Easy Chickpea And Spinach Curry (2024)

This easy Chickpea And Spinach Curry is quick, hearty and healthy! A comforting vegan curry recipe that even meat lovers will adore.

You will also love myRed lentil, Squash and Chickpea Dhal

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Hands up, who loves curry? 🙋‍♀️If you like curries as much as I do then you LOVE this simple vegan curry.

It is packed with plant based goodness – sweet potato, aubergine, chickpeas, spinach and super creamy thanks to coconut milk.

A great way to pack vegetables into your diet and use up any veggies lurking in your fridge or freezer.

This curry is quite versatile – you can swap or add your favourite seasonal vegetables as you like. Take a look at the recipe video to see how its done!

Ingredients

There’s no store-bought curry paste in this chickpea curry recipe and you won’t miss it either. Check out the list of ingredients, including suggestions for substitutes below.

This simple curry is naturally sweet thanks to the potatoes and coconut milk and mild enough for even young children to to enjoy.

• Onions and garlic – these are staples of almost ALL curries. If you are short of time keep a pack of pre-chopped onions and garlic in your freezer – so handy!
• Sweet Potatoes – you can swap with butternut squash, pumpkin or white potatoes if you like
• Aubergines (eggplant for those across the pond)
• A little tomato purée – mostly for colour
• Spices: Garam Masala, Turmeric, Paprika
• Freshly grated ginger – if you don’t have any use ground ginger instead
• Red chilli for some added heat – this is optional!
• Coconut milk – for a truly creamy curry use full-fat coconut milk. Use light coconut milk (see recipe notes) for a lower calorie option
• Vegetable stock – use s good quality stock cube such as Kallo and check it is gluten free if that is a concern
• Spinach – use a handful of fresh spinach or a few cubes of frozen spinach as I have done
• Lime juice balances the flavours with some welcome acidity
• Fresh coriander (cilantro) to garnish

Chickpea and Spinach Curry Step By Step

Full measurements and instructions can be found on theprintable recipe cardat the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!

STEP 1 – Heat olive oil in a large pan (or use olive oil spray). Sauté the onions over medium heat for 5 minutes until softened.

STEP 2 – Stir in the spices and salt, cooking for a few seconds until fragrant.

STEP 3 – Add the minced garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Add a splash of stock if the pan gets too dry.

STEP 4 – Stir in the tomato purée and sweet potatoes.

STEP 5 – Add the cubed aubergines and chickpeas.

STEP 6 – Pour in the coconut milk and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer then lower the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes until thevegetables have softened.

See Also

twice baked delicata squash + crispy za'atar roasted chickpeas — jodi moreno10 Delicious Things to Do With a Can of Chickpeas{How to Make} Homemade Falafel Recipe - Self Proclaimed FoodieItalian Farinata Chickpea Flatbread (La Cecina Toscana)

STEP 7 – Add the spinach. If you are using fresh then stir in until wilted. If you are using frozen spinach then cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until incorporated into the curry.

STEP 8 – Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste. Add lime juice to taste and sprinkle with fresh coriander.

STEP 9 – Serve over rice with some chopped chillies or dried chilli flakes and lime wedges on the side.

Instant Pot Method

STEP 1 – If you have time sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, spices and salt for a few minutes in a little olive oil. If you are short of time simply add all the ingredients in your pressure cooker in this order and stir to combine.

STEP 2 – Cover, set vent to sealing and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Release the pressure manually. Stir the curry and then select ‘Sauté’ again. Add the frozen spinach and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring.

STEP 3 – Discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Stir in the lime juice, check the seasoning and adjust as needed.

Variations

Feel free to customise this recipe and make it your own. This is a mildly spiced curry but if you like it HOT then add a little hot curry powder or cayenne pepper into the mix and load it up with some fresh chilli as well.

I frequently get comments saying ‘I don’t have this spice, what can I use instead?’ I would say keep a box or mild curry powder or Garam Masala in your pantry.

Garam Masala is a ground spice mix made of a variety of beautifully aromatic spices. It usually contains cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, fennel, mace and dried chili – phew! As you can see just a spoonful of this will cover most of your spice requirements!

When it comes to the vegetables you can freestyle as much as you like, adding the vegetables in the curry depending on how long they need to cook.

Some suggestions are cauliflower, courgette, peppers and tomatoes.You could also add some tofu if you like!

Add this to your Slimming meals!

This chickpea and spinach curry is perfect for those on weight loss plans like Slimming World and Weight Watchers provided you use light coconut milk.

To make this coconut curry totally syn free, you could use Alpro coconut drink in place of coconut milk. This is part of your HEA allowance. The curry won’t be as creamy so I prefer to use canned coconut milk.

There’s under 400 calories and 15 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving (without sides).

Serving Suggestions

Rice, brown rice, quinoa or even cauliflower rice are perfect with this simple curry. Naan bread or chappati is a must for those lucky ones not on a diet…

Storing and Freezing

Any leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge and the flavours will also intensify! I usually make a batch of this curry on a Monday to have for lunch through the week.

Curry freezes beautifully and this vegan curry is no exception. I prefer to leave the spinach out if I plan to freeze this dish and add it when reheating.

Cool the curry completely and portion into suitable containers. Use within three months making sure to always reheat until piping hot – on the stove or microwave before serving.

Have you made my Chickpea and Spinach Curry? Snap a photo, add hashtag #supergoldenbakes and tag @supergolden88 on INSTAGRAM