I would make a great vegan if it weren’t for bacon, half and half, and chicken (mental note: time to create a recipe using bacon, half and half and chicken). I know this for a fact thanks to this creamy, aromatic chickpea curry. It’s 100% vegan, not to mention dairy free and gluten free.
I could be very happy eating this chickpea curry every day for the remainder of my days.
It’s hard to convey to you the richness, the savory aroma of the Indian spices, and the depth of flavors. This easy (yes, easy!) and creamy curry features chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), sweet potato, and spinach, with supporting roles from onions and tomatoes. The scene stealers, though, are really the combination of spices (garam masala, turmeric, ginger, and a touch of cayenne) as well as the coconut milk.
A squeeze of lime juice at the end adds the perfect finish.
Did I mention this Creamy Chickpea Curry is a one-pot meal?
And it took me just over 30 minutes, start to finish. I’m telling you, this recipe is a dream. Just slice an onion, chop a sweet potato, and the rest is just measuring and pouring. Grab your ingredients, get a cutting board and a knife, and get started!
Creamy Chickpea Curry
A rich, creamy chickpea curry that is vegan, dairy free, and gluten free. Super satisfying and a quick, one-pot meal for any night of the week. Great as leftovers, too!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 med sweet onion, sliced thinly about 1 cup
- 1 med sweet potato, peeled and chopped about 1 cup of 1/2" pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1 inch fresh ginger, diced about 2 teaspoons (or 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes drained
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas drained
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves torn
- Juice from 1 fresh lime about 2 tablespoons
Instructions
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In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Saute until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
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Add sweet potatoes to the pot and continue sauteing 3-4 more minutes, until potatoes begin to brown (they will still be hard). Add the ginger and garlic and saute for one minute more.
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Next, add the spices (garam masala, turmeric, pepper, cayenne and salt.) Combine with a spatula, and allow the spices to cook into the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
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Add the drained tomatoes, and combine. Allow the tomatoes to cook down for 3-5 minutes, to release more of their liquid.
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Pour in the coconut milk and the drained chickpeas. Stir the mixture well, then allow to come to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 8-10 minutes.
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Stir in the spinach, then remove from heat and cover. Allow it to rest for 2 minutes so the spinach will be softened.
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Add the lime juice and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
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Serve as is, or over brown rice, or with crunchy tortilla chips or fresh naan.
Recipe Notes
The long-ish list of ingredients might make you think this is complicated. It's truly a snap. The only 'prep' you'll do is slice an onion and chop a sweet potato. The rest is measuring, opening, pouring - easy!
Cayenne delivers a low, but intense, heat. For my family 1/8 of a teaspoon is enough - but you know your heat tolerance best, so adjust as you see fit!
Coconut milk separates a little in the can. Shake the can well before opening it, then be sure to scrape out all the delicious coconut cream stuck to the sides!
Just made it ! Very tasty! I had to made modifications , using what I had on hand. I made my own garam masala. (Thank you Allrecipe) I added ground turkey meat, substituted carrot for the sweet potato, fresh tomato and chicken broth for the canned tomato, and frozen kale from the garden for the spinach. It’s not vegetarian anymore, but I needed to please the meat eaters at home. Great recipe!
Make it your own! Love it 🙂 I think the garam masala is EVERYTHING in this recipe, so glad you were able to make some from what you had on hand.
Julia you make the best receipts! I follow and make all of them. Delicious. My daughters a vegetarian so I share with her. Thanks again. Kathy Anderson
Typo receipes
Aw Kathy, thank you so much! I really appreciate that. This recipe is definitely one of our favorites!
I needed to make a simple dinner tonight and surprisingly had all of these ingredients! It was a simple recipe for this simple chef but turned it great! Thanks again!
Wonderful! Isn’t it such a great feeling when you want to make something and magically everything you need is already in your kitchen? Thanks for stopping by to comment 🙂
This is fantastic! I made a double batch. I’ll be making this again.
So happy you tried it – cursing myself that I didn’t double it also. It’s on the menu again this week 🙂