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This easy Chickpea Lentil Curry takes around 45 minutes to make and is full of Indian flavors. It's a healthy vegan recipe that's made with both chickpeas and lentils, making it extra hearty and delicious.
I figure it’s about time to share a few more cozy recipes before the weather officially starts warming up. Insert: chickpea lentil curry, aka the BEST vegan lentil curry ever.
I adore my sweet potato curry farro recipe -- and I know many of you do too -- but I realized I didn’t have any traditional curry recipes on my site. Well, until now!
This lentil curry is seasoned with everything you want in a curry recipe: shallot, garlic, curry powder, garam masala, and cumin, and the lentils are cooked in tomato sauce and coconut milk for a rich, warm, comforting meatless meal.
If you’re looking for more Indian-inspired recipes, be sure to check out my vegan tikka masala and my butternut squash curry -- both plant-based and so delicious.
Why you’ll love this chickpea lentil curry
- It’s made with classic Indian spices
- The recipe is filled with lentils and chickpeas, and is ready in under 45 minutes
- Delicious served with a side of basmati rice and/or naan
Ingredient notes:
- Lentils: Green or brown, NOT red; green and brown lentils cook similarly, whereas red are smaller in size and therefore result in a different texture and generally take less time to cook.
- Chickpeas: Canned; drained and rinsed. Since they’re canned, they’re already cooked, so you’ll essentially just be simmering them in the sauce so they soak up the flavor.
- Coconut milk: Canned; full fat or light -- whatever you have in your pantry!
- Tomato sauce: Make sure to use PLAIN + CANNED tomato sauce; most jarred tomato sauces are meant for Italian recipes, so we want to make sure to use plain-seasoned tomato sauce from a can (check the ingredients!)
- Carrot/Bell pepper: Could sub 1 medium sweet potato instead (see “tips and tricks” below)
Step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Sauté. Start by heating oil in a large, deep skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots and bell pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes until soft.
Step 2: Add the spices. Next, add the shallot and garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add all of the spices and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 3: Cook the lentils. Pour in the tomato sauce, coconut milk, lentils, and water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover the skillet and cook for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Add the chickpeas. Last, add the chickpeas and ½ cup more water and continue simmering uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the lentils are soft.
Tips and tricks
-Be sure to rinse both the lentils and chickpeas before adding them to the skillet
-Check your can of tomato sauce to make sure there aren’t any Italian spices in it, like basil or oregano. I used Muir Glen canned tomato sauce, with the only ingredients being tomato puree, onion powder and garlic powder and it worked out perfectly in this recipe.
-Curry is great because it’s fairly easy to customize based on what’s in your refrigerator; if you want to add sweet potato to this, you can! If you want to add spinach, you can! It’s a great way to squeeze vegetables into your diet.
-Add-ins: Besides adding more veggies, you can also add lime juice to taste (I’d start with 1 tablespoon and go from there) and an extra drizzle of dairy-free milk (any kind, or more coconut milk), or if you’re not vegan, a drizzle of heavy cream, which will make the dish even creamier.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store curry in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Wait for curry to cool, then spoon it into freezer-safe bags, removing as much air as possible. Store curry in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat curry in a saucepan over the stove, stirring occasionally until it’s warmed through.
More tasty lentil recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Chickpea Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced, seeds removed
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- 14 oz. tomato sauce canned
- 14 oz. coconut milk canned
- 1 cup dry brown or green lentils rinsed
- ½ cup water plus more
- 14 oz. chickpeas canned, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon lime juice optional
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or dutch oven over medium heat, then add the carrot and pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the shallot and garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Next, add the spices (curry powder, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, salt, coriander) and stir for 1 minute or until fragrant, then pour in the tomato sauce, coconut milk, lentils and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Next, remove the lid and add the chickpeas, along with ½ cup additional water and stir. Continue simmering for 10-15 minutes uncovered until the lentils are soft. Remove from the heat, and add lime juice (optional) and more salt as needed. Enjoy!
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Notes
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Marita says
Nice recipe overall! I didn't have the correct spices on hand, but did my best to use a different combo of spices to enhance the overall flavor. The one thing that didn't pan out was the lentils softening enough. They remained hard / tough in the center, even after 30 minutes of total cook time + extra water added. I read online that adding salt to a dish prior to cooking your lentils can make them stay hard, so maybe next time I'd just add the salt at the end? Never cooked with lentils before, so this is new territory for me!