Chickpea curry, one of my all-time favorite chickpea recipes. It's so creamy, flavorful, nutritious, easy, and ready in just 30 minutes.
This chickpea curry is the easiest and simplest recipe you can make. It requires easy-to-find ingredients you can get at any supermarket, and it's so nutritious you could eat it every day!
It is delicious just by itself, as it has a lot of flavors, but I like to eat it with some carbs, like Basmati rice (any other rice will work too), or pita or naan bread. I also like to serve it with more veggies on the side to get a balanced meal.
Besides, this chickpea curry recipe is easily customizable with your favorite spices and herbs. I usually add some fresh cilantro or parsley, although any other fresh herb will do. Go ahead and add anything you have on hand!
Chickpea curry, affordable, delicious, and creamy. It's made with simple ingredients and it's so flavorful and easy to prepare. To make it you only need 30 minutes!
How to make chickpea curry - Step by step
- Heat the oil in a large pot (photo 1) and cook the garlic, onion, and ginger over medium-high heat for 5 to 10 minutes (photo 2), stirring occasionally.Â
- Add the spices (photo 3), stir, and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, tomato paste, and salt (photo 4). Stir and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the stove, add the lime juice and coconut flour (photo 5), stir and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving (photo 6).
- Serve your chickpea curry immediately.
Pro tips
- If you don’t eat oil, just use some water or vegetable stock instead.
- You can also use 1 and ½ cups of cooked garbanzo beans (250 g) instead of the can of chickpeas.
- Feel free to customize your chickpea curry recipe with any veggies and spices you have on hand.
- I'd use fresh garlic and onion, although garlic and onion powder are also good options.
- Ground coriander is optional; if you can't find it, just omit it.
- You can also replace red pepper flakes for cayenne powder, jalapeños, fresh chilies, or anything you want to make your curry spicy. If you're not into spicy food, omit this ingredient.
- Use some tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, or even fresh tomatoes if you can't find tomato paste. If you use fresh tomatoes, just chop them and cook them with the other veggies.
- You can replace the lime juice with lemon juice.
- Coconut flour is a great way to make your curry creamier and thicker, but it's totally optional.
Can I freeze this chickpea curry?
Yes, you can! Just let it cool, incorporate it into a freezer-friendly container, and put it in the freezer. I suggest you freeze it in individual portions so it's easier to defrost.
To thaw, transfer it into the fridge overnight and reheat it in a pot or saucepan over medium heat. You can keep it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
How long will this chickpea curry keep?
As it's made with natural ingredients, remember to keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and it will last for 5-7 days.
Can I make chickpea curry without coconut milk?
Yes! If you don’t like coconut milk, feel free to add any other kind of milk, although I suggest you use full-fat plant milk so the chickpea curry has a better texture.
Looking for more vegan Indian recipes?
Did you make this chickpea curry recipe?
Please leave a comment below, share it, or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!
📖 Recipe
Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1-inch piece of ginger root, about 2.5 cm, chopped
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander, optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- â…› teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (see notes)
- 1 14-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice, optional
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the garlic, onion, and ginger over medium-high heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.Â
- Add the spices (curry, cumin, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, and red pepper flakes), stir, and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, tomato paste, and salt. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the stove, add the lime juice and coconut flour, stir and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve immediately (I added some chopped, fresh cilantro on top) with some Basmati rice, naan or pita bread, and some more veggies on the side.
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
- If you don’t eat oil, just use some water or vegetable stock instead.
- You can also use 1 and ½ cups of cooked chickpeas (250 g) instead of the can of chickpeas.
- Feel free to use any veggies and spices you have on hand.
- I'd use fresh garlic and onion, although garlic and onion powder are also good options.
- Ground coriander is optional; if you can't find it, just omit it.
- You can also replace red pepper flakes for cayenne powder, jalapeños, fresh chilies, or anything you want to make your curry spicy. If you're not into spicy food, omit this ingredient.
- Use some tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, or even fresh tomatoes if you can't find tomato paste. If you use fresh tomatoes, just chop them and cook them with the other veggies.
- You can replace the lime juice with lemon juice.
- Coconut flour is a great way to make your curry creamier and thicker, but it's totally optional.
- If you don’t like coconut milk, feel free to add any other kind of milk, although I suggest you use full-fat plant milk so the chickpea curry has a better texture.
Nutrition
Update Notes:Â This post was originally published in March of 2019, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips in February of 2022.
Annie Corbett says
Fabulously tasty, quick and easy recipe. Always impresses friends! I sometimes can't source coconut flour so use a little besan flour, well cooked off instead. Great work!
Iosune says
Hi Annie! So glad you liked it 🙂
Amanda says
I never rate recipes but this one is amazing. I now make it weekly for lunch. Oh and the first time I made it, I only had 3/4 of a can of coconut milk so the sauce was thicker and it was delicious that way too.
Iosune says
Hi Amanda! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you liked it so much!
Noreen says
I made it this evening - really delicious. I added diced carrots with the onions, garlic and ginger and used low fat coconut milk. I also added frozen spinach. Served with brown basmati and a spoon of mango chutney. Took about 15 minutes from start to finish - a recipe I will return to many times in the future. Thanks for sharing.
Iosune says
Hi Noreen! Sounds so good 🙂 Thank YOU for your comment!
Lili says
Love this recipe! I use 1TBS of curry powder however (which is what most curry recipes use) and the results and just perfect.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Lili! I'm so glad you liked our recipe 🙂
Kirsten says
This curry was very tasty and easy to make!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Kirsten! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Monique says
Delicious! I make a lot of Indian food and this recipe is a keeper. I added a bit of brown sugar and it was awesome. Next time I may add a few cubes of tofu as well. Thanks for sharing Losune!
Iosune Robles says
Thanks for your kind comment! I'm glad you liked our recipe 🙂
TerryF says
Very quick and good! I found it thick enough without coconut flour. Added some chopped spinach. Thanks for the recipe!
Iosune Robles says
Sounds so good Terry! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Barb says
I will be making this again and again. YUM! The only thing I did differently, is to add chopped carrots. I stirred them into the hot oil to caramelize them a bit then added the onions, etc. There is something magical about onion, garlic, and ginger.
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Sounds so good 🙂 I'm glad you liked it!
Keri - warmbeercoldcoffee.com says
So delicious and super easy to make. I will add this into our meal planning rotation for nights when ya just don't feel like doin a damn thing, but still want a hot, fresh meal.
Thank you for sharing!
Iosune Robles says
Hi! That's a good idea! It is simple to make and also delicious 🙂
Kayla says
Made it without the coconut flour and it was perfect. Made Roti to scoop it with. next time will certainly double the recipe so there are leftovers for my partner and I 🙂
Iosune Robles says
Hi Kayla! I'm so glad you liked our chickpea curry recipe 🙂
Hannah says
Hi - can you make this in the slow cooker?
Iosune Robles says
Hi! I haven't tried it myself, sorry! But, I think you have to follow the same steps 🙂
Cami says
Super tasty, easy to make.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Cami 🙂 I'm so glad you liked it!