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.
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.
More recipes with canned chickpeas:
4 Ingredient Creamy Chickpea Salad
Frequently asked questions:
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.
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)
Garbanzo beans is a popular Spanish derived name for chickpeas.
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:
Indian Butter Shrimp without coconut milk
20 Minute Spicy Coconut Curry Shrimp
Thai 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.
Ingredients
Group-1
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 and 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 2 large garlic, crushed or minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, crushed or minced
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste), divided
Group-2
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
Group-3
- 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Group-4
- 3 handfuls baby spinach
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Heat a deep pot with coconut oil, over medium heat.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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).
- Using a potato masher, mash chickpeas (just 2 to 3 times - this helps the curry to thicken and makes it more creamier).
- Add spinach and sugar, let cook for 2 to 3 minutes (uncovered), until spinach is wilted.
- 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: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 912mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 11gSugar: 10gProtein: 13g
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heather (delicious not gorgeous)
Thursday 25th of February 2021
really filling and tasty! it almost gives me tomato soup vibes with the creaminess and the tomato-y flavor. i added some green onions on top to help break up the richness.