This chickpea and lentil curry is the ultimate cosy comfort food. Coming together in just 30 minutes, this easy curry is the perfect wholesome weeknight dinner. Packed full of flavour and using simple pantry ingredients, this creamy plant-based curry is completely dairy free and vegan.
This vegan chickpea and lentil curry is the perfect recipe to make on a cold evening when you’re craving a big bowl of hearty and nourishing comfort food. It’s perfectly spiced and full of flavour while being a 30 minute meal.
Serve it alongside some basmati rice and some homemade vegan naan and you have the ultimate dairy free dinner that I would be happy to eat any night of the week.
I love this recipe because while the ingredients list looks a little long, most items can probably be found in your pantry and are long lasting and budget friendly making this a great recipe to have in your repertoire this season.
You can also adjust seasonings based on your tastes and change up the veggies based on your preferences or what you have available.
If you’re looking for more cosy winter recipes, make sure you try my vegan tomato soup or this one pot vegan mushroom stroganoff!
Key Ingredients
One of my favourite things about this curry is not only how delicious it tastes but how simple it is to make using healthy and budget friendly ingredients (hello all those cans of things in the pantry!)
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chickpeas – canned chickpeas are the hero of this curry making it super filling.
- Brown lentils – I like to use canned brown lentils in this curry as they hold their shape and are super hearty. Green lentils will also work but I recommend against red lentils for this specific recipe as they will break down and we won’t get the desired texture of the curry.
- Spices – curry powder (I use Keen’s) plus some ground cumin and chilli give this curry its rich and hearty flavour. The curry is relatively mild as written but you can adjust the amount of chilli based on your tastes.
- Garlic and ginger – essential aromatics to enhance the flavour of this curry and ensure it’s anything but bland.
- Onion – finely dice a medium sized brown onion.
- Capsicum – I am using green capsicum for colour but you can use any you like or substitute for other vegetables or omit all together.
- Canned tomatoes – I use diced tomatoes for the best texture.
- Vegetable stock – using stock adds extra flavour (i prefer salt reduced so you can control the saltiness of the dish) but you can also just use water if you don’t have stock.
- Coconut milk – make sure to use full fat canned coconut milk for the creamiest result.
- Baby spinach – optional but adds colour and we can all eat more spinach. You could also use frozen spinach.
- Lime juice – adds incredible freshness that cuts through the spice and adds so much flavour.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make this chickpea and lentil curry you will need a large pot with tall sides. I am currently obsessed with my GreenPan Padova cookware set that I picked up for my birthday this year and I love using the sauté pan for cooking dishes like this curry as it’s the perfect size. I cast iron dutch oven would also work well.
Start by prepping your vegetables, chopping your onion, capsicum, garlic and ginger, draining and rinsing the chickpeas and lentils and assembling the rest of the ingredients so you have everything ready to go.
Heat the olive oil in your pan over medium / high heat and add in the onion and capsicum. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Add in the garlic, ginger, and spices and continue to saute for a minute or two until fragrant.
To your pan, add in the tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, stock and coconut milk and mix everything together well. Let the curry simmer gently for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened.
Mix through the baby spinach leaves, a squeeze of lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Serve the chickpea and lentil curry over cooked basmati rice with fresh vegan naan. Enjoy as is or garnish with coriander and a little dollop of vegan yoghurt.
Storage and freezing instructions
This chickpea and lentil curry is perfect for meal prep as it stores well in the fridge or freezer. You can also easily double the recipe!
Place any leftover curry into airtight containers and place in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat leftover curry either defrosted or directly from frozen in the microwave or in a pot on the stove until steaming.
Serve with fresh rice and homemade naan bread.
More vegan dinner recipes:
Vegan Vodka Pasta
Crispy Black Bean Tacos
Vegan Mac and Cheese (without cashews)
Plant-based Lamb and Roasted Eggplant Tart
Vegan Lentil Lasagne
Chickpea and Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 green capsicum cut into chunks
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced approx 2 inch piece
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground chilli
- 1 400 gram can diced tomatoes
- 1 400 gram can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 400 gram can brown lentils drained and rinsed
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 400 ml can coconut milk
- 2 cups baby spinach
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Lime juice
- Coriander to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and diced capsicum. Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, ground cumin, and chilli powder to the pan. Continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, vegetable stock, and coconut milk. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
- Allow the curry to simmer gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and the lentils are tender.
- Stir in the baby spinach leaves and a generous squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste the curry and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Serve the chickpea and lentil curry over cooked basmati rice with fresh vegan naan on the side.
- Optionally, garnish each serving with fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves and a dollop of vegan yoghurt.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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