Eggplant Curry

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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.

A shallow bowl of eggplant curry with rice.

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.

Eggplant curry served with rice.

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 measured out to make Eggplant Curry: parsley/cilantro, garlic, salt, coconut milk, zucchini, cumin, cayenne pepper, onion, curry powder, tomato paste, eggplant, broth and garam masala.

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.
Three photos showing the steps to make Eggplant Curry in a slow cooker: adding the veggies and coconut milk, slow cooking and topping with fresh herbs.

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.

Servings of eggplant curry with rice and a plate of naan.

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.
A shallow bowl of eggplant curry with rice and naan.

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

Be sure to check out all the eggplant recipes as well as the full collection of vegan recipes on EBF!

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4.52 from 50 votes

Eggplant Curry

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.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4

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.
    Ingredients in slow cooker.
  • Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve warm with rice and naan.
    Fresh herbs added to eggplant curry in slow cooker.

Notes

  • Recipe adapted from Love & Flour.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of recipe | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 677mg | Potassium: 1140mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 16g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Lunch/Dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: eggplant curry
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

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75 Comments

  1. Omg, it is soooo good!!! I have made it at least 4 times already and I love it every time! I just top it with sour cream for a complete meal. It is delicious and meatless! 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    If I were to add chickpeas, do you recommend during the slow cooking process or to add-in when serving? Thanks!

    1. Hey Allison! If you’re adding canned chickpeas, I’d add them to the slow cooker after the eggplant is done cooking, with just enough time for them to get warm before serving.

  3. I haven’t made this yet, but it looks easy and yummy. One clarification, though: I think you mean garam MASALA and not marsala. I was a bit confused when I first read the recipe.

    1. Yes, garam masala! So sorry for the confusion, Lisa and thank you for catching that. I just fixed it on the blog! 🙂

    1. Hey Beth – If you pull up a conversion chart online you should be able to figure out the exact measurements you’d need. 🙂

  4. This is a very delicious hearty meal. I added 2 x carrots and I kept the skin on my eggplant which gives an added texture, it also keeps the eggplant together as it could turn into mush.

  5. 5 stars
    Wow this is tasty!! So easy and healthy as well. I used light coconut milk and added a can of chickpeas, otherwise followed the recipe as is – and it turned out great. Eating leftovers as we speak 🙂 This is going into my regular recipe rotation!

    1. Ahh yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish, DeeDee! Thanks for trying it an for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3

    1. Ahh yay, so glad you’ve been loving this recipe, Richard! Thanks so much for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂

  6. Strange question – do you think if I don’t have Aubergine, this would work with butternut squash?

  7. 5 stars
    Thanks for this great recipe! I also added carrots as some suggested. I am not eating garlic and onion so instead used ginger and the green parts of scallions. Flavor was on point! I also added a can of diced tomatoes. Super excited to eat this all week and will probably add chickpeas when I want to make it a complete meal!