I keep a jar of almonds for morning badam milk, and for years that is all I used them for. Then one week I wanted a gravy that felt festive without buying paneer or opening a can of coconut milk. I soaked a handful of those same almonds, peeled them at the sink, and blended them into a mixed vegetable curry.
That pot is this Badami Vegetable Curry. Mixed vegetables in a pale almond gravy: soaked badam (almonds), onion, ginger, and garlic, simmered until the sauce coats a spoon. It sits next to vegetable korma, but it is not hotel veg kurma and not navratan with fruit.
If you already make mix veg sabzi on roti night, this is the dressed-up version. Let’s make it together.
What is badami vegetable curry?
Badami means made with almonds. In a North Indian kitchen, that usually points to a pale, nutty gravy: soaked almonds ground with onion, ginger, and garlic, then cooked with mixed vegetables until the sauce turns creamy without a pile of dairy.
People search for this next to vegetable korma and veg kurma. Those names overlap, and the bowls can look similar, but they are not the same recipe.
- Badami vegetable curry: almond paste leads. The gravy stays pale, lightly sweet from the nuts, and thick enough for roti.
- South Indian veg kurma: coconut, poppy seeds, and fennel often lead. It is the hotel-style gravy you want with dosa, idli, or poori.
- Navratan korma: the restaurant “nine jewels” bowl. Fruit, extra nuts, and often paneer go in. Sweeter, richer, more of a celebration plate.
I make this when I want that korma comfort and I want the almonds to be the point.
Why almonds belong in a weeknight gravy
Almonds give body the way cashews do in a makhani, with a slightly sweeter, toasted finish. For a vegetarian plate that is mostly vegetables and roti, that nut paste is the protein and the sauce in one step. You do not need cream to make it feel finished. A spoon of yogurt is enough.
I still keep the vegetable list ordinary: cauliflower, carrot, beans, peas, and one small potato. Nothing you have to hunt for.
Why you’ll love this
- Almond paste makes a creamy gravy without coconut milk
- Vegetables stay in pieces if you parboil them in stages
- Naturally gluten-free, so it sits next to roti or rice without a flour swap
- Vegan if you skip the yogurt and finish with a splash of plant milk
- Leftovers thicken overnight and taste better the next day
- Mild enough for kids if you keep the green chilli to one
How the almond gravy comes together
Soak the almonds in just-boiled water for 20 minutes, then pinch the skins off. The skins slip if the water was hot enough. If they fight you, the soak was too short.
Test note: I skipped peeling once because I was late for dinner. The gravy came out speckled and faintly bitter, like the tannin from tea. Peel them. After the nut paste and yogurt go in, keep the pan at a lazy simmer. I cranked the heat on a rushed night and the yogurt split into white specks. Off the heat, whisk a spoon of hot gravy into the yogurt, then pour it back.
A few cashews in the blender help the almonds go completely smooth. Cold leftover gravy will look thicker than you expect. Loosen it with the vegetable cooking water you saved, not a new pot of plain water, so the flavor stays.
Perfect for
- Roti night when everyday sabzi feels too plain
- A thali with a lighter dal, like palak dal
- Instant pot jeera rice when you want the gravy to be the loudest thing on the plate
- A cooling cucumber raita on the side
- Methi thepla if you are packing lunch the next day
Badami Vegetable Curry
Equipment
- Blender
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai
Ingredients
For the almond paste
- 1/3 cup almonds about 20 to 22
- 8 cashews
- 1/2 cup just-boiled water for soaking
- 1 green chilli stemmed, optional, for the blender
For the vegetables
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1 carrot medium, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 potato small, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup green peas fresh or frozen
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt for the boiling water
For the gravy
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee or unsalted butter or more oil
- 1 onion medium, sliced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt whisked, or 1/3 cup coconut yogurt
- 1/2-3/4 cup reserved vegetable water as needed
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
To garnish
- fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon slivered almonds
- 1 teaspoon ghee or cream optional
Instructions
Soak and blend the almonds
- Pour 1/2 cup just-boiled water over the almonds and cashews. Soak 20 minutes. Drain, saving 1/3 cup of the soak water.
- Pinch the almond skins off. They should slip. Discard the skins.
- Blend the peeled almonds, cashews, green chilli if using, and the 1/3 cup soak water until completely smooth. Scrape the sides once. The paste should look pale and silky, not gritty.
Parboil the vegetables
- Bring 3 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil.
- Add potato and carrot. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until they just start to give.
- Add cauliflower and green beans. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more, until the cauliflower is almost tender but still holds its shape.
- Add peas for the last minute. Drain, saving 3/4 cup of the cooking water. The vegetables should be about 80 percent done. They will finish in the gravy.
Cook the onion base
- Heat oil and ghee in the pan over medium heat. Add sliced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook 5 to 6 minutes until soft and lightly gold, not brown.
- Add ginger and garlic. Stir 30 to 45 seconds until the raw smell fades.
- Take the pan off the heat. Cool 3 minutes. Blend the onion mixture with the almond paste until smooth. Add a splash of reserved vegetable water only if the blender stalls.
Finish the curry
- Return the blended gravy to the pan over medium-low heat. Add turmeric, coriander, cumin, Kashmiri chilli, and salt. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the paste thickens and smells toasted, not raw.
- Take the pan off the heat. Whisk a spoon of the hot gravy into the yogurt, then stir the yogurt into the pan.
- Add the drained vegetables and 1/2 cup reserved vegetable water. Return to a gentle simmer. Cook 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the gravy coats a spoon. Add more vegetable water if it is too tight.
- Crush kasuri methi between your palms. Stir it in with the garam masala. Simmer 1 minute. Do not boil hard.
- Taste for salt. Garnish with cilantro, slivered almonds, and a teaspoon of ghee if you want a glossy top. Serve hot with roti, thepla, or jeera rice.
Notes
FAQs
Q1. Can I make this vegan?
Yes. Use oil instead of ghee and skip the dairy yogurt. Coconut yogurt or a splash of unsweetened oat or almond milk works. The almond paste is already the cream, so you will not miss a heavy finish.
Q2. Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes. The gravy tastes better the next day. Cook it fully, cool, and refrigerate. Reheat on low with a splash of water. If you are prepping for guests, parboil the vegetables and blend the paste in the morning, then finish the curry in 15 minutes before dinner.
Q3. Is this the same as vegetable korma?
They sit in the same family. Vegetable korma and veg kurma often lean on coconut, poppy seeds, or a sweeter restaurant gravy. This is the almond version: pale, nutty, no fruit. If you came here searching for vegetable korma and you want almonds to lead, you are in the right pot.
Q4. Can I add paneer?
Yes. Add 150 to 200 g paneer cubes in the last 2 to 3 minutes so they warm through without turning rubbery. That starts to drift toward a shahi or navratan plate. Keep fruit out if you still want this to taste like badami curry, not dessert gravy.
Q5. My gravy split or looks grainy. What went wrong?
Two usual causes. The almonds were not peeled, or the yogurt went into a boiling pan. Blend the paste longer with a splash of soak water if it looks sandy. If the yogurt split, take the pan off the heat and stir in a spoon of fresh yogurt or a splash of milk. It will not go perfectly smooth again, but it will eat fine.
Q6. How do I store leftovers?
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat on low with a splash of water or milk. I like leftover badami curry with thepla the next afternoon more than I like it on night one.
Serve it like this
I like this badami vegetable curry with jeera rice and raita when I want the gravy to run. Roti or thepla when I want to scoop. If the plate needs a dry dal that stays out of the gravy, I add mag ni chutti dal. It is the weeknight pot I make when I want korma comfort and I already have almonds in the jar.
If you try it, tell me: did you keep it strictly vegetable, or did you slip paneer in at the end?
Made this? Share a photo and tag @petitepaprika on Instagram. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
