Chickpea Lentil Curry – The Hidden Veggies

Chickpea Lentil Curry

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This chickpea lentil curry is quick and easy to make, yet bursting with flavor and filled with healthy veggies and plant-based protein. Tender red lentils simmered with spices, tomatoes, spinach, and chickpeas in a creamy coconut milk sauce!

Chickpea red lentil curry served over white rice one a blue plate.

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❤️ Why make this recipe
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
🔪 Helpful tools
🥄 How to make chickpea lentil curry
👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips
🥡 Storage and reheating
🌟 More easy vegan meals
📋 Chickpea red lentil curry recipe

❤️ Why make this recipe

This vegan red lentil curry is a perfect easy weeknight dinner, yet flavorful enough for a special occasion. Serve this flavorful curry over rice, quinoa, or your favorite grain, or eat it with some naan or flat bread.

Red lentils are small and tender and therefore cook faster than green lentils. They add color, texture, and tons of vegan protein to this easy meal. The spices in this dish will have your taste buds doing a happy dance, and your family and friends will think that you're a master chef!

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions

Olive Oil - to saute the onions, garlic, and aromatics. You can also use coconut oil or any other oil that you choose.
Onion - a medium onion adds flavor, but can be omitted if you don't want to use it.
Garlic - for flavor.
Ginger Root - Fresh ginger root adds lots of flavor to the curry. You can also use 1/2 tsp of ginger powder if you don't have fresh ginger.
Spices - You will need a good quality curry powder for this dish- I love the flavor of Balti Curry in this dish, but you can use garam masala or any yellow Indian curry that you want. You will also need, turmeric, cumin, and red pepper flakes. I also like to add a dash or two of cayenne pepper to make it spicier.
Red Lentils - these are small split lentils that cook quickly. You could use yellow lentils instead if you don't have red ones.
Chickpeas - canned chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed or any cooked chickpeas. You can also swap out the chickpea for other plant-based proteins like fried tofu, seitan, or tempeh.
Tomatoes - a can of diced tomatoes and the juice or 1 1/2 cups of fresh diced tomatoes add flavor and acidity to the dish.
Vegetable Broth - You can use any vegan broth that you like, I like to use my homemade veggie broth. Use a low-sodium broth for a lower-sodium dish.
Baby Spinach - you can also swap this out for chopped kale.
Coconut Milk - full-fat canned coconut milk gives the dish a rich and creamy flavor. You can also use a can of coconut cream instead.
Rice - Sereve the chickpea curry over a bed of basmati rice, brown rice, quinoa, or your favorite grain.

Red lentil curry in a a large blue skillet.

🔪 Helpful tools

Large Frying Pan - you need a large skillet, wok, or heavy-bottomed pot.

🥄 How to make chickpea lentil curry

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

Step 1 - In a large skillet or pot, add the chopped onions to 2 tablespoons of oil then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and sauté for 5 minutes, over medium-low heat stirring frequently.

Step 2 - Add the minced garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and red pepper flakes and warm the spices in the oil and onions for 1 more minute, until fragrant.

Step 3 - Now add the red lentils, canned tomatoes and their juices, drained chickpeas, vegetable broth, and water to the pan. Stir well and turn the heat to high long enough to bring it to a slow boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Onions, garlic, curry, turmeric, and cumin sautéing in a skillet. — Onion, garlic, ginger, and spices.

Chickpea, red lentils, tomatoes, and broth added to a skillet to make curry. — Onion, garlic, ginger, and spices.

Step 4 - Add a can of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream to the lentil and chickpea mixture then stir well and simmer for 5 more minutes

Step 5 - Add the baby spinach and stir until wilted then garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley if desired. Add a dash or two of cayenne pepper to achieve the desired spice level.

Coconut milk added to red lentil chickpea curry. — Stir in a can of coconut milk.

Chopped baby spinach added to red lentil curry. — Stir in a can of coconut milk.

Step 6 - Serve hot over rice or any grain or serve it with Naan or flatbread for dipping.

You can also add some extra creaminess to your red lentil curry by drizzling it with some cashew cream, vegan sour cream, or some vegan yogurt before serving.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

Be sure to saute the onions, garlic, ginger, and other spices in some oil over low heat before adding the rest of the ingredients to bring out the flavors.
Add the coconut milk towards the end of cooking, you will have a creamier sauce if you don't boil the coconut milk.
You can use kale instead of spinach if you would like. To do this chop the kale into small pieces and add it to the dish after the lentils have simmered for about 5 minutes. (Kale needs to cook much longer than spinach.)

A blue skillet filled with vegan chickpea red lentil curry.

🥡 Storage and reheating

Refrigerate: This chickpea lentil curry will keep well in the fridge for 3 - 5 days in an airtight container. ( It tastes reheated and is ideal for meal prep and reheated lunches.)

Freeze: Chickpea curry freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating: Reheat a serving of the curry in the microwave for about 3 minutes or add a few tablespoons of water and reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop.

A blue plate filled with rice and topped with vegan chickpea lentil curry with a fork on the side.

🌟 More easy vegan meals

Vegan Red Curry
Green Curry with Tofu
Vegan Mexican Rice
Vegan Jambalaya
Hakka Noodles
Pumpkin Red Lentil Soup

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!

📋 Chickpea red lentil curry recipe

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