Make this basic curry sauce for the freezer so you can whip up quick and easy curries any day of the week! This recipe makes a big batch you can freeze individual servings! Post includes a recipe for an easy vegetarian curry you can make with this basic curry sauce recipe.

The styled photographs on this blog and instagram probably make it look like I spend half the day in the kitchen, but that's definitely not the case. I love to cook and enjoy eating yummy meals without spending all my money going out to eat. And while I probably do spend more time cooking than the average person, I simply don't have enough time to cook dinner from scratch every night.

Despite that, other than the couple of meals we eat out with friends each week, almost everything else is home cooked. It's not because I am a superhero. It's because a.) I know that convenience foods and condiments are a super helpful dinnertime shortcut and b.) I know how to make my freezer work for me.

My freezer is loaded with the usual - frozen fruit for smoothies, frozen pizza/meals, and of course ice cream. But also, when I cook a meal from scratch, I often try to cook extras that I can freeze and pull out later. I do this a lot with sauces and condiments, like this basic curry sauce recipe. When you have frozen sauces on hand, it’s easy to thaw and use for meals that take less than 15 minutes of hands on time!

Why I Love This Basic Curry Sauce Recipe

Indian curry sauces are one of my favorite pantry ingredients to have on hand for quick and easy weeknight meals. I’m a big fan of Maya Kaimal and Brooklyn Delhi simmer sauces. I also love to pick up Meal Mantra from the Boston farmer’s markets when we get a chance to stop by. It makes it so easy to whip up a weeknight curry, and is perfect for using up leftover veggies. However, they can be a bit expensive, so this homemade sauce is a budget friendly option, especially since you can make multiple batches of curry sauce with this one recipe.

This basic curry sauce is most similar to a tikki masala sauce, a curry that’s attributed to South Asian communities in Great Britain, and now considered one of the most popular dishes in England.

How to Make and Freeze This Basic Curry Sauce

To make this basic curry sauce recipe, start with a blend of onions, carrot, peppers, garlic, ginger and cilantro, pureed together in the blender. I don’t think carrots are a typical addition to curry sauces, but this recipe is definitely not an “authentic” curry recipe, nor am I an expert on Indian cooking. I just love the bit of sweetness it gives the sauce! Either way, considering it’s inspired by tikka masala, a dish that was invented by South Asian chefs in Great Britain, it’s already a bit off a “fusion” recipe.

Next, the spices are bloomed in a bit of coconut oil. Blooming is a technique where whole or ground spices are fried in a bit of oil before adding other seasonings. It adds some toastiness, and brings out the flavor of the spices. Because many of the flavor compounds in spices are fat soluble, it flavors the oil and helps distribute the flavor more thoroughly in the finished dish.

After blooming the spices, add the pureed vegetables to the pot and simmer until it’s got the consistency of tomato paste. This step essentially concentrates all the yummy flavors of the veggies, aromatics and spices together, essentially making your own homemade curry paste. Then stir in the tomatoes, simmer again so the flavors get nice and melded together. Finally, stir in the coconut milk and cook again until warmed through.

To freeze this curry sauce, first let it cool to room temperature. I like to freeze it in individual freezer ziplock bags, which I can easily label, in 1 cup servings. To help it cool in an easily storable shape, I place the bags flat on a baking sheet and places that in the freezer.

How to Use this Basic Curry Sauce

I’ve included a recipe for a simple vegetarian curry to make with this basic curry sauce recipe below, but here’s a few other ideas:

Cook chicken in a slow cooker or pressure cooker with the curry sauce

Braise salmon, cod or halibut with the curry sauce
Make a curry with potatoes, cauliflower and peas
Use it to make my chickpea dumplings in spinach curry sauce
Make a curry with butternut squash and kale
Simmer cooked lentils in the curry sauce to make a dal

It couldn’t be simpler to use this basic curry sauce. Just brown a protein (if using) like chicken or tofu, saute vegetables, and simmer it all together with the sauce. Serve over steamed rice and if you’ve got it, Indian bread like naan or paratha.

This basic curry sauce recipe, images, and text have been updated to give you the best possible content.

If you like this basic curry sauce recipe, follow my Indian food Pinterest board for more recipe inspiration.

Vegan Red Curry with Freezer Tomato Coconut Sauce

Makes: 1 large batch of curry sauce (sorry, didn’t measure how many cups it made, but probably 6ish!)

Ingredients

Tomato Coconut Freezer Sauce:

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic
Thumb sized amount peeled, fresh ginger, minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stem
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 14-ounce can full fat coconut milk

Vegetarian Curry:

1 tablespoon coconut oil
16 ounces tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large zucchini zucchini, halved legthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
Cilantro, for garnish
Steamed jasmine or basmati rice, for serving

Instructions

First, make the sauce. Place onions, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, ginger and cilantro in a food processor and pulse until pureed.
Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add spices and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in pureed vegetables and stir to combine. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and it is the consistency of tomato paste, about 10-15 minutes, stirring to scrape up the bottom every so often. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes until thickened. Stir in coconut milk until combined. If cooking the rest of the dish, start preparing the curry. Otherwise, let cool to room temperature and freeze in 1 or 2 cup servings in a zip top bag or lidded container.
Before making the curry, defrost about 4 cups of curry sauce. To make the curry, heat coconut oil in a large skillet. Add potatoes, a pinch of salt and saute 5 minutes until starting to brown, stirring every so often,. Add peppers, stir and saute 3 minutes. Add zucchini, stir and saute 3 minutes. Finally, add the mushrooms, a pinch more salt and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the curry sauce and garbanzo beans, stir, and simmer 5 minutes until warmed through. Serve over brown rice.