This creamy chickpea and spinach curry is a healthy, easy, and budget-friendly vegan meal packed with flavour and nutrients.
Ready in just 30 minutes, this tasty veggie curry is perfect for a quick midweek meal. Serve with pilau rice and naan bread for a filling dinner.
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This creamy chickpea curry with spinach is made using store-cupboard staples such as tinned cherry tomatoes, tinned chickpeas, curry paste, and frozen spinach, with the creaminess coming from a tin of coconut milk.
👩🍳 Love veggie curries? Try my easy halloumi curry or creamy courgette curry next!
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Chickpeas are a great source of protein, fibre, and other essential nutrients, while spinach is packed with vitamins and minerals.
- The chickpea spinach curry is quick and easy to prepare, making it a great option for busy weeknights.
- Chickpeas and spinach are both affordable ingredients, so this recipe won't break the bank.
- This spinach and chickpea curry is completely plant-based, making it a great option for those following a vegetarian or vegan diet.
⭐ Five Star Reader Review
Loved this recipe! It was easy, flavorful and healthy. Will definitely be making again! KIM ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🥘 Ingredients
- Onion, Garlic and Ginger - form the base of the curry.
- Mild Curry Paste - I used a store-bought korma curry paste but if you have a homemade curry paste, use that instead.
- Turmeric and Cumin - adds colour and flavour to the curry.
- Tinned Cherry Tomatoes - 1 x 400g tin is needed for this recipe and helps create the delicious sauce.
- Chickpeas - 2 x 400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
- Frozen Spinach - 150g or about 8 blocks. Defrost before using.
- Coconut Milk - full-fat coconut milk helps give the curry a lovely creaminess.
- Mango Chutney - adds a fruity kick and helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: In a food processor, blitz the onion, garlic, and ginger to a paste. Fry the onion paste in a little oil for a few minutes, before adding the curry paste, cumin, and turmeric. Cook for 3 minutes.
Two: Add the tinned cherry tomatoes and chickpeas and simmer for 10 minutes.
Three: Stir through the coconut milk and frozen spinach cubes (which have been defrosted) and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Four: Stir through the mango chutney just before serving.
💭 Top tips
- Take the frozen spinach blocks out of the freezer at least an hour prior to cooking. They will begin to defrost and wilt immediately as soon as they are added to the curry sauce. If you forget, defrost them for a few minutes in the microwave before adding them to the curry.
- If you like your curry hot, use a spicier curry paste such as madras and add 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes at the same time as the cumin and turmeric.
- If you didn't need to make this vegan, you could use double cream instead of coconut milk.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the creamy chickpea and spinach curry with homemade pilau rice, naan bread, and extra mango chutney. Chopped fresh coriander and flaked almonds are a nice addition to sprinkle on top.
If I'm serving this at a vegetarian curry night, I'll serve it alongside my courgette curry and sweet potato and lentil curry too.
📖 Variations
- Add more veggies to the curry. Chopped red peppers, cauliflower, potatoes, and sweetcorn would all work well.
- I sometimes add leftover roasted sweet potato cubes too, which adds a lovely sweetness to the curry.
- If you like your curry spicy, you can add some chopped fresh chilli or chilli flakes to the recipe.
🥡 Storage
Store - let the curry cool down to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat - either microwave it or heat it up on the hob in a saucepan. If it's too thick, you can add a little water or broth to thin it out
🧊 Suitable for freezing?
The curry can be frozen for up to 3 months. Once completely cooled, place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze. Defrost in the fridge for 24 hours prior to reheating.
❓ FAQS
Coconut milk doesn't come from an animal, therefore it is vegan friendly. However, it has recently become apparent that not all coconut products are produced as ethically as they should be.
In Thailand, monkeys are often used to pick coconuts from the trees and kept in very unsatisfactory living conditions. Therefore it is recommended to avoid buying coconut milk that has been made in Thailand. Supermarket own-brand coconut is usually the best bet as it won't have been produced using monkeys.
Yes, you can make this recipe ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer. Just make sure to let it cool down to room temperature before storing it.
You can add fresh chilli or chilli flakes if you like it spicy.
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Recipe
Creamy Chickpea and Spinach Curry
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion
- 2 Garlic Cloves peeled
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger grated
- 3 tablespoon Mild Curry Paste
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 400 g Cherry Tomatoes (tinned) or chopped tomatoes
- 800 g Chickpeas drained (2 x 400g tins)
- 150 g Frozen Spinach defrosted in microwave
- 400 g Tin of Coconut Milk
- 3 tablespoon Mango Chutney
Instructions
- Place the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor and whizz up to a paste.1 Onion, 2 Garlic Cloves, 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger
- Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion paste for 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and spices and cook for 5 minutes.1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 3 tablespoon Mild Curry Paste, ½ teaspoon Turmeric, 1 teaspoon Cumin
- Add the tinned cherry tomatoes and drained chickpeas and simmer for 10 minutes.400 g Cherry Tomatoes (tinned), 800 g Chickpeas
- Add in the spinach (which should be defrosted) and coconut milk. Simmer for 10 minutes.150 g Frozen Spinach, 400 g Tin of Coconut Milk
- Stir through the mango chutney before serving.3 tablespoon Mango Chutney
Wendy Lewis says
I.made this for the first time tonight. Really yummy and super easy. Win win!!
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
Ooo I'll definitely have to try this one!