This coconut chickpea curry has a flavorful Indian-inspired curry sauce, and is delicious served over rice with a side of naan. Made with vegan ingredients, it's simple and quick to prepare.
We love eating plant-based meals a few nights a week, and this coconut chickpea curry is a household favorite along with our Instant Pot chickpea curry, and spicy Thai lentil curry.
This coconut chickpea curry is ideal for meal prep not just because it's SO easy to make, but also because it tastes even better on day 4! Made with simple pantry staples such as canned chickpeas and coconut milk, it's packed with plant-based protein and totally qualifies as comfort food.
Best of all, there are so many aromatic spices that add a ton of flavor to this recipe - though it is not spicy. Ginger, turmeric, garam masala, and ground coriander... YUM!
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- it's a flavorful yet mild curry, packed with spices and creamy coconut
- it's vegan, gluten-free and kid-friendly
- it's ideal for meal prep - the flavor gets better and better as it sits!
- made with pantry staples, and is quick and easy for weeknight meals
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see how to cook this coconut chickpea curry! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredient Notes
- chickpeas - for this recipe, you'll need cooked chickpeas to start. You can either purchase canned chickpeas, or cook your own Instant Pot chickpeas
- coconut milk - go for a full fat coconut milk to make the sauce rich and creamy; thai kitchen coconut milk is the brand we like
- garam masala - a spice mixture used in Indian dishes, which typically contains a blend of ground coriander, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, cardamom, and pepper. Here's a great-looking homemade garam masala recipe if you can't find it!
- tomato sauce - we preferred the texture of the curry with tomato sauce over diced tomatoes, however both options tasted great!
- tomato paste - adds notable depth of flavor; we don't recommend skipping! Tomato paste can generally be found in the tomato sauce section at the grocery store. Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays for another recipe.
Step by step directions
Sautรฉe
Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, until soft and translucent. Make a space in the middle of the pot and add the garlic. Cook for one more minute.
Meal prep tip - it's best to measure out spices while onion cooks so you can add them quickly and all at once
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Toast
Add tomato paste and spices (best to pre-measure them all out while onion cooks). Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
Note - it's essential to sautรฉe the tomato paste to get rid of tinned flavor, and to toast the spices to bring out their natural oils and enhance the flavors!
Simmer
Add the tomato sauce, coconut milk, and chickpeas. Scrape the bottom of the pan well, cover, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan every 5 minutes.
Tip - scrape the bottom of the pot frequently so it doesn't burn!
Serve
Stir in the lemon juice. Serve with rice, naan bread, and cilantro.
fAQ
This recipe likely won't work well in the Instant Pot because it's quite thick! Instead, you might enjoy this recipe for Instant Pot chickpea curry.
Yes! This recipe freeze/thaws really well. We like to portion out in 2 cup glass meal prep containers with rice.
Absolutely! We love serving this coconut chickpea curry with steamed veggies on the side/ or on top - broccoli, cauliflower, broccolini, or even bok choy would be delicious.
storage + meal prep
- Fridge - let cool completely, then portion into meal prep containers. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer - this coconut chickpea curry freeze/thaws amazingly well! Portion out with rice in freezer-friendly meal prep containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat - reheat in the microwave until steaming hot, or in a saucepan on the stovetop
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Chickpea Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste note 1
- ยฝ teaspoon ground coriander note 2
- ยฝ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ยผ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 15 oz can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes with juices; note 3
- 13 oz can coconut milk full fat recommended
- 2 cans chickpeas 30-38 oz total; note 4
After cooking
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- cilantro
- naan bread or rice
Instructions
- Sautรฉ- Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, until soft and translucent. Make a space in the middle of the pot and add the garlic. Cook for one more minute.
- Toast- Add tomato paste and spices (best to pre-measure them all out while onion cooks). Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
- Simmer- Add the tomato sauce, coconut milk, and chickpeas. Scrape the bottom of the pan well, cover, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan every 5 minutes.
- Serve- Stir in the lemon juice. Serve with rice, naan bread, and cilantro.
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Tips:
- tomato paste added notable depth of flavor to the recipe and we don't recommend skipping. Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays for another recipe.ย
- we recommend measuring out all spices into a small bowl while the onion cooks
- we preferred the texture of the curry with tomato sauce over diced tomatoes, however both options tasted great
- roughly 4 cups of cooked chickpeas
- nutritional information is for โ of the batch and does not include rice, naan, or other serving suggestions
- Fridgeย - let cool completely, then portion into meal prep containers. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezerย - this coconut chickpea curry freeze/thaws amazingly well! Store in an airtight container or freeze in jars in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheatย - reheat in the microwave until steaming hot, or in a saucepan on the stovetop
Video
Nutrition Information
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Jack says
This is a weekly staple dish in my home but wondering if you drain the chickpeas? I have made it both ways, just wondering the original intent....
Samantha says
Delicious! Is there nutrition info for this, Iโm not seeing it?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Samantha! Thank you for pointing this out, it seems the nutritional info was not added to this recipe. Will add it shortly!
Haya says
Hi Denise, this looks great and I love how you make recipes straight-forward and easy to follow!
I was wondering if you have tips on adding meat/seafood to this dish. Do you know if this would go well with chicken or shrimp? If so, which would you recommend and should the chicken or shrimp be cooked separately and then added to the curry in last few minutes of the curry simmering or...? Would love to get your thoughts on this. Thanks!!
Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hello Haya,
You could add diced chicken during the last 10-15min (shrimp 5-10min) of simmering. Be careful not to overcook as the chicken will become tough.
Please let us know how it goes.
Thanks,
Kelly says
Deelish!! I used fresh ginger and turmeric root along with ground. Also added green beans and cauliflower.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Kelly, we're so glad that you enjoyed it! That sounds delicious. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a rating and review, and share your additions!
Mike says
Taste good super easy and real cheap.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Mike, thank you so much for leaving a rating and review! Tasty, cost-effective, and healthy = the best kind of recipe! Glad you enjoyed ๐