This easy spinach chickpea curry is perfect for busy weeknights. It's a rich, fragrant curry that's easy to make and is budget-friendly. Made with just a few store cupboard ingredients and a handful of spices this is a delicious family dinner.
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We love a good curry, so much so that we have one at least once a week. Whether it's a Chickpea and Lentil Curry, Courgette Curry or my favourite Mushroom Curry, I love making them and my family loves eating them! This chickpea curry is a great vegan curry for the whole family. It's not too spicy, so kids can enjoy it too.
We love this with basmati rice and some naan for a tasty curry night dinner. Like all good curries, it's even better the next day, so I recommend saving some for lunch. This curry freezes well too so you could batch cook this and freeze it, making it a great recipe to meal prep.
What You'll Need
- Chickpeas - also known as garbanzo beans, you'll need two cans of chickpeas. Using canned chickpeas saves time but you could easily cook your chickpeas if you want.
- Spinach - I use baby spinach for this as I find it has a milder flavour. This is helpful if you are serving this to spinach-hating kids! I prefer fresh spinach for this recipe but you can use frozen spinach if you prefer.
- Canned Cherry Tomatoes - You will find these with the other canned chopped tomatoes. I prefer these as they are sweeter and the skin adds more texture to this curry. If you can't find them then you can of course use regular chopped tomatoes.
- Other vegetables - You will also need a green bell pepper, a large brown onion, fresh ginger and garlic.
- Spices - You will need garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, fennel seeds and dried red pepper flakes.
- Other ingredients needed - Olive oil, fresh lemon juice, tomato puree (tomato paste) salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How To Make Chickpea Spinach Curry
Please see the recipe card below for full instructions and an ingredient list.
1. Add a little oil to a large lidded pan. Add the finely chopped onions along with a small pinch of salt. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes over medium heat until the onions soften. Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute. Next, add all the spices and cook until the spices release their aromas.
2. Add the chopped green bell pepper and stir until it is covered in spices. Then pour in the cherry tomatoes and add the tomato purée. Fill the can halfway up with cold water and add this to the pan. Stir well and use a wooden spoon to break up the cherry tomatoes. Season the tomato sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Next, add chickpeas to the sauce, and stir well. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often to stop any sauce sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes, the sauce should be thicker now.
4. Add the spinach to the curry and stir until it wilts. Add the lemon juice now. Leave to cool slightly before serving with basmati or brown rice, naan bread, some fresh coriander, and thinly sliced red onion.
Top Tips
- Be careful not to burn the spices. If you overcook the spices they will burn this will make your curry taste bitter.
- When breaking up the cherry tomatoes it is best to use a wooden spoon. Be careful not to burst the cherry tomatoes as they may spit out hot liquid which can burn!
- If you use frozen spinach to make this you will have to adjust the cooking time slightly to account for the extra water from the spinach. You will need to cook this for longer so that the curry will reduce.
FAQs
Yes, you can. Store any leftovers in an airtight container once the curry has cooled. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the curry overnight in the fridge before heating up.
I prefer to reheat the leftovers on the hob. You may need to add a little extra water to the pot as the curry may have thickened once in the fridge. Make sure the curry is piping hot before serving.
Variations
- Don't like spinach? Other leafy greens work too, try kale, chard, spring greens or mustard greens!
- Want to make it creamy? Add in some coconut cream for a rich and creamy curry. Or add in some light coconut milk, this will still give you a creamy curry without as many calories.
- Spice it up! I deliberately make this not too spicy so the whole family can enjoy it. However, if you love a bit of heat add some cayenne pepper when you add the spices.
More Easy Curry Recipes
- Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry - This is another great vegan curry that is perfect for the whole family. It's easy to make and tastes amazing.
- Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry - Creamy and delicious this cauliflower curry, is one of the most popular curries on my site and is a family favourite in my house too.
- Lentil and Potato Curry - This vegan curry is rich and warming, made with green lentils and waxy potatoes.
- Halloumi Curry - Crispy Halloumi in a curry? Yes, please! This is one of my personal favourites and is so easy to make.
More Tasty Dinner Ideas
Chickpea Spinach Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large brown onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic finely minced or put through a garlic press
- 3 tsps finely grated ginger
- 1 medium green bell pepper pith and seeds removed then cut into chunks
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree tomato paste in the USA
- 1 400g / 14.1oz can of cherry tomatoes
- 2 400g / 14 oz cans of chickpeas drained and rinsed under the cold tap
- 110 g / 3¾ cups of baby spinach
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For Serving
- Thinly sliced red onion, fresh corinader, rice and naan optional
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large lidded pan. Add the finely chopped onions along with a small pinch of salt. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes over medium heat until the onions soften. Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute. Next, add all the spices and cook until they release their aromas, this should only take a minute.
- Add the chopped green bell pepper and stir until it is covered in spices.Pour in the cherry tomatoes and add 1 tablespoon of tomato purée. Fill the can halfway with cold water and add this to the pan. Stir well and use a wooden spoon to break up the cherry tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Next, add chickpeas to the sauce, and stir well.Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often to stop any sauce sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the spinach to the curry and stir until it wilts this should take about 5 minutes. Then add the lemon juice.Leave to cool slightly before serving with rice, fresh coriander, and thinly sliced red onion.
Notes
- Sodium Content - To reduce the sodium content look for canned tomatoes that do not contain added salt.
- Nutritional Information - The nutritional information listed is for one serving and does not include rice or naan. All nutritional information shared is an estimate based on third-party calculations. If calorie count and/or nutritional values are important to you, we recommend putting the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on which brands were used. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for the best results.
Annette Chambers
My favourite dish!