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This easy, flavor-packed mixed vegetable curry with coconut milk comes together in about 40 minutes. It’s an oil-free curry that’s full of veggies, a little spicy from the red chili, creamy from the coconut milk, and loaded with flavor from the spices and fresh cilantro.

This recipe for mixed vegetable curry is loaded with colorful veggies that can be customized to your prefrence. It's vegan, gluten-free, and easy to whip up! If you like curries try my creamy potato curry with coconut milk, butternut squash and chickpea curry, or butternut squash and chickpea curry soup.
How to Sauté Vegetables for an Oil-Free Curry
I sauté my vegetables for this mixed vegetable curry without oil by starting with a preheated nonstick skillet on medium heat. I add the vegetables, then turn down the heat so they don’t burn. The vegetables will release some of their own water, but if they start to stick just deglaze the pan with a tablespoon or two of water or vegetable broth.
Having a cup of water that you can scoop from makes the process faster. A squeeze bottle full of water also works great to deglaze the pan and prevent the vegetables from burning. Be careful though, if you use too much liquid it will boil the vegetables instead of sautéing them.
Browning the vegetables in the pan will add flavor to the oil-free curry. The more often you cook this way the more you’ll get familiar with the proper settings you need to cook the vegetables without burning them.

Keep in mind that different pans hold heat differently. Some hold heat better than others, which also means it takes longer to reduce the heat in the pan when needed. I wouldn’t recommend sautéing small amounts of garlic or ginger by themselves, they burn easily.
If a recipe calls for an onion, I’ll add the garlic and/or fresh ginger after the onion has cooked. Since garlic (and ginger) burn easily, if I’m not using an onion I wait until the vegetables have cooked most of the through (if sautéing them) to add them to the pan.
How to Make This Mix Vegetable Curry
Sauté the red bell pepper, zucchini, white parts of the bok choy (reserving the green parts for later), and red chili in a preheated pan for about 8-10 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Add a splash of water or vegetable broth to keep the vegetables from sticking for oil-free cooking (if you're not oil-free use a neutral-tasting oil). Alternatively, you can sauté the vegetables in ¼ cup of water or a ¼ cup of vegetable broth if you don’t have a nonstick pan.

When the vegetables have softened add the garlic and ginger, then sauté for 1-2 more minutes. Add curry powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground turmeric (if using), and salt then stir to coat the vegetables. Sauté for about 30 seconds until the spices are aromatic.

Use ½ cup of water to deglaze the pan, scraping off any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Now add the tamari, maple syrup, coconut milk, and chickpeas. Bring to a simmer and cook covered for about 10 minutes for the flavors to blend together.

Then stir in the green parts of the bok choy and cook uncovered on a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, or just until the green parts have wilted. Then stir in the fresh lime juice, serve over rice, and top with fresh chopped cilantro.

Tips
Less spicy - remove the seeds and white ribs from the red chili.
Spicier - leave the seeds and ribs in, garnish with more fresh red chilies or add another red chili to the recipe.
Don’t like cilantro - just leave it out, the dish will still be delicious without it.
Worried about cutting chilies - wear plastic or rubber gloves to protect your skin from the oils from the chilies. After slicing them avoid contact with your eyes and wash your hands thoroughly.
Substitutions
Red Chili Pepper - if you can’t find a fresh cayenne pepper it can be substituted with about ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne powder. It’s an estimate though because heat can vary from pepper to pepper. Another substitute is a Serrano pepper (not as hot as a cayenne pepper), or a Thai chili (hotter than a cayenne pepper).
Vegetable Substitutions - substitute with your favorite veggies or whatever you have on hand for this mixed vegetable curry. Just keep in mind the dish will take longer to cook if you substitute with veggies that take longer to sauté.
Frozen Vegetable Substitution - if you use frozen vegetables there’s no need to thaw. Add them to the pan without the red chili. With the lid on (it will redirect any condensation back to the skillet) sauté the vegetables until they’re softened and almost done, then add the garlic and ginger. Then continue with the rest of the recipe.
Coconut Milk - use low-fat (lite) or full-fat versions of coconut milk.

Fresh Ginger Root
In a pinch, 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger root can be substituted with about ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger. The ground ginger will be milder than freshly grated ginger root.
How to Freeze Fresh Ginger
To freeze ginger, peel beforehand and pop the root in a freezer-safe bag. When ready to use there’s no need to thaw, just pull it out of the freezer, and use a Microplane to grate the frozen ginger. It’s really easy to grate ginger when it’s frozen!
More Oil-Free Curry Recipes
More Plant-Based Oil-Fee Recipes
- Red Lentil Dal with coconut milk
- Spicy Chickpea Stew with Zucchini
- White bean potato soup
- Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
I hope you enjoy this recipe for mixed vegetable curry!
Originally posted on April 7, 2020, and updated on June 5, 2021.
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Mixed Vegetable Curry with Coconut Milk
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This easy, flavor-packed mixed vegetable curry with coconut milk is full of veggies, a little spicy from the red chili, creamy from the coconut milk, and loaded with flavor from the spices and fresh cilantro.
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 zucchini, sliced or chopped
- 2 ((about 13.5 ounces) 380 g)) bok choy sliced (green and white parts separated)
- 1 red chili pepper, finely diced (I use a fresh cayenne pepper)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
- ½ inch fresh ginger, grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ½ cup water
- 1 can (14 ounces (402 mL)) full fat coconut milk
- 1 can (15 ounces (425 g)) chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 lime, juiced
For Serving
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- More sliced red chili
- Rice
Instructions
- Sauté the red bell pepper, zucchini, white parts of the bok choy (reserving the green parts for later), and red chili in a preheated pan, for about 8-10 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Add a splash of water or vegetable broth to keep the vegetables from sticking for oil-free cooking (or use a neutral-tasting oil). Alternatively, you can saute the vegetables in ¼ cup of water or vegetable broth if you don’t have a nonstick pan. Or use a tablespoon of neutral-tasting oil.
- When the vegetables have softened add the garlic and ginger, then sauté for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add curry powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground turmeric (if used), and salt then sauté for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until it’s aromatic.
- Use ½ cup of water to deglaze the pan, scraping off any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Now add the tamari, maple syrup, coconut milk, and chickpeas.
- Bring to a simmer and cook covered for about 10 minutes for the flavors to blend together.
- Then stir in the green parts of the bok choy and cook uncovered on a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, or just until the green parts have wilted.
- Then stir in the fresh lime juice, serve over rice, and top with fresh chopped cilantro.
Notes
It’s helpful to already have the spices measured out and everything is chopped and ready to go before the cooking process begins.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 27 minutes
- Category: main course
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai inspired
Keywords: vegan chickpea curry, mixed vegetable curry with coconut milk, oil free curry, chickpea curry without tomatoes
JE
Excellent recipe which I think deserves a lot more attention. Perfect ingredients, lots of veggies and spices, all clean/natural, not heavy, and delicious. Really great.
★★★★★
Allie
I'm glad you like the recipe and thank you for such a kind comment.
Will Benton
I know right? This stuff is amazing!
★★★★★
Allie
I'm glad you like the recipe!