- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 2 tbsp
- 3 cloves
- 1 tbsp
- 2 tbsp
- 1 tsp
- 1 tsp
- 1 tsp
- 800 g
- 400 ml
- 400 g
- 250 ml
- 1 tsp
- 100 g
- 15 g
Process
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Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in the curry powder, ground turmeric, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low and let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
Stir in the salt and the fresh spinach if using. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the spinach is wilted.
Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Serve hot, garnished with fresh cilantro.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is adding the ground spices to a dry or overheated pot; they burn in seconds and turn the curry bitter. Keep the heat at medium and stir constantly for the full 60 seconds after adding them.
- The curry is done when it coats the back of a spoon and a trail drawn through the pot stays visible for a second; if it is still watery, simmer 3-5 more minutes uncovered, but do not let it reduce past that or the coconut milk can split.
- Use full-fat coconut milk, not light, and do not boil it hard; a gentle simmer keeps the sauce creamy instead of grainy. Shake the can well before opening so the cream and water are combined.
- Add the lime juice only after the pot is off the heat; boiling it dulls the fresh flavor and makes the curry taste flat. Taste for salt after the lime, since acid makes the need for salt more obvious.
Substitutions
- fresh spinach→frozen spinach, 100 g, added straight from frozen and cooked 3-4 minutes
- coconut milk→full-fat oat cream or cashew cream, same 400 ml amount, for a nut-free or lighter option
- vegetable broth→water plus 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
- chickpeas→cooked red lentils, 600 g, simmered 10 minutes instead of 15
Storage & reheating
Cool the curry within 1 hour, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days; keep the cilantro and lime separate and add them after reheating. It freezes well for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container, but the spinach will soften further, so freeze before adding spinach if you can. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it reaches 74°C, about 5-7 minutes; if it looks thick, loosen with 2-3 tbsp water or broth. Microwave in a covered bowl on high in 1-minute bursts, stirring between, until steaming hot.
Gallery
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my chickpea coconut curry turn out bitter?
The usual cause is scorching the ground spices in step 3. Curry powder, turmeric, cumin and coriander burn in under a minute over medium-high heat, so keep the heat at medium and stir constantly for exactly 1 minute. If it already tastes bitter, add 1 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp coconut milk to round it out, but the burnt note will not fully disappear.
Can I use dried chickpeas instead of canned?
Yes. Soak 250 g dried chickpeas overnight, drain, then simmer in unsalted water for 60-90 minutes until tender, and use them in place of the 800 g canned chickpeas. Add them at step 4 as written, but simmer the curry for 20 minutes instead of 15 so they absorb the spices. Canned chickpeas are already cooked, so they only need the 15 minutes in the recipe.
How do I know when the curry is done?
It is ready when the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon and a line drawn through it on the pot bottom holds for a second, usually after the 15-minute simmer in step 5. The chickpeas should be hot all the way through and the spinach fully wilted. If it is still thin, simmer uncovered 3-5 more minutes, but stop before the coconut milk looks oily or separated.
Can I make this chickpea coconut curry ahead of time?
Yes, and it often tastes better the next day. Cook through step 5, cool within 1 hour, and refrigerate up to 4 days; add the spinach, lime and cilantro only when reheating so they stay bright. Reheat gently to 74°C, stirring often, and add a splash of broth or water if it has thickened too much.
Can I freeze this curry, and how do I reheat it?
Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months, ideally before adding the spinach, since spinach gets soft on thawing. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat to 74°C, about 5-7 minutes, stirring so the coconut milk does not split. If the sauce separates, whisk in 1-2 tbsp warm water to bring it back together.
Can I use frozen or canned spinach and canned tomatoes?
Yes to both. Use 100 g frozen spinach straight from frozen in step 6 and cook 3-4 minutes until hot, and use the 400 g canned diced tomatoes exactly as listed. If you only have fresh tomatoes, use 450 g chopped and simmer 5 minutes longer to break them down. Avoid creamed spinach, which changes the texture and adds dairy.
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