mine were. My family loved them – I used the rest of the falafel dough to make burgers! I can’t wait to make this again. :)
I’m so glad you liked the falafel and the curry, Elise! Great suggestion to prevent them from falling apart in the curry! :) Yeay <3
This looks absolutely amazing! Look at those photos, I need that falafel like right now!
Thank you, Lianne! :)
The curry you cook is delicious. Curry is my favorite. I love this curry.
I’m craving this right about now… :)
It’s so good! I can’t wait till the temperatures drop a bit so I can use the stove again :D
Hi! I wonder if anyone has tried cooking the falafel balls in an air fryer??