Chickpea Curry
This chickpea curry is a family favourite, easy to make it is a little sweet, very creamy and full of flavour.
Why This Recipe Works
- A filling vegan meal
- Full of family-friendly plant-based goodness
- Left-overs reheat like a dream
Ingredients you will need
Please do not get put off by the sheer length of the ingredients list. I promise despite the number of ingredients this coconut chickpea curry recipe is far from complicated.
- pumpkin
- cauliflower
- olive oil
- coconut milk
- cashews
- coconut oil or ghee
- onion
- carrot
- garlic
- ginger
- garam masala
- ground coriander
- ground cumin
- turmeric
- chilli flakes
- stock
- soy sauce
- chickpeas
- spinach
- salt and pepper
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Pumpkin: This can be substituted for butternut squash or sweet potato.
- Cauliflower: When cauliflower is not in season I use frozen cauliflower florets, they roast well and are just as tasty as fresh cauliflower in this recipe.
- olive oil
- Coconut milk: Either coconut milk or coconut cream will work.
- Cashews raw: I use raw unsalted cashews when I make this curry, roasted salted cashews will work, just be careful when you season at the end of cooking as you may not need to add much salt. The cashews are optional, they add protein and healthy fats to this recipe
- Coconut oil or ghee: You can use a bit more olive oil if you would prefer.
- Chilli flakes: Add a little or a lot of these depending on your desire for spice
- Stock: Use vegetable stock if you need this recipe to be vegan, if this is not a concern for you then chicken stock or broth will work fine. If you need your curry to be gluten-free be sure to check the stock you use.
- Soy sauce: Choose gluten-free soy sauce or tamari if you need this recipe to be gluten-free.
- Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas in this recipe. You can use dried chickpeas but they will need to be soaked before adding them to this recipe.
- Spinach: I tend to use baby spinach leaves, but you can cut up traditional spinach, kale or Swiss chard leaves.
Step-by-step instructions
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my chickpea curry recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
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Step one: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Put the pumpkin pieces and cauliflower florets in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until the pumpkin is just tender.
Step two: In a blender or food processor blitz the coconut milk and cashews
CURRY
Step one: Heat the oil or ghee in a large frying pan. Add the onions and grated carrot and sauté until soft.
Step two: Add the garlic, ginger and spices (garam masala, cumin, coriander, chilli flakes and turmeric) sauté until fragrant
Step three: Add the stock, soy sauce, coconut milk/cashew mixture, chickpeas, roasted pumpkin and cauliflower. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Step four: Add the spinach leaves and simmer for 5 minutes or until they are wilted.
Step five: Season with salt and pepper
Enjoy!
Top Tips & FAQs
Here is how you can make this vegan chickpea curry perfectly every time!
- Serve your curry with basmati rice, quinoa rice, or cauliflower rice
- Add naan, poppadoms, or roti
- Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro/coriander, roasted cashews or coconut flakes and your favourite relish or chutney.
- You can skip roasting the pumpkin and cauliflower before adding them to the curry, however, I find the depth of flavor is nicer if you can roast them first.
- This curry freezes very well and also reheats surprisingly well in the microwave. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months
An easy and nutritious way to thicken curries including chickpea curry is to blend nuts (cashews or almonds) into the coconut cream or milk before adding it to the curry.
Chickpea Curry
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Ingredients
- 500 grams pumpkin Peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
- 500 grams cauliflower florets
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 400 milliliters coconut milk 1 can
- ½ cup cashews raw (unsalted)
- 3 Tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
- 2 onions diced
- 1 carrot grated
- 2-4 cloves garlic 1 Tablespoon crushed
- 2 centimetres ginger 1 Tablespoon crushed
- 1 Tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander ground seeds
- 1 Tablespoon cumin ground seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes ¼ teaspoon- 1 teaspoon depending on your palate for heat.
- 1 cup stock
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 400 grams chickpeas 1 can (drained)
- 2 handfuls spinach leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius.
- Put the pumpkin pieces and cauliflower florets in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until the pumpkin is just tender.
- In a blender or food processor blitz the coconut milk and cashews
Curry
- Heat the oil or ghee in a large frying pan
- Add the onions and grated carrot and sauté until soft.
- Add the garlic, ginger and spices (garam masala, cumin, coriander, chilli flakes and turmeric) sauté until fragrant.
- Add the stock, soy sauce, coconut milk/cashew mixture, chickpeas, roasted pumpkin and cauliflower. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the spinach leaves and simmer for 5 minutes or until they are wilted.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Serve your curry with basmati rice, quinoa rice, or cauliflower rice
- Add naan, poppadoms, or roti
- Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro/coriander, roasted cashews or coconut flakes and your favourite relish or chutney.
- You can skip roasting the pumpkin and cauliflower before adding them to the curry, however, I find the depth of flavor is nicer if you can roast them first.
- This curry freezes very well and also reheats surprisingly well in the microwave. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months
- Pumpkin: This can be substituted for butternut squash or sweet potato.
- Cauliflower: When cauliflower is not in season I use frozen cauliflower florets, they roast well and are just as tasty as fresh cauliflower in this recipe.
- olive oil
- Coconut milk: Either coconut milk or coconut cream will work.
- Cashews raw: I use raw unsalted cashews when I make this curry, roasted salted cashews will work, just be careful when you season at the end of cooking as you may not need to add much salt. The cashews are optional, they add protein and healthy fats to this recipe
- Coconut oil or ghee: You can use a bit more olive oil if you would prefer.
- Chilli flakes: Add a little or a lot of these depending on your desire for spice
- Stock: Use vegetable stock if you need this recipe to be vegan, if this is not a concern for you then chicken stock or broth will work fine. If you need your curry to be gluten-free be sure to check the stock you use.
- Soy sauce: Choose gluten-free soy sauce or tamari if you need this recipe to be gluten-free.
- Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas in this recipe. You can use dried chickpeas but they will need to be soaked before adding them to this recipe.
- Spinach: I tend to use baby spinach leaves, but you can cut up traditional spinach, kale or Swiss chard leaves.
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