This delicious vegan chickpea curry is creamy and perfectly spiced and ready in less than 30-minutes. A wonderful plant based weeknight meal.
There’s always time for another vegan curry recipe and this vegan chickpea curry is all that and a bag of chips (translation: it’s divine!).
I was inspired by our vegan lentil curry to make this and it will definitely go onto the regular rotation from now on in our house.
It’s a perfect mix of spices and flavors in a super creamy sauce. But the best part is that it’s ready in less than 30 minutes and pretty much flop proof!
It is the perfect meal to make on a weeknight when you don’t have a lot of time but still want something really delicious to eat.
It’s also high in protein and fiber and all that good stuff.
If you love this recipe, then you’ll also love our vegan chana masala and our vegan curry so check those out too.
How To Make Vegan Chickpea Curry
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add olive oil to a pot along with chopped onions, crushed garlic, garam masala (or curry powder), cumin, ground coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper and sauté until the onions are softened.
- Add canned chickpeas, chopped tomatoes and coconut milk.
- Mix together and bring to a simmer.
- Let it simmer for around 10 minutes or so until the flavors are really well blended.
- Add a little coconut sugar for flavor balance and some salt and pepper as needed and that’s it!
Serving Suggestions
Serve with basmati rice (or cauliflower rice if you prefer), and some fresh cilantro and you have a beautiful meal. Some vegan naan on the side would be fantastic as well!
Ingredient Notes
The Spices. The spices really make this dish and I encourage you to use all of them:
- Garam Masala. We used a garam masala powder but you can also use a curry powder.
- Cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper and turmeric. These complement the garam masala perfectly while a dash of cayenne pepper adds a little extra heat and the turmeric adds a little color.
Canned Chickpeas. We used two 15-ounce cans of chickpeas which makes this recipe really fast and easy to make. If you prefer to use cooked chickpeas (not canned) then you can just use 3 cups.
Coconut Milk. We used canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk and this provides the creaminess without overpowering the other flavors at all.
Storing and Freezing
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave.
More Vegan Curry Recipes
- Vegan Coconut Curry
- Vegan Thai Green Curry
- Vegan Sweet Potato Curry
- Vegan Massaman Curry
- Vegan Potato Curry
- Vegan Korma
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
- 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Garam Masala or Curry Powder
- ½ tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Ground Coriander
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 2 (15-ounce) Cans Chickpeas Drained, or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- 14 ounces Canned Chopped Tomatoes (1 can)
- 14 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar or Light Brown Sugar
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper To Taste
For Serving:
- Basmati Rice
- Fresh Cilantro
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a pot along with the chopped onions, crushed garlic, garam masala, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper and sauté until the onions are softened.
- Add the chickpeas, chopped tomato and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer for around 10 minutes until the flavors are blended.
- Add coconut sugar and mix in. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve over basmati rice or cauliflower rice with some fresh cilantro.
Notes
- We used two 15-ounce (425g) cans of chickpeas in this recipe. If you would prefer to use cooked chickpeas (not canned) then the amount to use is 3 cups. If you’re using cans, there’s no need to measure it in cups, just use two full cans (drained).
- Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave.
- Nutritional information is for curry only and does not include rice.
Maria Sampaio says
I have made this yesterday evening and my whole family loved!!! We are a full vegan family and I am so happy I found your blog. The kids said that didn’t like curry but after trying this one, they changed their mind!!!! They even wanted to take it to school in their lunch box. And is so easy to prepare…Thank you!!!
Alison Andrews says
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for the amazing review. 🙂
Michael K says
Very good dish. The only thing I did different from your recipe is simmer it a little longer. I probably went about 20 minutes. I like the sauce a little thicker. The seasoning and flavors are spot on. The coconut sugar works well with the flavors too.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for the wonderful review! 🙂
Laura B says
I am making this right now and I also like the sauce a little thicker. I was reading the comments to see if anyone else said the same but so far you are the only one. I m going to let it simmer a little extra as well. It smells divine!! 😋
Erika says
I made this today. It was supposed to be for a potluck lunch, but my family said they will not share it with anyone, they will rather stay home and eat the meal so that they can have plenty of it. And these are small kids and teenagers, who are usually quite picky.
Erika says
I put everything x4, it was a big pot of curry. I didn’t have canned coconut milk so I just put regular coconut milk, but a smaller quantity than what I was supposed to, since it would have been too watery.
Alison Andrews says
Haha that’s awesome! Thanks for the wonderful review Erika! 🙂
Sara says
So darn good! Another winner for sure! So easy to make with gourmet results.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Sara! xo
Elizabeth says
I am not sure what happened but this was a watery flop for me. Should I have used coconut cream? Had to add flour to Thicken and more stock. All of your recipes work well except this one. I am thinking its the milk
Alison Andrews says
Hi Elizabeth, sorry it didn’t work out as you would have liked. Did you use full fat coconut milk from the can? That is really important to this recipe. But thickening it up as needed with some flour (or cornstarch) is not a terrible thing, but I’m not sure why stock was added? Did this not water it down?
Lyzzie says
This was delicious! Only alterations were adding peas and Cajun seasoning (sounds weird, but really worked out well!) Love that it’s vegan and so easy to make.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing and the great review! 🙂
ViviBelle says
Would it still taste good to add basil to this one like the lentil curry? I really enjoyed the flavor it added and I’d love to include it in this curry if you think it is a good idea. Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Sure! That would be a great addition. 🙂
Lisa Leombruni says
Hi Alison! Another delicious creation! I have made this recipe twice, and I just want to drink the juice the flavors are that incredible!
I have a question about the recipe. Most of your recipes call for 1 onion. Is this referring to one white/Vidalia or 1 bunch of green onion? Usually I use 1/2 a Vidalia or 3 green onion stalks. Thanks for clarifying!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lisa! So happy you like the recipe! The onion refers to the regular white/vidalia onion. 🙂
Maureen Carroll says
5 stars Love the recipe!! Just transitioning to being a vegan. Save the chickpea water to make aquafaba. I found that so interesting. Excellent egg replacement.Can make mayo and whip cream. Looking forward to trying new recipes
. Thanks Mo
.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Jen says
Would adding more veggies into this change the flavors too much? Any suggestions as to what might taste the best? I am diabetic and would probably skip the rice, so I would like to bulk up the serving with more veggies, other than just riced cauliflower. Thx!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jen, pretty much any veg would be great here! Mushrooms, sliced zucchini, roasted butternut, broccoli, I don’t think any veg added would take away from the flavors, so you can pretty much go wild. I would lean more towards the quicker cooking veggies (so if using butternut, then roast it separately and just add it in) so that you are not waiting for ages for something to finish cooking while everything else is already perfect. All the best! 🙂
Veronica says
Cant wait to try this, looks so yummy.
Laina says
Looks lovely!! I’m assuming not but does the nutritional information include the rice?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Laina, yes it’s for curry only. 🙂
Alina says
I made this over the weekend and it’s absolutely delicious!!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Alina, that is so good to hear! Thanks so much! 🙂
Anna says
A really creamy, satisfying and savoury protein filler.
Moses says
Wonderful
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Moses! 🙂
Fiona says
Can it be frozen?
Alison Andrews says
Yes, sure! 🙂
Julie says
This recipe is delicious but I have recently entered a low saturated fat diet and was wondering whether there was a replacement for coconut milk.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Julie, sure, I think you could use a different non-dairy milk but it would have an impact on the overall flavor. Alternatively, you could leave out the milk altogether and mix some hummus into the end result, which adds wonderful creaminess without the saturated fat. 🙂