Chickpeas With Curry is a delicious vegetarian dish! It is inspired by Indian butter chicken and tastes just like it but using chickpeas. You will love this quick and healthy meal that’s also easy to make! It makes great leftovers and tastes even better the next day.
When winter rolls around I am in need of some serious comfort food. There is something so warm and cozy about this Chickpeas With Curry recipe. I love how this easy recipe comes together so quickly yet still has so much flavor.
If you have had my Butter Squash Chickpea Curry recipe this one will remind you of that but without the butternut squash and uses a different mixture of spices.
I love chickpeas and use them weekly in my house whether it is making this Lebanese Hummus Recipe, these Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas to this Chickpea Salad Recipe.
Chickpeas are a great source of protein and are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein.
I love incorporating these powerful little beans into my recipes. We also love curry and often rotate between today’s Chickpea Curry, Coconut Fish Curry, Slow Cooker Chicken Curry and Slow Cooker Beef Curry.
I leaned to love chickpeas as a young child and am happy that I have continued to love them into adulthood.
What I love most about today’s chickpea recipe is that it mixes simple, yet flavorful ingredients together to create an affordable meal. I like to serve indian food like this over brown rice with fresh cilantro, a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Onion and Garlic: I used red onion in this recipe but you can swap it out and use sweet onion or shallot in its place. I added a few cloves of garlic for extra flavor but this is optional.
- Diced or Crushed Tomatoes: I personally like using crushed tomatoes in this my chickpea curry but diced tomatoes work great too. You will want to use both the tomatoes and the juices.
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas are the main star of this recipe. If you like my Slow Cooker Butter Chicken this is similar to that recipe but using chickpeas to make it vegetarian.
- Heavy Cream and Butter: The cream and butter help create that rich, savory flavor and a thicker sauce. You can swap the cream for milk if you would like to. I also like full-fat coconut milk as a substitute.
- Curry Powder: The main flavoring of this recipe is the curry powder. I used 2 Tablespoons but you can use more or less based on your tastes. I suggest that if you aren’t a huge fan of a lot of curry you start with 1 Tablespoons and go from there.
How do you Make Chickpeas with Curry
This chickpea curry recipe is so easy to make. You will be amazed how much flavor you get in under 20 minutes.
Step 1: Sauté Garlic and Onion: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and garlic and cook until translucent, around 4-5 minutes.
Step 2: Add Tomatoes and Curry Powder: Add the crushed tomatoes and the curry powder and cook until the tomatoes are darker in color, around 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add Chickpeas: Add the chickpeas and bring to a gentle simmer for around 8 minutes.
Step 4: Add Cream: Add the heavy cream and stir.
Step 5: Add Butter: Remove from the heat and add the butter, stir until melted and full incorporated.
Step 6: Add Fresh Herbs: Add salt if needed and garnish with fresh chopped parsley or fresh cilantro, dollop of Greek yogurt and serve over rice.
Recipe FAQ
You can definitely freeze this recipe. Cool the chickpeas all the way after cooking and then add them to a freezer friendly container. You can keep it in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you are ready to use this chickpea dish you can thaw it overnight in the fridge and then reheat it on the stove in a skillet or pot on low.
This dish will last up to about 5 days in an air tight storage container in your fridge.
If using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and cook them until tender. This results in a creamier texture and richer flavor.
Yes, I actually think this tastes even better the next day! The flavors meld really well together.
You can use heavy cream, yogurt, almond milk, or cashew cream for a similar creamy texture.
If you simmer your curry uncovered this will reduce liquid. You also can mash some chickpeas, or add a slurry of cornstarch or blended cashews.
Ways to Modify this Chickpea Curry
- Vegetables: I like adding extra veggies into this dish. I used onion and crushed tomatoes in this recipe but it would be great with additional vegetables. Some that I love are zucchini, broccoli, green beans and bell pepper. You can just add the vegetables in with the onion to cook them.
- Potatoes: You can add in small diced potatoes or sweet potatoes. Just make sure they are diced small so they cook evenly and become tender.
- Spices: Curry is the start of this recipe but there are other spices that work nicely with this dish. Some I like are a small amount of cayenne pepper, coriander, turmeric, chili powder and garam masala. I also like adding fresh ginger into this dish.
- Heat: This dish would be great with the heat kicked up. I like to add chopped jalapeños to the finished dish. You can also add crushed red pepper or cayenne red pepper.
- Dairy-Free: If you can’t have dairy you can sub in almond, soy or a can of coconut milk.
- Nuts: I love finish this dish off with chopped cashews or peanuts.
- Protein: If you want to add protein I really like chicken, salmon or shrimp.
What to Serve with Chickpea Curry
You can serve this dish with a lot of great sides or make it a side dish to a main dish.
- Serve it with basmati rice, brown rice, white rice, lemon pearl couscous, quinoa or even noodles.
- Salads pair nicely with this curry. Try this Lemon Arugula Salad or this Massaged Kale Salad.
- Vegetable side dishes are great alongside this chickpea curry. Try these Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms, Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables, Turmeric Cauliflower or these Roasted Carrots and Beets with Tahini.
Other Curry Recipes You Might Like:
- Cauliflower Curry Recipe
- Curry Meatballs Recipe
- Easy Shrimp Curry
- Easy Eggplant Curry
- Red Lentil Curry
- Pumpkin Curry
- Easy Lamb Curry
- Sweet Potato Lentil Curry
Chickpeas with Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 of a medium red onion,, diced {or sweet onion}
- 3 garlic cloves,, minced
- 1 – 28 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 – 15 ounce can of chickpeas,, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley or cilantro as a garnish
- Add a dollop of Greek yogurt
- Serve over white or brown rice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and garlic and cook until translucent, around 4-5 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and the curry powder and cook until the tomatoes are darker in color, around 5 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas and bring to a gentle simmer for around 8 minutes. Add the heavy cream and stir to incorporate.
- Remove from heat and add the butter, stir until melted and fully incorporated. Add salt if needed and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro, a dollop of Greek yogurt and serve over rice.
