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    Home Β» Vegan Recipes Β» Vegan Main Courses Β» 20 Minute Meals Β» Creamy Chickpea and Lentil Curry

    Creamy Chickpea and Lentil Curry

    Published: Sep 29, 2022 by Kate Ford Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

    chickpea and lentil curry
    JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO
    Pinterest pin for chickpea and lentil curry

    This rich and creamy chickpea and lentil curry is hearty, filling and ready in 20 minutes! A delicious weeknight dinner from storecupboard ingredients.

    🍴 Why you will love this recipe

    A quick and easy weeknight dinner that's delicious, nutritious, and made from ingredients you probably already have in the cupboard.... what's not to love?!

    This delicious chickpea and lentil curry takes just 20 minutes to make and feeds 4 people. A rich tomato sauce is reduced until very intense and thick, then a tin of coconut milk rounds it off into a rich and creamy curry sauce.

    This very easy curry freezes well, so is perfect for batch-cooking too. You can adjust the chilli level to make it as mild or spicy as you like.

    Jump to:
    • 🍴 Why you will love this recipe
    • πŸ“ What you need
    • πŸ‘©πŸ½β€πŸ³ How to make your chickpea and lentil curry
    • πŸ”ͺ Top Tips & FAQs
    • 🍽 If you liked that...
    • πŸ“– Recipe
    • πŸ’¬ Comments and Reviews

    📝 What you need

    ingredients for chickpea and lentil curry

    Ingredients

    Tinned chickpeas are cheap and nutritious, and have a lovely nutty texture. You can use dried chickpeas instead but you will need to soak and pre-cook them first.

    Tinned lentils are a quick and easy way to use lentils, which makes this 20-minute curry possible. If you prefer to use dried green lentils you will need to boil them for 15-20 minutes first.

    Spices It is your choice whether to use ready-made curry powder (mild, medium or hot as you choose), or a blend of spices. I've suggested the combination I use below, but you can adjust these to your taste.

    Coconut milk Use tinned coconut milk (rather than from a carton). Either reduced fat or full-fat will both work well.

    👩🏽‍🍳 How to make your chickpea and lentil curry

    For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼 .

    slice onions and peppers

    Peel and finely slice the onion and fry gently. Slice the pepper and add to the pan along with the garlic, ginger and chilli.

    fry gently with spices and tomatoes

    Add the spices, then the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and lentils.

    add coconut milk and simmer

    Simmer until the liquid has bubbled off and the sauce is fairly dry. Add the coconut milk then cook for another 3-4 minutes until thick and creamy. Add the lemon juice and baby spinach then serve.

    🔪 Top Tips & FAQs

    Adjust the consistency before serving - if it has become too thick, add a splash of water or more lemon juice. If it is very runny, keep simmering until the sauce has thickened.

    Adjust the flavours to your own taste - for a milder curry leave out the fresh chillis, and for a hotter one add a pinch of chilli flakes to increase the heat.

    stirring a chickpea and lentil curry
    Can I freeze my chickpea and lentil curry?

    Yes, this freezes really well so you can batch-cook and stock up the freezer.

    How long will the curry keep in the fridge?

    The curry will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days, as long as it is in an airtight container.

    Can I use dried chickpeas and lentils instead of tinned?

    You can, but you will have to pre-cook them so this will take much longer than 20 minutes. Dried chickpeas will need to be soaked overnight then cooked for 1.5-2 hours. Dried green lentils will need to be boiled for 15-20 miutes.

    🍽 If you liked that...

    .... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:

    • parsnip curry
      Creamy Parsnip Curry with lentils
    • Brinjal Bhaji
      Brinjal Bhaji (Aubergine Bhaji)
    • Courgette Curry
      Creamy Courgette Curry
    • Peanut Butter Chickpea Curry
      Peanut Butter Chickpea Curry

    Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.

    πŸ“– Recipe

    saucepan of chickpea curry with lentils

    Chickpea and Lentil Curry

    Kate Ford | The Veg Space
    This rich and creamy chickpea and lentil curry is hearty, filling and ready in 20 minutes! A delicious weeknight dinner from storecupboard ingredients.
    4.80 from 15 votes
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    Prep Time 2 minutes mins
    Cook Time 18 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 355 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
    • 1 red onion
    • 1 red pepper
    • 2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic paste
    • thumb-sized piece fresh ginger or 2 teaspoon ginger paste
    • 1-2 fresh chillis
    • spices EITHER 1 teaspoon each of garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin and turmeric, OR 3 teaspoon curry powder
    • 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
    • 400 g tin chickpeas
    • 400 g tin lentils
    • 400 ml tin coconut milk
    • 1 lemon
    • handful baby spinach
    • handful fresh coriander

    Instructions
     

    • Heat the oil in a large casserole dish or deep frying pan.
    • Peel and finely slice the red onion, then fry gently for 2-3 minutes.
    • Trim and finely slice the red pepper and add to the pan, along with the garlic, ginger and chilli. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
    • Add the spices and stir until fully combined.
    • Add the tinned tomatoes, then refill the empty tin half way with water (a further 200ml) and add to the pan.
    • Drain and rinse the chickpeas and lentils and add to the pan. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
    • Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 6-8 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the curry is fairly dry.
    • Add the coconut milk and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes until thick and creamy.
    • Stir through the lemon juice and baby spinach, and serve sprinkled with chopped coriander.

    Video

    Notes

    Adjust the consistency before serving - if it has become too thick, add a splash of water or more lemon juice. If it is very runny, keep simmering until the sauce has thickened.
    Adjust the flavours to your own taste - for a milder curry leave out the fresh chillis, and for a hotter one add a pinch of chilli flakes to increase the heat.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 355kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 14gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.03gSodium: 393mgPotassium: 829mgFiber: 14gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1180IUVitamin C: 82mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 6mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Mention @thevegspace or #thevegspace
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    About Kate Ford

    Hi! I'm Kate, vegan home cook and blogger behind The Veg Space and author of Vegan in 15. I'm passionate about creating easy vegan recipes that even a first-time cook can follow.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Roberta says

      January 21, 2024 at 2:49 am

      Love this recipe! Everyone who has tried it has enjoyed it. Just finished the last box of it in freezer yesterday so got the ingredients to make more tomorrow. Vegan daughter arrived unexpectedly at lunchtime so I got the curry for one out and put some tinned tomatoes in and water and we had a delicious soup that fed three of us.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        January 21, 2024 at 12:27 pm

        That's great! It freezes so well doesn't it, and what a great idea to turn it into soup. Thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
    2. Colleen says

      October 31, 2023 at 12:40 am

      This was delicious, I love chick peas but I think the addition of the lentils made it even better. So easy to make too. Thanks for a great recipe, will definitely make again

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        November 03, 2023 at 11:06 am

        Great to hear, thanks Colleen!

        Reply
    3. Ali says

      October 06, 2023 at 11:06 pm

      Thank you!
      So easy to make and sooooo tasty!

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        October 20, 2023 at 10:34 am

        That's great to hear! Thanks

        Reply
    4. Mimi says

      August 02, 2023 at 8:46 pm

      Pretty yummy and easy to make, I actually have a sore tummy because I ate too big a portion! The four stars instead of five are probably to do with me not getting timing right for putting the coconut milk in so more my fault then recipe fault, despite this it was still really tasty πŸ˜‹ Thank you, great recipe and still loads left for the freezer.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        August 04, 2023 at 7:27 am

        This is great to hear (apart from the sore tummy!) - thanks Mimi! X

        Reply
      • Kirsty says

        September 30, 2023 at 5:15 pm

        Absolutely wonderful. Just the recipe as the nights draw in, I batch cook so I don't have to faff, when I get home. Thank you. πŸ’œ

        Reply
        • Kate Ford says

          October 06, 2023 at 9:53 am

          Great to hear - thanks Kirsty!

          Reply
    5. Judy says

      June 18, 2023 at 11:48 am

      Best curry recipe, I use dried chili flakes instead of fresh ones. Thanks for the recipe from Canada.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        July 04, 2023 at 1:13 pm

        Lovely to hear, thanks Judy! X

        Reply
    6. Philippa says

      April 09, 2023 at 1:07 pm

      I think we will make this a regular! It was a delicious creamy subtle curry. So good to just use tinned beans at the end of a long day. We used spices not curry powder. I’m going to batch cook this one next time. Yummy!

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        April 10, 2023 at 7:14 am

        Great - so good to have the freezer stocked up with tasty meals!

        Reply
    7. Diane Lloyd-Jones says

      February 21, 2023 at 9:18 am

      First class - we all loved it, from 8 year old to 73 year old. Been requested again already. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        February 25, 2023 at 8:00 am

        That's great to hear, thanks so much for the feedback Diane x

        Reply
    8. Tamara says

      October 04, 2022 at 10:37 am

      Extremely tasty, however mine ended up with a soup-like consistency. It did not thicken at all, or very little.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        October 05, 2022 at 9:11 am

        Hi Tamara, Sorry to hear this - was the tomato mixture really thick and dry before you added the coconut milk? You do need to keep simmering to bubble off the liquid until it is the right consistency for you - if it is taking too long turn up the heat. Kate

        Reply
        • Aga says

          March 10, 2024 at 8:49 pm

          Use a potato starch just one small teaspoon for a 50ml of water , put this in boiling curry stir well for about 20 sec and done

          Reply
    9. Michelle says

      September 30, 2022 at 12:12 pm

      I love lentils and chickpeas in a curry. This is fabulous with rice

      Reply
    10. Gina Abernathy says

      September 30, 2022 at 12:11 pm

      A nice healthy and filling meal with lots of flavor.

      Reply
    11. Stephanie says

      September 30, 2022 at 11:32 am

      It's been a while since I've had a good curry and this one is perfect! So yummy! It's hearty, filling, and low in calories. You can't go wrong!

      Reply
    12. Kim says

      September 30, 2022 at 11:30 am

      This is a great weeknight meal! You'd never know it takes so little time to make! I also like that it uses "regular" pantry ingredients.

      Reply
    13. Tavo says

      September 30, 2022 at 9:45 am

      What a great recipe. I usually don't cook with two pulses, but this recipe caught my attention and was fantastic! I love curries!

      Reply
    14. Amanda Wren-Grimwood says

      September 30, 2022 at 8:45 am

      I love chickpeas in a curry and this one is so creammy and delicious. Perfect for making a last minute dinner too.

      Reply
    4.80 from 15 votes (1 rating without comment)

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