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This 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry is a creamy one pot curry of chickpeas and spinach in a lightly spiced coconut and tomato sauce, thickened with ground almonds. It takes about 10 minutes, serves 4 and uses store cupboard ingredients. If you like a quick curry, try my 10 Minute Peanut Butter Curry too.
10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry at a Glance
James's tipKeep the heat at medium to high once the coconut milk goes in, so the sauce thickens in the 5 minutes. If it is still thin, stir in a little more ground almonds.
Key ingredients
- Chickpeas
- Spinach
- Coconut milk
- Ground almonds
Why you'll love it
- About 536 kcal and 13g fibre a portion
- Ready in 10 minutes
- Mild, so all the family can eat it
Quick summary
This curry softens onion and garlic in oil, stirs in paprika, cayenne, ground coriander, chilli flakes and tomato puree, then simmers chickpeas, coconut milk, stock and ground almonds for 5 minutes before the spinach wilts in. It serves 4 and is about 536 kcal a portion.
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Why this recipe works
One pot cooking is my favourite kind of dinner. Minimal effort, lots of flavour and not much washing up. Once you have made this curry, I think it will become a regular.
This is the dish for when you do not have much time and fancy something comforting, especially in the colder months. You will be surprised how much flavour it has for such a short cooking time. The more you make it, the quicker you get, and once you have made it a couple of times it easily takes under 10 minutes.
My 10 Minute Peanut Butter Curry was so popular that I wanted another curry with different flavours that is just as quick. On a slower day, my Slow Cooker Chickpea Curry does the work for you while you get on with something else.
Ingredients to make 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry
- Garlic: Adds a gentle warmth and more flavour.
- Onion: I use a white onion, but a red onion works too.
- Paprika: Gives a round, smoky flavour to the sauce.
- Cayenne Pepper: Adds depth and a gentle heat.
- Ground Coriander: A fresh, floral and citrusy spice.
- Chilli Flakes: A pinch gives a subtle heat.
- Tomato Puree: Adds flavour and body to the sauce.
- Chickpeas: Add protein and texture. Drain and rinse them first. If you have a tin spare, try my Chickpea Tuna Salad.
- Vegetable Stock: A stock cube or pot with 200ml water. There is no need to make the stock up first: add the water straight to the pan and crumble in the cube.
- Coconut Milk: Makes the curry creamy and adds a subtle nutty flavour without tasting strongly of coconut.
- Ground Almonds: Thicken the sauce and add depth of flavour. I also use ground almonds in my Peanut Butter Granola to help it bind.
- Spinach: Adds greenery. Kale works nicely too, and frozen spinach is fine.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Coconut Milk: Reduced fat coconut milk works. If you cannot have coconut, use soya cream or single cream let down with a little water. Coconut milk is hard to replace in a curry, so the sauce will taste a little different.
- Chickpeas: Swap them for another white bean, such as cannellini or butter beans. For a butter bean dinner, try my Creamy Butterbeans.
- Spinach: Use another leafy green such as kale or spring greens. Add kale a minute or two earlier, as it takes longer to soften.
- Spices: If you are missing a spice or do not like one, leave it out. The other spices still give plenty of flavour. You could also use 1 to 2 tsp mild curry powder instead.
- Ground Almonds: Almond flour is the same thing and works just as well. For nut free, leave them out for a slightly runnier curry, or try a spoonful of desiccated coconut.
Variations
- Kid friendly: This curry is mild, so most children enjoy it. If yours are sensitive to spice, reduce or leave out the cayenne pepper and chilli flakes. My 10 Minute Creamy Tomato Soup is another quick one children like.
- Deluxe: For dinner guests, serve it with lime wedges, chopped coriander and naan, brown rice or quinoa. Finish with my Vegan Chocolate Tart, which takes 10 minutes to prepare.
- Spicy: This curry is mild. For more heat, double the cayenne pepper and chilli flakes, or top with chopped fresh chillies.
- More vegetables: Cauliflower and mushrooms both work. Add them with the onion and cook for a few minutes longer before the spices go in.
How to make 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry
Step 1: Dice the onion and crush the garlic. Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until the onion softens.
Step 2: Add the paprika, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, chilli flakes and tomato puree and stir for a minute.
Step 3: Add the drained chickpeas, coconut milk, 200ml water, the stock cube or pot and the ground almonds. Cook on a medium to high heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens.
Step 4: Take off the heat and stir through the spinach until it wilts. Serve with brown rice or quinoa (my How to Cook Quinoa guide makes it easy), my Best Gluten Free Naan Bread and some chopped coriander.
Hint: If your curry is watery, turn the heat up so it bubbles and reduces, add a little more ground almonds, or use a little less water next time. Brands of coconut milk vary, and some are thinner than others.
Leftovers
This curry is good for meal prep. Cool it quickly, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it within 2 days. It freezes well for up to 2 months: thaw it in the fridge overnight, then reheat it in a pan over a low heat, stirring, until steaming hot all the way through. Reheat it only once, and add a splash of water if it has thickened. If you are filling the freezer, my 15 Minute Chickpea Stew is another quick one.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Leave out the ground almonds for a slightly runnier curry, or try a spoonful of desiccated coconut to thicken it. Without the almonds it is about 449 kcal a portion.
Yes, for up to 2 months. Cool it quickly and freeze it in airtight containers. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then reheat it over a low heat until steaming hot all the way through. Reheat it only once.
Yes. Swap the chickpeas for another white bean, such as cannellini or butter beans.
No, it is mild so all the family can enjoy it. If you are sensitive to spice, reduce or leave out the cayenne pepper and chilli flakes. For more heat, double them or top with chopped fresh chillies.
The heat may be too low for it to reduce, or your coconut milk may be a thinner brand. Turn the heat up so it bubbles for the 5 minutes, add a little more ground almonds, or use a little less water next time.
Cauliflower and mushrooms both work: add them with the onion and cook for a few minutes longer. For a curry that is all cauliflower, try my Cauliflower Curry.
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10 Minute Chickpea & Spinach Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 onion, roughly diced
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained
- 1 veg stock cube/pot
- 200 ml water
- 1 can coconut milk
- 60 g ground almonds
- 200 g spinach
Instructions
- Firstly, dice the onion and crush the garlic. Add to a pot with oil over a medium heat for a few minutes until the onion softens
- Now add all the spices, tomato puree and stir
- Add the drained chickpeas, coconut milk, 200ml water, the stock cube or pot and the ground almonds, and cook on a medium/high heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens
- Finally, take off the heat and stir through the spinach until it wilts
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Rookie question, do we need to drain the chickpeas? I was going to as there is already stock plus the coconut milk, but the can says to heat them including the liquid????
Not a rookie question Kirsty. I personally prefer to drain and rinse my canned chickpeas 🙂
Hi James! My curry turned out watery instead of creamy. I followed the instrcuctions, but somehow I failed. Where did you think I went wrong? Thanks.
Hey Alexa, sorry that it didn’t turn out ok for you 🙁 it could be a couple things. You didn’t cook it on high enough heat to help reduce it faster. Brands of coconut milk can differ, some are more liquid than others.
Next turn I suggest either adding more ground almonds, less stock or cooking on a higher heat or for slightly longer.
Lovely curry my husband and I really enjoyed it although I did add more cayenne pepper. We had half and put the rest in the freezer for another day.
We had it with cauliflower rice which complimented it very well!
Glad you enjoyed it Sue 🙂 thanks for sharing your feedback!
Great recipe! Easy and full of flavour. I will definitely make this again!
Delicious!!!
Hi James, looks amazing. I’m going to make it for my husbands birthday. He’s asked for a curry but he doesn’t like the taste of coconut milk. Do you think I can sub it with oat milk or another dairy free milk? Avril
Hey Avril, good question! I don’t really think the coconut flavour comes through that much in this curry nor most of my curries apart from the Thai ones.
But replacing with another dairy free milk may work (I haven’t ever tried it) but I would add some soya cream into it as well to help replace the missing coconut cream.
You could also try a different curry which you definitely don’t get the coconut flavour such as:
https://healthylivingjames.co.uk/apricot-butternut-squash-cashew-curry/
https://healthylivingjames.co.uk/sweet-potato-chickpea-curry/
Let me know how you get on 🙂
Amazing you did it again! Tastes delicious, I also added some mushrooms and served with a slice of lemon, turned out perfect. You’re the best <3
Aww thank you Daniela 🙂 so pleased you enjoyed it and thank you for sharing your feedback!
Amazing, you did it again! A great recipe, I added some extra mushrooms and served with a slice of lemon. Super good <3
Hi!
I think what Ewa means is that there isn’t any curry powder or curry paste used in this dish.
Hey Emily,
Thanks for commenting!
I have a cumin allergy so can’t use curry paste or powder so all my curries come from my own mixture of spices 🙂
Hope this helps.
James
I think you have forgotten about the curry in your recipie ; -)
Hey Ewa,
How do you mean?
James