A simple Green Bean Potato Curry that is ready in 30 minutes, budget-friendly, and only has 8 ingredients! Perfect for midweek dinners.
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"I made this yesterday. Simple, quick, delicious, and healthy! Everyone loved it! " - Christine ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
This easy Green Bean Potato Curry is the perfect "Help! My bank account has barely any money left in it and I don't get paid for 3 days-type meal".
It's easy, budget-friendly, quick, and tasty. The perfect weeknight dinner.
Although I have a whole arsenal of spices in my kitchen, sometimes, (ok...a lot of the time), I need dinner to be super quick and don't want to be crushing cardamon pods, or toasting fenugreek, cumin, or mustard seeds.
Those spices and the delicious curries have their place and I make them when I have more time, but sometimes simplicity is key (and needed). That's where this Super Simple Green Bean & Potato Curry with no fancy-schmancy spices or herbs comes in!
Got an Instant Pot?
Check out my Instant Pot Potato Curry. It's an adapted version of this recipe, especially for your Instant Pot.
Ingredient Notes
This simple curry only has 8 ingredients (plus water and seasoning):
- Onion & garlic - Our aromatics. They add lots of flavour and the onion adds texture too.
- Potatoes - I like to use baby potatoes but any will do. Cut bigger potatoes into bite-sized chunks.
- Green beans - Fresh or frozen. No green beans? Frozen peas work great too!
- Curry powder - The only spice you need for this recipe. Any brand is fine. Curry powder is a blend of spices and an efficient and budget-friendly way to add a lot of spice and flavour.
- Coconut milk - From a can. Full-fat coconut milk will give you the best creamy texture and flavour but you can use light if you prefer.
- Cornstarch or arrowroot - Either will do. It's to thicken the sauce and make it creamier.
- Salt & pepper - Our seasonings. Be very generous. This is a very basic recipe and the correct seasoning can make the difference between a good curry and a just ok curry. Potatoes suck up and absorb a lot of salt so you need a little more than you usually would.
- Sugar - Just a touch. It's used as a seasoning and makes a HUGE difference to the flavour balance.
Make It Your Own
This recipe is really versatile in terms of what you can put in it. Here are some ideas:
- Add-ins – Tofu or a can of chickpeas are great additions for a hefty dose of plant protein and most veggies will work too. I love cauliflower in curries! I recommend reducing the amount of potatoes a little when adding any extras so you don't end up with too many solids for the amount of sauce.
- Make it spicy - This is not a spicy curry. To add heat you can either use hot curry powder, a small fresh chili when sauteing the onions and garlic, a few pinches of dried red chili pepper flakes, or some hot cayenne pepper.
- Make it nutty or tomatoey – Add a few tablespoons of natural peanut butter or tomato paste to the sauce to make it richer.
- Add more spices - Add your favourite curry spices like cumin, turmeric, garam masala, fenugreek, etc, in addition, or instead of the curry powder. Be sure to add them when sauteing the onions and garlic so they can bloom.
Serving Suggestions
This curry is hearty enough to serve as it is with a naan or cheap as chips no yeast flatbread for mopping up that delicious sauce.
I love it with rice, quinoa, or couscous to stretch it further and my coconut basmati rice or coconut lime rice are great accompaniments if you want to fancy the meal up. I really like some mango chutney on the side too.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover curry in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don't recommend freezing it because potatoes can become grainy and mealy once defrosted.
Reheat gently in a pan on the stovetop or in a microwave. Add a little water or coconut milk to thin the sauce as needed.
Recipe FAQs
With a sharp knife slice the onion in half vertically then peel off the skin. Lay the onion on its flat side and slice crosswise from top to root end into thin half-moons.
Love Curry?
Recipe
Easy Green Bean Potato Curry
Author:Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , or a little water for oil-free
- 1 medium onion , thinly sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic , minced
- 2lb (900 grams or about 6 cups) chopped potatoes , use baby potatoes halved or regular potatoes cut into chunky bite-sized pieces.
- 3 tablespoons curry powder
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch , or arrowroot powder
- 2½ cups (600 mls) water
- 2 heaping cups (400 grams) green beans , fresh or frozen (no need to defrost)
- 1 x 13.5oz (400 ml) can coconut milk , full fat for the best flavor/creaminess
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Warm a large pan over a medium heat. Pour in the oil and when glistening add the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes until translucent and just starting to color on the edges.
- Add the garlic and curry powder and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. The curry powder will probably stick to the bottom of the pan a bit. That's fine. Don't worry.
- Add the cornstarch/arrowroot and stir well then slowly add the water, stirring as you go to work out any lumps. Scrape right into the bottom to remove residue from the bottom of the pan.
- Pour in the potatoes, cover with a lid and allow them to cook through, giving it a quick stir every 5 minutes or so. Check the potatoes by piercing them with a fork. They will take about 15 minutes, depending on how big you cut them.
- When the potatoes are tender add the coconut milk, sugar, salt, and pepper then stir well. Now add the beans and push them down into the sauce as best you can.
- Return to medium/low heat with a lid partially on, and allow everything to warm through again and the beans to cook (about 7 to 10 minutes).
- As soon as the beans are tender it is ready. Check the seasoning adding more salt and pepper if necessary, then serve.
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Christie says
What kind of curry is best? Yellow curry? Masala curry?
Melanie McDonald says
Any curry powder is fine to use. Just use your favorite!
Mandy says
It was quick to make and I think would be great as a side dish. Very tasty as is but I like pineapple in my curries ( I know, I know!!!) So I intend to put some frozen pineapple in the remainder as it will make it a tidge sweeter, which I like. Hmmm...and the suggested chickpeas too,...to turn it from a side dish into a meal ( with brown rice). Thank you for the recipe! We enjoyed it as we always trust you and your recipes, Mel😃
Beth says
Thanks for planning dinner for me tonight! I made this and it was really good. Now I'm thinking of other vegetables I could use with the sauce when I make it again. I did add chickpeas, and that was a nice addition.
Thank you for all the amazing recipes you share,
Beth
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Beth! Have fun experimenting with different flavor combos!
Gertrude Haines says
Paprika is it listed in the ingredients but the method of making it I don’t see where you put it in.
Melanie McDonald says
There is no paprika in this recipe and it's not mentioned anywhere on the page.
Diane H. says
I have made this several times now and I always love it. I usually make a double batch, and this time I froze some. I read your comment about the potatoes changing in texture after freezing, so I'll see how that works out. Thank you for such a great vegan recipe!