Chickpea Curry Recipe
Chickpea curry is a delicious curry recipe that can be served on its own or over a bed of rice or quinoa. It’s filling, has a good dose of fiber, and is naturally plant-based.
A good curry is always a great recipe to have in your dinner arsenal. It’s versatile, always full of delicious spiced flavors, and travels well to work the next day.
What Is Chickpea Curry?
Chickpea curry is a dish made with chickpeas that are cooked in a sauce filled with Indian-inspired spices, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, and in this case, coconut milk.
It’s a very simple Indian-style dish that can be served over rice, quinoa, or any other grain you prefer. It’s hearty, nutritious, and vegetarian and vegan-friendly.
Dried Or Canned Chickpeas?
If you want the chickpeas to really absorb the flavors of the broth, it’s best to cook them in the broth made from dry beans.
If you don’t mind the beans themselves having a simpler bean flavor, you can use canned, drained, and rinsed beans that don’t have any sugar added.
If you use dried chickpeas, you can simply dump the dry beans into your pot, or you can soak them overnight in plenty of water, then drain and rinse before using.
Some people feel that soaking the beans overnight before cooking reduces the gas they create in our stomachs. I don’t find this to be the case, but you should do whatever you normally do when you cook dried beans.
If you use canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them thoroughly, and only cook this recipe on the stovetop. You will simply be warming the soup. There won’t be any purpose to cooking this recipe for any real length of time. Simply combine everything in a soup pot and warm it through on the stovetop. It’s a great way to get this dish on the table fast.
How Do I Adjust The Spiciness?
While some Indian dishes can really set your mouth on fire with spice, this dish won’t do that. There is a slight spiciness from the garam masala. But the only way to make this truly spicy is to add cayenne pepper, which you are free to do if you prefer things extra spicy.
If you want to reduce the spice to almost zero, cut the garam masala in half.
How Can I Make The Sauce Creamier?
This is a thinner, brothy sauce. If you want something creamier, you can add a second can of full-fat coconut milk at the end. But you may need to adjust the spices to taste just a bit if you do.
What To Serve With Chickpea Curry
Great options for serving chickpea curry are:
- Naan bread
- Basmati rice
- Quinoa
- Couscous
- Pita bread
- Flatbread
- Salad (such as cucumber-tomato salad)
- Pickled vegetables
- Papadums
- Raita (yogurt-based condiment)
- Chutney (such as mango chutney)
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Sliced onions
- Lime or lemon wedges
Can I Make Chickpea Curry Ahead?
You can! In fact, you can cook it completely and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days before you eat it. Just keep in mind you’ll definitely want to eat it by day 5.
What Do You Need To Make Chickpea Curry?
Coconut oil – Or olive oil
Red onion – Or any color onion you prefer to use.
Garlic cloves – Use the biggest cloves you have.
Fresh ginger – You can grate or mince this. While you don’t have to peel it, I recommend doing so for this recipe.
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Turmeric
Paprika
Garam masala
Diced tomatoes – No sugar added.
Coconut milk – No sugar added.
Dried chickpeas – Or canned chickpeas
Vegetable broth – No sugar added.
Suggested Adjustments & Side Options
Salt – To taste
Ground black pepper – To taste.
Fresh cilantro leaves – Optional for garnish.
Cooked rice or naan bread – Optional for serving.
How To Make Chickpea Curry
Gather, measure, and prep all your ingredients.
Heat olive oil or coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and ginger, and sauté until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add minced garlic, and sauté for another 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, paprika, and garam masala. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the spices become aromatic, the onions are well coated in spices, and the pan is dry.
Cooking Method
Stovetop: Transfer the onions to a pot. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices and the coconut milk to the pot and stir well to combine. Add the soaked (or canned) chickpeas to the pot and stir to combine with the sauce.
Slow Cooker: Transfer the onions to your slow cooker crock and add the remaining ingredients as well. Set to low and cook for 4-6 hours (for dry beans). Canned beans are not recommended for slow cooking.
Instant Pot: Transfer the onions to your IP insert and add the remaining ingredients as well. Set to low and cook for 40-60 minutes (for dry beans). Canned beans are not recommended for this Instant Pot method.
Timing for all methods of cooking dry beans will depend on how old your dry beans are.
Broth & Cooking Times
Stovetop: Add enough broth to cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. This will be approximately 6-8 cups. Cook for 1 to 1½ hours or until the chickpeas are warmed or cooked through.
Slow Cooker: Add 4-6 cups, or enough to fully cover the chickpeas with liquid. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours or until the beans are tender.
Instant Pot: Add 4 cups broth. Cook on high pressure for 40-60 minutes, depending on how old your beans are. Do a quick release.
Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper according to your preference. You can also adjust the spiciness by adding more cayenne pepper if desired.
Once the curry is done, remove it from the heat. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro leaves and a lime or lemon wedge.
Storage
Store leftover chickpea curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
Freezing
This will freeze well. I recommend freezing in small portions for easy meals.
Reheating
From frozen – Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours.
From chilled – Reheat in a pot on the stovetop until warmed through.
More Healthy Curry Recipes
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Chickpea Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1½ cups finely chopped red onion
- 6 large garlic cloves (pressed or finely minced)
- 1 inch fresh ginger (minced or grated)
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 tbsp. ground coriander
- 2 tsp. ground turmeric
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 2 tsp. garam masala
- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 14 oz. can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups dried chickpeas (soaking overnight is optional)
- 4 cups vegetable broth (minimum – see amount notes below)
Suggested Adjustments & Side Options
- salt (to taste)
- ground black pepper (to taste)
- fresh, chopped cilantro (optional)
- cooked brown rice (optional)
- whole-grain naan (optional)
Instructions
- Gather, measure, and prep all your ingredients.
- Heat olive oil or coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and ginger, and sauté until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic, and sauté for another 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, paprika, and garam masala. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the spices become aromatic, the onions are well coated in spices, and the pan is dry.
Cooking Method
- Stovetop: Transfer the onions to a pot. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices and the coconut milk to the pot and stir well to combine. Add the soaked (or canned) chickpeas to the pot and stir to combine with the sauce.Slow Cooker: Transfer the onions to your slow cooker crock and add the remaining ingredients as well. Set to low and cook for 4-6 hours (for dry beans). Canned beans are not recommended for slow cooking.Instant Pot: Transfer the onions to your IP insert and add the remaining ingredients as well. Set to low and cook for 40-60 minutes (for dry beans). Canned beans are not recommended for this Instant Pot method. Timing for all methods of cooking dry beans will depend on how old your dry beans are.
Broth & Cooking Times
- Stovetop: Add enough broth to cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. This will be approximately 6-8 cups. Cook for 1 to 1½ hours or until the chickpeas are warmed or cooked through.Slow Cooker: Add 4-6 cups, or enough to fully cover the chickpeas with liquid. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours or until the beans are tender.Instant Pot: Add 4 cups broth. Cook on high pressure for 40-60 minutes, depending on how old your beans are. Do a quick release.
- Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper according to your preference. You can also adjust the spiciness by adding more cayenne pepper if desired.Once the curry is done, remove it from the heat. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro leaves and a lime or lemon wedge.
Notes
Nutrition
