This Instant Pot vegan chickpea curry can be assembled ahead and frozen as a freezer Instant Pot meal, or frozen after cooking as a freezer-friendly meal prep lunch! Vegan, gluten-free, and so full of flavor.
Say hello to my new favorite curry recipe! Full of flavor, and so easy to prepare, thanks to the Instant Pot! Not only does it require zero pre-cooking (you can literally just dump all your ingredients in the Instant Pot!), but it doesn’t require much in the way of chopping, either!
And the best thing about this chickpea curry recipe is that you can assemble all your ingredients and freeze. When you’re ready to cook, thaw completely, then dump everything in the Instant Pot and press ‘start’. Dinner has never been so easy!
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We love these Instant Pot chickpea curry because
- you can assemble your ingredients ahead and freeze for a freezer Instant Pot meal
- OR you can cook it ahead, portion it out, and freeze for easy lunches
- it’s vegan, gluten-free and full of wholesome ingredients
How to cook this Instant Pot vegan curry recipe
I was happy to get GREAT flavor out of this curry without having to use the sautee function of the Instant Pot, because this means it can be assembled ahead and frozen!
For this vegan curry recipe, you will
- Assemble all ingredients not labeled ‘after cooking’ in the Instant Pot or a heavy freezer bag (gallon-sized).
- Pressure cook for 5 minutes (since the pot is full it will take around 20 minutes to come to pressure)
- Allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes after cooking.
- Stir in some lemon juice and the green beans. Allow to sit for 5 minutes until the green beans are bright green.
- Enjoy!
What is a freezer Instant Pot meal? This refers to the practice of assembling your ingredients and freezing. When you’re ready to cook, simply thaw and cook as directed. Since you are cooking for the first time, it tastes fresh and just as delicious as pre-freezing.
- the only trick with this Instant Pot chickpea curry recipe is that you should leave your baby potatoes whole before freezing, otherwise they may get brown upon thawing
Do I add the green beans to the bag? Since green beans need to be blanched before freezing, and they may overcook in the IP, I added them to this vegan chickpea curry after cooking. Let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.
- you could also add frozen peas or frozen green beans to this recipe at the same time as the lemon juice
Is this chickpea coconut curry spicy? My curry was not spicy at all. I used this mild curry powder, but if you’d like to up the heat, you could use a spicy curry powder, or add in some cayenne to the recipe.
Can I cook this chickpea coconut curry in the slow cooker? I will be testing this soon. I’ve had issues with coconut milk breaking in the slow cooker, so I can’t say for sure that it will work.
Can I add chicken to this chickpea curry recipe? Sure! I’d slice boneless skinless chicken breasts in half lengthwise, and boneless skinless chicken thighs in 1-inch cubes and cook as directed.
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this Instant Pot Vegan Curry Recipe. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Tips & Instructions for this Instant Pot Vegan Curry Recipe
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot; this recipe has not been tested in an 8 quart
- Meal prep containers: I love these ones
- Looking for more vegan recipes? Try these Pineapple BBQ Tofu Bowls, this Vegan Ginger Teriyaki Stir Fry, this Chickpea Salad Bento Box, or this round-up with more than 65 Vegan Meal Prep Recipes!
Instant Pot Chickpea Curry (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 inch ginger (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (I used a mild curry powder)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 13.5 oz can coconut milk (400 mL)
- 18 oz can diced tomatoes (540 mL)
- 18 oz can chickpeas (540 mL; drained and rinsed)
- 2-3 carrots (cut into 2 inch pieces)
- 10 baby potatoes (halved if cooking fresh; leave whole if you are freezing them)
After cooking
- 1/2 lemon (juiced; 2 tablespoons)
- 2 handfulls green beans
- rice (to serve)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients not labelled 'after cooking' in the Instant Pot.
- Seal the valve, then pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. The pot will take roughly 20 minutes to come to pressure.
- After cooking, let the pot sit for 10 minutes to let the pressure release naturally.
- Release remaining pressure, then stir in the lemon juice and green beans. Allow to sit 5 more minutes, until the beans are slightly soft and bright green.
- Serve over rice.
To assemble ahead and freeze
- Place all ingredients not labelled 'after cooking' in a heavy duty gallon-sized freezer bag.
- Squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag. Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- To cook, thaw completely, before cooking as directed above.
To cook ahead and freeze
- Cook as directed above.
- Portion out into meal prep containers with 1/2 cup of rice.
- Cool completely, then freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat until steaming hot in the microwave.
Notes
- the only trick with this Instant Pot chickpea curry recipe is that you should leave your baby potatoes whole before freezing, otherwise they may get brown upon thawing
Caz
To save on buying a different sack of potatoes for this I’m planning to try cut up russets. Have you tried russets one this recipe? Hope it won’t make that big of a difference in the instant pot.
Denise
Hi Caz! I haven’t tried with russets, but think they would work? Let me know how it goes 🙂
Shauna
I have made this a few times now and I LOVE it! It is so easy and so delicious. I just doubled the recipe so I can freeze individual portions in Mason jars for lunches. Thank you, it adds some comfort to this time at home during this time at home for the COVID-19 crisis.
Denise
This makes me so happy to hear, Shauna! That’s so smart to make extra. I’m definitely sick of cooking meals right now 😉
Nolan
Good Recipe,
I had a 3qt, rushed everything almost cause I wanted to play games lol. The results came out okay. Overall, I am pleased and would recommend this recipe. I made the mistake of adding the green beans before the ‘after cooking’ part (cause I was rushing), they only came out soft didn’t change anything. HOWEVER, my dish is…
-Left on 7mins instead of the 5mins (thinking cause its 3qt it needs slightly more time)
-Watery (because of it being 3qt? also with the green beans added by mistake)
-Maximum volume used in the 3qt, cannot add much else, near the rim
-Didn’t let it sit for 10min before releasing pressure
-Don’t rush it (DUHH!!)
So for anyone with a 3-quart pot, recommend going half with everything, will probably result in a creamy sauce? This serves quite a lot, I added cooked chicken breast with it so makes the portions even larger. OVERALL, I messed this dish UP, I deserve these results, it deserves 4 stars because I didn’t see anyone do a 3 quart in the comments on this page.
Hope this helps anyone.
Denise
Hi Nolan! Thanks for leaving a review with such helpful feedback! So this is not meant to be a super creamy curry, but it also should not be watery. The thing with the Instant Pot is often when you first lift the lid, your meal might look watery, but as it cools, it will thicken up. One thing I’ve found that can help thicken a curry up is to add a few tablespoons of almond flour. I know this sounds weird, but as the almond flour absorbs into the sauce it really does help thicken. I have not tried it with this recipe, but it’s something to consider for next time 🙂
Elke
Made it today, very easy to assemble. Mine was a little to spicy for me si next time I will adjust the seasoning. Didn’t care for the green Beans in it, will do itnon the side.
Denise
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I would recommend a mild curry powder, as this was not actually spicy at all for us.
Emily
Hi, if you are going to freeze after cooking, do you still need to keep potatoes whole or is this instruction only if you are freezing the ingredients prior to cooking? Thanks!
Denise
Hi Emily! If you are going to freeze after cooking, no need to keep the potatoes whole. If you are going to freeze before cooking, I do advise keeping the potatoes whole. Hope you enjoy!
Elaine
Got the burn message 3 times. Added some water after the second time. Trying one more time. Crossing my fingers.
Denise
Gah! That’s so frustrating, as I’ve personally made this recipe probably 10 times and have never had a burn warning. Hope third time was the charm for you :/
Sharon
Delicious and so easy. Cooked to perfection
Denise
Woo hoo! So happy to hear this. Thanks for reporting back, Sharon!
sandra
What kind of canned coconut milk do you use…sweetened or unsweetened?
Thanks!
Denise
Hi Sandra, I use regular coconut milk, unsweetened. We do not have sweetened coconut milk available here in Canada that I have seen?
Emma
Hello! Did you ever work out if this can be cooked in a slow cooker? Backpacker here, debating buying a slow cooker. An Instant Pot is a little out of my budget, considering I’ll only be living here until May!
Denise
Hi Emma! Sorry for my late reply. I think this would work fine in a slow cooker; I’d do low for 6 hours or so. Let me know if you give it a try!
Carolyn
Hi! I’m so excited to try this. My husband loves curries so he’s looking forward to it too! Unfortunately, I have an allergy to night shades, which includes potatoes. Do you think cut up cauliflower would work as a substitute?
Thank you!!
Denise
Hi Carolyn! I think cauliflower would work, you may want to reduce the cook time. I would try 2-3 minutes, and see if the veggies are cooked through. Let me know how it goes for you! PS-I had no idea a potato was a night shade!
R
Where are you buying your diced tomatoes and chickpeas? I have never seen can sizes other than 14.5/15 oz. or 28 oz.
Denise
Hi R! For this recipe you can use 15oz cans! I am in Canada and for some reason ours are 18 oz. LOL!
Leah
Can you cook this with something other than coconut milk?
Denise
Hi Leah, I’ve only made it as written. I wouldn’t replace with cream as it will separate. You could try just replacing with stock but it might end up just like a soup and not creamy. Do you have a specific ingredient you want to replace it with?
Shannon Hagge
I’m wondering the same thing…I’m out of coconut mlk….use unsweetened almond milk? 🤔
Pam Wolff
Hi! How many cups of cooked chickpeas is this? I’d like to cook my own and not use cann s. Thanks!
Denise
Hi Pamela! It’s around 2 cups! I just cooked 1 lb of dried chickpeas yesterday and I got 6 cups, so 1/3 of a pound should do. Hope you enjoy!
Paul DeShaw
Where do you find 18 oz cans of chickpeas? 15.5 and 28 oz are the only sizes I see where I shop.
Denise
Hi Paul! It’s probably because I’m in Canada, for some reason our cans are 19 oz and in the US it’s all 15 oz. It works great with 15 oz as well!
Leona
Do you need to soak the chickpeas before cooking them this way? Thank you!
Denise
Hi Leona! This recipe calls for canned chickpeas which are already cooked. You can also cook chickpeas from scratch but would have to do it separately from cooking the curry. Here’s the IP directions for that: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/instant-pot-chickpeas/
Brett Simon
Tried this…..and it was simple to make and totally delicious. Great to be able to freeze and simply re-heat at work
Denise
So happy you enjoyed it, Brett! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Christina
This was the best chickpea curry recipe I’ve tried, plus it’s so simple to make and healthy – thank you for sharing this!! 🙂 Really takes the stress out of busy weekday dinner prep.
Denise
I am so happy you enjoyed it, Christina! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Carmen Verheijen
How to stove cook this?
Denise
Hi Carmen! I haven’t made this on the stovetop, but I’d just throw it all in a pot and simmer for 30 or so minutes, until tender. I hope you enjoy!