Vegan keto Nepalese curry might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re trying to come up with dinner plans, but hopefully, this recipes changes your mind! Recipe inspiration can come from many places, and in this case, it’s from one of my all-time favorite camping meals. When my husband and I go on long road trips, we usually end up camping overnight instead of going to a hotel. Often, this brings us to some pretty cool places. For convenience, we usually have a bunch of dehydrated backpacking meals with us, in case there aren’t any options around.

One of my absolute favorite meals is the Kathmandu Curry from Backpacker’s Pantry. It’s vegan, gluten-free and high in fiber. Sadly, it’s not super low carb, so it’s not an everyday kind of meal. Also, it’s freeze-dried and not super cost-efficient or eco-friendly as a regular thing. So, I figured I’d work on a keto version of this curry so I can eat it all the time. And of course, so you can enjoy it, too!

Right off the bat, if you compare ingredients lists, there are some pretty big differences. For starters, instead of regular rice, we’re going with cauliflower rice and instead of lentils, I opted for a mix of my favorite seeds. The seeds provide lots of protein and minerals while keeping the carb count relatively low. You’ll also notice a distinct lack of peas and potatoes for carby reasons. Like all recipes on this blog, not only is this vegan keto friendly, but it’s gluten-free as well. This particular dish also happens to be soy-free and nut-free for maximum enjoyment by those of us with food allergies and intolerances.

It may seem like this is a pretty involved recipe because of the spice list, but don’t be fooled! It’s super simple to throw together. You can also bypass buying a lot of spices (if you don’t already have them) by only using a curry powder. It won’t be exactly the same, but it will still be tasty!

Notes on Making Vegan Keto Kathmandu Curry (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free)

• If you would like to make this coconut-free as well, you could replace the can of coconut milk with 1 1/2 cups (~360ml) of vegetable broth and 2-3 tbsp of olive oil.
• You can make this in your instant pot! I’ve now added instant pot directions to this recipe, so you can make it super quickly!
• If you would like more protein and happen to tolerate soy, you could also add in some edamame or black soybeans to this at the start.
• The cooking time here depends on a few factors, including your stove and how large you cut your veggies. Another factor is whether you used frozen or fresh cauliflower rice. Just keep this in mind and check on your curry after around 20 minutes!
• Cooking the seeds will soften them, but they’re still going to be firmer than lentils would be.
• The spice list may look overwhelming here, but don’t worry! You can always keep things simple and just use a curry powder blend. I happen to cook a lot, so I already had all of these in my pantry, but 2-3 tbsp of your go-to spice blend will also work!
• I try to be as accurate as possible with nutrition information. Everything is calculated using Cronometer. However, there is naturally some variation in carbohydrate and calorie counts between different brands and varieties of foods. So, your results may be different!

Vegan Keto Kathmandu Curry (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free)

Print Recipe

This vegan keto curry is based on my favorite camping and hiking meal (Kathmandu Curry) and is low carb, paleo, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, egg-free and dairy-free.

Course entree

Cuisine vegan keto

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 5

Calories 401

Ingredients

• 1 can 13.5oz/400ml full-fat coconut milk
• 3/4 cup 90g raw pepitas
• 1/2 cup 80g hulled hemp seeds
• 1/2 cup 60g raw sunflower seeds
• 3 cups ~340g cauliflower rice
• 2 cups 200g cubed summer squash or zucchini
• 1 small carrot 50g, cubed

Spices

• 1 tbsp madras curry powder or your favorite blend
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1-2 bay leaves
• Parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

• The method is super easy. Turn your burner to medium-low and place a medium pot (with a lid) or Dutch oven on top. Add in all the ingredients to the pot and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover with the lid and cook for about 25-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the cauli-rice is cooked through, and the seeds, zucchini, and carrots have softened. You may have to add a little bit (2-3 tbsp) of water halfway through if all the liquid has cooked off.

Notes

Instant Pot Method: Mix spices into the coconut milk and stir everything together in your IP. Secure the lid, seal the vent and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. You can then release the pressure however you like. I usually do a hybrid release of waiting about 5 minutes and then venting the IP.

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.1g | Protein: 14.4g | Fat: 12.9g | Fiber: 4.9g