This vegan chickpea curry is made with Thai red curry paste and coconut milk for a creamy, flavorful sauce. This simple curry recipe cooks in just 20 minutes! Serve it with rice or naan for a tasty dinner.
Ever since I made these coconut curry noodles, I’ve had the coconut curry combination on my mind. Since I was out of rice noodles and hunting for an option with a little more protein and fiber, I decided to whip up a chickpea curry. Luckily, I had all the ingredients in my pantry, so this came together in only a few minutes. I was surprised at how simple this turned out to be!
What is red curry paste?
This recipe uses Thai red curry paste to flavor the sauce. It’s typically a combination of red chili peppers, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, and spices. If you’re looking for it at the grocery store, you can usually find it in the Asian section near the soy sauce. I like the Thai Kitchen brand, which is gluten-free and vegan.
What’s the best type of coconut milk?
I use canned coconut milk for this recipe. I like the creaminess that comes with canned coconut milk, but if you want a lower fat option, you can use lite coconut milk. Do not substitute with a coconut milk drink, which will be too thin for this recipe. The coconut milk should be very thick. Trader Joe’s, Thai Kitchen, and Whole Foods all make delicious canned coconut milk!
What to serve with chickpea curry
I like to serve this curry over brown rice but you could also serve it over quinoa if you wanted an option with a little more protein. No time to cook rice? Try serving it with a piece of naan bread instead! Looking for a low carb option? Try it with cauliflower rice!
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This vegan chickpea curry is made with Thai curry paste and coconut milk for a creamy, flavorful sauce. This simple curry can be made in just 20 minutes! Serve it with rice or naan for a tasty dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 13-ounce can coconut milk (I used lite but you can use regular if you like)
- 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Rice, quinoa or naan for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and onion over medium heat. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning
- Add the garlic, coriander, and ginger and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently
- Add the coconut milk and red curry paste and stir until mixed
- Add the chickpeas and simmer for 7-8 minutes until the chickpeas are heated through. If you like your chickpeas softer, you can continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add salt to taste and finish with lime juice
- Serve with rice, quinoa, or naan if desired
Keywords: vegan chickpea curry
Looking for more easy pantry-staple recipes? Here are a few of my favorites:
This post was originally published in March 2018. Updated April 2020.
Heidi M
Where to start?! As promised, this recipe was quick and easy (a necessity with a 4 yr old and not-quite-2-year-old underfoot). Even more importantly, IT WAS A HIT, as evidenced by the aforementioned little people exclaiming “yummy dinner!” and cleaning their plates. Even my husband very much enjoyed it, and I was nervous because I thought I remembered him expressing displeasure with chickpeas. Anyhoo, all this to say: we agreed to make an effort to “go vegetarian,” or as close to it as we can, and your blog is very inspiring! Oooh, last comment- I love what you wrote re CHEESE, haha! I love cheese, but you speak the truth, and we are trying to “healthify!!”
★★★★★
Liz
That makes me so happy, Heidi!! I’m glad you all enjoyed it!!
Priya
yummy! i love chickpeas curry and we call it chole masala in India..
Traci
I could eat chickpea curry every other week…YUM! Yours looks easy and delicious, as it should 🙂 Pinning and sharing this one for sure!
★★★★★
Gunjan
Ah! What an amazing vegan recipe. I am always on the look of new protein rich vegan recipes.
Vicky @ AvocadoPesto
Looove a good curry recipe and love that this one is vegan! My favorite brand of curry paste is Maesri — I highly recommend trying that one next time!
★★★★★
Liz
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for that brand!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
This sounds like a really hearty curry, but simple to make too! Love that! I would happily swap lite coconut milk if it meant another piece of naan!
★★★★★