Name: Thai Chickpea Curry (Quick & Easy)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 red onion (, chopped); 1 red bell pepper (, chopped and seeds removed); 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger; 1 clove garlic (, minced); 1 tablespoon curry powder; 1 (15 oz.) can coconut milk ((I use full fat)); 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas (, rinsed and drained); 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice; 1/4 cup fresh basil (, roughly chopped)

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This Chickpea Curry is a fast weeknight meal, featuring protein-packed chickpeas in a creamy curry base. Adding a squeeze of lime, fresh basil, and a little sweetness create a delicious Thai-style flavor.

Why You’ll Love this Chickpea Curry

This curry recipe has become a go-to for me, because it calls for easy ingredients that I usually already have on hand. You’ll need a can of chickpeas and a can of coconut milk, along with some curry powder and a few fresh veggies. (You can use frozen veggies in a pinch, too!)

Tip: Save the liquid from the can of chickpeas, and make Aquafaba Mousse. It’s an impressive egg-free dessert, calling for only 3 ingredients.

How To Cook Chickpeas

If you don’t keep canned chickpeas on hand, or if you would prefer to cook dried chickpeas from scratch, I have tutorials for that! You can cook chickpeas in the Instant Pot, or you can cook them on the stove top. (Click the orange links to go straight to the printable tutorials.)

What Do You Put in Curry?

If you’re like me and don’t always keep a jar of curry paste on hand, I find it’s easy to create a rich flavor using canned coconut milk and a curry powder blend from the store. Curry powder is typically a mix of turmeric, coriander, ginger, cumin, chili powder, and pepper, and the strength can vary by brand, so definitely be sure to taste this sauce as you go.

For a rich flavor, I also like to add:

Fresh lime juice
Fresh basil (Thai basil is great, but regular basil also works)
Maple syrup (for a little sweetness)
Plenty of salt (you can use tamari or soy sauce, for a deep flavor, too)

What I love about recipes like this one, is that you can use up any produce you have in the fridge. I’m using red onion and bell pepper in this case, but this recipe also works well with kale, spinach, Swiss chard, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes. It can be a kitchen-sink style meal!

More Curry Recipes

If you have other ingredients you want to use up, you may enjoy the following recipes, too!

Thai Chickpea Curry (Quick & Easy)

4.97 from 28 votes

This easy Chickpea Curry is made with just a handful of ingredients that you probably already have on hand. I love how fast & flavorful it is!

prep10 mins cook20 mins total30 mins

Servings:4

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion , chopped
1 red bell pepper , chopped and seeds removed
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1 clove garlic , minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 (15 oz.) can coconut milk (I use full fat)
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas , rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh basil , roughly chopped

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion and pepper until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add in the ginger, garlic, and curry powder and stir for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Add the coconut milk, chickpeas, salt, and maple syrup, then give the mixture a stir. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat and cover the pot to let the flavors simmer together for about 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir in the lime juice and fresh basil. Stir until the basil is wilted, then adjust any seasoning to your taste. Serve warm, with rice or cooked quinoa.

Video

Notes

You can use a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies in this recipe instead of fresh, and feel free to use dried spices if that's what you have on hand. I typically use 1/4 teaspoon to start with, and then add more to taste when using dried vs. fresh herbs.

Nutrition

Author: Megan Gilmore

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: vegan

Keyword: chickpea curry

Nutrition info is for 1 of 4 servings, and is automatically calculated using an online calculator. For more accurate results, be sure to use the labels on your own ingredients at home.

If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how it turns out for you! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience.

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