Quick curries are my favorite kind of weeknight dinner because they’re incredibly flavorful, require very little effort, and the leftovers are even better the next day. Plus, that creamy curry sauce makes everything taste good, so you can pack them with all sorts of nutrient-dense goodies, like chickpeas and kale. So basically, what I’m trying to say is, you need to make this budget-friendly Chickpea Curry ASAP!
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“This recipe is amazing – I’ve made it multiple times now and crave the curry flavor for days every time I make it. I did add a bit extra fresh ginger and put some garam masala in as well. Flavor is perfection. Be sure to simmer the sauce until it turns a darker brown – that’s when the flavor really matures and becomes bold.”
Janie
Quick and Easy Coconut Curry Chickpeas
Meals like these coconut curry chickpeas make my life SO much easier. Like, there’s nothing better than a home-cooked meal that practically cooks itself. I only use a handful of ingredients to make this warm and hearty dish, most of which I purposefully keep on hand for last-minute curry fixes. Creamy coconut milk, pantry curry powder, and tomato sauce come together with chickpeas and kale for a cozy, filling meal. It’s an insanely easy, totally budget-friendly take on a traditional curry, and it’s vegan and dairy-free too!
Recipe Success Tips
- Curry powders can vary quite a bit in flavor from brand to brand, so make sure you experiment to find one that you enjoy. I’ve personally never met a curry powder that I didn’t like. I usually use the Kroger store brand yellow curry powder. You can use ANY curry powder you like, but you definitely want to make sure it’s fresh! Old spices that have been sitting in your pantry a while begin to lose flavor and become dull and bland with time.
- You also have the option to use either hot or mild curry powder. If you enjoy spicy foods, you can use a hot curry powder, OR simply add some crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper to the dish when adding the curry powder and cumin.
- These curried chickpeas are delicately spiced. If you like a bolder flavor, don’t be shy about adjusting the spices. You can add an extra clove of garlic or another teaspoon of fresh ginger for more depth. The cumin can also be increased to taste. For even more warmth and complexity, try adding garam masala. I’d start with ½ teaspoon in addition to the cumin, or swap it in for the cumin altogether if that’s what you have on hand.
- Add salt to taste. I usually add ½ teaspoon at the end. The amount you need will vary depending on the curry powder you use and if you rinse your canned chickpeas (this removes sodium). Your curried chickpeas will taste bland if you don’t add salt to taste.
Chickpea Curry
Cost $8.66 recipe / $2.17 serving
Ingredients
- 1½ Tbsp curry powder ($0.78*)
- 1 tsp cumin ($0.09)
- 1 yellow onion (diced, $0.99)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced, $0.12)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger (grated, $0.10)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.36)
- 2 15 oz. cans chickpeas (drained, $1.84)
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce ($0.48**)
- 13.5 oz. can coconut milk (full-fat, $3.28)
- 4 oz. kale (chopped. (about 3 cups) $0.62***)
Instructions
- Gather all of your ingredients. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Chop the kale if you're not using pre-chopped.
- Add the curry powder and cumin to a dry, large deep skillet over medium-low. Stir and cook for about one minute to toast the spices.
- Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the skillet along with the olive oil. Sauté the aromatics for about five minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Drain the chickpeas, then add them to the skillet along with the tomato sauce and coconut milk. Stir everything to combine.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high to bring the sauce up to a simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat back down to medium-low and allow the curry to continue to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the kale and stir it into the sauce. Continue to cook and stir until the kale has wilted to your desired tenderness (I cook for about 5 minutes more). Finally, taste the curry and add salt to taste (about ½ tsp). Serve hot with rice or bread for dipping!
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Coconut Curry Chickpeas Step-by-Step Photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
This is the curry powder I’m using today. It’s the Kroger store brand yellow curry powder, which is a cheap option with lots of flavor. You can use any curry powder from any brand! I recommend going for one that you already love.
Prep the fresh ingredients: Dice 1 yellow onion, mince 2 cloves of garlic, and grate about 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger. You should also chop your kale so it’s ready to go for later. I buy the pre-chopped bagged kale to make this easier.
Toast the spices: Add 1½ Tbsp curry powder and 1 tsp cumin to a dry, large deep skillet over medium heat. Toast the spices for about a minute, to release their essential oils and unlock deeper, more complex flavors.
Add the aromatics: Now add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the skillet along with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté the aromatics over medium-low heat for about five minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent.
Make the curry: Drain 2 cans of chickpeas, then add them to the skillet along with 8 oz. tomato sauce and a 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk (full fat). Stir until everything is evenly combined, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it continue to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the greens: Add 4 oz. (about three cups) of fresh chopped kale to the skillet.
Cook: Continue to cook and stir until the kale has wilted to your desired tenderness. I enjoy the kale with a bit more texture, so I only simmer for a few minutes more. Taste the curry and add salt to taste to help the flavors pop (about ½ tsp).
How to Serve Coconut Curry Chickpeas
This warm and saucy dish is great over white rice, crusty bread, or homemade naan for dipping. You definitely want some sort of starchy goodness to soak up all of that sauce! I loooove my coconut rice with this curry for a full punch of coconut flavor. You can also experiment with topping your chickpeas with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, or our raw onion chutney. If you’ve got the time and a spare sheet of puff pastry, go ahead and make our easy puff pastry samosas and enjoy them alongside your chickpeas! I also think a light, creamy cucumber salad would be delicious.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. This chickpea curry also freezes beautifully, making it great for meal prep. Let it cool completely, then transfer to freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, or microwave until heated through. Mix in a little water (or coconut milk, if you have some spare!) to loosen the consistency if it becomes too thick during reheating.
More Easy Chickpea Recipes
Our Chickpea Curry recipe was originally published 8/2/23. We have updated it to be the best it can be and republished 1/12/26.
Could I use a can of diced tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce for this? I have so many cans of diced tomatoes in my pantry to use
If you don’t mind the chunks of tomato in this dish, It should be okay. Keep in mind that a can of diced tomatoes is usually 14.5 oz and this calls for an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, so you may not want to add the full can of diced tomatoes to avoid it overpowering some of the other flavors and being too watery.
really good vegetarian recipe for meatless monday. everyone enjoyed it, and i think it will be a staple! :)) (will add that i doubled the seasonings and added paprika!!)
I made this recipe for the first time earlier this week. It was delicious! It definitely needed more salt than I thought and was surprisingly not spicy. The spiciness is most likely due to the brand of curry I bought I’ve been reading through the reviews and am excited to try some of the ideas to give it a little more of a kick.
It was an easy recipe with clear instructions. I’ll definitely make this again… Just will definitely add more salt!
I made this when I had some friends over and everyone went back for seconds! I added a few pinches of asafoetida for extra flavor. Really good and easy to make. Another BB winner!
I had extra cans of chickpeas after my son went back to college that have been hanging around in the cupboard for months! I searched your recipe bank for “chickpea” recipes and found this one. I am usually not a big fan of them, but I wanted to use up food that I already purchased. I seriously LOVED this recipe! I have made it twice in one week! I made it almost exactly as written, but I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used the shaker of ginger spice. The smell! The taste! I thought it was even better the next day! Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
I made this jyst now. Very tasty but I like things spicier so added Garam Masala, more garlic, dried ginger as well as fresh…didn’t have kale but had Swiss chard. I think any green leafy veg would prob be fine. Then upon tasting it decided I’d do the “unthinkable”, I wanted it a bit sweet so added in a bunch if frozen pineapple! I know. I know. But it’s delicious and we are about to eat it with my basmati rice! Thanks for the recipe!
This recipe has seen me through college! Easy, cheap and healthy and (bonus) always leaves my house smelling great. Sometimes I add a cubed block of tofu for some more protein.
This recipe is amazing – I’ve made it multiple times now and crave the curry flavor for days every time I make it. I did add a bit extra fresh ginger and put some garam masala in as well. Flavor is perfection. Be sure to simmer the sauce until it turns a darker brown – that’s when the flavor really matures and becomes bold.
This is right down my alley! I LOVE coconut curry and chickpeas, and I need more kale in my diet! Thank you!
I have been in a homecooked meal funk lately. Everything I’ve made has not come out how I wanted. This recipe brought me out of the funk, and I can’t wait to eat my leftovers tomorrow. I didn’t read the comments beforehand, but in hindsight, I would’ve added more garlic and ginger. Garam masala in addition to cumin would’ve been great too. I happened to have Kashmiri red chili on hand which really added some depth. I also sprinkled in about half a tsp of chicken bouillon to round it out at the end, along with lots of salt and pepper.
I made this last night and really liked it–now my somewhat off-topic question is, does anyone else’s whole house smell like curry afterwards? Lol
This is amazing! Easy, healthy, cheap, and filling. I have to keep low sodium so I cut way down on the salt and the flavor was so good as a low sodium dish. Definitely a recipe I will keep in my regular rotation!
So good, easy, and cheap. I didn’t realize the curry powder I bought was mild so I tried to spice it up a bit by adding some cayenne powder and red pepper flakes at the end. Will probably toast the spices next time to bring the flavor out since it didn’t add too much heat. Still – fantastic!
I have made this so many times. It’s comforting and so yummy! We like to eat it with some naan on the side for dipping.
Was looking for a meal with more fiber content and found this recipe. Loved the familiar flavours of this curry! I added 1 can of chickpeas and upped the amount of kale. Very glad that this is dairy-free. Will make again!