Chickpea Curry

Name: Chickpea Curry Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small onion (chopped); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (grated); 1 tablespoon curry powder; 2 teaspoons paprika; 1 teaspoon coriander; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 (15-ounce) canned diced tomatoes (no salt added); 1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk; 2 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (rinsed and drained); Cooked basmati rice or naan (for serving)

Yumna Jawad

Published Apr 06, 2026

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Homemade chickpea curry made in one pan with curry powder, paprika, coriander, coconut milk, and tomatoes. Serve with basmati rice or warm naan.

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Prep Time 10

Servings 4 servings

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Chickpea curry in the skillet garnished with cilantro, with a dish of basmati rice and naan nearby.

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Ingredients
How To Make
Chickpea Curry Recipe
Recipe Variations
Recipe Tips
Serving Ideas
FAQs
More Easy Curry Recipes

Chickpea curry is a great weeknight dinner!

Out of all my curry recipes, this chickpea curry is probably my favorite. I love the texture the chickpeas add, especially once they’ve had time to sit in the sauce for a bit.

I usually serve this chickpea curry over basmati rice, and if there’s naan around, that’s even better (and even when there isn’t, I’ll usually make homemade naan). It’s mostly pantry ingredients, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly. It reheats well, and it’s one of the easiest meals for me to throw together when I need dinner to just be done.

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

Chickpea Curry Ingredients

Ingredients for the recipe before prepped.

Chickpeas: Rinse and drain the chickpeas well before adding them to the skillet. Let them simmer long enough for the sauce to coat them instead of serving it right away while it is still loose.
Curry Aromatics and spices: The olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, paprika, coriander, salt, and black pepper all go in early, so take a few minutes to let the onion soften before adding the spices. Fresh ginger and garlic are best here since they make up a big part of the base. Once the spices go in, stir them for just 30 seconds or so. Long enough to wake them up, but not so long that the garlic starts to burn. If you need to swap in dried ginger or dried garlic, use ¾ teaspoon of the dried version in place of each fresh one.
Tomatoes and coconut milk: The diced tomatoes need a few minutes to cook down before you add the coconut milk, so the sauce does not taste too thin or watery. Use no-salt-added tomatoes if you want more control over the seasoning. Full-fat coconut milk gives the creamiest sauce, but light coconut milk will work if that is what you have. Just know the sauce will be a little thinner.

How to Make Chickpea Curry

Onions, garlic and ginger in a large skillet before cooking them. — **Step 1:** Heat the oil and add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the onions are soft and fragrant.

Cooked onions, garlic and ginger in a large skillet with the r — **Step 2:** Add the curry powder, paprika, coriander, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly to bloom the spices.

Cooked onions, garlic, ginger, and seasonings in a large skillet with the tomatoes added on top. — **Step 3:** Pour in the diced tomatoes. Stir well and simmer until thickened.

Coconut milk poured into the skillet. — **Step 4:** Add the coconut milk. Stir until smooth and creamy.

Chickpeas poured into the skillet, before combining. — **Step 5:** Add the chickpeas and reduce the heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally.

The curry in a skillet after all of the ingredients are combined and cooked. — **Step 6:** Simmer until the sauce coats the chickpeas. Serve warm over basmati rice or with naan.

Recipe Variations

Stir in leafy greens: This chickpea curry would be so good with spinach or kale. I recommend adding them in the last few minutes of cooking so they can soften without completely wilting.
Add peas: Either frozen green peas or canned green peas work. I recommend adding them in the last 5–10 minutes of cooking so they stay bright green.

Recipe Tips

Finely chop onions for the best flavor. The chopped onions and the diced tomatoes create the base sauce for this chickpea curry. Many curry recipes will even recommend blending the onions and tomatoes in a food processor!
Keep in mind that it thickens as it simmers. If the curry looks too watery while it cooks, don’t worry. Keep simmering, uncovered, to reduce the liquid.
Adjust the spice level to taste. Try the curry and see if it needs more curry powder, paprika, coriander, salt, or pepper.

Serving Ideas

Bread: Naan, Flatbread, Pita Bread
Chicken: Grilled Chicken Tenders, Grilled Chicken Thighs, Shredded Chicken
Salad: Broccoli Salad, Avocado Mango Salad, Mixed Greens Salad

FAQs

My curry isn’t thick enough. What should I do?

If your curry is too runny, you can thicken it by simmering it uncovered to reduce the liquid. Or you can stir in a cornstarch slurry and let it simmer for a few more minutes until it thickens.

What does “blooming the spices” mean?

Blooming the spices is the cooking technique of heating spices (ground or whole) in oil, ghee, or butter to unlock the flavor. You want to fry them long enough until they become fragrant to bring out the best taste.