Easy Chickpea Curry Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

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This Indian-inspired coconut chickpea curry recipe is incredibly easy to make in less than 30 minutes and simmered in the most delicious lemon-ginger coconut curry sauce.

Easy Chickpea Curry Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (1)

When you’re craving a flavorful, feel-good, quick vegetarian dinner, it doesn’t get much easier than this cozy chickpea curry.

Inspired by Indian chana masala, this chickpea curry is one of those gloriously simple meals that only requires you to briefly chop two ingredients (hi, onion and garlic!). Then everything else is simply stirred in and simmered together until the sauce bubbles up to creamy, vibrant, delicious perfection. Served warm over rice and drizzled with an extra squeeze of lemon, I’m telling you, this chickpea curry feels like the coziest hug in a bowl. And my goodness, is it delicious. ♡

The coconut curry sauce here is already naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, simmered with tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and a rich blend of seasonings. And while I chose to keep things simple in this batch by just wilting a few handfuls of spinach in with the chickpeas, you would of course be welcome to add in any extra veggies or proteins that happen to sound good too.

We find ourselves returning to this curry recipe here in our family constantly since it mainly uses pantry ingredients that we always have on hand. So if you’re looking for a last-minute idea for dinner tonight too, grab a few cans of chickpeas and let’s make a big pot of curry together!

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Chickpea Curry Ingredients

Before we get to the full chickpea curry recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients you will need:

  • Onion and garlic: These are the only two ingredients that you need to chop and will serve as the base aromatics for our sauté.
  • Fresh ginger:I highly recommend using fresh instead of ground ginger for richest flavor, which you can either grate or finely-mince. That said, if you do not have fresh ginger on hand, you can sub in 1 teaspoon ground ginger instead.
  • Dried spices:We’ll use a simple blend of garam masala, ground cumin, and ground turmeric, which we will sauté briefly with the onion and garlic to enhance their flavors. We’ll also use fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper for seasoning.
  • Chickpeas:I always opt for canned chickpeas to make this recipe extra quick and easy, but you are welcome to cook your own chickpeas from scratch if you prefer.
  • Coconut milk:This is my go-to brand of coconut milk, which is always wonderfully thick and creamy and tastes delicious in this coconut chickpea curry.
  • Diced tomatoes:I recommend using fire-roasted diced tomatoes if possible, but plain diced tomatoes will also work perfectly well here.
  • Greens:I tossed a few handfuls of baby spinach into this batch, but kale or collard greens would also work well.
  • Lemon:I always like to add a hint of fresh lemon juice to the pot of curry, and then serve each bowl with a few extra lemon wedges on the side for squeezing. (I personally prefer this curry very lemony!)
  • Fresh cilantro:I love topping this curry with lots of fresh cilantro, but feel free to omit if cilantro’s not your thing.

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Chickpea Curry Variations

Here are a few more ways that you’re welcome to customize this chickpea curry recipe to your liking:

  • Make it spicier: Sauté a fresh chile pepper (Thai chile, jalapeño, serrano, etc) along with the garlic and onion, or simmer extra crushed red chili peppers or cayenne in the sauce.
  • Use cream or half and half: If you’d rather not use coconut milk, you’re welcome to sub in heavy cream or half and half instead.
  • Add a protein:Chicken, beef, pork, meatballs, or shrimp would all go well with this curry if you would like to add a protein.

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More Favorite Curry Recipes

Looking for more cozy curry recipes to try? Here are a few of our faves:

  • Cozy Cauliflower Curry
  • Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry
  • Tomato Lentil Curry
  • Green Curry Salmon

Easy Chickpea Curry Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (5)

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Easy Chickpea Curry Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (6)

Quick Chickpea Curry

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.8 from 23 reviews

  • Author: Ali
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

Description

This Indian-inspired chickpea curry recipe is incredibly easy to make in less than 30 minutes and simmered in the most delicious lemon-ginger coconut curry sauce.

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Sauté veggies. Heat oil in a large stockpot or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic, grated ginger, garam masala, salt, cumin, turmeric, a pinch of cayenne, and a few twists of black pepper and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  2. Simmer. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. Finish. Add the baby spinach and lemon and stir until the spinach has wilted.
  4. Season. Taste and season the sauce with additional salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if needed.
  5. Serve. Serve warm over rice, garnished with fresh cilantro and extra lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Notes

Source:This recipe is inspired by Indian and Pakistani-style chana masala, which translates to mean “spiced chickpeas.” To learn more about the origins and details of this delicious dish, I recommend diving into this post from 196 Flavors, which also includes a more authentic chana masala recipe.

posted on September 9, 2022 by Ali

Gluten-free, Indian-Inspired, Main Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

28 Comments »

Easy Chickpea Curry Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

How to make curry creamier? ›

How to Thicken Curry
  1. Add dairy. Many curry sauces have a creamy texture, so try adding more dairy—like Greek yogurt, heavy cream, or a thick non-dairy ingredient like coconut cream—to thicken a watery curry sauce.
  2. Add ground nuts. ...
  3. Add lentils. ...
  4. Add peanut butter. ...
  5. Add a tomato product. ...
  6. Start with a roux. ...
  7. Use a slurry.
Jan 20, 2022

Why is my curry so watery? ›

Too much liquid or broth is added during cooking. Short cooking time or not enough simmering time for the sauce to reduce. Low-heat cooking: you need medium-high to high heat to cook off excess liquid. Cooking the curry with the lid: all the evaporated water will collect in the lid and get added back into the curry.

How do you thicken curry without cornstarch? ›

There are several ways to thicken curry sauces and avoid making them too runny or watery. One option is to add dairy such as Greek yogurt, heavy cream, or coconut cream . Another option is to add ground nuts like cashews or almonds to the sauce . A roux made with flour and butter is also an effective thickener.

How do you thicken curry in the oven? ›

Tomato puree/ paste

Adding tomato puree is probably the most common method of thickening curry sauces. Simply add the tomato puree during the cooking process rather than adding it at the end. This will help to thicken your curry or pasta sauce from the beginning, speeding up the cooking time.

Does cornstarch make curry thicker? ›

If you have some cornstarch on hand in your kitchen, mix a tablespoon (15 mL) of cornstarch with a tablespoon (15 mL) of water. Mix this into your curry while it's boiling to get it to thicken. If necessary, you can add a bit more water and cornstarch if your curry doesn't thicken with one tablespoon (15 mL) of each.

Can I add milk instead of cream to curry? ›

People use a variety of liquids to make curries, and both regular milk and coconut milk are common choices, depending on the type of curry being prepared and personal preferences. Regular Milk: Regular milk, especially in the form of cream or yogurt, is often used in curries from regions like North India.

How do restaurants make curry so creamy? ›

The actual sweetness and creaminess of such curries meanwhile, usually comes from fried onions and either cashews and/or dairy products. Instead of (or in addition to) onion, ground coconut may be used. White poppy seeds and/or watermelon seeds are also used in some creamy sauces.

What kind of cream do you use for curry? ›

Clotted cream is amazing and it doesn't just have to be used on scones! By adding it to this curry it gives it that nice creamy flavour, but I do find it very subtle so its not over powering. Funny enough it makes it almost taste like a korma but has more of a tomato flavour than coconut.

Should you cook curry with lid on or off? ›

Most curries will splatter when you cook them, especially when you add base gravy and need to cook them uncovered to allow the sauce to reduce and develop in flavour. To help minimise the mess: Cover your cooker and surrounding areas with foil which can be disposed of. This will reduce the amount of cleanup at the end.

Do you thicken curry with lid on or off? ›

To thicken a soup, stew, or sauce, leaving the lid uncovered is ideal. "It must be off, or semi-covered, if you are slowing down the reduction process," says Stephen Chavez, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Does coconut milk thicken curry? ›

Coconut Milk/ Cream

Coconut is a great ingredient used for thickening curries. It can be used in any form – milk, cream or grated. This method is most suited for Thai, South Indian and other Asian curries. It not only makes your curry flavorful, but also makes the curry creamier.

How long to leave curry simmering? ›

Method
  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan on the boiling plate, add the chicken and brown off. ...
  2. Add the onions and yellow pepper, cooking until translucent. ...
  3. Return the chicken back to the pan adding the curry paste, coconut cream and chicken stock.
  4. Transfer the curry to the simmering plate for 20-30 minutes.

How do you fix bland curry? ›

The easiest way to fix a bland and tasteless curry is by adding spices like red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry leaves and turmeric. Just make a quick tempering and pour over the curry to give it a nice punch of spices and herbs.

Does yogurt thicken curry? ›

It will not actually thicken the curry. It only adds a creamy texture to the curry. If you want to make your curry thicker, you will need to add some other ingredients like flour or coconut powder.

Why didn't my curry thicken? ›

Curry will not thicken if there is not enough heat after adding a roux to the pot. Factors which impede thickening include using too little roux, adding too much water, and using vegetables with a high water content.

How do you make Thai curry thicker? ›

How can I thicken up a Thai red curry sauce? Make a slurry of cornflour and water, say a teaspoon of flour to a tablespoon of cold water, mix it well and drizzle it into the curry sauce, drizzle half in and stir to thicken and if not thick enough add more and so on.

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