I used to make a ton of curry before venturing onto a ketogenic diet, but I had to find a way to get rid of some of the ingredients. No flour to make a roux, no mango chutney for the fruitiness and spice, no milk…hmm, it was a tough one – but I think I got it worked out!
Though it does take some time to thicken up (thanks Xanthan Gum for speeding that up!) it’s well worth the wait. This delicious keto curry will fill your house with the smell of the aromatic spices. Cooking longer without the lid is normally what I do – I am not the biggest fan of curry soup, I prefer my curry to be hearty, and full of texture.
Now, this isn’t a traditional Indian or Thai curry, but it resembles the stuff that I got as a kid living in England. Every chip shop has curry sauce, and this is similar to that. Very rich, thick, and unmistakably unique.
I know there’s a LOT of spices in this recipe. But trust me – each one plays its part. Whether it’s bringing a sense of fruitiness, spice, savory, or adding a boost in flavor – each and every component is needed. The only few that you could get away with leaving out is cardamom and coriander. They both add floral notes, but if you don’t have them on hand, don’t worry too much about going out to buy a jar.
Yields 6 Servings of Curry
The Preparation
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/4 cup butter
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup unsweetened carton coconut milk
- 294 grams cauliflower
- 24 ounces shrimp, shelled, deveined
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 5 cups spinach
The Execution
1. Measure out 2 Tbsp. Curry Powder, 1 Tbsp. Cumin, 2 tsp. Garlic Powder, 1 tsp. Chili Powder, 1 tsp. Onion powder, 1 tsp. Cayenne, 1 tsp. Paprika, 1/2 tsp. Ginger (ground, dried), 1/2 tsp. Coriander, 1/2 tsp. Turmeric, 1/2 tsp. Pepper, 1/4 tsp. Cardamom, and 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon. Set this aside.
2. In a pan, bring 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil to hot temperature.
3. Slice 1 Medium onion into small strips while the oil is heating.
4. Add onions to pan, season as needed (with salt and pepper) and allow them to cook down until soft. You can let them get burnt slightly to add to flavor.
5. Add 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream and 1/8 tsp. Xanthan Gum to the onions and mix well.
6. Add 1/4 Cup Butter to the onion slew and mix this in well also.
7. Dump all spices in and mix until well combined. The spices should soak up most of the moisture. Let this cook for 1-2 minutes so that the spices can sweat.
8. Add 4 Cups Chicken Stock and 1 Cup Coconut Milk.
9. Let this come to a boil, then cover with a lid and turn to low. Let it simmer for 30-45 minutes.
10. Chop 1/2 Head Cauliflower into small florets.
11. Add cauliflower to curry and stir in well. Let this cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
12. Add detailed and deveined shrimp to curry and stir in well. Let this cook for an additional 10-20 minutes, uncovered.
13. Mix 1 Tbsp. Coconut Flour and 1/8 tsp. Xanthan Gum into the curry and let simmer again for 5-10 minutes.
14. Add 5 Cups Spinach to your curry and let it wilt.
15. Taste, season with salt and pepper as needed. Once spinach is wilted, mix into curry well and cook for 4-5 minutes longer.
16. Serve hot and fresh!
This makes a total of 6 servings of Shrimp & Cauliflower Curry. Each serving comes out to be 324 calories, 20.9g fats, 5.5g net carbs, and 27.2g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 2 tablespoon curry powder | 40 | 1.7 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 0.3 | 1.8 |
| 1 tablespoon cumin | 23 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 1.1 |
| 2 teaspoon garlic powder | 21 | 0.1 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 4 | 1.1 |
| 1 teaspoon chili powder | 8 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| 1 teaspoon onion powder | 8 | 0 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 0.2 |
| 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper | 6 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| 1 teaspoon paprika | 6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger | 3 | 0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander | 3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder | 5 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| 1/2 teaspoon black pepper | 3 | 0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| 1/4 teaspoon cardamom | 2 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0 |
| 3 tablespoon olive oil | 358 | 40.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 medium onion | 38 | 0.1 | 8.8 | 1.6 | 7.2 | 1.3 |
| — salt and pepper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream | 202 | 21.5 | 1.6 | 0 | 1.6 | 1.7 |
| 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum | 4 | 0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/4 cup butter | 407 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 |
| 4 cup chicken broth | 60 | 2.1 | 4.4 | 0 | 4.4 | 6.4 |
| 1 cup unsweetened carton coconut milk | 45 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 294 gram cauliflower | 68 | 1.5 | 12.1 | 6.8 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| 24 ounce shrimp | 578 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 136.8 |
| 1 tablespoon coconut flour | 20 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 cup spinach | 35 | 0.4 | 5.6 | 3.6 | 2 | 4.5 |
| Totals | 1942 | 125.2 | 60.1 | 27.2 | 32.9 | 162.9 |
| Per Serving (/6) | 324 | 20.9 | 10 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 27.2 |
Shrimp & Cauliflower Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¼ cup butter
- 4 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup unsweetened carton coconut milk
- 294 gram cauliflower
- 24 ounce shrimp shelled, deveined
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 5 cup spinach
Instructions
- Measure out the curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, ground ginger, coriander, turmeric, pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon. Set these spices aside.
- Heat up the olive oil over a high heat.
- Slice one medium onion into small strips as the oil heats up.
- Add the onions to pan, season with salt and pepper as needed, and allow them to cook down until soft and slightly browned.
- Add the heavy cream and half of the xanthan gum to the onions and mix well.
- Add the butter to the onion mixture and stir in well.
- Dump in the spices from earlier and mix until well combined. They should soak up most of the moisture. Let cook for 1–2 minutes to allow them to release their fragrances.
- Add in the chicken broth and coconut milk.
- Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and turn the heat to low. Let simmer for 30–45 minutes.
- Chop the cauliflower into small florets.
- Add the cauliflower to the curry and stir in well. Let cook uncovered for 15–20 minutes.
- Add the shelled, deveined shrimp to the curry and stir them in. Let cook uncovered for an additional 10–20 minutes.
- Mix the coconut flour and remaining xanthan gum into the curry and let simmer again for 5–10 minutes.
- Add in the spinach and let wilt.
- Taste the curry and season as needed. Once the spinach is wilted, mix it into the curry well and cook for 4–5 minutes longer.
- Serve hot!
This looks WONDERFUL! We love curries and I make them often. your pic is lovely and has tempted me to try this out soon. thanks!
Ooh Buttoni! Thank you so much – I saw a few people tried it already and loved it. I have no doubt if you guys love curry, you’ll love this one too! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
OMG best curry i’ve ever tasted. Family loved it too!!!
Hehe, thanks Tracy! I’m really happy to be hearing comments of people loving it 🙂
Hi Craig (longtime lurker here…). I love curries and been doing them ever since I started cooking for myself (always skipping on the roux, mind)…Was going through my own macros after having made a black scabbard-fish curry (yum!), when I noticed a major discrepancy between yours and mine: the coconut milk macros. Even though mine’s unsweetened too (and listing nothing weird on the ingredients list) the calorie/fat count is much MUCH higher than the one you listed. Are you sure yours isn’t a typo? Because if not please tell me where you get it! Anyway, thanks for the awesome recipes and the brill step-by-step sections – love your site!
Thanks a bunch Si! Normally the coconut milk in a can will be much higher fat ratios than the one I use. The one I use is a brand called “So Delicious” and they have many different flavors. I use the one in the green carton (it’s unsweetened) and it has fairly low macros for everything 🙂
Hi Craig, I *love* all your recipes but seafood I’m allergic too. Could this be adapted with some other type of meat? I’d like to try it but with an alternative. You’re an amazing hero!
Lauren, thanks! You could definitely replace the shrimp with chicken in this recipe 🙂
Just made this recipe, it was amazing! Thanks for sharing:)
Erin glad you liked it! 😀
This is CRAZY delicious!! It was too spicy for the kids, but hubby and I LOVE it!! And it’s even good reheated the next day.
Haha, I’ve heard it was too spicy for some! I think I might just have an intolerance to spice because I didn’t find this one too spicy 😛
Best low carb recipe site hands down. Everything is delicious.
Thank you Justyna!
I tried this without shrimp or cauliflower, but with beef and broccoli instead (I know, kinda weird).
It’s AMAZING! Really spicy, which I love. I tried it right after I made it, and thought it was bland, and was disappointed. But I let it sit overnight, and it thickened up and tasted AMAZING for lunch today. Thank you so much, and thanks for introducing me to new and exciting spices!
🙂
Happy to hear Katelynn! If it tasted bland after cooking it, you may have wanted to cook it a bit longer. Normally curry’s do tend to get more flavor overnight, but the should be flavorful out the pot 🙂
Another winner!!!!! This is so so so so good! I am going to make an additional batch to freeze.
Woo! Happy to hear you liked it Monica. I think I’ll be posting a few more curry recipes coming soon 😉
This was the fourth recipe of yours I tried and it was SO good! Absolutely delicious. I ate the leftovers everyday for lunch. I didn’t have any of the thickeners so I let it boil uncovered until it thickened up that way and it was perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear you like this one Janna! It’s very similar to my curries pre-keto so I was really hoping that people would enjoy it 🙂
Hey, there is conflicting information in the recipe versus the step-by-step instructions so I just wanted to double check. In the recipe you say to cook the shrimp for 20 additional minutes, but in the step-by-step you say 2 minutes. I’m assuming 2 minutes is correct because 20 minutes seems like a long time for shrimp, but I wanted to double check. Oh, you also don’t mention turning the temp down in the recipe, which may throw people off!
Thanks so much! This sounds fantastic!
Hey Donna – sorry about that! I changed it to 10-20 minutes. It’s really more of a preferential thing here, as I prefer for my shrimp to be a little overcooked in curries. This allows for some of the liquids in the shrimp to come out and help flavor the curry. I’ve always loved the texture of slightly overcooked shrimp in curries like this. But, it’s totally up to you whether you want this to happen or not – you could always add the shrimp right at the end and allow them to cook for only a couple of minutes until they’re just about ready. As for the temperature, it’s usually simmering for the entire recipe, allowing it to reduce as it cooks.
Hope you enjoy!
I made this for dinner last night. It was really delicious, but I too thought the shrimp were overcooked. Next time I make this I’ll add them when I add the spinach.
I also thought the cauliflower was overcooked. Based on the instructions, it would cook anywhere from 40 – 50 minutes. That turned the cauliflower to mush, I would have preferred a bit more texture, I think I’d add the cauliflower 10 – 12 minutes before the end, and the shrimp and spinach 5 minutes before the end next time.
I wonder how the numbers would add up if you substituted commercial Thai curry pastes for all the spices. A yellow curry paste, or a Musaman curry paste would give you about the same flavor profile. A red curry paste would be awesome, but it usually has some sugar in it.
I tend to agree with you on the overcooked shrimp/cauliflower. This is just how my dad used to make it growing up so I guess it’s a bit of nostalgia for me. I’ll edit the recipe in the future to add a note about that so people have a better choice.
For the curry pastes, it depends. A lot of the easy-to-find curry pastes have a lot of carbs in them and would need a few tbsp. worth to get a good chunk of flavor out of. If you find one, let me know!
I always used a brand called Maesri. it comes in small cans (4 oz) and is pretty common on Asian groceries, probably available online too. I have some left in my cupboard, this is the breakdown: One serving (1.5 Tbsps) is 1 – 3 grams of net carbs per serving, depending on the type (yellow, red, or green). The yellow, (Karee Curry Paste) is the highest. Red is the lowest at 1 g net, which kind of surprises me because the red is the sweetest, go figure.
I’ve used this brand for years, and I can say that 1.5 Tbsps / serving is pretty accurate. I like my curry hot, so I usually used the red curry paste and probably used 2 Tbsps per serving.
Awesome – I’ll take a look and see if I can find some to try out. Thanks!
We made this for dinner last night, and wow it is fantastic! The only adjustment I made was to add the shrimp closer to the end, just before adding spinach. It takes some time measuring out all the spices, but it was well worth it. Thanks!
Really glad to hear you guys liked it! Sorry for the late reply, too. I was in the middle of 2 cross country moves.
This is my absolute favorite! I’ve already made it a couple of times. Though the cooking time is longish, but the result is awesome. So I try to make a big batch in one go :).
I do the same! I usually make double the servings and then freeze at least half. It’s my Dad’s recipe (converted keto) – always been a childhood favorite 🙂
OMFlippin’G!!! This was sooooo delicious. I made this tonight. I replaced Xanthan with Arrowroot. We don’t eat scavenger meat so seared cubed seasoned chicken breast instead of shrimp. It was the BEST! I didn’t have to add any additional ANYTHING which is rare. I trust your recipes now after my first trial. It was sooo flavorful which I find lacking in a lot of recipes. Even our boys (2, 7, 12) loved it and they are super picky. Husband had 3 helpings! Thank you, thank you, thank you. This recipe is a permanent part of my arsenal. Trying to decide where to tatoo it… 😉
OMG! This is SO good! I love to cook but usually shy away from recipes with so many ingredients, but I tried it – and I liked it! Very spicy and satisifying!
Thanks Gail!
I’m making this beautiful dish right now. Here’s a little side note that threw me off a little though. You have the coconut flour in the dish and in the list of the first picture. So I combined them as you directed. Later you say to set it aside with the xanthan powder. It looks great though. I’ll let you know how it turned out for me.
This was AMAZING! I made this for company and they said it was like eating Thai food in a restaurant. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Love this recipe and have made it a few times. Works out great with just a bit extra shrimp when using the large bag from Costco.
Note there is an error in the recipe– it calls for 1 Tbsp coconut flour which is added in step 1 to the bulk spices and again in step 13 at the end. Shouldn’t make a difference when it’s added, I’d think– but just want to point it out in case folks care so they don’t double up on an ingredient.
Thank you, I will make sure that gets fixed!
You guys are awesome. One of the many reasons this is my top keto site, both for my house and when getting others on the keto lifestyle!
Thank you!
Great recipe. Made this last night for a small group of friends and family (so doubled the recipe). It was delicious. Got lots of compliments. I made one small addition – shiitake mushrooms. Great combination of flavors and textures. Thanks for creating and posting!
Hi Krystal! It will probably be a little more than a cup. I’m sorry about the hassle, we’re trying to get it updated.
Thanks for replying. Will you are someone else let us know when the recipes get updated?
I’ll try my best!
My husband loves spicy foods but I don’t, he loved it, I didn’t. But it smelt amazing as I was making it, it was just too spicy for me.
Oh no! 1 teaspoon of cayenne can be a lot. Maybe try reducing it next time and then let him add more if he needs it lol.
The best thing ever. Thank you for all the great recipes.
I’m so glad! 🙂
can i use something other than shrimp? i really dislike the texture of shrimp.
Try some chicken! Might need to add it earlier in the cooking process, or you could always add some shredded pre-cooked chicken too. 🙂
thanks for the response. i followed the to the t (except for the shrimp), but the curry came out brown. what might’ve caused this?
I think it looks quite brown in the pictures, but likely culprit is how long the spices were cooked.
Hi, I just made this last night and I was wondering how much is in one serving. I have classes and work all throughout the day, so I will be bringing it with me and I need it to last me the whole week, so I really want to get it right.
Serving sizes are just a generalization and estimation based on volume and calories of the recipe. You should take the macros of the full recipe into consideration and divide it to fit your own macros.
Are there any suggestions for making this in the instant pot instead of a stove top? I always double the recipe and don’t have a pot large enough to cook everything in but my instant pot is almost big enough so I usually use it instead.
I would do everything using the saute setting until you get to the step where it asks you to simmer for 45 minutes. Instead, add the cauliflower and shrimp then pressure cook for 5 minutes. When it’s done check the cauliflower and shrimp for doneness (I’m guessing on the times…) and continue adding the rest of the ingredients.
Delicious recipe. I've made it twice now – shrimp then fish! This recipe is a sure keeper. Thank you!
Really happy to hear it! It was an adaptation of my dad’s recipe, so he would be proud 😁