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This quick creamy vegan coconut chickpea curry is a super easy and speedy recipe that’s big on flavor. With tomatoes, coconut cream, and the perfect blend of spices, it’s so creamy and filling! This chickpea curry is bound to be a healthy dinner staple for your family, whether you’ve been vegan for years or are just trying out Meatless Monday!
Vegan coconut chickpea curry is one of those dishes that holds a special place in my heart. Weird, right? A can of chickpeas, some rich coconut milk, and a few veggies and spices… But it’s something I used to make my husband when we were vegan way back when! Back before we had kids and somehow still felt too busy to cook very often.
These days, we’re not vegan, and we’re not even vegetarian! We’re mostly paleo, deliberately integrating non-paleo ingredients into our diet. We’re inspired by a few different values:
- We like to eat clean ingredients that are minimally processed.
- Our bodies don’t do well on solely plant-based diets, which we know from years of experience! So, armed with that knowledge, we incorporate good quality animal proteins into our diets a few times a week.
- We try to eat several meatless recipes a week for environmental reasons.
- Finally, it seems unlikely to me that humans were eating gobs of bacon and steak millions of years ago. We try to eat a truly balanced diet, and this works for us!
It’s all about moderation and sustainability for us, and this quick vegan coconut chickpea curry is 100% a great example of that.
I used to make vegan coconut chickpea curry recipes regularly when we were newly married. I’d whip them together with veggies we happened to have on hand, and it still always worked. Here’s why!
Why This Recipe Is So Good
- The coconut cream makes this chickpea curry super, super rich. I use lots of it here to keep the sauce ultra creamy.
- This chickpea curry recipe blends together a few spices that keep the dish rich but not too spicy. That makes it super versatile for just about anyone.
- This vegan curry is super filling and perfect over basmati or cauliflower rice.
- It’s crazy quick and easy, relying on several inexpensive and convenient canned ingredients. In addition, it comes together in less than 30 minutes.
- This chickpea curry doesn’t taste “vegan” or feel deliberately meatless. That makes it perfect for integrating into a paleo or standard diet for a meat-free meal!
Alternate Names for This Recipe
- Super Creamy Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry Recipe In a Hurry (Verdict: Too long.)
- He Married Me So It Can’t Be That Bad, Right? (Verdict: Sounds 2000% less good than it isThis quick creamy vegan coconut chickpea curry is a super easy and speedy recipe that’s big on flavor. With tomatoes, coconut cream, and the perfect blend of spices, it’s so creamy and filling! This chickpea curry is bound to be a healthy dinner staple for your family, whether you’ve been vegan for years or are just trying out Meatless Monday! #vegan #curry.)
- 3 Cans to Magical Meatless Monday (Verdict: Too Bob Ross [Side question: Is “too Bob Ross” possible?].)
FAQs
Can I use light coconut milk?
I really wish you wouldn’t! Light coconut milk is just low in coconut cream, and that’s the richest, most delicious part. This dish is already super stinkin’ healthy, and coconut milk is full of those lovely healthy fats. So use full-fat coconut milk or, even better, coconut cream. It’ll make all the difference!
Can I use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce?
You can! I prefer crushed tomatoes, but it can be hard to find them in the “regular” 15-ounce can size. Either use half a large can of crushed tomatoes and save the rest for another recipe or use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce. I think the texture is best with crushed tomatoes, but those alternates will be just fine.
What kind of curry powder should I use?
I use a hot Japanese curry powder, which I absolutely love. Every curry powder is different, so you’ll want to know how spicy your curry powder is before loading your vegan coconut chickpea curry up with lots of cayenne pepper.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Cheesy Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Hummus Without Tahini
- Vegan Ground Beef
- Best Vegan Queso Blanco
- The Best Vegan Alfredo Sauce (Made in 3 Minutes!)
- Perfect Whole30 Instant Pot Tomato Soup (Vegan)
- The BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Zucchini Bread
- Tempeh Bacon
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Vegan Shrimp
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
4.99 from 53 votes
Quick Creamy Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry
Prep 5 minutes minutes
Cook 20 minutes minutes
Total 25 minutes minutes
A creamy and filling vegan coconut chickpea curry. Super quick and easy to make, done in about 30 minutes.
4
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- Shake of cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes undrained, see note 1
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk, see note 2
- 2-3 teaspoons maple syrup
- Sea salt
- Juice of 1-2 limes
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
- lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
Add the spices and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the drained chickpeas and crushed tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes.
Add in the coconut cream, maple syrup, and plenty of salt. Simmer 5 minutes.
Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Serve over cauliflower or basmati rice with more chopped cilantro for garnish.
- Note 1: I prefer crushed tomatoes in this recipe, because it’s a nice middle ground between chunky diced tomatoes and super smooth tomato sauce. You can use either diced tomatoes or tomato sauce if you can’t find crushed tomatoes.
- Note 2: I highly, highly recommend using unsweetened coconut cream in this recipe, as it enriches this recipe beautifully. However, you can use regular coconut milk, if you prefer. Try to not use light coconut milk, though, as it will not produce the richness that makes this recipe so good!
Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines, and reflect information for one serving. Macros may vary slightly depending on specific types and brands of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 443calProtein: 13gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 18gSodium: 162mgPotassium: 895mgTotal Carbs: 46gFiber: 11gSugar: 13gNet Carbs: 35gVitamin A: 340IUVitamin C: 15.1mgCalcium: 126mgIron: 8mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Cheryl Malik
In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.
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We eat this ALL the time. It’s the perfect meal for when you don’t know what to cook. Uses mostly canned items and spices. I add a lot of spinach instead of cilantro, and serve over Jasmine rice.
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So glad it’s a family favorite! Thanks for sharing, Margaret. 😊
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This recipe got into my weekly rotation. I think I’ve been cooking it for years now, and my whole family always looks forward to it! I’m actually cooking it right now and thought about checking out your other recipes, so why not leave a comment?
Thank you 🙂Reply
So happy to hear that this has been added into your weekly rotation! Glad you and your family love it! Thanks for sharing, Fiona 😊
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I am not a great cook, but this recipe is amazing and I have made it for several vegetarians and vegans and they loved it. Fantastic recipe .. thank you!!
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So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for your review, Eric!
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This was awesome! Didn’t have garam masala and subbed garlic chili paste for cayenne and it was delicious! Threw in a bunch of baby kale at the end to get some extra greens. This will be on rotation!
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That sounds great! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much for the review!
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So yummy! I only used half the amount of coconut milk so as not to dilute the other flavors. This is my new favorite easy recipe!
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Happy to hear that, Naomi! Thanks so much for sharing!
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Delicious! Added sweet potatoes to the curry and served over cauliflower rice with carrots, green beans, and corn. Adding to my list of favorite recipes for sure.
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Yum! So glad you enjoyed it!
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Meet Cheryl
Passionate foodie, certified health coach, serial entrepreneur, and mom of 3.
I've been developing and sharing delicious, approachable recipes on 40 Aprons for more than a decade. My goal is simple: take the chore out of mealtime by creating recipes that anyone can cook and that never skimp on flavor.
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