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Skillet Night
Weeknight Mains 3 min read

30-Minute Chickpea Coconut Curry

This 30-minute chickpea coconut curry uses pantry spices, canned chickpeas, and coconut milk. A filling one-skillet vegetarian dinner for easy weeknights.

Chickpea curry in a bowl with fried bread

Canned chickpeas and a can of coconut milk are already dinner if you bloom the spices in oil first. This skillet curry skips a long simmer: onion, garlic, ginger, then tomatoes and coconut milk reduce just enough to coat a spoon.

Chana masala chickpea curry
Photo: Parzeus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1½ cups / 180 g)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1½ tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • ¼ tsp cayenne, or to taste
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) diced tomatoes, with juices
  • 1 can (13.5 oz / 400 ml) full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 cans (15 oz / 425 g each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained (about 3 cups)
  • 2 cups (60 g) baby spinach
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
  • Cooked rice or naan, for serving
  • Cilantro and extra lime, for serving

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent.
  2. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook 30 seconds.
  3. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, and salt. Cook 30 seconds, until the spices darken slightly and smell toasted.
  4. Pour in the diced tomatoes. Cook 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan.
  5. Stir in the coconut milk and chickpeas. Bring to a gentle simmer.
  6. Cook uncovered 10–12 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the sauce thickens and the chickpeas taste seasoned.
  7. Fold in the spinach and cook 1 minute, until wilted.
  8. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and add salt if the coconut milk dulled the spices.
  9. Serve over rice or with naan, topped with cilantro.

Cook’s note

Chopped kale or frozen spinach both work. Kale needs 3 extra minutes; frozen spinach should be squeezed dry first so it does not thin the sauce.

What to serve with it

Steamed jasmine rice, warm naan, or toasted pita. A squeeze of lime at the table is not optional — coconut milk dulls spice as it sits.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Better on day two. Cool, refrigerate up to 4 days. The sauce thickens in the fridge; loosen with a splash of water when you reheat. Freezes well for a month without the spinach; add greens fresh.

Troubleshooting

If the curry tastes sweet and vague, the spices did not bloom in oil. Next time, cook the curry powder in the fat until it smells toasted before adding tomatoes. If it is too thick, add water, not more coconut milk.