Chickpea Curry

Our chickpea curry recipe is the fusion between a popular Northern Indian dish called chana masala (Punjab), where the chickpeas are cooked in a spiced tomato sauce, and coastal southern Indian cooking (Goa and Kerala), where curries are enriched with creamy coconut milk.

You’ll love the bold, fragrant, and warm spices with tender, nutty chickpeas hugged by a creamy, slightly sweet, and luscious tomato and coconut milk sauce.

We developed this coconut chickpea curry so that you can make it with easy-to-find ingredients in less than 30 minutes without compromising flavor and texture.

It’s an excellent recipe for a weeknight dinner and is also perfect for meal prep as it keeps wonderfully for several days.

Serve it with rice, roti, or naan for a tasty, wholesome, and satisfying family meal.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Chickpeas

Use canned chickpeas or garbanzo beans to make this chickpea curry in 30 minutes.

If you have more time, you can soak and cook dry chickpeas. Soaking time is about eight hours. Cooking time in boiling water varies from 1 to 2 hours.

You can substitute lentils for chickpeas, but in this case, we recommend checking out our lentil curry recipe.

Flavor base

A typical flavor-based for Indian curries consists of gently frying chopped onion, ginger, and garlic in a vegetable oil of choice; we use olive oil.

Other suitable oils are avocado oil and coconut oil.

While olive oil is not used in Indian cooking because olive trees are not native to the region (although commercial olive oil production started in Rajasthan in 2013), we think olive oil is the best oil to make curry because it complements the flavors of the dish perfectly and because is one of the healthiest oils you can use for cooking.

Spices

We recommend using a mix of:

• Curry powder.
• Turmeric powder.
• Ground cumin or cumin seeds.
• Ground coriander.
• Red pepper flakes, chili powder, cayenne pepper, or thinly sliced fresh chili.
• Garam masala: add it at the end for a fragrant aroma.

You can find these spices in most supermarkets or Asian grocery stores. Alternatively, they are all available online and last for a couple of years in your pantry.

Tomatoes

We recommend canned crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes.

Other good options are tomato puree or ripe fresh tomatoes cut into dice.

Vegetable broth

Add more or less vegetable broth based on your preferences. For example, add more vegetable broth if you like a more soupy and liquid curry.

On the other hand, if you want a thicker curry, you can reduce the amount of vegetable broth or let the curry simmer for more than 30 minutes.

Coconut milk

Go for full-fat coconut milk; it tastes fantastic with spices and chickpeas; it softens and mellows the flavor of the spices and makes the curry velvety and creamy.

Salt, Pepper, & Sugar

We use sea salt or kosher salt and black pepper.

Sugar is optional, and the curry is still delicious without it.

We recommend it because it enhances the flavor of the curry and balances out the taste of the spices, making them more palatable and mellow.

You can use white or brown sugar, palm sugar, or coconut sugar.

Serve it with

• Naan, roti or basmati rice.
• A squeeze of lemon juice or lime juice.
• A few leaves of fresh cilantro.
• A dollop of plain, greek, or non-dairy yogurt.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add chopped onion and fry it gently for 3 minutes.

Next, add grated garlic and grated ginger and fry for 1 more minute.

Add curry powder, ground cumin, turmeric powder, ground coriander, and red pepper flakes, and toast the spices for about a minute, stirring continuously, until you smell their fragrant aroma.

Add drained and rinsed chickpeas, vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, and coconut milk, then season with salt and black pepper.

Simmer on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until you reach your desired consistency. Stir occasionally to prevent the curry from sticking to the pan.

Simmer a few more minutes for thicker chickpea curry and less for thinner.

Tip: during the last 3 minutes, add two handfuls of spinach if you like and stir them in until they wilt.

Turn the heat off, stir in the garam masala, then taste and adjust for salt and spices.

At this stage, you can add a tablespoon of brown sugar if you feel it’s necessary.

Serve with naan, roti, basmati rice, or cauliflower rice, and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Optionally, add a dollop of yogurt and garnish with some fresh cilantro.

As a side dish, you can add:

Sides

Roasted Vegetables

Sides

Roasted Potatoes

Salads

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Salads

Mango Salad

Sides

Roasted Eggplant

Sides

Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

Chickpea curry with spinach

Spinach and chickpeas are meant to be together! You can use fresh or frozen spinach.

Add them in 3 minutes before the curry is ready, stir them in, let them wilt, and enjoy.

Sweet potato curry

Sweet potato curry combines buttery, tender sweet potato chunks with nutty chickpeas and a mouthwatering, creamy coconut-tomato sauce.

Check out our sweet potato curry recipe.

Vegan curry

Our vegan curry with roasted cauliflower florets and chewy tofu chunks is a tasty, fulfilling, and nutritious recipe for the whole family. It’s also suitable for meat eaters as it’s packed with texture and protein!

Check out our vegan curry recipe.

Red lentil curry

Red lentils are the ultimate curry legume as they get wonderfully creamy and give the curry a pleasing earthy flavor.

Check out our red lentil curry recipe.

Tofu curry

This is the simplest and quickest tofu curry you’ll ever make. It’s packed with taste and protein; you can make it in one pot with little effort.

Check out our tofu curry recipe.

Cauliflower curry

Another delicious variation of this recipe is one with cauliflower florets. It’s wholesome, creamy, and delicious!

Check out our cauliflower curry recipe.

Make ahead: chickpea curry is an excellent recipe for meal prep as it keeps well for several days, and its flavor gets even richer as it sits in the fridge. The curry will thicken a little the second day, so reheat it with a dash of water.

Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezer: Let the curry cool down completely, transfer it into a freezer-friendly container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge over several hours or in the microwave.

Reheat: warm the curry in a saucepan with a dash of water or the microwave.

If you like cooking with chickpeas, you will love these wholesome chickpea recipes:

Mains

Chickpea Stew

Salads

Chickpea Salad

Pasta

Chickpea Pasta With Eggplant

Salads

Chickpea Pasta Salad

Soups

Chickpea Soup

30-Min Meals

Vegan Tuna

Soups

Cauliflower curry

Mains

Microwave Sweet Potato

Try one of these easy and delicious curries that will keep you warm and satiated:

30-Min Meals

Chana Masala

Mains

Aloo Gobi (Potato & Cauliflower Curry)

Mains

Thai Red Curry

Tofu

Vegan Butter Chicken