This aloo palak is super comforting and packed with flavor! A vegan spin on the classic Indian potato spinach curry that’s surprisingly easy to make.
Meet my ultimate comfort food curry! This was always one of my favorites from Indian restaurants.
A few years ago I made a killer version of vegan saag paneer. If you were a fan of that, I think you’ll love this. It’s pretty similar, but uses potatoes in place of tofu. Potatoes make just about anything more hearty and comforting.
How to Make Potato Spinach Curry
Most of the work is in prepping your spinach. It takes a while to chop up 12 ounces of spinach by hand! If you choose to do it that way, make sure to chop it super finely.
The easier method of chopping spinach is to use a food processor. Do this in batches, filling the bowl (but not stuffing it) with spinach, and pulsing the machine until your spinach is finely chopped. You’ll probably need to scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often.
You’ll also need to peel, chop and boil some potatoes. I used golden potatoes, but Russets work too. Boil your potatoes in some salted water.
Now melt some vegan butter in a skillet. Give the butter a minute to heat up, and then add some onion. Cook the onion for about five minutes to soften it up.
Spices go in next! You’ll need fresh garlic, ginger, a hot pepper, cumin (both seeds and ground), garam masala, and turmeric. Toast the spices briefly, then add some spinach and a bit of water. Cook the spinach until it wilts.
Finally, add some coconut milk. Coconut milk isn’t an authentic ingredient in aloo palak, but I loved the richness it added to my vegan saag paneer, so I included it in this curry as well.
Now gently stir in your potatoes. Cook everything briefly, just to heat up your potatoes.
Take the skillet off of the burner and stir in some lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!
Vegan Aloo Palak Tips & FAQ
- Leftovers of this dish store well in the fridge. Keep them in a sealed container for up to 3 days. I haven’t tried freezing them, but the texture of potatoes can be altered by freezing, so do this with caution.
- Can this be made with frozen spinach? Probably! I haven’t tried it, but my best guess would be to use 12 ounces of frozen chopped spinach. Thaw and drain it before adding it to the curry. You might be able to reduce the simmer time in step 5 by a bit.
- Is this dish gluten-free? It is!
- Is this dish spicy? The serrano pepper adds a bit of heat. Feel free to leave it out if you prefer a milder version. For extra heat, add a pinch (or more!) of cayenne pepper.
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Potato Spinach Curry (Aloo Palak)
This aloo palak is super comforting and packed with flavor! A vegan spin on the classic Indian potato spinach curry that's surprisingly easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 pound yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 12 ounces fresh spinach, very finely chopped
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Place the potatoes into a large pot of salted water and set it over high heat. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until fork tender, about 10 minutes.
Drain the potatoes into a colander and return them to the pot.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook it until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic, ginger, serrano pepper, ground cumin, cumin seed, garam masala, and turmeric to the skillet. Toast the spices for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
Add the spinach and water to the skillet. Stir everything and cook until the spinach has fully wilted and most of the water has evaporated, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and potatoes to the skillet. Gently stir everything to distribute the potatoes while you bring the coconut milk to a simmer.
Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Season the curry with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide onto plates and serve.
This looks so good .. thank you for helping keep us sane.. it’s weird, I swear your in my head because everything I’m craving.. there it is in my inbox. :-)
Thank you. I eat WFPB and this recipes can be done as I’m sure other’s can. Taste fantastic!!!
Thank you.
Delicious! My first time making something like this and it turned out great. The whole family loved it!