Chickpea Spinach Curry

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. Full Disclosure Policy.

A delicious and warming Chickpea Curry, great for cooler nights and perfect for the whole family. Both vegetarian AND vegan, this dish boasts the curry FLAVOR vs major heat, and is quick & easy to make!

Update: This post was originally posted in 2013 and has been updated to improve reader experience. The recipe remains the same.

Curries are comfort food for me, there is nothing better than sitting down to a big bowl of this, along with some naan bread and rice. We eat this year-round!

Growing up in New Zealand exposed me to many different cultures as Auckland is definitely a melting pot! The bonus, of course, is all the fabulous food from all over the world available everywhere. Everyone has their favorite local curry place (much like in Arizona, everyone has their favorite Mexican food place!) and I have participated in many a debate over which restaurant makes the best food!

When I moved to London in my early 20s, I was DELIGHTED to discover Brick Lane – and made it my mission to try as many restaurants as possible.

While I regularly make curries involving beef, lamb or chicken, this one is a huge winner because I don’t have to remember to thaw meat or worry about chopping chicken. Simply open a couple of cans (or cook your own chickpeas in the instant pot!) and you’re good. We don’t miss the meat, and you won’t either!

You’ll love this African Peanut Soup, too!

Why this recipe works:

Simple ingredients, and ready in under 20 minutes. It’s also super budget-friendly! Make this Chickpea Spinach Curry in one large skillet or dutch oven, while you cook your rice.

This recipe is awesome for making in bulk, for a crowd. The bonus is that it’s vegan AND vegetarian, so you can make it for company that has specific diet needs – and please everyone.

How to make Chickpea Curry

1. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Cook onion, garlic, ginger, and curry powder in the oil about 2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant, and the onion is translucent.
3. Stir in the chickpeas and tomatoes.
4. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat then stir in the spinach, until it wilts.
6. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and cilantro.
7. Serve over rice.
8. Devour.

Ingredients in Chickpea Curry:

• VEGETABLE OIL – Gonna need this to get us started! Canola, vegetable or any other oil will work just fine.
• GARLIC – Don’t skimp on garlic.
• ONION – chop this up relatively small.
• GINGER – this is one you’re going to need to grate fresh. Ginger is a key ingredient in this dish!
• CURRY POWDER – experiment with your favorite blends. I like a Maharaja style curry powder.
• CHICKPEAS – drained and rinsed if canned! Also known as garbanzo beans.
• FIRE ROASTED TOMATOES – undrained, you’ll need all the juices for the sauce. Regular tomatoes will work, but you’ll miss the smokey flavor of the fire roasted, so do try to find them if you can!
• BABY SPINACH – just grab a few handfuls. It’s about 2 cups, but you can use more or less depending on your tastes.
• CILANTRO – chopped up finely. This is going to add some fresh flavor to the curry, don’t skip it!!
• SALT – I use kosher salt. Salt intensifies food’s other flavors, don’t leave this out!
• LEMON JUICE – as essential as the cilantro, this balances the flavor in the curry.

Kylee’s notes for Chickpea Spinach Curry

• Don’t leave out the lemon juice or the cilantro, both are vital to the flavor of this dish.
• I use Maharaja curry powder 
• Mess around with the amounts of curry powder, ginger, and garlic to your taste.
• Brown, white, basmati or jasmine are all good rice options

Want more Indian inspired dishes? Of course you do!

• Spiced Red Lentil Dhal
• Sweet Potato Spinach & Cashew Curry
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Chickpea Spinach Curry

5 from 8 votes

A delicious and warming chickpea curry, great for cooler nights and perfect for the whole family. Both vegetarian AND vegan, this dish boasts the curry FLAVOR vs searing your mouth off heat, and is quick & easy to make!

Print Pin Email Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Yield: 4

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion (chopped (1/2 cup))
• 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 Tbs fresh ginger (finely grated )
• 3 Tbs curry powder
• 2 15oz cans chick peas (drained, rinsed)
• 2 14.5oz cans fire roasted tomatoes (undrained)
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (finely chopped )
• 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
• 2 cups cooked rice

Instructions

• In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.
• Cook onion, garlic, ginger, and curry powder in the oil about 2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant, and the onion is translucent.
• Stir in the chickpeas and tomatoes.
• Heat to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat then stir in the spinach, until it wilts..
• Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and cilantro.
• Serve over rice.
• Devour.

Tried this recipe? Tag me!Mention @kyleecooks or tag #kyleecooks!

Video

Notes

Kylee’s notes for Chickpea Spinach Curry

• Don’t leave out the lemon juice or the cilantro, both are vital to the flavor of this dish.
• I use Maharaja curry powder 
• Mess around with the amounts of curry powder, ginger and garlic to your taste.
• Brown, white, basmati or jasmine are all good rice options

Nutrition

Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 535mg | Potassium: 880mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 2870IU | Vitamin C: 16.6mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 8.6mg

Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Author: Kylee Cooks