This simple and delicious vegan Japanese curry is a delight to your tastebuds. Simple, full of flavor, and a wonderful addition to your meal rotation. A perfect 30 minute meal!
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I’ve quite literally ate curry my whole life. As someone who grew up in a Jamaican household, Jamaican curry was a part of regular meal rotations.
As an adult, though, I’ve loved to explore other cultures curries and understand the differences around the world and then work to veganize them so that everyone can enjoy.
This Japanese curry was one I was excited to learn more about as I explored Blue Zones foods. Blue Zones refer to areas around the world where a high population of people there have a longer than average lifespan.
This Japanese curry would be based on the Blue Zone in Okinawa, Japan. While this is not an authentic copycat version of a Japanese curry, we still hope you will enjoy this variation.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love this Japanese Curry
- Vegetarian Japanese Curry Ingredients
- Japanese Curry Substitutions and Variations:
- How to make Vegan Japanese Curry
- What to eat with Japanese Curry
- How to store Vegan Japanese Curry
- Japanese Curry FAQs
- Other Vegan Dinner Recipes to Consider:
- 🥳 Get the Full Recipe
- 💬 See What People Are Saying
Why you’ll love this Japanese Curry
- Robust Flavors – You won’t believe the flavors that you get out of this dish
- Feeling After Eating– when you eat this meal, your body feels amazing. Not full or bloated, but satisfied and thankful
- Super saucy – this recipe was specifically designed to be extra saucy for dipping and just enjoying
Vegetarian Japanese Curry Ingredients
Gather your ingredients!
- Soy Curls – Japanese curries traditionally have a meat inside of them, though not always, so we are using soy curls for that in this veganized version. Soy curls do an excellent job at mimicking the texture of meat.
- Spices – curries uses a variety of spices and most are staples in a standard kitchen; however, we would encourage you to look for a Japanese curry powder specifically
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Japanese Curry Vegetables & Add-Ins
Onions, carrots, and potatoes are the basic vegetables in all Japanese curry dishes; however, other popular Japanese vegetables that would work well in this are:
- kabocha
- edamame
- leeks
- eggplant
- green peppers
- corn
Japanese Curry Substitutions and Variations:
- Soy Curls – you could sub with tofu, chickpeas, cauliflower, mushrooms, white beans, or seitan
- Spices – Japanese curry powder can be subbed with any other curry powder that you can find at your local grocery as well.
How to make Vegan Japanese Curry
Step 1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the non-dairy butter and let melt. Add the rehydrated soy curls and cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes, careful not to burn.
Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Saute until the onions are softened, about 3 minutes.
Step 2. Add in garlic and ginger, stir together and cook for 30 seconds.
Add in curry powder, garam masala, 5 spice powder, cayenne pepper, dried sage, orange zest and bay leaf. Stir together and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the flour evenly across the top and stir together until you see no flour remaining.
Step 3. Add the broth and stir everything together. Add potatoes, carrots, and apple. Add Worcestershire, agave, ketchup and soy sauce. Stir together. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low.
Step 4. Cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Potatoes and carrots should be softened, but not falling apart.
Remove bay leaf. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve with rice.
What to eat with Japanese Curry
Traditionally Japanese curry is served with rice; however, you can also serve with fresh cooked noodles like soba or udon as well. It’s also served with pickled vegetables.
If you want to make katsu curry, traditionally this is breaded and fried chicken (or pork) with the Japanese curry sauce. Instead, to make vegan, you can do this with breaded and fried tofu.
How to store Vegan Japanese Curry
Let curry cool completely and then store in an air tight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Can this be frozen?
We do not recommend freezing this dish.
Japanese Curry FAQs
Yes. Sub the tofu for something like chickpeas or another plant based allergy friendly main. For the flour, you can replace with gluten free 1 to 1 flour.
Yes. Once cooled completely, you can store in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
To be honest this recipe makes a lot; however, if you do, you will want to use a larger pot and not a skillet.
Other Vegan Dinner Recipes to Consider:
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Vegan Japanese Curry
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon non-dairy butter (sub with olive oil)
- 4 oz uncooked soy curls, rehydrated in vegetable broth, excess liquid drained before starting
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, more or less to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoon Japanese curry powder
- ½ tablespoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon five spice powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon dried sage
- zest from ½ orange
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 tablespoon all purpose flour (sub with gluten free 1:1 if needed)
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth (can sub with water)
- 1 large yukon gold potato, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 large carrot, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 small Fuji apple, peeled, seeded, diced small
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp agave (or maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
Instructions
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the non-dairy butter and let melt. Add the rehydrated soy curls and cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes, careful not to burn. Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Saute until the onions are softened, about 3 minutes.*Note: If you don't like the taste soy curls can give the entire dish, you may want to remove them after the 3 minutes and set aside, then proceed and add them back in the last 3 minutes of cooking.
- Add in garlic and ginger, stir together and cook for 30 seconds. Add in curry powder, garam masala, 5 spice powder, cayenne pepper, dried sage, orange zest and bay leaf. Stir together and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour evenly across the top and stir together until you see no flour remaining. Add the broth and stir everything together. Add potatoes, carrots, and apple. Add Worcestershire, agave, ketchup and soy sauce. Stir together. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Potatoes and carrots should be softened, but not falling apart.
- Remove bay leaf. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve with rice.
Hi Andrew and Larisha,
Thank you for this delicious and relatively easy recipe. The list of ingredients almost scared me off but as I scrolled down the list, I found that I had most of the ingredients on hand. I had to leave some (not many out) but the recipe still was delicious. I will make this recipe again using all of the ingredients. Thamk you for helping us with our struggle to prepare delicious and nutritious food!
Awww thank you! We’re glad to hear that you had most the ingredients on hand and that the dish still came out tasty. We truly appreciate your support!
Hello! I plan to food prep this recipe for next week. I am not a super fan of apples so after looking at the ingredient list, I was thinking of omitting it. However, I watched the video and Andrew suggested applesauce. I was wondering how much of it I should use to replace the apple? I have a couple of cans that were given to me but not sure what to do with them since, apples aren’t my thing but also don’t want to waste food. I figured this would be a great use for it.
If apples aren’t your thing, using applesauce is a perfect substitute and a great way to use what you have!
Use about ¾–1 cup applesauce. Start with the lower end (¾ cup) when you’re prepping, then taste before serving. You can add a bit more if you want a slightly sweeter profile. Enjoy!
Hi Andrew and Larisha,
I made Japanese curry many times with your recipe. Every time it is a super hit in my home. My son is Vegan and I am vegetarian. Following your recipes is our favorite thing to do as a team. Otherwise, I can hardly have him speak to me. So thank you for bringing a mom and son together. I wish you and your family a blessed day.
Sometimes, I feel bad for missing a comment when it initially comes through and then I read a comment like this on a day that I really need to remember my why and it makes me know that the universe did it for a reason. I’m so glad to hear this and than you for taking time to share it.
We don’t have soy curls in the uk are dry soya chunks the same thing? Thanks : )
They are slightly different however they can be used in a recipe like this
My boyfriend made it today, it was delicious! However he made a little adjustment, he halved the amount of cayenne pepper to keep my tastebuds safe 🙂 It was still spicy and hot but in an enjoyable way.
haha, glad you enjoyed still!
Made this for dinner tonight. Even though I seriously cut back on the cayenne pepper, it was WAAAAAAAAAY too hot. In order to stretch this to 2 meals, I added 6 smaller potatoes instead of 1 large one and 2 large carrots but used only the amount of spice listed in the ingredients. However, between the ginger, the pepper, the cayenne pepper, and then the Chinese 5 spice (pepper, cinnamon, clove, fennel, and anise seeds) it was so hot that it was inedible and we ended up throwing it away.
Im so sorry that happened and completely understand where you’re coming from. This is the first time I have had this mentioned on this recipe, so thank you for the feedback. I will add notes to the recipe to help others that are looking for a milder version like yourself.
Banger of a recipe. Non-vegans we’re blown away. Marinating the Soy Curls for an hour or two in veg. broth made them come out perfectly. Stoked on this one, thanks y’all!
So glad it was a hit!
Best! Just like every other recipe from “Make It Dairy Free”. I’ve been vegan for 8 years and after finally finding your recipes around 12 months ago, I literally haven’t needed another recipe from anywhere else. Thankyou for what you do 🌱🌏
Wow, such a huge compliment. So glad to hear that.