This easy, flavorful coconut chickpea curry is ready in no time and packed with flavor! Now with a recipe video, above the curry recipe below!
Okay. I still have a couple MORE Thanksgiving recipes coming for you in the next couple of weeks, but right now I sort of need another break. As you may have realized, I eat all of the recipes that I make and test for this site and two straight months of Thanksgiving food is *a little much*, even for this potato lover.
I realized that I haven’t yet shared a basic coconut chickpea curry recipe here and it seemed like the perfect easy, budget-friendly, not-weird meal to break up the comfort food monotony. This healthy but comforting dish is inspired by Indian cuisine and easily customized with whatever nutritious vegetables and accompaniments you prefer.
Sometimes I see curry recipes on food blogs that basically amount to stirring together chickpeas, coconut milk, and curry powder*. We are not making our coconut chickpea curry like that today. We are building together several layers of seasoned umami flavor that will not leave you disappointed. Not to worry – this naturally vegan, gluten-free stew is still VERY easy to make, just follow the instructions and you will be good to go.
Tomatoes are a crucial part of the sweet, tangy, and savory background notes for the garbanzo beans here, so please don’t leave them out – if you do, your coconut curry chickpeas will taste a little blah. Fresh tomato season is finally over here in Maryland but canned tomatoes are perfectly fine in this recipe.
Anticipating another question I might get, you can adapt this to the slow cooker if you want to, but because there’s only about 10 minutes of simmering time anyway, I question whether the crock pot is really going to add anything. Same goes for the Instant Pot. This recipe is already quite fast and easy on the stovetop!
See the recipe notes for instructions on how to incorporate a few other common veggies like sweet potato, cauliflower, and spinach! For even more veggie power, you can also serve this with cauliflower rice!
*If I could change one thing about the way people make curries, soups and stews, it would be that everyone should STOP stirring raw spices into liquid, and instead toast them in the oil with the aromatics, which releases their flavors and allows them to be infused uniformly into the rest of the dish.
Easy Coconut Chickpea Curry
A classic easy coconut curry with chickpeas, inspired by Indian flavors. This garbanzo bean curry skips the complicated steps but doesn't skimp on flavor! Naturally vegan and gluten-free. Also free of grains, soy, and nuts.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and minced or grated
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (reduce to 1/8 tsp if freshly-ground)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 1/4 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (equal to 1 14-oz. can; drain before using)
- 1 and 1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk (equal to 1 14-oz. can)
- 1 and 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas (equal to 1 16-oz. can; drain and rinse before using)
- 2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lime juice (1 lime) (lemon also works)
- chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) for serving
Instructions
In a large pan, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the red onion with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and starting to brown.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and ginger; stir and cook for 60 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in the garam masala, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cook for 30 seconds more to toast the spices.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir well. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes or until the tomatoes are starting to break down and dry up a little bit. Stir in the coconut milk and chickpeas. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Simmer the coconut chickpea curry for about 10 minutes or until reduced slightly. Stir in the fresh lime juice. Season to taste with additional salt (I used about another 1/2 teaspoon at this point). Serve hot, over rice or other accompaniments of choice, and garnished with chopped fresh cilantro.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
TO ADD HEARTY VEGETABLES LIKE SWEET POTATO OR CAULIFLOWER: Cut the veggies into bite-sized pieces, and add them after the initial step of cooking the onion, but before adding the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes until the vegetable is softened a little bit. It can then finish cooking when the chickpea coconut curry is brought to a boil and simmered.
TO ADD QUICK-COOKING VEGETABLES LIKE SPINACH: After simmering the chickpea curry, turn off the heat, stir in the spinach, and cover the pan. Remove the lid after 2 minutes, or when the spinach is wilted to your liking.
Pictured with my vegan coconut curry with chickpeas is a blend of forbidden rice, black quinoa, and black lentils (also featured here in my chickpea burrito bowls).
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Catherine says
Five stars for the instructions, consistency, texture, etc. I added small pieces of cauliflower just after the onions (had to splash a bit of veggie broth to get it all to cook but that was fine) so I appreciated that mention in the comments. I also used lite coconut milk and I thought it turned out great. I served it with simple homemade flatbreads. However– I don’t know if it was just our particular garam masala mix, but one tbsp was way too much. All we could taste was cloves. It was overpowering. Not terrible, just too much. We ate it but probably won’t get back to the leftovers. I would make it again, but just split the garam masala out into its component spices, omit the clove completely, and increase the others. Thank you for a good base recipe.
Liz says
Wow, this is yummy! Toasting the spices ahead of time is key, it not only tastes good but it scented the whole house.
Dena says
I have made this a few times. Always add cauliflower, sweet potatoes and spinach. Very good.
LeeLee says
Quick and easy and delicious …. my favourite kind of recipe!
Elle says
Hi!
I’m 18 and I’m finally starting to learn how to properly cook, lol. Before this, I basically just tossed food into the oven. This is the second time I am making your recipe, and it is really, really good! My family gobbles it up as well, and they’re all omnivores, lol. The first time I left it on the stove too long and it reduced more than I would’ve liked, but this time it was perfect. And it’s so easy! Just wanted to thank you for looking out for us starting out vegetarians. This is certainly one of my favourite recipes! I will for sure be adding it to the arsenal.
Cheers,
Elle
P.S Because my family and I can’t get enough of seasoning, for the second go I doubled up on everything except for the salt and garam masala. It turned out wonderful! If you’re like me and you like a bucket load of flavour, I would recommend trying it. Cheers!
Genevieve says
Delicious! Threw in three handfuls of baby spinach at the very end and served it over rice. Easy, fast, and delicious!
Janice says
Could I do this in my instant pot with overnight-soaked garbanzos instead of pre-cooked ones?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I wouldn’t have a clue without trying it out, but I’m skeptical because the acidity from the tomatoes may prevent the chickpeas from cooking through fully
Safiyyah says
Very flavourful! Simple to execute and works well with various veggies added in. I added tofu in as well, so yummy!
Alex says
Excellent recipe, I used half a cup more tomatoes because I only have 22 oz cans. also added a teaspoon of curry powder. Served with a mix of basmati and wild black rice. (10/10)
judy says
This was so good! I have been using my new instapot to cook dried beans. It’s so easy! Also pressure cooking destroys lectins in !the beans that are harmful. Starting to have more meatless meals and served with couscous it was delicious!
Lisa says
This was really delicious – definitely brings the heat – may add a few tbsp of milk to mellow it – but absolutely love the flavor- served it over rice
Jodie says
Hi
Do I need to cook the chickpeas first? Not used chickpeas in recipes before, sorry!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Jodie,
Chickpeas that come in a can/tin are already cooked so you can go ahead and put them straight into the recipe as written. If you’re using dried chickpeas you’ll need to cook them first and then measure out the amount for the recipe.
Jodie says
Thank so much
Lizzie says
This looks great! Can it be used for meal prep? As in reheated?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yeah, this is perfect for meal prep!
CHRISTINA VILLANUEVA says
I cook this every Sunday for the past month and I eat a serving a day for lunch at work. I use 2 cans of chickpeas and it lasts me for about 4-5 days nicely stored in the refrigerator.
CHRISTINA VILLANUEVA says
And I eat it alone, like a chickpea stew…I also add baby carrots towards the beginning and I add kale, spinach, and sweet peas at the end! A lot more mega nutrients and added protein!
Giovanna Viscardi says
I made this tonight for dinner! Was just what the doctor ordered. I dont like things too spicy so I will put less cayenne pepper next time! I used light coconut milk and only used less than half a cup with a little bit of water from the canned tomatoes, as I dont like things too heavy and things that taste too much like coconut. I served it with basmati rice and it came out perfect!
Greta says
Delicious! This recipe was a great way to use up a variety of vegetables in the fridge. I added carrots, cauliflower, and chopped cabbage to the onions and garlic. The spices and coconut were so warm and satisfying. Thanks!
Lorraine Chatfield says
Hey Shannon, Do you think you could freeze this recipe at all
Cheers
Lorraine
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yes, this freezes beautifully.
nilgun says
Enjoyed by all – vegetarians and carnivores alike. I did not use the lime juice as had none at home.
Lee says
I made this recipe for a myself and two toddlers. The little guys loved it so much they stole my portion. We’re not a vegan family but we all loved the recipe. Will definitely make again.
Niki Heitor says
Love this recipe! If I need it to serve 8 people, do I just double up on everything?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yes you can just double all of it and the onions/tomatoes might take a little bit longer to cook in the early steps.
Maria Di Carlo says
Just cooked this recipe for dinner. It was delicious! I am adding it to my rotation 🙂
Rhoda Fisher says
I’ve just cooked it and loved it.
Heather says
Great recipe, but way too much lemon juice at the end. I’d recommend starting with 1/2 tbsp and going from there.
Krishna Patel says
I made this and it was delicious.
I served it with bhatura’s.
I am going to make it again for my children in the next few weeks.
Thank You!!
Rosie says
I made this yesterday exactly as the recipe stated and it was delicious!!!! thanks so much for the recipe.
Corrine says
I used low fat coconut milk. Think that’s a bad thing?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
You can use lite coconut milk but it does affect the flavor and texture. More watery, less rich.
Ewa says
Would it change the flavor if I substituted olive for coconut oil? Can’t come round to using coconut oil. Thank you.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I don’t think that would make a big difference, I personally use flavorless vegetable oil (like grapeseed) for this sometimes instead of coconut. Olive oil has a bit of a flavor but I don’t think you’d notice it in the finished dish