Easy Chickpea & Lentil Curry in under 30 minutes! It's creamy, thick, saucy, comforting, and packed with delicious, rich, spicy flavor.
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"Just as Mel promised, this dish is easy to make with quite standard pantry ingredients, it comes together easily, and it tastes divine! I also made the pickled red onions and coconut rice to accompany the curry. Rave reviews from the whole fam!!" - Sally ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Lentils and chickpeas. These cheap, healthy, filling, protein and fiber-packed pantry staples are being transformed into a thick, creamy, rich, spicy, and super delicious Lentil & Chickpea Curry that's just perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Bonus points for it all happening in under 30 minutes ...I seriously could not love this recipe more!
Mel x
Ingredients
To make some seriously-good curried chickpeas and lentils you need:
And a few important ingredient notes:
- Lentils - These need to be red lentils. They break down and thicken the sauce beautifully. Green or brown lentils will not work in this recipe.
- Canned coconut milk - For the best results this should be full-fat coconut milk, not light. The sauce won't be anywhere near as rich and flavourful with light coconut milk, so no complaints about it not being as good as you hoped if you don't heed my advice ;O)
- Chickpeas - You can use canned or dried chickpeas that you have cooked yourself for this lentil chickpea curry recipe. No chickpeas? Check out my red lentil dal recipe instead.
- Brown sugar - You could use coconut sugar instead. It's being used more as a seasoning than a sweetener. It's just a little bit and it makes a HUGE difference to the overall flavour of the curry. It adds richness, depth, slight caramel undertones, and balances out any acidity.
- Cayenne pepper - Made as written the curry will be just pleasantly spicy and not hot. The amount you add is customizable though. Increase or reduce it to suit your heat tolerance. You can even omit it if you're cooking for children or don't care for any heat at all.
- Soy sauce - You can use gluten-free soy sauce, Tamari, or coconut aminos instead. Like the sugar, it's being used as a seasoning and adds a layer of richness and depth.
Let's Make Chickpea & Lentil Curry!
The key to amazing flavor in this vegan curry recipe is to sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger well, bloom the spices, and also cook out the tomato paste until it darkens before adding any other ingredients.
Don't rush these steps as they remove any harsh, raw flavor, and add lots of sweet, savory, complexity. Once that's done and you've got your flavor base, everything else goes in, and we simmer it all up gently until the lentils are melty and tender.
For a step-by-step visual see my recipe video.
Variations
The great thing about curry is its versatility. Feel free to throw in extra veggies. Additions that I love include frozen peas, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, broccoli, and spinach (in the last few minutes). Cauliflower is great too but I recommend roasting it in the oven before adding it so it doesn't make your sauce watery.
Serving Suggestions
Curry with lentils and chickpeas needs some fluffy rice to soak up that delicious, rich sauce! You can go simple with plain white or brown rice, but I highly recommend my Coconut Basmati Rice. It really elevates the dish and is a simple recipe that takes no longer to make than plain rice. Cauliflower rice, couscous or quinoa work well too.
You'll notice the red onion in the pics. It's actually quick pickled red onion and takes just a few minutes to throw together. With this curry it is incredible! Another layer of flavour and texture and that bright pop of pink colour...So pretty and a great contrast! I'll drop the simple instructions in the recipe notes in case you want to give it a try. I make mine just before I boil the rice so they have a little time to steep.
Chili crisp oil is also highly recommended. I am obsessed with Triple Smoke Crunch Chili Onion Garlic (You can see it in action in my main pic.) It's locally made, a staple here at AVV HQ and is so good on this curry, adding even more flavour, heat, and texture. Because I love it so much I reached out to Triple Smoke and they have offered my readers 10% off any purchase. Use coupon code AVIRTUALVEGAN at checkout.
A tumble of toasted coconut flakes, cashews, or peanuts, a dollop of vegan yogurt, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and some fresh cilantro are really nice additions too, and of course, some flatbread is always a good idea. Naan bread is the best choice, but my very quick and simple no-yeast flatbreads are a great alternative and so quick and easy.
Recipe
Chickpea & Lentil Curry
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger , minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper , adjust to suit your tastes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste , (puree in the UK)
- 2 cups (480 ml) water
- one 14oz (400 ml) can full fat coconut milk
- 1 packed cup (175 grams) dry split red lentils , (NOT brown or green lentils)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar , or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- one 14oz (398 ml) can chickpeas , (about 1½ cups)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened, transparent, and just starting to turn golden.
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and cayenne and cook for another two minutes, stirring frequently until smelling fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste. Stir it in and cook for 1 more minute, constantly stirring until it darkens in colour.
- Add the water, canned coconut milk, red lentils, brown sugar, soy sauce, black pepper, and salt. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the lentils are soft and breaking down and the sauce is thickening.
- Add the chickpeas and allow to heat through. I like it nice and thick, but feel free to add a little water to thin at this stage if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- At this point you can serve as soon as it’s hot, or leave to simmer on low for a bit longer if you need to. It will continue to reduce and thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary before serving.
NOTES
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MichelleO says
As a lover of Indian Curry this was spot on. Modified a few ingredients to our taste. Used an additional 1 T. of curry powder & reduced full fat coconut milk by 1/2. Wanted it saucy, so reduced red lentils by 1/2. Added chopped kale for color & diced zucchini & carrots. Almost any veggie could be added. The aroma & the taste were heavenly. Served with your coconut rice & naan from the bakery.
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed it, Michelle!
Paula says
Amazing!! I've made this 4 x & each time it's totally scrumptious, and packed with flavor. It's become a weekly regular in our meal planning. The fragrance as it cooks is heavenly and rich with curry! I make it exactly to Mel's recipe. Thank you Mel for sharing this epicurean delight!
Sally Jones-Rooy says
Just as Mel promised, this dish is easy to make with quite standard pantry ingredients, it comes together easily, and it tastes divine! I also made the pickled red onions and coconut rice to accompany the curry. Rave reviews from the whole fam!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you all enjoyed it and that you got the full experience with the sides too. I love that combo so much!
Ruth says
I made this tonight. Loved it although it is a little spicy. Next time I might use a little less curry powder. It was delicious!! 😋
Alan says
Because I like planning ahead and not cooking in the evening, I made this by sautéing the onions, garlic, ginger and other spices in my Instant Pot and then put in all the other ingredients (I soaked the chickpeas overnight and put them in uncooked) and cooked everything using the slow cooker function set to low. NGL, the result was spectacular and served with coconut rice! We have an Indian restaurant that serves takeout near us, but this was so much better!
Alan says
I forgot to add that the next time I made this, I might add some spinach at the end of the cooking time.
Regina says
Hi Mel, this one looks fantastic! Do you think any other milk would work, maybe oat or almond milk? Thank you :)
Melanie McDonald says
Any other unsweetened and unflavored milk will be ok but the curry won't be as creamy or flavorful as it would with canned coconut milk. As long as you're ok with that then go for it.You might need slightly less as it's so much thinner.
A word of warning though, don't use homemade oat milk. Store-bought is fine. Homemade gets really thick and weirdly gloopy when heated and would ruin the curry.
Hope that helps!
Regina Auzinger says
Thanks for your swift reply and the tip with the homemade oat milk - much appreciated! I‘ll give it a try and will report back :)
Happy New Year btw ;)
Marni says
I LOVE this recipe. It makes such a beautiful curry/dal. So quick to put together and so flavorful!
Amy S. says
I made this fantastic red lentil and chickpea curry tonight for dinner. It was a hit! I did omit the cayenne pepper as I like a milder curry and served it over Basmati rice. The ginger was subtle but so good. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow 😋
Lance Robert says
I made this dish for the first time, and it was delicious. Thank you, Mel! I'm adding it to the rotation. I think it tastes even better when reheated. I recommend not reheating it in the microwave, though, because it makes the chickpeas explode!
Mel, I have a lentil question for you. What makes you choose one type of lentil--red, green, brown, and so--for one recipe over another?
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it, Lance! And you're right, this one makes the best leftovers!
As for the lentils, if you want them to get really soft and creamy, break down, and thicken, like in this curry, or in soups, or recipes where you want the lentils to stick things together like maybe a burger or "meat"loaf, then red or yellow lentils are the best choice.
If you want the lentils to hold their shape and keep some texture, then green or brown lentils are best (they are both pretty much interchangeable). And if you want really firm lentils for something like a lentil salad then French lentils (often labelled Puy lentils), or black (Beluga) lentils are best because they stay really firm.
Hope that helps!
olya says
It was yummy! Thank you
Judy Goodburn says
The curry is scrumptious, I added garam masala and only 1t curry. The side of red onion pickle is good but personally I prefer pickled cumumber.