This lentil chickpea curry is a delicious vegetarian curry made with simple ingredients and it comes together quickly and easily. Each mouthful is creamy and flavorful from the curry spice and coconut milk.
This budget-friendly vegetarian curry is packed with protein thanks to the lentils and chickpeas, it is a hearty and comforting dish that can be enjoyed any day of the weeknight and it is also great for meal prep. It keeps in the fridge for a few days and it's also freezer friendly.
Easy lentil chickpea curry recipe
I love making simple curries or rather Indian curries, not only does it use fragrant spices and herbs but they are also packed with nutrients your body needs. This chickpea lentil curry is healthy and packed with protein and fiber so it makes a perfect meal on a day you want to feel satisfied for a longer time without the long-lasting effect on your hips.
It is so simple and quick to make that it can be made in less than 30 minutes. All you do is make the simple tomato base with some warm and earthy herbs and spices and add coconut milk, lentil and chickpea. Bring it to a boil and you have a hearty comforting curry on your table in 30 minutes. This curry is so good and I bet your family would love it too even your fussiest eater.
All the ingredients used in making this Indian curry are easily available in your pantry. If you don't have all the ingredients, a good curry powder would work just fine. That said the addition of the other ingredients makes this curry robust in flavor. The coconut milk also adds creaminess and richness to this vegetarian dish.
This recipe comes together really quickly too as it uses canned lentils and chickpeas. That said, you can use raw green or red lentils in this recipe and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Serve with your favorite sides, some roti/naan (vegan naan bread), or rice and you are all set for an amazing vegetarian dinner or lunch as the case may be.
Related curry recipes: butter bean curry and Instant pot lentil curry.
What you will need
You will need the following ingredients to make this simple and delicious vegetarian/vegan lentil chickpea curry.
- Canned lentil: I used green lentil which is already cooked of course, you can substitute with red lentil as it cooks faster than green or brown lentils.
- Canned chickpea
- Coconut oil: substitute with ghee, butter or vegetable oil
- Chopped tomatoes: substitute with freshly chopped tomatoes.
- Light coconut milk: substitute with full-fat coconut milk
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Paprika
- Curry powder
- Ground coriander
- Ground nutmeg
- Kashmiri chili flakes: substitute with regular red pepper flakes
- Cumin
- Turmeric
- Salt and black pepper
How to make chickpea lentil curry
Start by prepping all the ingredients making sure they are within arm's length
Heat coconut oil in a shallow skillet over medium heat until melted. add chopped onions and cook until soft, translucent, and fragrant.
To the sauteed onions, add curry powder, coriander, cumin, paprika, nutmeg and turmeric and stir to combine to release their flavors. Saute the spices in the onions for 30 seconds stirring occasionally.
Stir garlic and ginger paste into the spices and onions then proceed to add chopped tomatoes, chili flakes, salt and black pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.
Pour the coconut milk and stir to combine, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the canned lentils and chickpeas to the skillet, and stir everything together until both are well combined with all other ingredients.
Cover (optional) and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the curry has cooked down and the creamy or until your desired consistency is achieved. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Just before you take the curry off the heat, add some chopped cilantro and lime juice, stir to combine and take it off the heat. serve and enjoy!
Variations
- Add some peeled and cubed potatoes or sweet potatoes to make it even more hearty.
- Add some fresh vegetables of your choice, spinach and cauliflower are popular choices and they work great in this recipe. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Make it with other legumes like white beans, kidney beans or black eyed peas.
- Make this a spicy curry by increasing the chili flakes or substituting it with fresh bird's eye chili.
- Substitute coconut milk with full-fat yogurt.
How to store
Lentil chickpea curry, if stored properly will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Can I make this curry in the instant pot
Absolutely. follow steps 1-3 of the recipe as stated above then add the coconut milk, lentil, and chickpea and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes then natural release for 5 minutes.
Rice recipes to serve with curry
More curry recipes you will love
Sweet potatoes and chickpea curry
Instant pot butter chicken curry
Lentil Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 400 g canned lentil drained
- 400 g Canned chickpea drained
- 400 g light coconut milk
- 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 Tablespoon ginger paste
- ½ Tablespoon Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- Salt and black pepper
- fresh coriander leaves chopped
- lime juice optional
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil in a shallow skillet over medium heat until melted. add chopped onions and cook until soft, translucent, and fragrant.
- To the sauteed onions, add curry powder, coriander, cumin, paprika, nutmeg and turmeric and stir to combine to release their flavors. Saute the spices in the onions for 30 seconds stirring occasionally.
- Stir garlic and ginger paste to the spices and onions then proceed to add chopped tomatoes, chili flakes, salt and black pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.
- Pour the coconut milk and stir to combine, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the canned lentils and chickpeas to the skillet, and stir everything together until both are well combined with all other ingredients.
- Cover (optional) and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the curry has cooked down and the creamy or until your desired consistency is achieved. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Just before you take the curry off the heat, add some chopped cilantro and lime juice, stir to combine and take it off the heat. serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
And there you have it, a simple and quick canned lentil and chickpea curry recipe you can make at home in no time. As always, if you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Kindly rate the recipe 5 star and leave me feedback in the comment section below. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save it away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox.
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