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Baked Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry – a one-pot wonder made in one casserole dish. So easy to make, so perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. No standing around sautéing needed! Glutenfree, soy-free, nut-free option.
I’ve been loving making curries in a casserole dish. It’s hands free and less active time! Today is this creamy Chickpea Sweet Potato curry. Unbelievably easy to make, comforting, and 1 Pan! Are you loving these casserole dishes?!
The chickpeas’ meaty texture really shines in this baked curry – all tender and enveloped in the rich, creamy sauce. Baked cubed sweet potatoes add substance and act as sponges to soak up all the delicious curry gravy.
The gravy of this baked curry is made with coconut milk and enriched with peanut butter. Peanuts in savory dishes are amazing, trust me! And don’t worry. It won’t be too overwhelmingly sweet but perfectly balanced by the hum of garlic and ginger, the fragrant spices and the acidity of the tomatoes.
MORE INDIAN COMFORT FOOD
- Baked Madras curry Tofu
- Baked vegetable Curry Casserole
- Baked Balti Veggies
- Butter Tofu
- IP Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce
- Tofu in Spinach Curry
- Vegetable Jalfrezi
Baked Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon curry powder or berbere spice or dry harissa spice or 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or cayenne or omit for less heat
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes with their juices, or 1 cup chopped and 1 cup pureed
- 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained or 1 1/4 cup of cooked chickpeas
- 10 ounces cubed sweet potatoes or about 2 1/2 cups, , use other veggies such as potatoes, cauliflower, butternut squash, zucchini or a combination for variation
- 1 cup coconut milk, (use the whole 14 oz can for saucier) , see notes for subs
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter or almond butter , or sunflower seed butter for Nutfree
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups well-packed fresh baby spinach or 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
- cilantro, pepper flakes, and lime juice for garnish
Instructions
- In a 9x11 or a similar size baking dish, add the oil and spread evenly. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F(205 c)
- Then add the onion, garlic, and ginger on one side and the sweet potato on the other side.
- Mix all the spices except salt in a bowl. Mix well and sprinkle all over.
- Mix the onions a little bit and mix sweet potatoes to coat the spices but keep the onions and sweet potatoes separate. Sprinkle some splashes of water if needed while mixing, to help the spices stick.
- Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit(206 c) for 15-16 minutes or until the onions are golden.
- Then remove the baking dish from the oven then add in the coconut milk and peanut butter and mix in. Mix the peanut butter into the coconut milk until it's mixed in otherwise, it will just stay in one corner of the dish.
- Then add in the tomato, chickpeas, salt, water, and mix really well.
- Put the dish back in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked to preference and the sauce has thickened. (If the sweet potatoes aren’t tender at 20 min, cover the dish with parchment and check in another 10-15 mins)
- Remove from the oven and immediately add in the spinach and mix in. The spinach will wilt with the heat of the sauce.
- Taste and adjust salt and flavor then garnish with cilantro, red pepper flakes, and lime juice and serve with rice, cauliflower rice or flatbread.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- onions, minced ginger, and garlic are added to the casserole dish and form the base of our gravy
- spices: coriander, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, curry powder or berbere spice or dry harissa spice or 2 teaspoons garam masala, black pepper
- coconut milk makes this a rich and creamy curry. For a coconut-free version, use cashew milk
- canned diced tomatoes lend sweetness, acidity, body, and color to the tofu curry sauce
- cooked chickpeas, drained or 1 1/4 cup of cooked chickpeas for added protein
- cubed sweet potatoes or about 2 1/2 cups
- peanut butter or almond butter for thickening or use sunflower seed butter for nut-free
- well-packed fresh baby spinach
Tips & Substitutions:
- To make this nut-free, you can use some sunflower seed butter. You can also use 3 tablespoons of split red lentils (masoor dal) instead. Just add them with the chickpeas. They will cook and thicken the sauce.
- You can also use fresh tomatoes, pureed instead of canned tomatoes.
- Instead of spinach, you can use chard or mustard greens.
- Use other veggies such as cauliflower, potato, butternut squash or a combination
- Use other non dairy milks such as cashew milk or oat milk
How to make Baked Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry:
In a 9×11 or a similar size baking dish, add the oil and spread evenly. Then add the onion, garlic, and ginger on one side and the sweet potato on the other side.
Mix all the spices except salt in a bowl. Mix well and sprinkle all over. Mix the onions a little bit and mix sweet potatoes to coat the spices but keep the onions and sweet potatoes separate. Sprinkle some splashes of water while mixing if needed to help the spices stick.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit(206 c) for 15–16 minutes or until the onions are golden.
Then remove the baking dish from the oven then add in the coconut milk and peanut butter and mix in.
Mix the peanut butter into the coconut milk until it’s mixed in otherwise, it will just stay in one corner of the dish.
Then add in the tomato, chickpeas, salt, water, and mix really well.
Put the dish back in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked to preference and the sauce has thickened.
Remove from the oven and immediately add in the spinach and mix in. The spinach will wilt with the heat of the sauce.
Taste and adjust salt and flavor then garnish with cilantro, red pepper flakes, and lime juice and serve with rice or flatbread.
Storage: refrigerate for upto 3 days. Freeze for upto a month
So creamy and delicious… Must try
I can’t wait to hear what you think
Can we make it without any nut butter ? If so any alternative for thickening the sauce ?
Yes see notes. Use sunflower seed butter or add 3 tbsp split red lentils with the chickpeas. The red lentils will cook and break down a bit. Mix them some to help them break down more and thicken the mix . The sauce is plenty thick even without any additions. It’s not watery thin.
I cannot wait to try this! It is especially lovely that there are so many variations/options to personalize the end result. I will make this spicy for myself, but will tone down the seasoning a bit (eliminating any peppers) for a dear friend whose health issues and taste buds cannot handle spicy heat, but who is learning, with my assistance, to enjoy plant based international foods. I think she is going to love this!
❤️❤️❤️
Stellar! My family gave this a big WOW! last night. This curry is so very satisfying. The flavors are rich and complex without being too spicy. I roasted 1 sweet potato and 1 yam in the oven, and sauteed and combined all other ingredients on the stove before adding them to the roasting pan to continue in the oven. Also I added 1/3 cup diced firm mango and used a whole can of coconut milk.
Yumm.
Yum!!! Was so great and easy!!
Success !
Excited to try this – absolutely obsessed with your lentil curry casserole! If including cauliflower, when would you recommend adding it in in the cooking process?
With the chickpeas.
Made this for dinner using the stovetop version and subbed the baharat spice blend from your cookbook for garam masala. So good and perfect for a snowy evening, thank you!!
Awesome! Yes baharat would be wonderful in it!
Made this night, so yummy. I did cook my chickpeas and rice, separately of course, in my pressure cooker. I also strained my tomatoes through the food mill, can’t have the skin or seeds, used refrigerated coconut milk that come in the half gallon size, and added the extra almond butter. Delicious!!!!
Thank you for the one pan baked curry.
Trina
Awesome
A true one-dish casserole! I am obsessed with anything one pot on the stove, instant pot, or casserole in the oven. Who can manage anything else weeknight?
I would love to make this tonight but I don’t have any spinach or kale in the house. Will it be lacking w/o greens? Should I toss in some frozen peas or extra potatoes to bulk it up?
Should be just fine without the greens. You can add other veggies if you like, it’s a forgiving recipe.
would like to know if another milk could be used instead of coconut forthe chickpea curry.
Yes, use cashew milk or oat milk
Hi Richa! This recipe looks amazing! However, I abosolutley loathe sweet potatoes. Can this recipe be made using regular russet potatoes? I have tried eating sweet potatoes many times and truly dislike them. Would using a white potato change the flavor too much in a negative way?
Thanks so much for your blog! We love it and enjoy your recipes so much!
Use regular potatoes. Potatoes and chickpeas go very well as well and Indian spices!
Absolutely delicious. Definitely adding it as a regular cook, and already looking forward to making it for friends and family. Thank you so much.
thank you!