Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Chickpea and spinach curry is a simple yet mouthwatering dish that you'll find yourself making time and time again. It's also budget-friendly and made with pantry-staple ingredients for a fuss-free plant-based dinner.

This chickpea and spinach curry is one of the first plant-based dishes I ever cooked, and it's still a family favorite.

Also known as chana palak masala, chickpea and spinach curry is easy to make with dried or canned chickpeas and pairs great with basmati rice, naan or roti.

This chickpea and spinach curry with coconut milk is quite mild to keep it family-friendly, but you can adjust the spiciness to suit your taste.

Besides being super tasty and so much better than takeout, this chickpea spinach curry is also extra healthy as it's packed with protein, fiber and iron.

Why you'll love this chickpea and spinach curry

• It's a super easy, one-pot recipe, so the washing up is minimal, which is always a bonus.
• It's super healthy, as it's packed with protein and fiber from chickpeas and spinach.
• It only takes 30 minutes to make, so you can have dinner on the table quickly on those busy nights.

Ingredients and substitutions

Coconut oil - I like to use coconut oil in curries that are made creamy with coconut milk, but any other oil would do. If you don't cook with oil, you can saute the onion in a bit of veggie stock instead.

Onion - A large finely diced onion sets an excellent flavor base for this curry.

Garlic and ginger - Freshly chopped garlic and ginger are best in this curry, but if you don't have them, a garlic ginger paste would also work.

Red chili pepper - Feel free to adjust the quantity to your liking.

Spices - I used a mix of ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder and ground turmeric for this chickpea spinach curry. Alternatively, use two tablespoons of your favorite curry powder.

Diced tomatoes - Use the best quality diced tomatoes you can because it really makes a difference. You can substitute them with fresh chopped tomatoes.

Chickpeas - Canned chickpeas are definitely more convenient, especially if you always have some cans in the pantry.

If you want to use dried chickpeas, soak 1 cup of chickpeas overnight, then cook them until tender before adding them to the curry.

You'll get approximately 3 cups (500g) of cooked chickpeas from 1 cup of dried chickpeas.

Coconut milk - Full-fat coconut milk is best for this curry because it makes it creamy.

Spinach - Fresh baby spinach is perfect here, but you can also use frozen spinach. If using frozen spinach, you may need to increase cooking times.

How to make chickpea spinach curry

Heat the coconut oil in a large, deep pan and fry the onion for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until translucent.

Stir in the garlic, ginger and red chili pepper and cook for another minute.

Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder and ground turmeric and cook for a further minute, stirring occasionally.

Add the diced tomatoes, chickpeas and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, covered.

Stir in the baby spinach and simmer for 2-3 minutes until wilted.

Stir in the lime juice (or lemon juice), season to taste and serve with basmati rice or naan.

Leftovers and storage

• Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
• Reheat the curry on the stovetop or in the microwave.
• This spinach curry freezes well for up to 3 months.

Recipe notes and tips

• Other vegetables you can add to this chickpea spinach curry include mushrooms, sweet potato, butternut squash, zucchini and eggplant cubes. You may need to adjust cooking times to make sure the veggies are cooked through.
• Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds to the coconut oil and fry it for 1 minute until sizzling before adding the onion.
• Serve this vegan chickpea curry with basmati rice, cauliflower rice, naan and/or mango chutney.

If you liked this chickpea and spinach curry, you might also like some of my other easy vegan curry recipes:

• Easy Courgette Curry
• Thai Coconut Chickpea Curry
• Pineapple Tofu Curry
• Easy Sweetcorn Curry
• Vegan Thai Yellow Curry

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