Coconut Chickpea Curry

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!

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. 

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Step by step directions

Sautée

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

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 sautée 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.

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fAQ

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