Chickpea Curry
148 Comments
Updated Sep 27, 2024
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This one-pan coconut chickpea curry is one of my favorite vegetarian dinners when I need something tasty on the fly. It’s pantry-friendly with simple ingredients and filled with deliciously bold Indian-inspired flavors. And while it’s begging to be served over rice, there are endless ways to enjoy it throughout the week.
Why You’ll Love This Chickpea Curry
After traveling India in my late 20’s I became obsessed with curry recipes — there’s just so much flavor! My butter chicken and coconut curry chicken are always on repeat in my house, but this chickpea curry is a fabulous vegan and vegetarian option.
- It’s easy and budget-friendly. Not only does this come together in about 30 minutes, but all the ingredients are easily accessible at a low cost — an unbeatable combo.
- A great source of plant-based protein. If you’re looking for a meatless Monday option (or any day of the week), chickpeas have quite a bit of protein — about 14 grams of protein per cup to be exact! So yes, I’d say it’s a great idea to enjoy more chickpea recipes throughout the month.
- It can be turned into a variety of meals. This is a no-brainer served with rice, but you can also use it as a base for a breakfast hash, pile it into tacos, and so much more. I’ve got ideas below and in my Healthy Meal Prep cookbook!
Chickpea Curry Ingredients
- Chickpeas: All you need are two cans of chickpeas. If using dried chickpeas, you’ll need 30 ounces of cooked chickpeas. Chickpeas roughly triple in size when cooked, so you’d need about 10 ounces (283 grams) of dried chickpeas.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, and fresh ginger are a dynamic pairing for curry dishes. If you only have ground ginger, that’s fine, just swap in about a teaspoon of dried ginger.
- Spices: The curry powder, garam masala, and cumin give this dish such depth of flavor and a beautiful golden color! You can find my favorite brands linked in the recipe card below.
- Coconut Milk and Oil: Opt for full-fat coconut milk to ensure a creamy curry. And for the oil, I’m using coconut oil to continue the coconut theme, but you could also swap in olive oil.
- Vegetable Broth: I always buy low-sodium vegetable broth, but you do you!
- Lime and Cilantro: These are the finishing touches for a zesty, herby touch. For the lime, I recommend using fresh limes instead of any bottled kind, for a more potent flavor.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Chickpea Curry
- Cook the basics. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and stir together for another minute, until fragrant.
- Cook the rest of the curry. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, broth, curry powder, garam masala, cumin, and salt. Stir everything together, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld. Your house is going to smell amazing after this!
- Add the finishing touches. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro and fresh lime juice. Serve the curry over rice, and garnish with more cilantro and lime wedges. If you want to save a few servings to prep for the week, check out my storage instructions in the recipe card notes.
helpful Tips
- Add more veggies to your meal: Once your curry is done simmering, stir in your favorite leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or Swiss chard. Let it cook in the curry for a few minutes until the leaves are wilted.
- To prevent turmeric stains: Use glass storage containers rather than plastic or silicone. If you do get turmeric stains, try washing your containers with Bar Keepers Friend or a solution of two parts hot water and one part vinegar (soaked overnight). Also, sunlight is the best for fading turmeric stains! Just place your containers outside in the sun.
Ways To Enjoy Chickpea Curry
- Pile it on rice alternatives: Besides plain rice or cilantro lime rice, pour this over cauliflower rice or broccoli rice for added vegetables.
- Make chickpea tacos or tostadas: On a tortilla, spread a layer of sour cream, the chickpea curry, shredded red cabbage, and chopped cilantro. Trust me, this combo is out of this world! For a tostada, fry a tortilla in a pan with a smidge of oil for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until it’s nicely toasted.
- Make a curry chickpea shakshuka: Saute your favorite leafy greens in a small pan, then add a portion of the chickpea curry on top. Make two small wells and crack eggs into them, cover the pan, and let it cook until the eggs are done to your liking.
More Chickpea Recipes
- Falafel: A delicious plant-based main with tahini sauce.
- The Best Hummus: A quintessential chickpea dip you should know how to make.
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad: This garden-fresh salad is a favorite around here.
- Roasted Chickpeas: Perfect for snacking or adding to salads!
- Or enjoy plenty of other vegetarian recipes!
I hope you love this chickpea curry recipe as much as I do! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Easy Chickpea Curry
Description
This one-pan chickpea curry is one of my favorite vegetarian dinners when I need something tasty on the fly. It's easy to make, filled with bold Indian-inspired flavors and can be enjoyed in endless ways throughout the week. Watch the video below to see how I make this in my kitchen!
Video
Equipment
- Le Creuset Braiser My go-to pan for SO many dishes!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 large medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
- 2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons curry powder, or more to taste
- 1½ teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped and more for garnish
- 1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
For serving
- cooked rice
- lime slices
Instructions
- Cook the aromatics. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and stir together for another minute, until fragrant.
- Make the curry. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, broth, curry powder, garam masala, cumin, and salt. Stir everything together, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld.
- Add the finishing touches. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Serve the curry over rice, and garnish with more cilantro and lime wedges.
Lisa’s Tips
- To store in the fridge: Store any leftovers in containers for 4 to 5 days.
- To freeze for later: Let the curry cool before storing it in containers. You can store this in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- For reheating: When ready to enjoy, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat the next day in the microwave or back on the stovetop. If the curry has thickened up a bit too much, you can always add more broth or coconut milk to thin it back down.
- This isn’t an overly “hot” spicy recipe, just flavorful. If you’d like to add a little bit more heat, feel free to finely dice one small chili pepper and saute it along with the onion.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 953mg | Potassium: 521mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 6mg
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Loved this dish! Served as a side with your turkey spinach burgers. I plan on using the sauce with a veggie mixture next time.
Sounds like a great pairing. Happy you loved both recipes, Lori!
It was wonderful to pull a frozen portion from freezer and enjoy this delicious dish again. Tasted just as good as first made. So nice over rice.
Hi Velva – I would have to agree with you on that! Finding frozen chickpea curry is a goldmine.
We LOVE this dish! It is SO flavorful!! We added grilled chicken to it last night to get a little more protein and it was great! I just had some leftovers, and the flavor is even better the 2nd day. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe it has become one of our go-to’s!
Love the idea of adding chicken to the chickpea curry for extra protein, Mary!
Yes, it was delicious and I will make it again.
Glad you enjoyed this chickpea curry Renee!
What oil can I use, I don’t use coconut oil.
Can I use arugula instead of the herb, whose name I’ve forgotten, I’m 80 🤭.
I’m amazed that all these people who don’t have garam masala do have curry powder.
I fry my spices in the oil before anything else on advice of Indian ladies.
You can use avocado oil or olive oil in this recipe as well. And yes, you can use arugula instead of the cilantro, it would just be a different flavor profile. Enjoy!
I made this recipe a few weeks ago. It was first time I used coconut milk in food. I was pleasantly surprised, it was delicious! I will make it again
Hi Renee – Happy to hear your first time cooking with coconut milk was a success!
Hello Lisa,
This will be the 3rd time that I am making the chickpea curry dish but this time with kale.
Also, how do I thicken the curry?
Hi Robin – Happy to hear you’re loving this chickpea curry! You can try thickening it with more arrowroot flour.
I have made this recipe numerous times. Although I’m not a vegetarian, I really love this dish! I am a single household so I halve the recipe and still freeze half of what I make. Thanks, Lisa!
So happy you love it, Lauren!
Delicioso…I made it 2 weeks ago. I am in love!!! In addition it’s simple and quick. I will always make this dish. Thanks Lisa!
Hi Nora – I’m so glad you’re loving this chickpea curry!
I’ve made this several times. It’s one of my favorite go to recipes. It’s soooo good and easy to make!
Hi Laura – I’m so glad you love this chickpea curry!
Mmmmm…. this was so good. So good! I’m not even much a fan of chickpeas, but this was so flavorful that I really enjoyed them. I did add one thing, and that was a couple of diced carrots. I simply wanted it to have extra veggies. I also didn’t have garam mansala, so I sort of threw in things, without measuring, that i read are part of garam masala ( for example, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, coriander), and I called it a day. Still turned out amazing. Will definitely make this again!
It sounds like you winged this recipe beautifully! And love the addition of carrots. I’m always a fan of tossing in more veggies. Enjoy!
Made this for the first time today. So simple, so much flavor, and fast! I’ve never even had curry let alone made it, but it was fantastic. We’re adding this to our dinner rotation.
So happy you enjoyed it, Christine! It’s a quick and easy recipe for sure. :)
Super simple and quick meal to pull together for a weeknight dinner! We will be adding this to our monthly rotation for sure. After toasting the spices in oil (a must in our household when cooking with any Indian spices), I added mirepoix and kale to bump up the veggie count. YUMMY! Thanks Lisa! :)
Love the extra veggies! Enjoy!
I made this recipe a month or so back and had 1 portion left that I put in the freezer. Yesterday took it out and had for lunch – OMG the flavors were amazing, I think I forgot how flavorful this recipe is and thoroughly enjoyed. Will be making again soon and doubling to stock up on freezer meals
Oh yes, this is a wonderful freezer meal! So happy you had that one serving to enjoy. ;)
Great recipe to utilize chickpeas! Delicious, vibrant, and creamy, a great meal for the whole family to enjoy. Thank you Lisa!
Thanks so much, Haley! I’m glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe. :)
Great recipe !!! But I made dried chickpeas instapot instead of canned. (Instapot recipes overcook the chickpeas. I cut back the cooking time to 25 min)
Hi Christine – I’m glad this turned out great with dried chickpeas instead!
I made this for lunch today, wish I would have doubled the recipe. This is so good. inexpensive, fast and I had everything except garam masala. Added this to my favorites.
Hi Hollis – Happy to hear you enjoyed this chickpea curry!
I normally love all of her recipes, and I’m a huge fan of curry, but this one was not good. I followed the recipe to a T too. Can’t really put my finger on why but I was not a fan. To each their own tho!
Thank you. I will definitely make this curry.
Hi Jelena – Hope you enjoy this chickpea curry!
Hi Lisa, I am preparing to do my make ahead meal prep for the month (most of which I freeze)… and I won’t be eating this curry recipe over rice. What would you suggest instead? Also, I dislike ginger, a lot! So, can it just be omitted or is there a replacement? Thank you! BTW, I love looking through all your recipes, and especially the ones for vegans…
Hi Jenny – I have a few other ways you can enjoy this chickpea curry written in the post! As for the ginger, you can omit it if you’d like.
I like most of these recipes but did not like this one. I don’t know if it was the curry powder I used or what it was.
Tastes so amazing! It is creamy, slightly sweet and so delectable. Loved how easy and fast it was to make. We added shrimp and loved that too
Hi Lexus – Love the idea of adding shrimp into the mix!
My husband and I are trying to eat more meatless meals. I made this for him one night and he was blown away and keeps asking me to make it again! It was so flavorful and versatile. We had it over rice, we added squash for a nice stew one evening, the options are endless. I have recommended this recipe to so many of my friends and family. Easy and tasty and love all the cilantro.
Hi Sarah – Oh wonderful! This is a great meatless dinner so I’m happy to hear both you and your husband are loving this chickpea curry.
This is the 1st recipe I’ve tried from Downshiftology. Delicious!!!!
Hi Lori – Happy to hear your first Downshiftology recipe was a success!
Wow! That was delicious. I knew I would like this dish because I love curry but I really loved this. So simple and flavorful. You hit it out of the park again.
Hi Alan – I’m so glad you enjoyed this chickpea curry!
so good! Thanks Lisa
Hi Ann – Happy to hear you loved this chickpea curry!
So good! Easy, quick and cheap to make. Recommend!
Hi Nicole – This is definitely a winning, budget-friendly dinner!
I’m a sucker for curry, cumin, any of these spices. So of course it did not disappoint!! Super easy to throw together for a weeknight meal. Thanks Lisa!!
Hi Trisha – Oh yay! I’m glad you loved this chickpea curry.
Absolutely delicious and easy!! Making for the 2nd time in a month!
Hi Eileen – Thanks for the review and happy to hear you’re loving this chickpea curry!
I am a regular at your YT. And I dont usually leave a comment, but this is my opportunity to thank you Lisa for all the great recipes you allowed us to enjoy!!!
I have just tried this now!!! We like it (my daughter and I). Easy to cook, ingredients are regulars in the kitchen (except the garam masala) but I add more of curry and cummin! My daughter said to add this to our collections of your recipes.
But, just to give you an idea, your ‘Best Chili Ever’ is our favorite! Even may relatives and friends liked it. I cooked it for many many times already and will continue to cook it!!!
Thank you again, Lisa! May God bless you!🙏
Hi Dory – I appreciate the review and happy to hear you’ve been enjoying so many Downshiftology recipes :)
Delicious! This recipe was really easy and a huge hit with my family. I will definitely make it again!
Hi Eleanor – Happy to hear this chickpea curry was a hit with the whole family!
Just made this dish for a warm and cozy winter lunch, absolutely delish! Just a small amount of prep and 15-20min later you’re ready to eat! Added kale for some extra veg and served over jasmine rice. This will definitely be a staple for our household!
Hi Kaitlyn – Thrilled to hear you loved this chickpea curry!
Oh my goodness this recipe is perfection. Buildable spice, perfect amount of creaminess, and makes great leftovers! I made it for an impromptu dinner party and people were going back for seconds and thirds! I had people asking for the recipe by the end, and was happy and proud to share. Absolutely something that I will be adding to my monthly meal rotation.
Hi Delaney – Happy to hear everyone loved this at your dinner party!
Delicious and very easy to make! I love that it only needs one pan. I recommend going to your nearest East Asian grocery to get the garam masala and curry powder–I got big containers of those for half the price of a traditional grocery store.
Hi Amber – Great tip on grabbing the spices from an Asian grocery market!
OMG. So yummy. I didn’t add the salt and it was fine. Perhaps I added enough veggie broth ‘better than bullion ” I used brown rice since that’s what I had, and added celery since I only had half an onion. :) Delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Lisa – I’m so glad you love this chickpea curry!
I love Indian food, but find it can be intimidating to make at home. This recipe was super easy, flavorful, and filling. As I tasted it, I knew I would be making it again! The only thing I changed was to toast the spices with the aromatics before adding the rest of the ingredients. Delicious!
Hi Brittany – Thrilled to hear you loved this chickpea curry! And yes, great idea to toast the spices with aromatics.
Love this! but I can’t eat coconut milk…do you have recommendation for another option? Thank you!
You can use full-fat dairy milk as well. Enjoy!
This was super nice!
Hi Ingrid – Happy to hear you love this chickpea curry!
This is the best recipe! So easy and delicious!
Hi Casey – Happy to hear you love this chickpea curry!
Another delicious Downshiftology recipe!!! This was so simple and quick to prepare. I added spinach to mine for some extra greens. Definitely making this again!
Hi Sue – I’m so glad you love this chickpea curry!
This was the first time I’d ever made a curry. Wow. I loved it! Your recipe is so easy and the dish is delicious. My husband and I are vegetarians, and this is one of our new favorites.
Thank you!
Hi Ann – Thanks for leaving a review and happy to hear your first curry dish was a success!
Would it be terrible if I don’t include the ginger? I really don’t like ginger anything but sweet things. Would it dramatically alter the taste to omit it? Thank you!
Hi Erdal – The ginger does help to add flavor, but you can try omitting it to see if you like!
My family and I have enjoyed this recipe from Lisa over and over. It’s such a great meal when paired with lemon rice and some lemony chard/beet greens. Always a go to for a great meatless meal that leaves us all satisfied!
Hi Glenn – I agree with the lemon rice and beet greens! Such a delicious pairing.
Hi Lisa,
This recipe is absolutely amazing, because it is so easy and at the same time flavourful. My whole family loved it and we will make it again very soon!
Thank you for this recipe! I made it with my own (turkish style) rice which went very well together. I always trust your judgement and again, i was right to do so!
I did make it with parsley instead of cilantro and half a lime and half a lemon, because that was what we had at home. I am sure it tastes even better if you have cilantro and lime at home.
Hi Fatma – I’m so glad you and your family love this dish! Glad it worked out with parsley as well.
Even though I’ve had your cookbook since it came out, I haven’t made this recipe until now. Wish I had never waited – easy, delicious and I am very excited for leftovers for lunch tomorrow! And I’ll put a serving or 2 in my Souper Cubes so future me will be happy :)
Hi Jennifer – I’m glad you finally got around to making this!
This was SO SO good!!! Thank you for this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Hi Richelle – So happy to hear this chickpea curry was a hit!
Loved this recipe. So flavorful and easy to make. I ended up adding a third can of chickpeas because there was a lot of liquid still at the end. I think it made it perfect. Will definitely make again.
Hi Deanna – Happy to hear you enjoyed this chickpea curry!
Hello, I enjoy Downshiftologu recipes very much and I actually bought the cookbook. I have a question which I would love to have the answer to. I am one of those people who dislikes the taste of coriander and I feel
that I am missing out on many recipes where I love every other ingredients. Is there a replacement I could use like basil, parsley? Thank you
Hi France – You can stir in other herbs like parsley or other leafy greens!
Looks delish. The Indian girls I worked with told me to fry the spices first and then add the liquids. I won’t use coconut oil.
Hi there – Thanks for the tip!
This is a fantastic recipe!! It was so easy to make and my husband devoured it with me!! I followed the recipe as written, except for adding extra curry. I love pretty much anything with garbanzo beans so I couldn’t wait to make this. It has so much flavor! I love all your recipes Lisa. Thank you for sharing them and making my husband and I healthier eaters!!
Hi Susan – Thrilled to hear you and your husband love this chickpea curry!