Chickpea Curry

bowl of curry with naan

This Chickpea Curry is SO simple, creamy, a little spicy and delicious! Using pantry staple ingredients, it comes together quickly and is the perfect weeknight meal!

Well, hey. It seems like the last time that I wrote a blog post, things seemed a little bit brighter. Or that things would just go back to normal after the weekend. 

And instead, here we are. 

If you’re anything like me, you’re wondering what in the world is going on. How did this happen? How can it stop? Will it stop? My anxious thoughts are constantly making me think of the worst case scenarios. 

So I thought to myself: What can I do about it? And I came to the conclusion: continue making food. Food is the one of the only things that can help bind us together during these difficult times. A warm chocolate chip cookie, a pint of ice cream, a glass of wine, a chopped salad….and of course, pantry staple recipes! 

side view of finished dish

So that’s what I’m here to share with you today, a pantry staple recipe! 

Here’s what it requires: 

  • 1 can of chickpeas 
  • Rice (any kind will work)
  • 1 can of coconut milk 
  • ¼ cup diced tomatoes (can be fresh or canned) 
  • Pantry spices like turmeric, cumin, curry powder, salt, pepper etc. 
  • Fresh ginger/garlic (can use ground if you don’t have any) 
  • Onion

And that’s it! 

It results in a deliciously creamy and hearty pantry meal! The chickpeas add the fiber and protein – the rice adds delicious heartiness and carb goodness, and the coconut curry sauce – well, I think I could just drink that straight from a bottle it’s so good. 

close up of curry sauce

It’s warm, comforting, creamy, a little spicy and the perfect meal to help get us through all of this! 

So let’s get into how to make it! 

How to Make Chickpea Curry:

Begin by adding a large saute pan to the stove. Turn it on medium heat and add a tbsp of so of avocado oil. Let that heat up. 

In the meantime, let’s dice up the fresh goodness! Dice an onion as well as finely mince 4 cloves of garlic and about 1 tbsp of fresh ginger. Hello immune boosters!

spoonfull of chickpeas

Once your saute pan is hot, add in the onion and a pinch of salt. Stir around and let this cook for 3-4 minutes or until it begins to turn golden. Add in the garlic and ginger next and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. 

gold spoon in bowl with final product

Add the spices like turmeric, curry powder, cumin, cayenne and salt and pepper directly into the pan with the onion and garlic. Mix around to coat the veggies. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas. 

Add in the coconut milk and drained chickpeas to the mixture as well as the ¼ cup of diced tomatoes (can be fresh or canned). 

chickpea curry in pan

Mix together to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute, stirring occasionally and then lower the heat. 

Let it continue cooking on low/medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the juice of ½ of a lime. Once it’s done, taste and adjust the seasoning. This is an opportunity for you folks who like spice to make it more spicy if you’d like! Or keep it mild. Or if you think it needs salt, add it! 

scooping curry onto naan bread

Let it sit and be still for 2-3 minutes and then serve over jasmine rice. 

I loved to garnish mine with extra red pepper flakes and cilantro! 

This Chickpea Curry is ultra delicious and makes the best leftovers too! So much flavor! 

dipping naan

I hope you guys enjoyed this recipe – I will keep trying to post as normal here on OBB…in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you need someone to talk to. I’m here for you, and I’m praying for you and the entire world during this pandemic. XO – Haylie 

Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like: 

Delicata Squash and Chicken Curry 

Thai Peanut Butternut Squash Bowl 

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala 

Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie

5 from 5 votes
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Chickpea Curry

This Chickpea Curry is SO simple, creamy, a little spicy and delicious! Using pantry staple ingredients, it comes together quickly and is the perfect weeknight meal!

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Indian
Keyword chickpea curry, coconut curry, easy curry, homemade curry, pantry meals
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 14 oz. can full fat coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes (can be canned or fresh, I used canned)
  • juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • jasmine rice and naan to serve it with
  • cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  1. Begin by adding a large saute pan to the stove. Turn it on medium heat and add a tbsp of so of avocado oil. Let that heat up. 

  2. Dice the onion, mince the garlic and the ginger. Once the pan is hot, add in the onion with a pinch of salt. Mix around and let cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden.

  3. Add in the ginger and garlic next and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.

  4. Add all of the spices in directly with the onion/garlic/ginger mixture and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

  5. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them. Add to the pot along with the coconut milk and diced tomatoes. Stir together until combined.

  6. Let this mixture come to a boil for 1 minute and then reduce the heat to medium low and let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will thicken up a bit as it cooks.

  7. Once done, add in the juice of 1/2 of a lime. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. If you like it more spicy, now is a great time to spice it up!

  8. Serve with rice and naan, garnishing with cilantro!

Recipe Notes

Cook rice according to package instructions - about 1 cup or so, depending on how many people you're feeding/or if you will want leftover rice (Which is always good to have on hand)

Serve with naan if you have it available - don't worry if not! 

If you don't have fresh ginger or fresh garlic, you can use ground spices. I would try 2 tsp of garlic powder and 1 tsp of ginger and go from there. 

Store leftovers in fridge - they taste even better the next day! 

10 comments / Add your comment below

  1. 5 stars
    I’m with you Haylie. Making food and sharing recipes is one of the ways I’m getting through this. It’s comforting, just like this chickpea curry! I’d love a cozy bowl for dinner tonight! Take care and stay safe.

    1. 5 stars
      We loved this dish! It was simple to prepare and yet had the more complex flavors we crave. The blend of spices was spot on! This chickpea curry will be prepared again very soon!

      1. Yay! Thank you SO much, Ines! Your kind review means the world to me! So glad that you and your family enjoyed it during this difficult time! <3

  2. 5 stars
    I love the simplicity of this recipe while the complexity of the flavors are out of this world. This was such an easy recipe to make and it made us feel like we had traveled far away.
    Great use of pantry staples. I might add come pan cooked chicken thighs next time to add a meat option. YUMMY! Thanks for always coming up with delicious but easy recipes!

    1. Well, Brian, this just made my day! THANK YOU for the kind review! 🙂 Love the idea of adding a chicken breast in there for some extra protein! 🙂 Thank you for coming to my blog and leaving feedback!

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