This Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry is my favorite kind of vegetarian comfort food! It’s packed with fiber from chickpeas and sweet potatoes, and comes together in a sauce of juicy crushed tomatoes and creamy coconut milk.
Chickpea curry is my kind of comfort food
I was actually vegetarian for the major part of my childhood and teen years, and that’s when I fell in love with all kinds of creamy, warming vegetable curries. This Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry is one of my all-time favorites, just because it’s so good. I’ve been making it for DECADES, that’s how anciently old I am now, ha!
I pack this curry with fresh garlic and ginger for a major flavor punch, plus red onion because it’s far superior to yellow onion here for some reason; creamy sweet potato and plenty of chickpeas for fiber and plant protein. One serving of this curry will give you around 14g of fiber!
The base gets some tomato paste for color and flavor, plus a hefty dose of toasted spices. Then, everything simmers with juicy crushed tomatoes and creamy coconut milk. Don’t worry, everything comes together quickly in one single pan – it sounds much more complicated than it is!
In my house, this goes over basmati rice or quinoa, plus we often have it with a side of sliced Persian cucumber I douse in olive oil and any kind of vinegar I have lying around – as seen in the candid dinnertime pics above!
For a special treat, I like to serve Naan bread with the curry too, sometimes.
A few tips and opinions I have about this chickpea curry recipe
- Onion: Like I mentioned already, I do prefer red onion in this recipe for some reason. Yellow works great, too. But try it with red if you can!
- Ginger/garlic: I want to say using fresh is non-negotiable here, and it really kind of is, however this is real life and if you’re in a pinch and all you have is dried – yes, it will work. It just has quite a different taste.
- Coconut milk: I mostly use organic coconut milk without any additives. I do use light coconut milk occasionally on nights I crave something comforting but not as rich, and it works great. It does not have the same creaminess or thickness to it though.
- Broth: I like to use vegetable broth, but chicken broth works fine.
- Coconut oil: My favorite! But you can use any neutral-ish cooking oil that works well in a dish like this. Ghee is also very delicious.
Important! Vegetable dicing size.
This may sound dramatic, but I think it’s REALLY important to dice the vegetables small in this recipe. It just enhances the texture, and everything cooks much more evenly.
Try to get the onion diced really finely. It will feel like it melts into the sauce and helps to make it thicker and creamier.
The sweet potato, dice it the size of the chickpeas or just a tiny bit larger! It may seem like a nuisance and taking extra time – but it’s worth it.
And about the cooking time: It’s really important to give this curry time to simmer for an adequate amount of time. First 20 minutes covered, and then 15-25 minutes uncovered.
The uncovered simmering time helps the curry to thicken, and finishes cooking the vegetables. The green beans tend to take the longest and my family hates when they feel “squeaky”, so I usually simmer for 25mins uncovered.
And that’s all I have to say – thanks for reading my essay about chickpea curry 😅🤣
Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil (I use coconut oil)
- 1 medium-large red onion (finely diced (about 1 heaping cup))
- 4 medium cloves garlic (minced (about 3-4 teaspoons))
- 1- inch piece ginger (minced (about 1 teaspoon))
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 medium sweet potato (diced small (about 2 cups))
- 1 cup green beans (trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 1 (15-oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (~14-oz) can coconut milk
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Spices
- 2 teaspoons EACH ground cumin and ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon EACH garam masala and chili powder (chili optional, can use ground paprika for a mild curry)
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep: This recipe works best in a ~3.5 quart deep skillet or braiser. Get your ingredients ready.
- Sauté aromatics: Heat your pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and stir in the onion. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, until softening.Stir in the garlic and ginger, then stir in the tomato paste and sauté for 1-2 more minutes.2 tablespoons oil, 1 medium-large red onion, 4 medium cloves garlic, 1- inch piece ginger, 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Add vegetables and spices: Stir the sweet potatoes, green beans and chickpeas into your pan.Make some space in the middle, then add the spices to that space and stir them in place for 30 seconds, then stir them into the vegetables and toast/sauté everything for 2-3 more minutes.1 medium sweet potato, 1 cup green beans, 2 teaspoons EACH ground cumin and ground coriander, 1 teaspoon EACH garam masala and chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas
- Add liquids: Add the tomatoes, coconut milk and broth to the pan. Stir well, then season with salt and pepper to taste.1 (15-oz) can crushed tomatoes, 1 (~14-oz) can coconut milk, ½ cup vegetable broth, salt & pepper
- Simmer: Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook covered for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice.Uncover, stir well, then simmer for another 15-25 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked to your liking and the curry has thickened.Stir from time to time to prevent sticking. If the curry thickens too much, thin it with a little additional broth.
- Serve: We like this served over rice, topped with finely diced red onion and cilantro, chopped chili for the grown-ups and possibly some natural yogurt for those who deem it too spicy.
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