Easy, healthy & delicious Chickpea and Spinach Curry makes perfect family midweek meal. It's creamy, comforting, packed full of plant based protein, heaps of fibre and ready in half an hour!
We all need this simple 30-minute chickpea and spinach curry in our lives.
Using mostly store-cupboard ingredients, this simple vegan curry is super easy to adapt if need be and tastes simply divine too.
This curry is my take on chana palak masala where chana means chickpeas and palak - spinach.
In traditional chana palak curry spinach is usually blended but I decided to keep mine whole here.
I strongly suggest you add it to your meal plan rotation as it really doesn't get any easier or more wholesome than this!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Perfect midweek meal your family will love.
- It uses mostly store-cupboard ingredients.
- Perfect batch cooking/meal-prep recipe.
- Ready in 30 minutes.
- Comforting, filling and healthy at the same time.
- Serve on its own or as a part of full-blown curry banquet.
- Freezer friendly.
- Easy to customise and add even more goodness.
- Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free.
📝 Ingredients
Here's what you will need to make my Chickpea and Spinach Curry:
Chickpeas aka Garbanzo Beans - One of my favourite ingredients EVER! Super versatile, nutritional powerhouse, plant based kitchen staple. Use tinned for ease or cook your own.
Spinach - I like to use fresh baby spinach here but feel free to use frozen spinach instead. (see below: Can I use frozen spinach?)
Coconut Milk - Either full fat or light is fine. I love curry made with coconut milk as it's so much more creamy and comforting.
Chopped Tomatoes - Easier to use than fresh tomatoes and contribute to extra flavour plus I bet you've got them in your cupboard.
Tomato paste (puree) - To add to that tomato flavour.
Onions, Garlic & Ginger - Holly trinity of most curries (at least those I make in my kitchen). Perfect base and full of flavour!
Fresh Coriander (Cilantro) - I use it here not just for garnish but to create a base paste with onions, garlic and ginger. It can be left out or substituted with fresh parsley although it will definitely not be the same.
Chilli Pepper Flakes - I like to use Aleppo pepper aka pul biber (I know it's not traditional but I adore their almost fruity aroma).
Feel free to use chilli flakes of your choice or alternatively use fresh chilli and blend it together with onions, garlic and ginger when making a paste.
Array of Spices - I use bay leaves, cinnamon stick, garam masala, mild curry powder, ground coriander, paprika (sweet or smoked) and ground cumin.
🔪 Instructions
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Put onions, garlic, ginger and fresh coriander (cilantro) in a food processor and blend finely into a paste. You might need to stop your food processor to scrape the sides as you go.
Quick Tip: Blending is not necessary and if you don't own food processor or a blender, feel free to chop all the ingredients really finely instead.
Heat up couple tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil in a casserole dish and fry the paste for about 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Make sure to stir it from time to time to prevent it from burning.
Quick Tip: Feel free to add a splash of water when frying the paste to help it along and avoid using excess oil.
Add spices and tomato puree and mix them into the paste. Let them fry for another minute or so until fragrant.
Next, add chickpeas followed by chopped tomatoes, ½ tin worth of water and coconut milk.
Give everything a good stir, cover with a lid and bring to boil.
Once boiling, give it another stir, turn the heat down to simmer and cook (partially covered this time to let some steam escape) for 10 minutes.
Next, take the lid off the pan and simmer your curry for 5 more minutes stirring from time to time.
Quick Tip: Feel free to add a splash of water at this point if your curry looks a bit dry.
Take pan off the heat and remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
Using an immersion blender, give the curry a quick blend (couple of pulses, no more).
You want to keep most of the chickpeas intact but at the same time you want to create that extra body and creaminess to the curry as if it was cooking for hours!
I used the same trick in my Ultimate Vegan Chilli recipe and it made such a huge difference to overall flavour when you need slowly cooked meal in a hurry.
Quick Tip: Feel free to use potato masher if you don't have an immersion blender.
With pan still off the heat, add spinach and stir it in gently. It will wilt thanks to the heat of the curry without the need to cook it any further.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and some freshly squeezed lime juice.
Enjoy!
🥡 Storing
Store: Chickpea and spinach curry will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Reheat: It can be reheated in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Freeze: It freezes beautifully in the freezer proof container. Freeze for up to 2 months for best flavour upon defrosting.
Defrost: In the fridge overnight and reheat as you would from chilled.
📖 Variations
Sometimes I like to add some extra veg to this curry and most of the time it ends up being sweet potato or some cauliflower florets but feel free to use whatever veg you've got available and you fancy with your curry.
I add extra veg at the same time as chickpeas and usually increase liquid a bit and also sometimes put an extra tin of tomatoes.
Quick Tip: When adding extra veg cooking time will have to be adjusted to allow the aforementioned veg to cook until tender. Alternatively, steam or roast it separately and add to the cooked curry.
🍴Serving suggestion
Serve it simply with plain white or brown basmati rice.
If you're a fan of flavoured rice, try my easy spiced basmati rice or turmeric rice.
For a little bit something extra why not add delicious cucumber raita or vegan tzatziki and some super easy red pickled onions (thinly sliced red onions covered with good quality apple cider vinegar for 15 minutes or however long you've got).
Also, good curry wouldn't be IT without delicious bread to help mopping it all up. We love my no-yeast naan bread or 2 ingredients chapati.
💭 Pro tips
- Tinned chickpeas are one of the least expensive pulses you can buy so make sure to have few tins in your cupboard. With chickpeas, quick and easy meal is never far away.
- This curry is mildly spiced as my kids can only take so much heat but I usually add some sriracha to my portion at the table if I fancy a bit more heat.
- If you don't have to worry about the kids, feel free to use more chilli flakes or alternatively, add your favourite chilli pepper when blending onions, garlic, ginger and coriander into a paste.
- My immersions blender trick really makes this curry taste as if it was cooking for hours but be careful not to blend too much (one or two pulses is all you need). You want plenty of texture still in it and not baby food.
❓ FAQ
Yes you can. Simply defrost it as per the instructions on the packaging and make sure to squeeze as much water as you possibly can to prevent your curry from going watery.
Depending on the spinach you've got, you might also want to chop it before adding to the curry at the same time as you would fresh spinach.
Butter beans or humble cannellini beans would work well in this curry too
Sure. Try kale or spring greens. You will need to add them to the curry a little bit earlier though as they will need longer cooking rather than just wilting. Alternatively, you can always steam them separately and simply stir into the finished curry.
Have you tried my Chickpea and Spinach Curry?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
😋 More delicious curry recipes
📋 Recipe
Easy Chickpea and Spinach Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon rapeseed/olive oil
- 2 x 400 g tins of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed or use 480g cooked chickpeas
- 1 x 400 g tin coconut milk light or full fat
- 100-150 g fresh baby spinach frozen can be used too, see notes
- 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 120 g red or white onions (1 large or 2 smaller ones) peeled
- 20 g garlic (3-4 cloves depending on the size) peeled
- 10 g ginger peeled
- 20 g fresh coriander (cilantro) can be left out if not a fan or substituted with parsley at a push
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes add more if you wish, see notes
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- t teaspoon (heaped) mild curry powder
- 1 teaspoon (heaped) ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon (heaped) sweet or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon (heaped) ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- lime juice to taste
- fresh coriander (cilantro) as garnish optional
Instructions
- Put onions, garlic, ginger and fresh coriander (cilantro) in a food processor and blend finely into a paste. You might need to stop your food processor to scrape the sides as you go.Blending is not necessary and if you don't own food processor or a blender, feel free to chop all the ingredients really finely instead.120 g red or white onions (1 large or 2 smaller ones), 20 g garlic (3-4 cloves depending on the size), 10 g ginger, 20 g fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Heat up couple tablespoons of oil in a casserole dish and fry the paste for about 5 minutes until softened and fragrant. Make sure to stir it from time to time to prevent it from burning.Feel free to add a splash of water when frying the paste to help it along and avoid using excess oil.2 tablespoon rapeseed/olive oil
- Add spices and tomato puree and mix them into the paste. Let them fry for another minute or so until fragrant.1 tablespoon tomato puree, 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick, ½ teaspoon chilli flakes, 1 tablespoon garam masala, t teaspoon (heaped) mild curry powder, 1 teaspoon (heaped) ground coriander, 1 teaspoon (heaped) sweet or smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon (heaped) ground cumin
- Next, add chickpeas followed by chopped tomatoes, ½ tin worth of water and coconut milk. Give everything a good stir, cover with a lid and bring to boil. Once boiling, give it another stir, turn the heat down to simmer and cook (only partially covered to let some steam escape) for 10 minutes.2 x 400 g tins of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes, 1 x 400 g tin coconut milk
- Next, take the lid off the pan and simmer your curry for 5 more minutes stirring from time to time.Feel free to add a splash of water at this point if your curry looks a bit dry.
- Take pan off the heat and remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
- Using an immersion blender, give the curry a quick blend (couple of pulses, no more). You want to keep most of the chickpeas intact but at the same time you want to create that extra body and creaminess to the curry as if it was cooking for hours! Feel free to use potato masher if you don't have an immersion blender.
- With pan still off the heat, add spinach and stir it in gently. It will wilt thanks to the heat of the curry without the need to cook it any further.100-150 g fresh baby spinach
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and some freshly squeezed lime juice.salt and pepper, lime juice
- Enjoy garnished with some more fresh coriander and other toppings.fresh coriander (cilantro) as garnish
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per portion (based on 4 portions) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- Feel free to use frozen spinach instead of fresh. Simply defrost it as per the instructions on the packaging and make sure to squeeze as much water as you possibly can to prevent your curry from going watery. Depending on the spinach you've got, you might also want to chop it before adding to the curry at the same time as you would fresh spinach.
- Use your favourite chilli flakes and adjust the amount to your liking. I cook with kids in mind hence only little chilli is used here.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer friendly.
- Tinned chickpeas are one of the least expensive pulses you can buy so make sure to have few tins in your cupboard. With chickpeas, quick and easy meal is never far away.
- This curry is mildly spiced as my kids can only take so much heat but I usually add some sriracha to my portion at the table if I fancy a bit more heat.
- If you don't have to worry about the kids, feel free to use more chilli flakes or alternatively, add your favourite chilli pepper when blending onions, garlic, ginger and coriander into a paste.
- My immersions blender trick really makes this curry taste as if it was cooking for hours but be careful not to blend too much (one or two pulses is all you need). You want plenty of texture still in it and not baby food.
Liz says
Just the recipe I needed. Got your e-mail yesterday and decided to make it for dinner. Huge success and kids loved it too! Thanks!
joskitchenlarder says
Hi Liz, I'm so glad my newsletter with the recipe caught you at the right moment 🙂 So pleased you all enjoyed it!