Home › Recipe Index › vegan

20-minute Coconut Chickpea Curry Recipe

By Helen Schofield

on Jun 28, 2019, Updated Nov 01, 2023

12 Comments

Not only is this coconut chickpea curry recipe creamy and delicious, it’s super easy to make. It takes only 20 minutes to get on the table, and also happens to be vegan.  What more could you want from a veggie curry?

I often find myself choosing a vegetarian or vegan dish in a restaurant, but only when it has some kind of ‘wow’ factor!

Sometimes it’s the flavor, other times the texture, and THIS coconut chickpea curry has both of these things. There are the deliciously nutty chickpeas, and coconut-y notes in the creamy curry sauce.

Add some brown rice and you’ve got yourself a ridiculously tasty, not to mention super nutritious meal.

And it’s ready in just TWENTY MINUTES – including the prep time!

Is chickpea curry vegan?

Chickpea curries can be lovely and creamy. This one has a subtly creamy coconut sauce made from coconut milk. So yes, as coconut milk is dairy free, this chickpea curry is vegan.  

Whether you’re a vegan or not, if you like chickpeas and you like Asian coconut-y sauces, I’m pretty sure you’ll love this vegan curry!

What vegetables to add to a chickpea curry

Typically I add green beans, mushrooms, kale and tomatoes to my curry. Really though you can add anything that will cook in 10 to 15 minutes on the stovetop.

For instance:

• broccoli or cauliflower florets
• asparagus
• small chunks of pumpkin or sweet potato (small so that they cook fast!)
• potato or carrot (again, small chunks)
• small cubes of eggplant

Whatever veggies you decide to add, DON’T SKIP THE TOMATOES (sorry to shout, but just saying…).

Tomatoes really do add an extra delicious burst of flavor. I usually add them about halfway through the cooking time, along with a bit of kale if I have it. You want them to be soft and juicy, but you don’t want them to completely melt into the sauce.

Love delicious veggie comfort food recipes? You’ll love this 5 bean vegetarian chili recipe as well!

How to make coconut chickpea curry

I promise you this is REALLY easy.

• You begin by softening the onions and garlic, then you add all the spices and cook for a minute or so to release all the lovely flavors. Don’t worry, there isn’t a mammoth list of things to add – just curry paste & powder, chili, turmeric and cumin. 
• The second big step is to add the coconut milk, along with the star of the show – the chickpeas!
• Then it’s time to add your lovely veggies. First add the green beans and mushrooms and let them simmer for about 5 minutes (yes, just 5 short minutes). 
• Then add a couple of handfuls each of cherry tomatoes and kale, plus corn starch for a tiny bit of thickening. The corn starch isn’t essential, and I didn’t show this step in my video, but I think it makes for a sauce with a perfect consistency. Simmer for about another 5 to 10 minutes, just until the green beans (or whatever veggies you’ve added) are perfectly cooked.
• Done and ready to serve with rice (I like brown), naan bread, poppadoms, or even just by itself! 

This is a pretty mild curry, so it might work as a family meal if you have reasonably adventurous eaters 😉

Can I freeze it?

Oh yes, you can!

If there are any leftovers, you can freeze this curry with or without rice – both ways work.

Simply defrost and reheat in a microwave for a few minutes if you’ve frozen with rice, or in a saucepan if you prefer (and if you don’t have any rice to reheat).

More easy curry recipes

• massaman chicken curry with sweet potato and peanuts 
• chicken and butternut squash satay curry
• chicken katsu curry (with an easy curry sauce)
• 20-minute Thai fish green curry

As you probably noticed, there’s a bit of a peanut and coconut theme here 😉

Want to save this recipe?

Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

GDPR Agreement *

• I consent to receiving emails & personalized ads.

Save Recipe

5 from 5 votes

20-minute Coconut Chickpea Curry Recipe

By: Helen Schofield

This vegan curry is anything but boring. It’s made with every day fresh vegetables, but IMHO the added chickpeas and coconut milk raise it to the next level. And the best part? You can have this nutty, creamy, wholesome deliciousness on the table in just 20 minutes!

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Save RecipeSaved Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Ingredients 

cups/ouncesgrams/ml

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 onion, chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ▢ thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
• ▢ 1½ tablespoons curry paste, I use tikka masala, but you can use any you like really
• ▢ 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ salt & pepper, to taste
• ▢ 13.5 ounces coconut milk, 1 regular can
• ▢ 15.5 ounces chickpeas, 1 can
• ▢ 5½ ounces green beans, about 2 handfuls
• ▢ 1½ ounces kale, about 2 handfuls, chopped finely
• ▢ 15 cherry tomatoes, approximately
• ▢ 1 teaspoon corn starch, mixed to a paste with a little water (corn flour – UK/Australia)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Heat a little oil in a large saucepan, then cook the onions for a couple of minutes, stirring every now and again.
• Add the garlic, ginger, curry paste, curry powder, chilli powder, turmeric and cumin and stir with a wooden spoon for about one minute.
• Add the coconut milk and chickpeas, then add the green beans and simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Add the kale, tomatoes and corn starch/water mixture and simmer for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until the beans are cooked.
• Serve with brown rice immediately, or let cool and freeze.

Notes

A note on the vegetables

You can add other vegetables like small cubes of sweet potato, regular potato or pumpkin, broccoli or cauliflower florets (instead of the green beans), or small cubes of eggplant.

Basically, anything you can think of that cooks in 10 to 15 minutes on the stove!

A note on freezing this curry

This curry is perfect for freezing. Just cool and freeze in sealed glass containers. When ready to eat, simply defrost and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Calories: 423kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Sodium: 38mg, Potassium: 844mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 2595IU, Vitamin C: 37.4mg, Calcium: 125mg, Iron: 7.9mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!