This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Vegan Chickpea Coconut Curry – Instant Pot or Saucepan. This 1 Pot Coconut Chickpea Curry uses dried chickpeas and coconut milk. Add other veggies like sweet potato, squash. No Tomato Curry! Vegan Glutenfree Nutfree Soyfree Oilfree Recipe. Jump to Recipe
Nothing beats the flavor and texture of chickpeas cooked from dried chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are good as a speedy option but they cant compare to freshly cooked chickpeas. This is where pressure cooking makes things faster. I cook the chickpeas directly with the creamy sauce in the Instant Pot. You can cook this in a saucepan over stovetop as well, with dried chickpeas or with precooked-canned chickpeas. See Notes under the recipe for instructions.
This Creamy Vegan Chickpea Coconut Curry, needs 1 Pot, is super creamy, freezer friendly (although you will want to eat all of it), and flexible to flavor preference. Coconut milk makes this a luscious coconut curry. Saute the onion, garlic, chile. Add in the spices such as turmeric, cumin, curry powder, garam masala or add thai curry pastes, or berbere. Add the soaked chickpeas and coconut milk and pressure cook! Finish the dish with pepper flakes and lime. Serve with rice/grains or flatbread. Lets get cooking!
More Instant Pot Recipes to try
- IP Lentil Chili. GF
- IP Mushroom Wild Rice Soup. GF
- Japanese Veggie Curry. GF
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup with Red lentils. – So Easy
- IP Potato Chickpea Soup. GF
- Tomato Soup with Tofu Croutons.
- Cauliflower soup. GF
- Tortilla soup with red lentils. GF
Step by Step Photos:
Soak your chickpeas for atleast an hour in hot water. Prep the ingredients.
Saute the onion, garlic, chili until golden. Then add in the spices and herbs and mix, and then the drained chickpeas.
Add coconut milk and water, close the lid and pressure cook.
Let the pressure release naturally. If the mixture is thin, mash some of the chickpeas and saute for a few mins to thicken.
When to add vegetables:
- If using dried chickpeas, the pressure cooking time of 40 mins will over cook the vegetables. Add vegetables such as sweet potato, cauliflower, squashes, root vegetables after pressure cooking for 35 mins. Quick release, add veggies, close the lid and pressure cook for another 6 to 8 mins, depending on whether the chickpeas were done at 35 mins.
- Or you can roast the veggies and add them when you open the lid and simmer on saute for 2 mins.
- If using canned, chickpeas, then add the veggies with the chickpeas.
Serve with rice, garnished with cilantro, lemon juice and coconut milk.
How to make your favorite Chickpea Coconut Curry
- This Recipe is flexible to your flavor preference. Use spices and herbs of choice. You can also add in some tomatoes with the chickpeas.
- Add veggies of choice such as carrots, sweet potatoes, celery etc.
- Serve it with quinoa or whole grain bread for a hearty higher protein meal.
- Chickpeas can have variable cooking time based of age of the dried beans. I like the chickpeas to be melt in your mouth in this creamy curry, so I cook for 45 minutes (if soaked for an hour). Adjust the times based you your preference of texture anywhere from 35 mins to 50 mins.
- To double, Use 2 cans of coconut milk and 1.5 cups of water.
Chickpea Coconut Curry (Instant Pot or Saucepan)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water or broth, or use 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 hot green chili, ,chopped (such as serrano, jalapeno) or use mild chili or omit
- 1 tsp each ground cumin,, , ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp each cinnamon, , ground cardamom
- 1/3 tsp cayenne or to taste
- 1/4 tsp grouond sage or dried oregano
- 1 red bell pepper, ,chopped or sliced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup dry uncooked chickpeas, ,soaked for atleast 30 mins in boiling hot water (4 hours to overnight soaking works best)
- 13.5 oz can coconut milk, , reserve 2 tbsp for garnishing
- 1 cups water, ,depends on curry consistency preference., use 1/2 cup for thicker, 1.5 cups for soupier
- lemon/lime juice, , cilantro, pepper flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Press saute on the Instant Pot. Add onion, garlic, chili and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 3 to 4 mins until translucent. Deglaze with more broth if needed. (See notes for saucepan)
- Add the spices and mix in. (You can add spice blends of choice here such as curry powder, garam masala, berbere or jamaican curry powder, or curry pastes instead of listed spices).
- Add the bell pepper and ginger and mix in. Drain the chickpeas and add to the pot. Add salt, coconut milk and water and give it a good mix to pick up any stuck bits
- Cancel saute, Close the lid to sealing. Pressure cook at high pressure for 40 to 45 mins (30 mins for overnight soak)**. Let the pressure release naturally then open the lid.
- Taste and adjust salt and flavor, add more spices if needed. If the mixture is thin, Mash some of the chickpeas to thicken or blend half cup of the curry and mix in, saute for a few mins if needed. (Fold in some baby spinach at this point while the chickpeas are still hot). Garnish with lemon, pepper flakes, remaining coconut milk and cilantro and serve over rice or grains.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe and many others of yours. I made this today, with a few changes and it was GREAT!!! EXACTLY what I was looking for.
You are one of my first go-tos for recipes. I don’t like to make the same thing all the time, so I use a lot of recipes…and yours are top of thr list.
Thank you…..also, my omni picky partner loves your recipes, too….
yay! so awesome! i am glad everything turns out amazing!
I soaked my chick peas overnight and then put in only one can of water and the stated amount of coconut cream. The recipe for dried chickpeas in saucepan said to add 2 cups of water. I’m glad I didn’t – it was like soup!!! I cooked it for extra time to try to thicken it up. If you soak the chickpeas overnight aren’t they going to soak up water and therefore need less water in the cooking process? Thanks.
The water evaporates a lot when cooked in a pan in the 40-50 min cooking time. What kind of pan were you using? Did you cover the pot during cooking? You can start with less and add more if needed.
Hi, I followed the saucepan/dried chickpeas recipe. I used just a usual saucepan and covered it for a while and then left the lid off when it was obvious there was a heap of liquid to lose via evaporation. Really just following the recipe. There is a large difference in the liquid added to the recipe version for the canned chickpeas compared to the dried chickpeas. I would think given that the dried chickpeas have soaked overnight and absorbed alot of liquid they don’t then keep absorbing much more liquid in the cooking process??
they do absorb a bit and a a good portion evaporates. I’ll update the recipe to start with less and add more half way through if needed.
Canned chickpeas are already cooked, so they are just getting simmered for a few mins for flavor, so dont need much liquid.
Soaked chickpeas are not cooked, so they need the 50 minute cooking time, which for me usually needs more liquid as it absorbs, evaporates and thickens quickly. As I mentioned earlier, it maybe that the chickpeas didnt absorb enough, they were soaked for longer, the stove was running less hot, hence evaporating less etc. You can definitely start with just a 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and coconut milk and add more half way through if it is thickening to a sauce. Do let me know if try again with lesser liquid and if the amount and cook time worked out! thanks!
Are you to use natural release or quick release please?
natural
Hi, I really enough your recipes. Can you tell me how many grams of Cooked chickpeas and liquid one should use if making this for 6 people? Many thanks and keep up the great work!
Double the recipe and use 2 cans of coconut milk and just 1 cup(240 ml) of water. For gm measure, click the metric link right below the ingredients and the values will convert to gm and ml. and use double values for everything except the water as i mentioned above
Hi! Thank you for the recipe. I tried this last night and the chickpeas were simply delicious. I’ll never go back to canned again! The chickpeas were cooked to perfection and the flavor was there. However, it seemed like there was just too much liquid (coconut milk + H20) that it was soupy. Where I want it to be more saucy, creamy, and thick. Would you recommend trying 1 can of coco milk and 1/2 cup of water?
awesome! yes use less water. chickpeas depending on brand can absorb differently so i kept it soupy. you can start saute for 5 or so mins to thicken too.
Easy and delicious! I added in some sweet potatoes and cooked it on the stove. Will definitely make it again!
yum
Delicious! Because it seemed so simple and with coconut milk i thought it was going to be too sweet, but NOPE! Sooo good. I threw some tofu in there too. It’s a keeper. Thanks!
thanks!
Delicious and super easy to make. This will become a staple meal in our house.
More instant pot curry dishes, please! 🙂
Thanks!
This is so good!!
thanks!
What bowl do you show in the pictures, the one with the curry in it? I love it!
Also excited about the recipe.
its a speckled hand made bowl from a pottery on etsy