Eggplant Curry
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Published Nov 21, 2022, Updated Feb 22, 2023
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This eggplant curry combines fresh zucchini and eggplant in a creamy tomato sauce that’s packed with Indian spices. It’s flavorful, vegan, gluten-free and comes together quickly in the slow cooker.
Isaac and I love Indian food! I have a few Indian-inspired recipes on the blog (like this dairy-free butter chicken and vegan tempeh tikka masala) and today I’m sharing an eggplant curry, which was inspired by Baingan Bharta, one of my favorite vegetarian dishes to order when we go out for Indian food.
Baingan Bharta is a traditional Indian dish made with grilled eggplants, onions, tomatoes, spices and fresh herbs, but I decided to change things up a bit by using a combo of eggplant and zucchini. I also added coconut milk to make it extra creamy.
After cooking for hours the eggplant and zucchini get melt-in-your-mouth tender and soak up tons of flavor from the spicy sauce. So delicious!
And did I mention this eggplant curry recipe is super easy? You literally throw everything in your slow cooker, stir, cover and go about your business while the veggies cook to perfection.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The perfect way to prepare an eggplant.
- Easy to make… just toss all your ingredients into your slow cooker and let it work its magic!
- Healthy, hearty and comforting. It’s the perfect cold-weather meal to make for dinner.
- Gluten-free, vegan and perfect for meal prep!
Ingredients Needed
- eggplant – the star of the recipe! Eggplant works great in curry because it’s really versatile and has a mild flavor so it soaks up the flavors of the curry. When looking for eggplants in the store, look for ones that are shiny and firm. Avoid eggplants that are dull, wrinkled or have bruises.
- zucchini – pairs well with eggplant and provides plenty of nutrients and fiber.
- yellow onion and garlic – key ingredients that add a ton of flavor to this dish.
- tomato paste – adds a deep, rich flavor and helps to thicken the curry.
- coconut milk – adds creaminess and helps to balance out all the spices. I prefer to use full-fat coconut milk, but feel free to use lite coconut milk if you prefer.
- spices – curry powder, garam masala, cayenne pepper and cumin. If you’re new to garam masala it’s a traditional Indian spice that’s typically made with cinnamon, cardamom, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, mace and nutmeg.
- salt – brings all the flavors together!
- vegetable broth – this is optional but will help thin the sauce slightly if you want a thinner sauce. Plus, it adds more flavor!
- fresh parsley or cilantro – for garnish. I love adding fresh herbs to my dishes. It really elevates the flavors.
How to Make
Combine ingredients: Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker, except for the vegetable broth and fresh parsley or cilantro. Stir everything together and add vegetable broth if the mixture seems too thick to you.
Cook: Cook on low for 4-5 hours, until vegetables are tender. Stir and season to taste.
Serve: Serve warm with rice and naan and garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro.
How to Serve Eggplant Curry
- With naan: There’s really nothing better than a warm piece of garlic naan to go with this eggplant curry. Naan + curry = pure perfection!
- Over rice: Serve this curry over basmati rice, jasmine rice or cauliflower rice for a full meal.
- With protein: Add some protein to this curry with chicken, shrimp or chickpeas to keep this dish vegan!
- Side salad: Fresh leafy greens on the side is always a great idea. Try this garlicky kale salad or massaged kale salad for a simple salad.
How to Store Leftovers
This is a great recipe for meal prep! Make a batch over the weekend and you’ll have lunches or dinners ready to go for the week!
Store any leftovers in an airtight sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More Eggplant Recipes to Try
More Curry Recipes to Try
- Summer Vegetable Curry
- Coconut Curry SunButter Noodle Bowl
- Tofu Pumpkin Curry
- Sweet Potato Curry
- Thai Green Curry with Shrimp
- Easy Coconut Shrimp Curry
- Tuna Curry Bowl with Cauliflower Rice
- Coconut Curry Mussels with Zucchini Noodles
- Chicken Curry With Vegetables
Be sure to check out all the eggplant recipes as well as the full collection of vegan recipes on EBF!
Eggplant Curry
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped eggplant, peeled, if desired
- 4 cups chopped zucchini, or more eggplant
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon curry powder
- 1 Tablespoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 15 oz can coconut milk
- ¼ cup vegetable broth, optional
- chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Add onion, garlic eggplant, zucchini, spices, tomato paste and coconut milk to your slow cooker. Stir everything together. At this point if the mixture seems too thick you can add in a little vegetable broth.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve warm with rice and naan.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Love & Flour.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for posting this recipe. I made it and absolutely love it! I added chickpeas and put it over Jasmine rice topped with some feta cheese.I think it’s that concentrated tomato flavor that the eggplant picks up that I enjoy so much.
Woo! So glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it, Cynthia.
I’m not big on aubergine/eggplant but we tried this recipe the other night and O.M.G! So good! It was a hit with the whole family. I might try adding chickpeas and carrot next time but if that doesn’t work I know the recipe already works as is
Yay! I’m so happy this recipe was a hit with your whole family, Kirstie. Thanks for making it and coming back to leave a review, it means so much to me!
I’ve been trying to find a way to serve my family eggplant and this was the ticket! None of the eggplant haters noticed it was in there. Delicious, creamy and easy!
Yay! I’m so glad this recipe worked for you and your family, Nyssa. Thanks for making it and coming back to leave a review!
I love Indian food but my curry powder never tastes as yummy as restaurant flavours. I’ve bought so many brands of them and made mine own. Any suggestions?
Oh no! Sorry to hear that, what brand of powder do you typically use? You could always try using curry paste instead of powder. I find that the paste is more flavorful.
Slower cooker on high or low? How long?
Hi Dawn – You will cook on low for 4-5 hours! Enjoy!
It turned out with a bitter aftertaste.
I am sorry to hear that. Did you make any changes to the recipe?
Great option if you are hosting for a vegan friend! Thanks a lot 🙂
Absolutely! I am glad to hear you are loving this recipe, Anabel. Thank you for sharing it with your friends and for your review + star rating, I so appreciate it!
This was delicious! Hope this isn’t a dumb question but could this freeze and be ok? I made too much!
Hi Marissa – I haven’t tried freezing this dish yet. If you do, let me know how it works out for you!
Hello! If I”m making this today but wanted to add chicken breast to it, can I throw the frozen chicken in at the same time as all the other ingredients? Can’t wait to try!!
Hi Joanna – Yes, I would cut back on the amount of veggies a bit (just so you have enough sauce) and add chopped raw chicken to the slow cooker. Let me know how it turns out. Hope you enjoy!
If I omit the salt, will the cayenne pepper seem hotter? Hubby needs salt-free diet, but we don’t want this to become too hot for us (I already reduce the amount of cayenne pepper). Thanks! This recipe has been a summer favorite since I discovered it 2 years ago.
Hi Elizabeth – No, omitting the salt should not make the cayenne pepper hotter, but I would decrease the amount of cayenne if you are wanting to lower the spice for this recipe. I am so glad you found this recipe and are loving it. 🥰