Name: Easy Chickpea Curry Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or use coconut oil); 1 medium bell pepper (chopped (use jalapeno or serrano for extra heat)); 1 medium onion (chopped); ½ cup chopped green onions; 4 cloves garlic chopped; 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger; 2 tablespoons curry powder; 1 tablespoon garam masala; 1 tablespoon paprika ((or use crushed red pepper)); 14 ounces coconut milk; 30 ounces chickpeas (2 cans) (drained); Salt and pepper to taste; FOR SERVING: Cooked rice (optional), fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, lime wedges, spicy chili flakes, roti or naan on the side.

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This chickpea curry recipe so quick and easy, a staple for easy weeknight dinners, made with lots of chickpeas, spices and coconut milk. On the table in about 20 minutes! Just grab a few ingredients out of your pantry and you have dinner with big flavor in a hurry!

You might also enjoy my Chicken Tikka Masala or Chana Masala recipes!

Chickpea Curry with Coconut in a bowl, ready to serve

Coconut Chickpea Curry Recipe

I have an Easy Coconut Chickpea Curry dish today for you, my friends. There are days when we are all in a hurry and we just don't have much time to cook. That doesn't stop us from wanting spicy food, though. Right?

Of course not!

We want spicy food with big flavor in a hurry. We want it now! Or at least under 30 minutes, please. This particular recipe will most definitely deliver on that desire.

This recipe is going to become a new go-to in your recipe collection. It's chickpea curry in a hurry!

This particular recipe is vegetarian or vegan, though it's easy to customize. You can add in chicken if you'd like, as well as shrimp or even lamb for a non-vegan option.

Let's talk about how to make chickpea curry, shall we?

Featured Reader Comment

From Ale V: "This is the most delicious curry I have ever tried. Made this today for dinner and man! so good!"

Chickpea Curry Ingredients

Oil. For cooking. Use olive oil or coconut oil.
Vegetables. Onion, green onion, garlic, ginger, chilies. For the chilies, I'm using jalapeno and serrano, but you can use milder chilies to your preference.
Spices. Curry powder, garam masala paprika, salt and ground black pepper.
Coconut Milk. Use full fat coconut milk for more flavor.
Chickpeas. I'm using canned, drained and rinsed.
For Serving. Cooked rice, fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, lime wedges, spicy chili flakes, naan or roti.

How to Make Chickpea Curry - the Recipe Steps

Heat some oil in a large pan or wok to medium high heat and cook down the peppers and onion.

Add the garlic, ginger, and green onions, and cook another minute, then stir in the spices - curry powder. garam masala, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.

I sometimes like to add in a bit of curry paste here as well for extra flavor.

Cooking vegetables and spices in a pan to make Chickpea Curry

Pour in the coconut milk, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or more to let the flavors develop, stirring occasionally. The curry sauce will thicken up a bit.

Processing Tip. You can process the sauce in a food processor at this point if you'd like a smoother sauce, or just continue.

Stir in the chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) and warm them through for 5 minutes.

Serving Chickpea Curry

Serve the easy chickpea curry in a bowl on their own, or over prepared white rice if desired, then squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice over the top.

Top with fresh cilantro or parsley, lime wedges, spicy chili flakes. Basmati rice is great here. It's a lot like chana masala.

BOOM! Done! Super easy, right? Quick and easy recipes are the best. Hey, we're busy today! I get it.

Chickpea Curry in a bowl with steamed white rice

Refer to the video in the recipe card. It details all the steps to make the chickpea curry. I hope it helps! I love a good coconut curry.

Recipe Tips and Notes

This is probably my favorite easy chickpea curry for the sheer simplicity of it. But if you're super hungry and want to vary it up, this particular recipe is perfect to use as a base.

Want Meats? Go for it. I've made this with chicken, lamb and pork and it always comes out flavorful. Consider shrimp as either an add on or to swap in. I love this recipe with shrimp. The combination of both shrimp and chickpeas is flavorful and still low calorie.
Adding Shrimp. To add shrimp, simply tuck the raw shrimp (peeled and deveined) into the sauce and simmer 5-10 minutes, until cooked through. Cooking time can vary depending on the size of the shrimp.
Vegan and Vegetarian Options. If you'd like to keep it vegan, try sweet potato, eggplant or lentils. You can easily slip in broccoli or some green leafy vegetables like baby spinach or kale. It's also tasty with tofu.
Add Tomatoes. Add diced tomatoes for another spin. Tomatoes are commonly used in curries and I enjoy them.

To be honest, you can pretty easily include any number of vegetables you'd like to use up. Zucchini, anyone? Of course!

What are some substitutes for Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)?

Garbanzo Beans, aka "chickpeas", are a firm legume, round in shape, about 1/4" thick. If you can't find them for this recipe, or prefer to use another bean, try using any of the following:

Butter Beans
Lima Beans
Cannellini Beans (white kidney beans)
Great Northern Beans.

Heat Factor (for Spicy Curry)

For spicier chickpea curry, you can add an extra teaspoon of curry powder, or incorporate hotter chilies like habanero pepper or maybe a ghost pepper.

I also like to add in a flavorful curry paste into the sauce, which adds a touch of extra heat. See the Recipe Video in the recipe card.

For milder chickpea curry, stick with the bell pepper, which has no heat. You can also dial back on the curry powder.

Storage & Leftovers

Leftover chickpea curry will last up to a week in the refrigerator if properly stored. Normal time frames for cooked foods last 4-7 days stored in the refrigerator. Store it in a sealed airtight container.

Just be sure to refrigerate the leftovers as quickly as possible, and never after 2 hours of sitting out. You can also freeze it for 3 months or longer.

That's it, my friends! I hope you like it. I love this recipe. In so many ways. It's definitely a creamy chickpea curry. And, it's dairy free.

Try Some of My Other Popular Curry Recipes

Mike taking a scoop of Chickpea Curry from the pan

If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.

Easy Chickpea Curry Recipe

This quick and easy chickpea curry is a simple one pot meal with spices and coconut milk, the perfect weeknight dinner, done in about 20 minutes.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Thai

Keyword: curry, recipe, spicy, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

Calories: 415kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings:

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4.93 from 26 votes

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or use coconut oil
1 medium bell pepper chopped (use jalapeno or serrano for extra heat)
1 medium onion chopped
½ cup chopped green onions
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon paprika (or use crushed red pepper)
14 ounces coconut milk
30 ounces chickpeas (2 cans) drained
Salt and pepper to taste
FOR SERVING: Cooked rice (optional), fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, lime wedges, spicy chili flakes, roti or naan on the side.

Instructions

Heat a large pan or wok to medium heat and add 1 teaspoon oil.
Add your peppers and onion. Cook them down about 5 minutes, until the peppers and onions have softened.
Next, add in the garlic, ginger and the green onions. Cook another minute, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant.
Add in the curry powder, garam masala, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Give it a stir.
Add your coconut milk and stir. Bring to a quick boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or more to let the flavors develop. The curry sauce will thicken up a bit.
Stir in the chickpeas and warm them through for 5 minutes.
Serve the easy chickpea curry in bowls with a squeeze of lime juice, then garnish and serve.

Video

Notes

Heat Factor: Mild-Medium. You’ll get a decent spiciness from this mixture, though the coconut milk tempers it quite a bit. Add in extra serrano peppers or hotter peppers to up the heat factor.

This recipe is vegetarian/vegan.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 415kcal Carbohydrates: 47g Protein: 15g Fat: 21g Saturated Fat: 13g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g Monounsaturated Fat: 3g Sodium: 24mg Potassium: 720mg Fiber: 13g Sugar: 9g Vitamin A: 1337IU Vitamin C: 32mg Calcium: 109mg Iron: 7mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 1/27/25 to include new information and photos. It was originally published on 5/17/19.