My Simple Chickpea Curry is a very filling and frugal meal that comes together in under 45 minutes. Tender chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, and a creamy broth round out this recipe that will be a family pleaser around any table.

What are Chickpeas and Are They Nutritious?

Chickpeas are delicious little legumes that have been a dietary staple around the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Countries.

Chickpeas have become increasingly popular these days throughout Europe and North America.

Many sites I have researched over the years often hailed these little legumes as a nutritional powerhouse that is a great source of nutrition.

They are a rich source of protein, fiber, healthy carbs, and numerous other vitamins and minerals.

You can purchase them in all grocery stores and they are usually often the canned variety near the other canned beans.

Also, you can often find the dry forms of chickpeas which are easily soaked and prepared at home.

We use chickpeas a lot in our home as it is one of my favorite non-meat protein sources so I have many recipes that I make with them like this curry.

If you want a hearty chickpea recipe with meat then be sure to check out my Chicken and Chickpea Stew. That one is so filling and just as easy to make as this curry is.

That chickpea stew recipe, as well as this curry I’m sharing today, is low-fat, gluten-free, and a great Trim Healthy Mama “E” meal for those that follow THM.

How To Cook Chickpeas From Their Dry Form

While I love using home-canned chickpeas in this recipe, I know many of you will be looking at purchasing store-bought cans of chickpeas.

The cans are most definitely the easiest and most convenient way to go for this curry, I know that ultimately using dry chickpeas is more affordable than the store-bought cans.

Chickpeas in the dry form will run you about $1.50 or so for a pound of chickpeas which is a great deal and you can cook them and then toss in all your additional curry ingredients and have a delicious dinner in a little over an hour or so.

I love to cook my chickpeas in my instant when I start with dry peas.

They cook so fast sometimes that I don’t even soak them if I’m in a hurry since the Instant Pot cooks them super fast.

However, not soaking beans or peas can sometimes irritate stomachs so if you need to soak your chickpeas for that reason go ahead and soak them for about 6-8 hours before cooking them.

Especially if you are cooking them on the stove as the soaking process will also help them cook a lot faster for you.

Steps For Cooking Dry Chickpeas in The Instant Pot For This Recipe:

• Rinse the dry chickpeas and pick through them making sure to remove any small stones that might have been in the bag or any bad-looking chickpeas.
• Cover the chickpeas in about 6-8 cups of water and let them soak for at least six to eight hours then drain and rinse.
• Place the chickpeas into your Instant Pot and cover with Veggie Broth. I would also add the chopped onion that the recipe calls for at this point. You can add salt and pepper at this stage to your tastes. Depending on if you are using a broth that has salt you could start with 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of salt. You can always add more later so start with less.
• Place the lid on your Instant Pot and follow the cooking recommendations for chickpeas in your user manual for the soaked chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans sometimes). My manual says 20-25 minutes for soaked chickpeas.
• If you choose to skip the soaking process then just rinse your chickpeas and sort them and then add them and the broth to your Instant Pot and cook for 40-45 minutes (or as your user manual suggests for your machine).

Now that you have the steps to cooking the chickpeas from their dry form, the rest of the recipe is super easy.

Once the peas are cooked remove the steam and the lid from your Instant Pot and add the tomatoes, curry paste, and the rest of the seasonings.

Stir the curry well and add in the coconut milk and then taste the curry for seasoning so you can adjust the curry to your taste preferences.

When all the ingredients are mixed in and warmed through it is ready to serve.

Can You Cook This Simple Chickpea Curry On The Stovetop?

If you don’t have an Instant Pot or just simply want to make this chickpea curry on the stovetop you absolutely can do that.

If you go the super easy route as the recipe is written and use canned chickpeas just follow all the recipe steps but just do it in a large pot on the stovetop. Just that simple!

If you are starting with dry chickpeas then for the stovetop method you will need to soak the chickpeas just to cut your cooking times down.

I suggest putting the peas on to soak the morning of the day you are going to prepare this curry and they will be ready to cook by dinner time.

Once the chickpeas have soaked, add the soaked chickpeas into a large cooking pot and cover with broth or water then bring them to a boil.

Once they come to a boil, you’ll need to turn down the heat and let them simmer until soft and tender.

This stovetop cooking time will be anywhere from one hour to two hours so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to have the curry ready for dinner.

After an hour of cooking, check the consistency and repeat every 15-20 minutes until you have the texture you want.

Once you have them to the texture you like just add in all the other curry ingredients (minus the cooking oils) and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes to let the flavors marry and the onion is tender.

The chickpea curry is ready to serve now.

What Can I Serve This Curry With?

Most of the time when I make and serve this curry we keep it simple because this is one of the meals that I can throw together fast on a super busy night. So I typically go with brown rice or an easy side salad.

But if you want some ideas of what to serve with this delicious Chickpea Curry then check out these suggestions below and pick out a couple to put into your rotation with this yummy recipe.

1. Brown Rice: of course, you could serve this curry with any type of rice you prefer but for our family and for those following the Trim Healthy Mama diet plan stick to brown rice. This curry is deliciously served over top of rice.
2. Side Salad: some times we just enjoy this Simple Chickpea Curry in a bowl without rice but instead with a nice green salad on the side. That way we are getting our healthy carbs from the chickpeas but some additional nutrition from the dark leafy greens.
3. Sprouted or Sourdough Naan Bread: naan and roti bread are traditional side items that are served with curries. We typically only consume wheat products from time and only if they are sprouted or from long-fermented sourdough. Here’s a good recipe for a sourdough naan.

No matter how you serve this curry there is no doubt in my mind that you will enjoy it and love how simple it is. It is perfect for those busy nights when you need something fast and filling.

Please let me know over on Instagram at @mytableofthree if you make this recipe. I’d love to see your pictures and hear how you like them!

Also, check out the recipe video in the recipe card below and if you like videos please come see me on my YouTube Channel!

Yield: 8 Servings

Simple Chickpea Curry

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This is a very simple and basic curry recipe that highlights chickpeas as the main protein. This meal is filling and comforting and comes together in under 45 minutes! This meal is low fat and dairy-free.

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Ingredients

• 4 (15.5 ounces) cans of chickpeas
• 1 (15 ounces) can of diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounces) can of lite coconut milk
• 1 cup of chopped onions
• 2-3 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons of red curry paste
• 2 teaspoons of avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Optional

• Fat Free Veggie Broth (3-5 cups)

Instructions

1. Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add the oil to the pot. When the oil is warm add the chopped onions and let them cook until tender. You can also do this recipe on the stovetop if desired.
2. Once the onions are soft add the minced garlic, the red curry paste, cumin, and curry powder. Stir to combine and let them saute for a couple of minutes.
3. Next, add in the diced tomatoes and chickpeas with juices. If you would like more liquid in your curry at this time you can add in 3 to 5 cups of broth of choice depending on how soupy you want it.
4. Stir the curry to combine all the ingredients well and bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. The goal is to warm everything through and let the flavors marry together.
5. Once the Curry has simmered turn the Instant Pot to "Keep Warm" mode before adding the coconut milk and stirring again.
6. At this point, you can taste for seasoning and adjust them to your tastes. The curry is ready to eat and enjoy. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and keep warm until ready to serve.
7. This curry is deliciously served over brown rice or even cauliflower rice.

Notes

For instructions on how to make this curry from dry chickpeas please see the blog post where I walk you through this process.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per ServingCalories 380Total Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 1mgSodium 204mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 3gSugar 4gProtein 4g

I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.

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Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!