Chickpea Spinach Curry
This chickpea spinach curry is a delicious & nourishing plant-based meal that comes together in 30 minutes! Vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free.
If you struggle to get your greens in, you need to add this chickpea spinach curry to your weekly meals! It’s packed with fiber, plant protein, healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, and potassium. And of course it’s delicious and easy to make! This is one of those quick weeknight meals I’ll be making for years to come (some other favorites include tempeh chili, Japanese-style mushroom pasta, mapo tofu, sweet and sour tofu, one pot spicy miso ramen, and Japanese curry). I guarantee you’ll love it too!
Key Ingredients
- Spinach ⟶ Regular spinach or baby spinach is fine. If your spinach has long stems, that’s fine too! Don’t remove them, just chop them finely.
- Tip: It’s easy for dirt to hide in the leaves and stems, so rinse your spinach well. I cut them in half, add to a large bowl with water, and rinse a few times until the water isn’t dirty.
- Chickpeas ⟶ Arguably my favorite bean for curries, but you can swap for another bean or protein of choice.
- Silken Tofu + Sunflower Seeds ⟶ These make the curry creamy while also adding extra protein and healthy fats.
- Spices ⟶ Cumin, coriander, chile, turmeric, garam masala, and black pepper. Because what’s a curry without a nice blend of spices!
- Lemon Juice ⟶ The acidity in the lemon juice really helps to balance out the flavors. It also enhances absorption of the iron in the spinach and chickpeas!
Tips for Success
Use cooked spinach ⟶ Blanch the spinach then squeeze out excess water. This ensures the curry doesn’t end up too watery. If you want to use frozen spinach, defrost it (overnight or in the microwave) and squeeze out any excess water.
Add lemon juice at the end ⟶ The lemon juice can cause the cream sauce to curdle at high temperatures, so add the lemon juice after you turn off the heat.
Swap chickpeas for another protein ⟶ White beans, kidney beans, lentils, or baked tofu would be delicious too!
Chickpea Spinach Curry FAQ
How do I serve chickpea spinach curry?
This curry is best served with rice, bread, pita bread, or another flatbread. You can garnish with cilantro, lemon juice, and a dollop of (vegan) yogurt.
Can chickpea spinach curry be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze this curry an airtight container for about 2 months.
Can I make the cream sauce without tofu?
I’ve only made the sauce with silken tofu, but if you need to make it soy-free, you can omit the tofu and use double the amount of sunflower seeds and water.
What can I use instead of sunflower seeds?
I used sunflower seeds to keep this curry nut-free, but you can also use raw cashews or coconut cream.
More Cozy Vegan Curries
- Tempeh and Chickpea Peanut Curry
- Creamy Kabocha Lentil Curry
- Japanese Curry with Red Lentils
- Vegan Curry Udon
If you make this chickpea spinach curry, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Chickpea Spinach Curry
Ingredients
Cream Sauce
- 30 grams (¼ cup) raw sunflower seeds soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- 150 grams silken tofu
- ½ cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 100 grams raw spinach or ½ cup cooked spinach chopped
Spices
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¼-1 tsp
pure chili powder*1 - ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Curry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 100 grams raw spinach or ½ cup cooked spinach chopped
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 2 cups chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ lemon juiced
Instructions
- Blanch spinach (skip if using cooked spinach): Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add raw spinach (for the cream sauce and the curry) and cook for 1 minute, then drain and rinse under cold water. Once cool enough to handle, grab a handful of spinach and squeeze out the water. Repeat for all of the spinach. Chop spinach and set aside half for the cream sauce and half for the curry.Tip: It's easy for dirt to hide in the leaves and stems, so rinse your spinach well before cooking. I cut them in half, add to a large bowl with water, and rinse a few times until the water isn't dirty.
- Make cream sauce by blending all the ingredients until smooth.
- Mix spices in a small bowl and set aside near your stove.
- Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and some of the salt and cook until onions just start to brown, about 3 minutes.
- Add carrots, garlic, ginger, and the rest of the salt. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Add spices and stir for another minute.
- Add tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add spinach, water, and chickpeas. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until carrots are tender.
- Stir in cream sauce and simmer another 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat and squeeze lemon juice over. You can also garnish with some chopped cilantro. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if desired.
- Serve immediately with rice or bread.
Notes
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