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Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Posted on Last updated: Categories Dinner, Gluten-Free, Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian

By: Author Maria Doss

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Creamy Chickpea and Spinach Curry is easy, healthy, authentic with shortcuts, perfect for meal prep, budget friendly and incredibly flavorful!! Ready in under 30 minutes, this vegan chickpea curry is delicious served with rice, naan, rotis or parathas.

a blue enamel pot with chickpea and spinach curry garnished with cilantro, onion and tomato, placed on a wooden board and a silver ladle

Fall season is my favorite season!! Scorching summer heat transitions into a cooling period before the dreaded winter. Beautifully colored trees with falling leaves and all things cozy and comforting like lattes, soups, casseroles and curries.

Chickpeas are one of my favorite pantry staple. It is healthy, filling, versatile and comes in handy when you want to whip up a quick dinner.

Why it’s the best Chickpea and spinach curry?

  • Easy
  • One pot
  • Big flavor
  • Ready in under 30 minutes
  • Healthy (full of plant based protien)
  • Hearty
  • Vegan
  • Gluten Free
  • Delicious with almost any carbs.

Main ingredients:

Chickpeas – Rinsed and drained canned chickpeas (or use about 2 cups of cooked chickpeas)

Spinach – Fresh baby spinach or coarsely chopped regular spinach

Coconut Milk – Canned coconut milk

Spices – Coriander, Cayenne, turmeric and garam masala

All curry suspects – Cumin , onion, ginger, garlic and tomato

How to make spinach and chickpea curry?

(Refer step-by-step photos below)

Heat coconut oil in a pot and toast cumin seeds. Saute chopped onion, garlic and ginger until golden. Add all spices and cook stirring constantly, until the mixture gets shiny and spices are toasted.

Add tomato sauce, cooked chickpeas, coconut milk, water and salt. Cover and cook on medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes. Uncover, and mash few chickpeas lightly with a potato masher.

Add spinach and a dash of sugar, cook until spinach is wilted.

Serve after few minutes.

Tips and Tricks:

Chickpeas – Empty contents of a can into a colander and rinse well under under running water. Drain well before adding into the curry. If using soaked and cooked chickpeas, use about 2 cups in this recipe

Add 1-2 tablespoons water along with spices – If you have more than enough oil in the pan then you can go ahead without water. Adding a dash of water helps spices not burn before getting a chance to be toasted, avoids sticking to the pan and cooks more evenly.

Tomato sauce – Canned tomato sauce (such as Hunts, Contadina,….) or tomato passata. This helps in skipping the traditional, lengthy process of cooking tomatoes in oil, until all moisture is evaporated and oil is separated.

Spiciness – Adjust cayenne powder based on your spice level. Cayenne pepper is the same as Indian chili powder.

Resting time – Let curry rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. This helps it to further thicken the sauce.

How to serve chickpea and spinach curry?

This curry is excellent served with cooked white basmati rice, naan, parathas, rotis or even a good crusty bread.

Storage instructions:

Leftover curry can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 4 days. Reheat in microwave before eating,

It can also be frozen is a sealed zip lock bag for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature, empty contents into a microwave safe bowl and microwave until heated through.

Variations:

Chickpea Curry – If you are out of spinach then, simply omit spinach in this recipe.

Chickpea and Kale curry – Skip spinach and add chopped kale along with group-3 ingredients.

Chickpea and Potato curry – Skip spinach and add peeled, chopped potatoes (about 1-inch cubes) along with group-3 ingredients, cover and cook until potatoes are tender. Skip mashing.

a blue enamel pot with chickpea and spinach curry garnished with cilantro, onion and tomato, placed on a wooden board

More recipes with canned chickpeas:

Air Fryer Chickpeas 

Chickpea Burrito Bowl 

Chickpea Lettuce wraps

Chickpea Tacos

Mexican Chickpeas

Salsa Chickpeas Meal Prep

4 Ingredient Creamy Chickpea Salad

Indian Roasted Chickpeas

or more chickpea recipes

black plate filled with cooked white rice, spinach and chickpea curry, garnished with cilantro and fork for eating

Frequently asked questions:

What is the Indian name for chickpeas?

Chickpea is a legume from the Fabaceae family and are also commonly known as garbanzo beans, bengal gram or channa. Channa masala is one of the most popular Indian chickpea dishes that is served with flatbreads.

Are chickpeas good for you?

Chickpeas are a healthy super food. It is loaded with vitamins and minerals, help in stabilizing blood sugar, good for managing your weight, packed with plant based protien and also may protect against certain chronic diseases (refer more from Healthline)

Are chickpeas and garbanzo beans the same thing?

Garbanzo beans is a popular Spanish derived name for chickpeas.

Are canned chickpeas healthy?

One cup of canned chickpeas contain 12 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, vitamins (A, C & E), potassium, iron and zinc (for more information, refer USDA)

More Curry, CURRY and Curries:

Chickpea Curry with Beets

20 Minute Spicy Coconut Curry Shrimp

Thai Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Chicken and Kale Curry

Butter Chickpeas

or more Indian recipes

Yield: 4 Serving

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Creamy Chickpea and Spinach Curry is easy, healthy, perfect for meal prep, budget friendly and incredible flavorful!! Ready in under 30 minutes, this vegan chickpea curry is delicious served with rice, naan, rotis or parathas. 

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 26 minutes
Total Time 36 minutes

Ingredients

Group-1

Group-2

Group-3

Group-4

  • 3 handfuls baby spinach
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  1. Heat a deep pot with coconut oil, over medium heat.
  2. When hot, add cumin seeds and toast for few seconds. Add onion, garlic, ginger and about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent (3 to 5 minutes).
  3. Reduce heat to medium-low, add all group-2 ingredients along with 1 to 2 tablespoons water (this will help the spices not stick/burn in the bottom and the water will evaporate in a minute), cook stirring constantly (2 to 3 minutes), until spices are toasted and mixture looks shiny.
  4. Add all group-3 ingredients and remaining salt, stir well, cover pot, increase heat to medium and cook for 12-15 minutes (stir once in between, to make sure that the curry doesn't stick at the bottom).
  5. Using a potato masher, mash chickpeas (just 2 to 3 times - this helps the curry to thicken and makes it more creamier).
  6. Add spinach and sugar, let cook for 2 to 3 minutes (uncovered), until spinach is wilted.
  7. Remove from heat and let curry cool slightly before serving.

Notes

Chickpeas – Empty contents of a can into a colander and rinse well under under running water. Drain well before adding into the curry. If using soaked and cooked chickpeas, use about 2 cups in this recipe

Add 1-2 tablespoons water along with spices – If have more than enough oil in the pan then you can go ahead without water. Adding a dash of water helps spices not burn before getting a chance to be toasted, avoids sticking to the pan and cooks more evenly.

Tomato sauce – Canned tomato sauce (such as Hunts, Contadina,….) or tomato passata. This helps in skipping the traditional, lengthy process of cooking tomatoes in oil until all moisture is evaporated and oil is separated.

Spiciness – Adjust cayenne powder based on your spice level. Cayenne pepper is the same as Indian chili powder.

Resting time – Let curry rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. This helps it to further thicken the sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 912mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 11gSugar: 10gProtein: 13g

I am not a certified dietician or nutritionist. You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health. This information is provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is a product of online calculator such as Nutrifox.com.. Although Kitchen at Hoskins attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their fact sources and algorithms. Under no circumstances will Kitchen at Hoskins be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the nutritional information. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

© Maria Doss
Cuisine: indian / Category: Vegan

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