This easy Vegan Curry Recipe with chickpeas and coconut milk is perfect for cleaning out the fridge. Use any vegetables you have, add some aromatic spices and coconut milk, and boom, you have a fantastic and healthy plant-based meal perfect for busy days.
I love, absolutely love curries.
First of all, delicious vegan curry is the easiest thing to make. It might sound fancy for people who are just starting on a cooking journey.
However, curry is such an easy and versatile dish and can be prepared with practically any ingredient.
The basic and easy vegan curry formula is simple: saute some veggies (any vegetables will do), stir in the aromatics like curry powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, and finally, add some coconut milk to bring out all the flavors.
It's really quick and easy. I love making vegan curry with chickpeas on busy weeknights and then enjoying it throughout the week.
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Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's ready in 30 minutes. I mean it. Vegetables cook very fast. When you add spices and non-dairy milk, this easy vegan curry recipe needs only a couple more minutes for the flavors to marry resulting in the easiest plant-based meal.
- Versatile. Did I say you can use any veggies you have? Basically, open up the fridge and visually scan whether some vegetables are starting to go bad, or maybe you bought a new vegetable and don't know yet what to make with it. Hint - make this easy Vegan Curry with Chickpeas and coconut milk. You'll thank me later;)
- A great choice for meal prep. If you're into meal prepping (which I hope you are, because it will save you lots of time and energy. Here're my favorite tips on meal prepping along with 30+ Healthy Vegan Meal Prep Ideas to get you started), look no further than this simple but delicious Vegan Curry. Make a big batch of this flavorful recipe on Sunday and then enjoy the leftovers the next day or freeze them for later.
Ingredients
Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil. It's best to use flavorless cooking oil. I love using avocado oil for cooking because it is a good source of monounsaturated fat which is linked to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. In addition, avocado oil is suitable for high-heat cooking. (Make sure it says so on the label.) You can find avocado oil in any grocery store in the Cooking Oils aisle or on Amazon. Alternatively, you can use sunflower oil. If you want to use olive oil, I recommend using refined Olive oil. It has a lighter color than extra-virgin olive oil and is flavorless.
- Chickpeas. In this coconut curry, I used canned chickpeas. However, you can also make this veggie curry using dried chickpeas. Before roasting, you will have to soak them first and cook them in water for about 50 minutes. For this recipe, you will need ½ c dried chickpeas.
- Sweet potatoes can be substituted with yams or butternut squash.
How To Make the Best Vegan Curry
Making this vegan chickpea curry recipe with chickpeas and coconut milk is a breeze when you follow my easy instructions below.
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic along with all spices and stir for 30 more seconds until fragrant.
- Add in tomatoes, sweet potato, Brussels Sprouts, chickpeas, coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Bring the vegan curry to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat, cover with a lid, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the veggies have softened.
- Finally, add lime juice, stir, and adjust the seasoning.
- Remove one pot vegetable chickpea curry from the heat and serve with a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley.
Chef's Tips
When you prepare this easy vegan curry, there're a few things to keep in mind:
- Avoid overcooking your veggies because they will mush up and lose their nutritional value. Vegetables should ideally be cooked until they are barely soft but still have some crunch.
- Choose a variety of vegetables. A delicious vegetable curry necessitates a selection of vegetables with different flavor profiles and textures. Both sweet and savory vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, and scallions can be combined with sweet potatoes.
- Experiment with herbs and spices. Basic vegan curry has ginger, garlic, curry powder, smoked paprika, paprika, and turmeric. You can go a step further and depending on what you have in your spice pantry, add cumin, coriander, ginger, and garam masala.
Variations And Subsituitons
Want to keep it low fat? You can omit the oil and saute the vegetables in a little bit of vegetable broth or Tamari. Additionally, you can substitute coconut milk with any other non-dairy milk like almond milk, cashew milk, or soy milk.
Vegetables. If you don't have brussels sprouts on hand, you can substitute them with other vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, peas, zucchini, or eggplant.
Protein. Since chickpeas have a mild and neutral taste, I recommend substituting them with similar beans such as Cannellini Beans or Great Northern Beans. Lentils also make a good substitution. Alternatively, you can even use extra-firm tofu or soy curls.
Serving Suggestions
Vegan Curry is typically served with white Basmati or brown rice. However, it doesn't mean you can't experiment with other sides.
Choosing complex carbohydrates over simple starches is a great way to ensure you're getting the most nutrients.
Examples of complex carbs are quinoa (any color), and brown or wild rice.
Another option is to serve this best Vegan Curry with vegan Naan bread or 2-Hour Vegan Flatbread.
Whatever side dish you choose, don't forget to pair it with a fresh salad like Broccoli Mushroom Salad or Vegan Beet Salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since vegan curry is usually a quick dish to make, choosing veggies that don't require long cooking is optimal. Think broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, etc.
Yes, just increase the amount of Cayenne pepper to ½ of a teaspoon.
Yes, this recipe doesn't contain any ingredients that have gluten, so the whole dish is gluten-free.
Storage Tips
This creamy sweet potato Vegan Curry with chickpeas and coconut milk stores really well.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Reheat in a microwave-safe dish for 30-40 seconds or simmer in a medium pot until warm.
Freezing. If you make a double batch of the best vegan curry, you can freeze it for later. Make sure to cool it first and then distribute it between freezer-friendly bags. Lay the vegetarian sweet potato curry flat in a freezer. The easy plant-based curry will keep for up to 3 months. Don't forget to label the curry with the date of freezing.
To thaw - leave the bag with a simple vegan Curry to defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then simmer in a pot for a few minutes. If you're short on time, you can throw a bag of curry in a pot of warm water, defrost it there and then reheat it on the stovetop until bubbly.
More Delicious Vegan Curry Recipes
Recipe
Vegan Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion minced
- 5 cloves garlic finely minced or grated
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- â…› teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 Roma tomatoes or other medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
- ½ lb Brussels sprouts halved
- 1 can (15 oz) canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- ½ c fresh cilantro chopped
- ½ lime juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tablespoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute stirring occassionally for about 7 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
- Add garlic along with all spices and stir for 30 more seconds until fragrant.
- Add in tomatoes, sweet potato, Brussels Sprouts, chickpeas, coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Bring the vegan curry to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat, cover with a lid, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the veggies have softened.
- Finally, add lime juice, stir, and adjust the seasoning.
- Remove vegetable curry from the heat and serve with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below and rate it. I always appreciate the feedback. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
michael w Hoagland says
what is supposed to come to a boil with. recipe had no liquid.
Iryna says
That's a mistake. Thank you for bringing this up. The liquid is coconut milk; it goes in a pan at the same time as the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and sprouts.