A lightly spiced, fragrant curry with chickpeas, tender chunks of sweet potato and fresh spinach cooked in a creamy coconut curry sauce.
Ready in 35 minutes, this curry is easy to prepare and packed full of flavour.
Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike love this rich, moreish curry. It’s mild enough for the kids to enjoy, but still packs a flavour punch!
I’m always adding more meat-free meals to our menu.
We try to have one or two meat-free meals a week, and it’s always a challenge coming up with something Chris will enjoy. He’s really fussy when it comes to veggie food.
This veggie curry is a winner! – vibrant, comforting, creamy and it’s also about 2-3 portions of your 5-a-day!
I only realized when I was writing this, that this curry is accidentally vegan too.
What do we need?
- Veggies and pulses – onion, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, spinach and tinned tomatoes
- Spices – garlic, ginger, curry powder, ground coriander, cumin, paprika
- Plus a little tomato puree/paste to enhance that ‘tomatoey’ flavour
- Coconut milk – ideally full fat for more flavour – full-fat coconut milk is also much less likely to split.
How to make this vegetarian curry
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Soften the onion in a pan with a little oil. Then add the spices – garlic, ginger, curry powder, ground coriander, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cook for a further minute.
- Add the sweet potato, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and coconut milk. Simmer for 20-30 minutes (until the sweet potato is tender).
- Stir in the spinach and serve.
I like to serve with boiled rice, topped with fresh coriander and sliced red onion.
What to serve it with
You can serve this tasty chickpea curry with:
- Boiled rice
- Saag Aloo
- Easy Chapati
- Pilau rice
- Naan bread
- A simple tomato and onion salad
Ingredient swaps
- Instead of the sweet potato, try adding courgette, peppers, butternut squash, mushrooms, cauliflower or green beans to this curry (at the same you you would add the sweet potato.
- Swap out the chickpeas for butter beans (lima beans) or cannelini beans. You could pretty much swap for any type of tinned beans.
- Swap out the tinned tomatoes for 600ml/2.5 cup passata.
More fantastic Vegetarian Dinners
- Vegetarian Kway Teow (Asian Noodles)
- Rich Mushroom Ragu with Pasta
- Cheesy Veggie Burgers < Even Chris loves these!
- Vegetarian Pizza with Basil Garlic Butter
- Veggie Mexican Tortilla Lasagne
- Tomato Risotto with Crispy Garlic Crumbs
- Vegetable Pasta Bake Recipe
- Tuscan Stuffed Mushrooms
Watch how to make it
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Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion (or 2 small) peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder (go hotter if you prefer curry powder)
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- ½ tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (around 450g altogether) peeled and chopped into 2cm chunks
- 1 x 400 g (1 x 14 oz) chickpeas drained
- 2 x 400 g (2 x 14 oz) chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato puree (paste for US)
- 1 x 400 g (1 x 14 oz) full-fat coconut milk
- 60 g (2 packed cups) baby spinach
To Serve:
- boiled rice
- fresh coriander
- red onion slices
- chilli flakes
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat.2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, to soften.1 large onion (or 2 small)
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, ground coriander, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for a further minute.2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp minced ginger, 2 tbsp mild curry powder, 1 tbsp ground coriander, ½ tbsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Add the sweet potato, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, and coconut milk.2 medium sweet potatoes, 1 x 400 g (1 x 14 oz) chickpeas, 2 x 400 g (2 x 14 oz) chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 1 x 400 g (1 x 14 oz) full-fat coconut milk
- Bring to a gentle bubble, then simmer gently, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes – until the sweet potato has softened. If the sweet potato is still firm (this depends on the size of the chunks) you can cook for 5-10 minutes more. Add a splash of water or veggie stock if the sauce starts to look too thick.
- Stir in the spinach (it should wilt quickly) then turn off the heat.60 g (2 packed cups) baby spinach
- Serve with boiled rice or pilau rice, topped with fresh coriander and sliced red onion.boiled rice, fresh coriander, red onion slices, chilli flakes
Video
Notes
Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a pan or the microwave, stirring often until piping hot throughout. Ingredient swaps
- Try adding courgette, peppers, butternut squash, mushrooms, cauliflower or green beans to this curry (at the same you you would add the sweet potato.
- Swap out the chickpeas for butter beans (lima beans) or cannelini beans. You could pretty much swap for any type of tinned beans.
- Swap out the tinned tomatoes for 600ml/2.5 cup passata.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Curry Recipes
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This was delicious – I cooked the sweet potato in the airfryer first to give it some bite, used hot curry powder and added an extra tin of chickpeas to bulk it up – I was really happy with it and my kids loved it. The sauce was thick and creamy with the coconut milk and the flavour was fab. Will definitely make again.
I added a couple of veg stock cubes, a couple of pinches of chilli flakes, and some black-eyed beans to bulk it out as there was too much sauce.Worked out okay with those tweaks.
Unfortunately it’s far too much tomato and just tastes like a watery tomato spiced meal. Had considered only using one tin of tomatoes but having not made before didn’t want to adapt at all. Wish I had now.
Hi! How many grams are in 1 serving? Thanks!
Twice in the recipe it says 2tbsp mild…that’s it! I think it’s supposed to be curry powder…
Thanks for spotting that Melissa – I’ve updated now
The best curry we’ve ever tasted, wish I’d found this recipe sooner and so easy to make. We have it ever week now. Thankyou x