Creamy Chickpea and Lentil Curry

It’s not always a good thing when your pulse rate doubles, but the duo of legumes in this chickpea and lentil curry is certainly something to shout about. Combining aromatics, spices, spinach, and coconut milk, you'll be hard-pressed to stop after just one serving.

This recipe uses tinned chickpeas and green lentils, but you could mix and match these with virtually any canned beans you like (i.e. they've already been cooked and simply need to be drained and rinsed).

For more delicious curried legumes in your life, check out these recipes for easy chana masala, cauliflower chickpea curry, and vegan biryani.

Why you'll love it

• It's a great one to batch-cook and freeze for future meals
• You'll get a nice variety of textures from the chickpeas and green lentils
• Those healthy legumes are packed full of minerals, vitamins, fibre, and plant-based protein
• If you want to reduce the fat, you can easily substitute the coconut milk for a lighter version (or an alternative such as homemade cashew cream)

Recipe testing notes

• Coconut milk: When adding this (towards the end of cooking), make sure the heat is turned down to low otherwise the coconut milk may split/curdle.
• Dried pulses: This recipe uses tinned chickpeas and green lentils, which have already been cooked as part of the canning process. If using dried pulses, prepare these separately before using in this recipe (check out my post on how to cook dried chickpeas).
• Frozen spinach: You can easily use frozen spinach instead of fresh, and I often do in recipes like this one. You'll want to add this earlier on in the cooking process to make sure it's heated through.

Can you eat chickpeas with lentils?

You can certainly combine chickpeas and lentils in your cooking, with this curry recipe being a great example of how to double up on legumes. Here you'll use tinned chickpeas and tinned green lentils, which you simply need to drain and rinse before adding to the curry base.

For more green lentil recipes, check out this mushroom and lentil biryani or this vegan cottage pie. If it's more chickpeas you want, try your hand at homemade hummus or 15-minute chickpea stew.

Spices for this curry

Alongside the onion, garlic, ginger, and chilli, this curry uses ground cumin, fenugreek, turmeric, and garam masala (which itself is a blend of spices often added towards the end of cooking).

I also like to include fresh coriander along with the garam masala, as well as for serving. This is optional, but a great way to add fragrance to any curry (unless you can't stand the taste, of course).

To get more spice in your life, check out my full list of vegan curry recipes.

Calories and nutrition – chickpea and lentil curry

In one serving of this chickpea and lentil curry, you'll find:

• Calories: 331 kcal
• Protein: 14 g (28% of RDA)
• Fat: 16 g (25%)
• Fibre: 12 g (50% of RDA)
• Vitamin C: 43 mg (52% of RDA)
• Iron: 8 mg (44% of RDA)

(Data from a third-party nutrition calculator. Doesn't include sides such as rice.)

What you'll need

To make this dish, you'll need the following:

• Chickpeas and lentils as the star ingredients
• Spices and aromatics (see spices section above for more info)
• Tomatoes to help form the curry base
• Coconut milk to create a creamy final consistency
• Spinach for added nutrients and colour
• Lime to lift all of the other flavours

How to make chickpea and lentil curry

Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat and add the chopped onion.

Sprinkle with salt and soften for 6-8 minutes.

Stir in the chopped garlic, ginger, and chilli, and cook for another few minutes.

After a few minutes, add the cumin, fenugreek, and turmeric.

Mix well and cook for another minute, adding a little more oil if needed.

Next, stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.

Add a little water to the empty tin, swirl it around, and add this to the pan.

After a few minutes, add the drained chickpeas and lentils along with the water (or stock).

Mix well, bring to a gentle simmer, then turn down the heat and cook on low for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly.

You can add more water if the curry seems too thick, but bear in mind you'll also be adding coconut milk.

After 8-10 minutes, stir in the coconut milk and spinach (you may need to add the leaves one handful at a time to help them wilt down).

Add half the zest and all the juice of the lime, mix well, and cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in the garam masala and fresh coriander and cook for another couple of minutes.

Adjust the seasoning to taste, adding any extra salt or lime zest, and serve.

Serving suggestions

To finish off your curry, try toppings such as fresh coriander, sliced spring onions, cucumber raita, lime wedges, or plant-based yoghurt. Suggestions for sides include:

Rice: boiled basmati, boiled wholegrain, homemade pilau rice

Bread: chapati, naan, puri

Potato: baked potato, roast potatoes, wedges

Other: poppadoms, roasted squash, roasted cauliflower

Recipe FAQ

Variations and tips for lentil and chickpea curry

• Quantity: You can easily stretch this further with more lentils or chickpeas, an extra tin of tomatoes, and a little extra water if necessary.
• Frozen spinach: This will be fine here – just make sure you add it earlier on in the cooking process so that it's heated through.
• Make it healthier: If you want to reduce the fat in your diet, try swapping the coconut milk for a light version, homemade cashew cream, or simply extra water/stock.
• Other spices: Examples of other fragrant spices you could use include cardamom (4-6 pods), cloves (3-4), fennel seeds (1 teaspoon), or ground coriander (1 teaspoon).

More vegan recipe ideas

If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:

You can also check out my full collection of vegan curry recipes.