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.
A new family favorite! I’ve always been a fan of curry but I was a little worried my picky family wouldn’t like it. They were asking for more! We will be adding this to our weekly meal rotation. Thanks for sharing this!
I just made this and it tastes great. I only used a half a can of the tomatoes and coconut milk. I added a handful of small diced sweet potato and a half a cup of vegetable broth. Very good!
Thanks for the great review Sharon!
I make this all the time! I pretty much have it memorized. I always double it because I eat so much of it and love having leftovers. I like to blend it with an immersion blender to make it even more of a creamy sauce.
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing and the great review!
This is my ‘go to’ vegan curry recipe, it’s quick and easy and I’ve made this many times now and everyone loves it. I sometimes boil up some diced potatoes, cauliflower and carrots and throw them in too. Great recipe, thank you very much, it was the first vegan recipe that I tried when transitioning from a typical western diet.
Wonderful to hear that Dianne! Thanks so much for posting.
Can I freeze this curry?
Yes you can, it freezes well.
You are doing a fantastic work with all your delicious recipes. Thank you! Just an observation to avoid confusion, in this recipe it says: “2 (15-ounce) Cans Chickpeas Drained, 3 cups cooked chickpeas”. I’m sure it is one OR the other (2 cans or 3 cups?).
Yes, in case of someone wanting to use cooked chickpeas instead of cans, that is the amount to use. I will put a note in to avoid confusion! 🙂
Add fresh sautéed ginger and turmeric with the onion and garlic.
I’ve made this several times. I use maple syrup for the sweetener.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe! It was absolutely delicious, I substituted the garam masala for Thai red chilli masala.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
Hello! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m planning to cook this. I would like to replace the chopped tomatoes can by fresh tomato. Do you think the flavor would be ok?
Yes I think that will be fine!
Just made this today and it was amazing! I used just 1 can of chickpeas and 1 13 oz can of low fat coconut milk as it was the only one I had left. Came out so good I ate it alone! Thank you!
Super easy and delicious! I discovered your website a few days ago and so far I’ve made three recipes. I will be making them all again! Thank you!
Thanks so much Dariece!
Hi there can I use 1tsp of curry powder along with the Garham masala or would this be too much.
You’re welcome to! It will just be a little more spicy. 🙂
Thank you, going to make this today and will let you know how it came out 🙂
Wow! Simply amazing! Tried it today since I always do the hummus dip with celery and carrots (like everyday lol). So I wanted an alternative since I don’t have parsley and carrots for my usual. The combination was awesome! Who could have known. Was so simple mix of ingredients but the taste, great!!. I’m one that is a very picky when it comes to what I eat (and someone who studied culinary). Usually I don’t eat anything I don’t like that’s not as amazing except if it’s survival mode haha! Thank you for the recipe! Tomatoes mellowed all the strong flavors out nicely. Well done! PS. As a coriander replacement, I used 2x of cumin instead since didn’t have coriander.
Awesome Raymond! So happy you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for sharing!