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
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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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).
Marlene says
I boiled, pealed, salted and chopped up bite sized white potatoes and poured this dish over them. It really made all the difference and made the dish super good. That is how I usually see yellow curry served in Thai restaurants. If you are a potato family, I highly recommend this as it just makes the meal a true 5 star.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Sounds delish, thanks for sharing!
Bron says
Second time making this beautiful curry (I leave out cayenne pepper because I’m a wuss when it comes to heat!) definitely a new family favourite! Thank you 🙂
Marlene says
Excellent dish. Thanks so much for posting this. Marlene from California
Renae says
This is a regular that I cook. I add peas to the dish. Everyone who has tasted it likes it. It’s so yummy. Thank you for sharing. I’ve made this dish for what feels like years now. 👌
Jan Sunshine says
This came out GREAT! This was my first successful coconut curry. However! THIS WAS NOT “EASY”! It took me quite a while to chop the onions, garlic, and ginger… to get the other ingredients ready… argh! The prep time was NOT just 10 minutes.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for your input, Jan! Prep time is an estimate and will vary based on your personal experience and abilities. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Laura says
Do you think I can sub diced red bell pepper instead of tomato?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I think that would change the flavor and texture a lot.
Wendy says
I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 just because I’m not sure curry is my thing. HOWEVER, it was very easy to make with staples I had on hand. I even had fresh cilantro! I used extra lime and when really light on the spices. I served it with brown rice and 1/2 a baked sweet potato. My husband, not liking curry at all, tasted it and said it wasn’t bad for curry. 🙂 He didn’t eat it though. If you like curry, I encourage you to try this.
Desna says
Easy to make I love it ,thanks for this recipe
New Vegan says
This recipe was super simple and delish. For me, this was a no brainer because the recipe consist of staple ingredients. Thanks for sharing and this will now be a quick go to during the week! Nom, nom, nom!
Vinny R says
Quick and really tasty. Even the 7 year old curry hater loved it. I added Fenugreek seeds, which I love in curries.
Alison Rich says
Can I use low fat coconut milk in this recipe?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
You can, but it tastes better with full fat
Monique says
Delicious! Super easy and love how healthy and nourishing this is 🙂
Pdxkels says
So delicious!!!! I did not change or add anything. The sweet potatoes were a perfect suggestion.
I’ll be making this often, thank you!
Neil E Harrison says
I am excited to try this. The ingredient list says “1 inch fresh ginger peeled and pinced”. Shouldn’t that be minced?
Kathy Zuckerman says
I look up vegan recipes frequently and have several vegan cookbooks. I have never signed myself up to get on a mailing list before but I like so many of your recipes that I have decided that I don’t want to miss out on any of them. Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much! You have actually made cooking and eating vegan food fun, easy, and, delicious!
VeganBetty says
So good! I added a jalapeno, a couple of diced potatoes and a cup of fresh peas at the end. It’s amazing. Served it to my non-vegan parents, and they loved it! This one is a keeper!
Candice says
Omg amazing. I added capsicum, spring onion as well as the red one and spinach at the end with the corriander. Soooo yum and easy to make. 😋😋😋😋
Tavia, NJ says
This recipe was a HIT! I substituted the sweet potato with kabocha (Japanese squash) and used Jamaican curry and thyme. I garnished with lime tortilla chips I baked. My boyfriend and his parents say this was the best dinner I ever made..i mean it’s been a year but oh well. I’ll take the win lol.
Liz says
Would this freeze well?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Liz, this recipe freezes beautifully!
Joshua Howard says
Hi! Two days ago I made it and it was really amazing! Thank you for the share!
Abi says
Hey, I’ve just made this for the first time and it smells and tastes delicious but how do I thicken the curry?
Thanks for a lovely recipe 🙂
Len says
Unless you forgot to drain the tomatos and chickpeas (assumes you used canned and not homemade), it really shouldnt be too watery.
Just keep it on simmer/lid off longer than the 10 minutes and stir till it’s to your liking.
Karlin says
Can I freeze this curry? I have a lot of chickpeas to use up, and would like to do a big patch. Thanks
Amanda says
Had to make a few alterations based on what I had in the house, but this was a delicious dinner and SO fast! Served with steamed veggies and brown rice. Used a can of coconut cream and kept the juices in the tomatoes – so flavorful! I also fried some cumin seeds and mustard seeds in the oil before adding the onion. Thanks for this recipe 😊
Connie Clauson says
can I use carrots in this recipe
Tiff says
This recipe is AMAZING! I decided on my first try to double everything but the chickpeas because I’ve always loved coconut vegetable curry, so I thought a bag of mixed veggies would be a great addition but wanted to ensure it’d be enough sauce. I just roasted the vegetables to get some of their moisture out and added them at the same time I added my canned chickpeas. Extra vegetables. Lots of leftovers. The kids love it. It is magical! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Diana says
How much is one serving? Like about 1 cup? or 1.5 cups?
Sam says
Love this recipe!! My go to quick, healthy dinner. I add fresh spinach as well for a few extra nutrients.
Benyi Inyama says
Is there a substitute for garam masala?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi there, do you have any other sorts of curry spice blends available to you? It might be possible to combine another curry powder with a few extras to make something that resembles garam masala. Let me know and I can make some recommendations. You could also try a recipe for homemade garam masala if you’re feeling adventurous, there should be plenty online.
Anuška says
This was so good!!! I used fresh tomatoes and didn’t feel them which gave it a nice tang. It’s just so creamy, would recommend to…everyone
sophie wilson says
Can you link me to the quinoa and rice with more details of how and what to serve it with? Thank you.
Coco says
I cant see the curry in the ingredients😰😰😰
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
A curry is a stew seasoned with a mixture of seasonings.. curry powder is a blend of spices just like garam masala is. Not sure what you’re looking for but there isn’t anything missing from the ingredients. Hope this helps.
Jill Sublett says
My favorite recipe! I have been sharing this with friends all over the country! Thank you for such a delicious and easy vegan dinner. I use my instant pot to cook my dried chickpeas (soaked first) and it is the creamiest, tastiest curry ever. I could seriously live on this! Thank you!
Len says
You dont need to soak your chickpeas b4 cooking them in your IP. 35 minute (not counting warm up/cool down (pressure release) time