This flavor-packed Chickpea Curry is loaded with aromatic spiced veggies, tender chickpeas, and a creamy coconut sauce. This plant-based curry is an easy weeknight meal that is naturally gluten-free and vegan.

Try some of our other popular curry recipes next, like this Coconut Curry Chicken, Lentil Curry, Sweet Potato Curry, or Vegetable Curry.

Overhead view of Chickpea Curry, served with rice, cilantro, naan bread and coconut raita.

Chickpea Curry

Wow! This curry has quickly climbed to the top of family favorite recipes! My kids can not get enough of it; even my 2-year-old polished off what I’d consider an adult-sized serving and was begging for more. Although, she did leave the rice and naan behind — apparently it wasn’t exciting enough after the chickpeas, ha!

I’ve made this quite a few times and kept it mild for the kiddos, but if you’re looking for a spicy chickpea curry recipe, I also share how to amp up those flavors below.

Process shots: Sautee coconut oil, onion and carrot; add garlic and ginger; add seasonings.

Let’s Chat Ingredients

  • Coconut Milk: I highly recommend using full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor and thickness. 
  • Red Curry Paste: Red curry paste makes the dish tasty without needing many extra ingredients. Different brands have different spice levels. Thai Kitchen® is less spicy and tastes good, great for kids. Maesri® has more spice but also a great flavor, and I like it best.
  • Veggies: Throw all the veggies in a food processor for quicker prep.
  • Spices: Cooking the spices with the veggies makes the spices taste stronger and adds more flavor. You can adjust the spices to personal preferences.
  • Fire-Roasted Crushed Tomatoes: The tomatoes make a big difference flavor-wise in this chickpea curry so I recommend good-quality fire-roasted tomatoes but in a pinch any canned crushed tomatoes will work. 
  • Chickpeas: Rinse and dry before adding to the curry. 
  • Lime Juice & Cilantro: These add so much freshness and flavor to the dish.

Quick Tip

It can be overwhelming to navigate coconut milk options in the grocery store. Look for shelf-stable, unrefrigerated cans of coconut milk. You’ll find canned coconut milk on the international aisle, with Latin or Asian products. Here’s an article outlining the best brands to use. I personally use Imperial Kitchen® since I can find it easily at my local grocery store.

Process shots: sauté seasonings and vegetables; add tomatoes and continue to sauté; rinse and drain chickpeas; add to pan and continue cooking.

Chickpea Curry Tips

  • Finely dice the veggies: To avoid any chunks of uncooked carrot or red onion, take your time to be certain the veggies are diced finely and evenly. Short-cut? Quickly pulse these veggies in a food processor!
  • Add spice. If you want a spicier curry, increase the red curry paste to 3 tablespoons, and/or add in some cayenne pepper (to your preference; start slowly and increase as desired).
  • Taste and adjust. As with most recipes, taste and adjust the seasonings to your personal preference. Remember you can always add more, but you can’t remove any seasoning.
  • Take the time to develop flavors. While it may seem tedious to add just a few ingredients at a time (sauté, add a few more, sauté, etc.), we do this to add layers of flavor to the curry. The spices get so much more flavorful by sautéing in the oil, the tomatoes’ sweetness is accentuated, and the chickpeas will become tender quicker. 

Quick Tip

What’s in a name? Chickpeas are really and truly peas, but they have a lot of other names. Some of the most common are garbanzo beans, Egyptian peas, Bengal gram, and cecci beans.

Process shots: add coconut milk to the pan; stir and simmer until thickened; add cilantro and lime; mix well and serve.

What To Eat With Chickpea Curry 

Our three favorite accompaniments to Chickpea Curry are warmed naan, cucumber raita, and cooked basmati rice.

  • Raita: This is an Indian condiment made from yogurt, a variety of vegetables (sometimes fruits), and herbs. I find it similar to Greek tzatziki, which is a cucumber and yogurt dip or sauce. While my raita recipe isn’t necessarily authentic, it’s packed with flavor and is so quick to whip together. The contrast of the warm and spiced chickpeas with this cooling sauce is unbelievable! If you have an extra minute, I definitely recommend whipping it up.
  • Basmati rice: If you’ve ever struggled with mushy rice, you’ve got to try my “secret” method of cooking rice — perfect grains every time! Check out the section below the next photo to learn how I cook basmati rice.
  • Naan: If serving naan with Chickpea Curry, I recommend warming it before serving. Either char the naan over the stovetop, throw it in the toaster oven, or warm in the microwave. (More details below)

Warming Naan 

  • To char naan on the stovetop, spray both sides of the bread with olive oil cooking spray. “Grill” the bread on the stovetop over the open flame until slightly charred. Cover with a tea towel after removing from the flame.
  • To warm naan in the microwave, cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 10-15 seconds. Cover with a tea towel after removing it from the microwave.
  • Alternatively, you can purchase smaller-sized naan that is made for the toaster. (Stonefire® makes this; it’s usually labeled as mini naan.)

Overhead view of Chickpea Curry with basmati rice, raita, lime and cilantro.

How to Cook Perfect Basmati Rice Every Time 

Here’s how I cook basmati rice* which is our personal favorite base for this saucy chickpea curry.

  • Measure the rice and rinse it in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear.
  • Place the rice in a bowl and cover it with water to soak for about 5-10 minutes.
  • While the rice is soaking, fill a large pot with water and set to boil.
  • Once the water is at a rolling boil, drain the rice and add it to the pot.
  • Cook without reducing the heat, for 5 minutes and then drain and fluff with a fork.

*Note that these cooking directions do not work for other rice varieties (long grain, short grain, jasmine, etc.).

Close-up view of a plate of Chickpea Curry over basmati rice.

More plant-based recipes

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5 from 4 votes

Chickpea Curry

By Chelsea Lords
Naturally gluten-free and vegan, this plant-based Chickpea Curry is full of aromatic spiced vegetables, tender chickpeas, and rich coconut sauce.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

  • Cast-Iron Pot

Ingredients 
 

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1-1/2 cups finely diced red onion
  • 1 cup finely diced carrot
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste see note 1
  • 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder see note 2
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
  • 1 lime
  • 1/3 cup finely diced cilantro

Instructions 

  • Heat coconut oil in a large cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and carrots when the oil is melted. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are translucent and tender, about 8–11 minutes. Don’t rush this step, as these ingredients won’t soften much further. Cooking may take slightly longer in a non-stick pot due to lower heat retention.
  • Add garlic and fresh ginger; cook for 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, garam masala, paprika, coriander, sugar, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, and red curry paste (see notes 1 and 2). Cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 more minutes or until fragrant, ensuring nothing burns or browns—lower the heat if needed.
  • Add fire-roasted tomatoes and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pot for 1 minute. Incorporate the drained and rinsed chickpeas, cooking and stirring for another minute. Pour in the coconut milk and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the curry is fragrant and thick.
  • Juice the lime using a citrus juicer to get 2 tablespoons lime juice. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt or pepper if needed. Serve over rice, with warmed naan, and a scoop of raita if desired (see note 3).

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Curry pastes can vary from brand to brand, particularly in spiciness. I use Thai Kitchen® which I would say is very mild and has a great flavor. I've also used Maesri® red curry paste, which has fantastic flavor, but it's a lot spicier than Thai Kitchen.
Note 2: Yellow curry powder is another ingredient that varies a lot from brand to brand. I’ve tested this curry with Great Value®, Simple Truth Organic®, and McCormick®. These all work well and are very mild.
Note 3: I love the cooling contrast of this raita yogurt sauce. To make it, just stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl:
  • 1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped English (or Persian/Salad) cucumbers
  • 2 tablespoons EACH: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions
  • 1/4 teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground coriander, fine sea salt
Nutrition: The nutritional information is for the curry only, and not the rice, bread, or raita.
Storage: Let chickpea curry cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. For longer storage, freeze in portions for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 11089IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Meet Chelsea

Hello, and welcome to Chelsea’s Messy Apron! I’m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. I’m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping by—I hope you find something delicious to make!

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5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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7 Comments

  1. Jenny says:

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and very happy with the results. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
    1. Chelsea says:

      So thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Jenny! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Eva says:

    5 stars
    Always happy when I can find a healthy meal that my husband enjoys eating too! This was a winner!

    Reply
    1. Chelsea says:

      Yay! So happy you guys enjoyed! Thanks Eva! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Tommy says:

    5 stars
    Chickpea curry will never be the same again 🙌🏻🔥😋

    Reply
  4. Tommy says:

    Chickpea curry will never be the same again 🔥🙌🏻😋

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So happy to hear this! 🙂

      Reply