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This Vegan Chinese Curry is rich, creamy and packed with classic takeaway flavour – but made with wholesome ingredients and plenty of colourful veg. High in protein, totally customisable, and surprisingly simple to make at home.
The flavour of a classic Chinese takeaway curry is one that I’ll never forget, despite being deprived of it since turning vegan 10 years ago!
That thick, glossy, slightly sweet, tantalisingly savoury sauce that’s perfect for pouring over rice… or, perhaps more importantly, dunking chunky chips into. Yes, please.
My first two attempts at recreating it were somewhat disastrous. I can confirm that neither wild mushrooms nor purple sweet potato belong in a Chinese curry. Technically edible, but rather confusing to look at!! No one wants a purple curry.
Then I cracked it.
Pairing classic veggies with the hero sauce ingredient; Chinese Five Spice. That’s what transforms the flavour into that of a classic takeaway Chinese curry.
Now this is regular in my kitchen – it’s high in protein, loaded with veg, and flexible enough to use whatever’s in the fridge (as long as it’s not a purple sweet potato).
Happy cooking, Tara x
QUICK LINKS
- Jump to Recipe
- Ingredients
- Step-by-Step Instructions (with Photos)
- Success Tips
- Serving Suggestions & Storage
- FAQs
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WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS VEGAN CHINESE CURRY
- Classic takeaway flavour. The sauce is savoury, mildly spiced, thick and glossy (perfect for chip dunking).
- High in protein. We use extra-firm tofu, but you can use tempeh instead, or vegan chicken if you prefer (we explain how in the recipe).
- Customisable. Switch the vegetables and protein up depending on what you have – just stick with quick-cook veg (peppers, peas, green beans, asparagus, mange tout, thinly sliced carrots, small cauliflower florets etc).
- Meal-prep friendly. This curry stores and reheats well.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CHINESE CURRY
Here’s a summary of the ingredients needed and steps involved in making this vegan Chinese curry recipe.
Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full recipe, ingredient quantities and detailed instructions.
INGREDIENTS FOR: VEGAN CHINESE CURRY
- Spring onions: adds a subtle sweetness and aromatic base – we use the white/light green parts in the curry sauce, and the darker green parts for garnish. You can substitute for 50g of diced white/brown onion.
- Fresh garlic and ginger
- Spices: mild (or medium) curry powder, Chinese five spice (essential for that unmistakable flavour!) and ground turmeric (optional, for colour)
- Coconut milk: The full-fat tinned variety
- Vegetable stock
- Light soy sauce: You can substitute for tamari.
- Lemon juice
- Coconut sugar: You can substitute for white or brown sugar.
- Cornflour (cornstarch): For thickening the sauce into that iconic takeaway texture.
- Extra-firm tofu: High protein and holds its shape. You can substitute for vegan chicken or tempeh.
- Vegetables: Green beans, red pepper, finely sliced carrot and edamame. Substitute: Other quick cooking vegetables such as small cauliflower florets, peas, yellow pepper and asparagus.
- Other ingredients: Coconut oil for frying, seasoning, red chilli for garnish.
HOW TO MAKE THIS VEGAN CHINESE CURRY
1. Build the flavour base. Fry the spring onions, garlic and ginger until aromatic.
2. Toast the spices. Add the curry powder, five spice and turmeric. Fry briefly.
3. Create the sauce. Add stock, soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar and coconut milk. Simmer.
4. Thicken the sauce. Stir in the cornflour slurry (cornflour paste made with cornflour/cornstarch and water) and cook over medium heat until thick.
5. Blend (don’t skip this!). Blend until completely smooth – an essential tip for that takeaway finish.
6. Stir fry the veg. Fry for 3 minutes until just tender.
7. Finish the curry. Add the sauce and tofu to the stir fried vegetables. Simmer for 5-6 minutes or until hot through.
8. Serve. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve with steamed or boiled rice.
TIPS FOR MAKING VEGAN CHINESE CURRY
Always blend the sauce. This is what gives it that silky, takeout-style texture and combines the flavours.
Use quick-cooking vegetables. Opt for veggies such as cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, peppers and peas. You can use some fresh sliced button mushrooms but avoid rehydrated dried mushrooms – we tried this and the texture was not right for this dish.
Five spice is a must. This is what gives it that classic Chinese curry flavour.
Want it spicier? We’ve made this curry mild but you can absolutely increase the heat if you want to. Opt for medium curry powder (rather than mild), or add fresh or dried chilli when you fry the spices.
HOW WE TESTED THIS VEGAN CHINESE CURRY
We tried lots of variations of this Chinese vegetable curry, so you don’t have to!
- We trialled various spice and aromatic blends – starting from our katsu curry sauce base, we adjusted until the flavour was perfect, opting for a sauce that’s heavy on the Chinese Five Spice for that optimal flavour. We also trialled this with the addition of star anise, but felt it didn’t add enough to warrant keeping it in the recipe.
- We trialled different cornflour amounts, from 10g to 40g per batch! 35g gave us the perfect thick, glossy, chip-dippable consistency.
- We varied the veggies – dried mushrooms and sweet potato are a no, but quick cooking and thinly sliced veggies such as carrot, peas, edamame, bell peppers and green beans are perfect.
- We varied the protein – tofu was the simplest and best fit for this recipe, in our opinion, but vegan chicken and tempeh are also good options.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
- Serve this curry with cooked long grain or jasmine rice and top it with sliced spring onions and red chilli.
- Pour this curry over a pile of chunky chip shop chips for full UK takeaway vibes!
- With vegan egg-fried-style rice (use tofu for the ‘egg’!)
Love the look of this curry? I think you’ll also love our Easy One Pot Vegetable Biryani, our Creamy Vegan Red Lentil Curry and our Creamy Chana Masala too!
HOW TO STORE
Once cooled, store this curry in an airtight container as follows:
Fridge. For up to 3 days.
Freezer. For up to 3 months.
Reheating. Defrost overnight in the fridge and then gently reheat on the hob or in the microwave, adding 1-2 tablespoons of water if necessary to loosen the sauce.
FAQs
What vegetables go in Chinese curry?
Quick-cooking vegetables work best, such as bell peppers, green beans, thinly sliced carrots, peas or edamame. Avoid strong-flavoured vegetables such as dried mushrooms if you want classic takeaway flavour and texture.
Can I make vegan Chinese curry without coconut milk?
Not really. We tested this recipe both with and without coconut milk and the flavour without coconut milk was too strong and sharp for a classic Chinese curry. Coconut milk gives the curry a rich creaminess that works well for this type of dish.
What makes Chinese curry different from katsu curry?
Chinese curry uses Chinese Five Spice, which gives it a more aromatic, slightly sweet depth compared to katsu. Our vegan Katsu Curry Sauce has a stronger and less creamy flavour, as well as a more pourable sauce, compared to the thick dippable sauce of a Chinese curry.
Can I make just the vegan Chinese curry sauce?
Yes! Once you’ve blended the sauce, use it as you wish, you don’t have to continue with the recipe and add the vegetables and protein. If you’re looking for a really thick, dippable sauce for chips, make the cornflour slurry with 40g cornflour rather than 35g.
Is this a vegetarian Chinese curry?
This Chinese Curry recipe is suitable for both vegans and vegetarians.
Vegan Chinese Curry (Easy Takeaway Style)
Ingredients
Curry sauce:
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 6 spring onions (white and light green bits only, thinly sliced (approx 25g) (substitute: 50g brown/white onion, diced))
- 1 tbsp fresh garlic (minced (approx 3 cloves))
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
- 1 tbsp curry powder (mild (or medium if you prefer))
- 2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
- ½ tsp ground turmeric (optional, for colour)
- 400 g coconut milk (from a tin)
- 300 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp coconut sugar (substitute: white or brown sugar)
- Seasoning to taste
Cornflour slurry:
- 35 g cornflour
- 60 ml water
Protein and vegetables:
- 300 g extra firm tofu (torn or cut into chunks approx 2cm in size (substitute: vegan chicken pieces))
- 100 g green beans (trimmed and cut into 2-3cm pieces)
- 100 g red pepper (deseeded and finely sliced (1 pepper))
- 100 g carrot (peeled, cut in half lengthways and then cut into thin slices (1 carrot))
- 50 g edamame (substitute: peas)
To top:
- Spring onions (sliced (use the leftover green bits from making the curry sauce))
- Red chilli (deseeded and finely sliced)
Instructions
To make the curry sauce:
- Heat a large saucepan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp of the coconut oil.2 tbsp coconut oil
- Fry the sliced spring onion, garlic and ginger in the frying pan for 3 minutes until aromatic and lightly golden.Note: If using brown/white onion, fry the diced onion for 5 minutes first, before adding the garlic and ginger and frying for a further 3 minutes.6 spring onions, 1 tbsp fresh garlic, 1 tbsp fresh ginger
- Add the spices (curry powder, five spice and turmeric) and stir in. Fry for 1 minute, adding a splash of water if the mixture is sticking.1 tbsp curry powder, 2 tsp Chinese Five Spice, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- Add the vegetable stock, soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar and coconut milk to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer whilst you prepare the cornflour slurry.300 ml vegetable stock, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp coconut sugar, 400 g coconut milk
- In a small bowl, make the cornflour slurry by mixing together the cornflour and water. Add it to the pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.35 g cornflour, 60 ml water
- Let the curry sauce cool, and when it is safe to do so, add it to a blender and blend until smooth (don’t skip this step, this sauce must be blended!). Alternatively, you can use a handheld stick blender (immersion blender).
To finish the curry:
- Wipe out the pan of any excess curry sauce and add the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Heat over medium-high heat for a minute or two and, once hot, stir fry the vegetables for 3 minutes.Note: If you’re using vegan chicken or thin tempeh slices in this recipe, rather than tofu, fry the chicken/tempeh according to the packet instructions. When 3 minutes remain on the cooking time, add the vegetables and fry for a further 3 minutes. We don’t stir fry the tofu as it tends to break up with stir frying, and it only needs heating through in the sauce, whereas vegan chicken usually needs fully cooking first.100 g green beans, 100 g red pepper, 100 g carrot, 50 g edamame
- Add the blended Chinese curry sauce and the tofu pieces to the pan with the vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the veg and tofu are cooked and hot through.300 g extra firm tofu
- Taste and season with salt as needed (we added about 1/2 tsp but it’s best to do this ‘to taste’, because the amount of salt in curry powder does vary from brand to brand).Seasoning to taste
- Serve with rice and top with the remaining sliced spring onion tops and sliced red chilli.Spring onions, Red chilli
Notes
Nutrition
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Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
