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After a curry in a hurry? This is the best ready meal to buy right now
Taste Approved by the Good Housekeeping Institute
Tested by JoJo Anastasiou and Georgia Turnell
Get ready to spice up your dinner plans! Our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have been hard at work trying every curry ready meal on the market to ensure your cosy night in is one to remember. And, yes, their mouths are burning right now.
From slow-cooked beef madras to creamy chicken tikka, these ready-made versions are infinitely easier than making a curry from scratch (and often taste just as good!).
Best curry ready meals
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It’s worth noting that these curries come in a range of formats, serving either one, two or four people. Some include rice in the pack, while others will require you to add your own side, such as naan, sag aloo or dal. We also tried a selection of cooking sauces and DIY kits, which will require additional ingredients.
Perfect for the time-poor, savvy shopper, these ready-made curries are a much cheaper alternative to a regular takeaway, with a range of meat, fish and veggie dishes to suit, and varying heat levels to choose from.
How we test curry ready meals
The Good Housekeeping Institute tried 35 ready-made curry mains, sides, cooking sauces and kits to find your next fakeaway. They were looking for well-balanced, authentic flavours and tender meat, fish or vegetables.
Score: 88/100
Part of Charlie Bigham’s Indian Banquet range, this beef madras was a clear favourite with our testers. They adored the tender beef in a rich, creamy coconut and tangy tomato sauce, describing it as “superb”. It smelt incredible too, and the spice level builds beautifully, with some praising it as "restaurant-quality".
Each pack serves two (although you’ll need to add your own rice or side), and there’s also veggie tikka masala (80/100) and saag aloo (78/100) in the range (among others), if you fancy building a bigger feast.
Score: 83/100
Available in portions for either one or two people, FieldGoods’ convenient frozen meals are ideal to have on hand for busy weeknights, or in the heady early days of parenting.
This veggie-friendly hug of a dish features softly cooked chickpeas and cauliflower in a rich buttery tomato sauce. Packed with garam masala, the sauce has a subtle smokiness and a heat that builds gradually on the palate.
Score: 81/100
Looking for a quick mid-week supper? Ensure you always have this frozen pack on standby for next time the mood strikes. Our testers were impressed by the variety and generosity of vegetables this masala contained – including cauliflower and green beans – which provided lots of lovely texture and flavour, while making it feel like a slightly healthier option than some.
It can be microwaved from frozen too, for when time is of the essence.
Tuk Tuk Club Freshly Made Mild Fragrant Curry Sauce Kit 135g
Score: 80/100
This vegan-friendly DIY curry kit contains a fragrant stir-in sauce, which can be used with the protein of your choice (we tried it with paneer).
The paste layer is a blend of tomato and mango purée, ginger and spices, with plenty of chopped coriander and fried onions for texture. Mild and sweet, it’s perfect for the whole family.
Score: 79/100
This plant-based curry contains two of your five a day and is high in vitamin C, with marinated tofu, roasted red peppers and sweet onion in a rich and creamy tomato curry sauce.
Described as “fresh and healthy tasting”, it comes with fluffy coriander-spiked rice, so all that’s left is to add a dollop of mango chutney, grab a naan bread and get stuck in!
Tesco Finest Chicken Tikka Masala Saffron Pilau Rice 400g
Score: 79/100
Tesco proved most popular when looking for a meaty supermarket meal for one. The pack includes fluffy rice, and a rich, creamy chicken curry. It’s not overly spicy (which will appeal to some!), but the tender meat is still full of flavour, with notes of garlic, cumin and coriander coming to the fore.
Score: 78/100
Take a more hands-on approach with Gymkhana’s handy cooking sauce, made with warming Kashmiri chillies, cashews and a “shameless amount of butter”. It’s created in the brand’s Michelin-star restaurant — so you know you’re in safe hands — and can be used with chicken, paneer or vegetables of your choice.
The coriander and green cardamom really pops out of the smooth, creamy sauce, and our panel found it a doddle to use.
Aldi Specially Selected Gastro Creamy Chicken Tikka Masala 460g
Score: 78/100
Aldi’s classic chicken tikka masala serves two and is extra creamy. The chicken is deliciously juicy, and the heat from the chilli goes some way to cut through the creaminess in the rich, decadent sauce. An excellent option for those on a budget!
Score: 77/100
Curry night isn’t complete without a decadent black dal in our opinion, and ASDA’s proved the best for the job. Our testers found it super creamy and a little sweet, with a powerful mix of spices. The legumes stood up to cooking well, retaining a lovely thick texture that’s just crying out for a naan bread to scoop up every last bit.
The brand’s Bom Bahia by ASDA Slow Cooked Beef Madras scored 74/100 if you’re looking for a main to serve alongside.
Score: 76/100
Creamy and sweet with plenty of coconut, this frozen ready-made curry is bursting with veg. There’s cauliflower, spinach, carrots and lentils, which are very gently spiced (and therefore ideal for younger ones!).
Score: 75/100
Increase your five-a-day with Morrisons' veg-packed masala. It’s another very mildly spiced option for those who prefer to swerve the heat, with chunky al dente veg – think butternut squash, courgette, red pepper and cauliflower florets.
Score: 74/100
Delicious with rice or naan, or as part of a wider Indian feast, this slow-cooked beef madras is perfect for anyone who likes a spicy curry. One tester described it as “bursting with flavour”, with a fiery kick from the chilli and succulent beef brisket.
The fried curry leaf proved a nice touch too, adding an aromatic and fragrant note to each bite.
Score: 74/100
This prawn curry for one filled the kitchen with notes of curry leaf and turmeric, and comes with a portion of fluffy rice on the side. Testers enjoyed the creamy coconut sauce, and found the juicy king prawns were complemented by coriander and ginger.
Score: 73/100
This autumn, Sainsbury’s launched 10 new Taste the Difference ready meals aimed at busy food lovers. This single-serve aubergine tikka masala was one of them, and the BBQ smoky note was unmistakable. There’s also sweet roasted red pepper, chickpeas and spinach for variety, and it comes with rice for a complete meal for one.
Score: 72/100
These convenient, ambient pouches can be microwaved in minutes, and are a lifeline for time-poor families. A mild blend of lentils, potatoes and spinach, it’s exactly the rich and filling side dish we’d serve alongside more substantial mains. Testers found the sauce thick and creamy, with big buttery notes and a nicely building spice.
Geeta's Bombay Lentils & Potatoes, also scored 72/100 if you’re looking for a less saucy side dish.
Score: 71/100
Patak’s clever flavour pots include a sauce mix, spice paste and a marinade, allowing you to whip up your own tikka masala for four people in just 20 minutes (simply add your own meat or veg).
Testers thought it smelt very meaty for a vegetarian curry, with a dry spice quality that wasn’t overly hot, resulting in a smooth and creamy sauce.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
Joanna Anastasiou is our Food and Drinks Tester, and has completed certifications in Sensory Foundation and WSET Wine Level 2 training. Prior to this she studied geography with conservation biology at the University of Exeter and trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland. Through this she has developed a passion for sustainability within the food and agricultural sectors. Joanna also volunteers in kitchens with FoodCycle, as well as on multiple wildlife conservation projects, where she formed a particular love for bees!
Georgia has been part of the hospitality industry for the last nine years. Her starting point was the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu culinary school where she gained a Diplôme de Pâtisserie. She has worked at a number of well-known restaurants and bakeries including The Club at the Ivy and Ottolenghi, Notting Hill where she was the head pastry chef. Most recently, Georgia worked at The Clink Bakery inside HMP Brixton, which aims to reduce reoffending through teaching. She is an expert in all things baked goods and holds a WSET level 2 in wine.
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