This delicious one pot 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry is an easy vegan curry that you need in your life. It's low in calories and fat (just 123 calories for a big serving) and you just tip everything into the pan and it’s ready less than 10 minutes later. Bursting with iron rich spinach and protein packed chickpeas, this chickpea curry recipe freezes well and it's absolutely delicious and easy to adapt depending on how spicy you like it.
This chickpea spinach curry (also known as Chana Palak curry, or Chana Palak Masala) is one of those recipes that we make almost every week. The whole family loves it.
We always have the ingredients in the cupboard to make this, so when we haven't got anything else planned and we need something quick, easy and healthy, we make this.
It's really easy to adapt too, with different beans or greens, and even different spices too. We are always making it a different way to keep it interesting.
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Why You Will Love It
- This chickpea curry recipe takes less than 10 minutes. Which means it is ready in less time than it takes to choose something from the takeaway menu.
- Very little preparation is required. You just open tins and mix together with spices.
- It uses ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboard right now. Make use of all those herbs and spices you have.
- It's delicious. That's what you are really looking for from a meal isn't it? The flavours all work perfectly together in this super easy curry.
- It is low in calories and fat. Just 123 calories for a big filling portion and just 1 gram of fat. It is nutrient dense too, with the protein from the chickpeas and iron from the spinach.
- It's a vegan recipe, making it a really easy meal to help you reduce the amount of meat and dairy you consume. It is also gluten free and dairy free.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chickpeas - Also known as Garbanzo Beans or Egyptian Peas, these make up the majority of the curry. You can swap for other beans if you wish.
- Spinach - Adds a big green boost to the curry.
- Onion - We used a medium white onion, but you could use shallots for a slightly sweeter flavour.
- Garlic - No curry is complete without garlic - feel free to adjust the quantities to your taste.
- Tomatoes - Use the best quality tinned tomatoes you can afford. Cheaper ones tend to be quite watery.
- Coriander (cilantro) - Some people don't like the flavour of coriander (fresh cilantro), so feel free to omit.
- Spice mix - We used ground coriander, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, turmeric and cayenne as they were what we had in the kitchen! You can use Garam masala, curry powder or your own favourite spice blend.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
Step by Step
- Step 1: Heat a little olive oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat.
- Step 2: Add the spices and stir well.
- Step 3: Add the chopped tomatoes, drained chickpeas and salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Step 4: 2 minutes before it has finished cooking, add the spinach and coriander to the sauce and stir well.
- Step 5: Cook for 2 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.
What Spices To Use
The most used spices in our kitchen, which feature in this dish, are ground coriander, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, turmeric and of course cayenne because they are all flavour packed.
You can pick spices up for really cheap, especially if you buy them in bigger packets in ethnic stores and they really do make the dish.
Don't be afraid to start experimenting with herbs and spices. Add a little more or a little less of each depending on your tastes to make this tasty vegan chickpea curry recipe.
If you are short on time, or you don't have a range of spices, then you can just use 3 teaspoon of garam masala in this dish instead.
You could also use your favourite curry paste to make it a different way each time. We have made this with tikka and korma paste and it's delicious.
What Vegetables To Add
We only used spinach and onion in this curry to keep it quick and simple, but you can include pretty much any vegetables. Finely chop some red peppers and mushrooms and cook at the same time as the onion or swap the spinach for some kale or other leafy greens if you want to mix it up a bit.
To give this curry a more meaty feel, you could throw some chunks of aubergine (eggplant) into the mix or some larger chunks of portobello mushroom. Why not skip the rice and add some good sweet potato to the curry instead?
We had tinned chickpeas, we had tinned tomatoes and we had some spinach in the fridge that was starting to look a bit sorry for itself, so I thought I would throw it all together to make a curry.
Because this 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry uses cupboard staples it is a really budget curry and hardly costs anything to make - around £0.32/$0.42 per serving!
Slow Cooker Chickpea Curry
Of course using a slow cooker is going to mean your meal takes longer than 10 minutes to cook, but there is still very little prep.
Simply follow steps one and two in the instructions and then put everything expect the spinach and herbs in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 and a half hours. 30 minutes before serving, stir in the spinach and coriander.
Serving Suggestions
We served our with some simple boiled Basmati rice, but why not try our Turmeric Rice for something a little different?
Naan bread also goes great with a curry. Try our yeast-free Easy Naan Bread, delicious Peshwari Naan or our spicy Chilli Naan.
Extra Tips
- If you don't have a can of chickpeas, then any other can of plain beans will work. We like chickpeas because they are really creamy and cheap, but others work too. We have used haricot and cannellini before in this spinach curry.
- Don't have any spinach? You can use another leafy green instead. Kale, Cabbage and Swiss chard will all work, but they will take a little bit longer to cook, so put them in the pan earlier.
- If you have a bit of extra time, cook the onions on a lower heat for longer. The onions will be much softer and have more flavour, but as we wanted a quick curry we sped up that step. You can use red onion too, if you want.
- Don't want any heat? You can leave out the cayenne for a super mild curry, but still all the flavour from the other spices. Equally, if you like really spicy curries then you can add more cayenne.
- Use garam masala or curry powder to save even more time. If you don't have the individual spices to hand, or you don't want to measure them, add 3 teaspoon of garam masala instead.
- This is a chickpea curry without coconut milk, but creamy curries are super comforting! Why not add a spoonful of cream, some coconut milk or creme fraiche to the pan just before serving?
- This curry freezes really well, and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you want to keep leftovers in the fridge they will stay fresh for up to 2 days.
- Instead of serving this spinach curry with plain rice, mix some lime juice and fresh coriander into the rice before serving.
- A little tip about tinned tomatoes - we always use whole tomatoes and chop them up in the pan with a wooden spoon as they are less processed. Chopped tomatoes tend to be really watery, but they can be used. Try to buy the best quality too, as you can really taste the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
The words Chana and Palak refer to the chickpeas and spinach in this recipe. Chana is a type of Indian chickpea. Palak normally refers to pureed spinach, but we have just wilted it for this recipe.
Yes, it is a really healthy chickpea curry. It uses only natural ingredients, it is virtually fat free and low in calories at only 123 per portion.
For convenience and to make this a super quick meal, we used a can of drained chickpeas.
If you wanted to use dried, we recommend soaking them for at least four hours. While this considerably adds to the preparation time, it will result in a curry that has a bit more bite to it.
Fresher, smaller chickpeas work the best as they soak the best. The older and larger the chickpeas, the longer you will need to soak them.
This curry is pretty creamy already, but if you want some extra creaminess, stir in 50ml (0.25 cups) of coconut milk just as the spinach is wilting. This will, of course, affect the nutritional values.
Yes it can! Separate this curry into airtight containers with some rice and put them in your freezer for a quick and easy meal prep. Just liven it up with some fresh herbs before serving.
This will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you have leftovers that you want to keep in the fridge, they will stay fresh for 2 days. Just put the curry back in a pan and gently reheat.
More Vegetarian Curry Recipes
If you’ve tried this vegan Chickpea Curry recipe let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry
Ingredients
- 0.5 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Onion - diced
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 400 g (14 oz) Chopped tomatoes - canned
- 400 g (2.5 cups) Canned chickpeas - canned; drained
- 100 g (3 cups) Spinach
- 10 g (0.35 oz) Fresh coriander (cilantro)
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 0.5 teaspoon Paprika
- 0.5 teaspoon Cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground turmeric
- 0.5 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch Sea salt
- 1 pinch Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 0.5 tablespoon Olive oil in a large pan and add 1 Onion and 2 Garlic clove and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add 0.5 teaspoon Ground coriander, 0.5 teaspoon Paprika, 0.5 teaspoon Cumin, 0.5 teaspoon Ground turmeric and 0.5 teaspoon Cayenne pepper and stir well.
- Add 400 g Chopped tomatoes, 400 g Canned chickpeas and 1 pinch Sea salt. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
- 2 minutes before it has finished cooking, add 100 g Spinach and 10 g Fresh coriander (cilantro) and stir well.
- Cook for 2 minutes or until the spinach has wilted. Serve with more chopped coriander (cilantro) on top.
Recipe Tips
- If you don't have a can of chickpeas, then any other can of plain beans will work. We like chickpeas because they are really creamy, but others work too.
- Don't have any spinach? You can use another leafy green instead. Kale, Cabbage and Swiss chard will all work, but they will take a little bit longer to cook, so put them in the pan earlier.
- Creamy curries are super comforting, so why not add a spoonful of cream, coconut milk or creme fraiche to the pan just before serving.
- Instead of serving this spinach curry with plain rice, mix some lime juice and fresh coriander in to the rice before serving.
- A little tip about tinned tomatoes - we always use whole tomatoes and chop them up in the pan with a wooden pan as they are less processed. Chopped tomatoes tend to be really watery too. Try to buy the best quality too, as you can really taste the difference.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Kim says
Lovely curry and so easy to make.Served with cauliflower rice.
I really did enjoy this.Thank you !
Dannii Martin says
Sounds delicious with cauliflower rice.
Dawn says
This was amazing. I added sweet potato too and it was really filling. My 9 year old daughter enjoyed it too.
Kelly says
To be honest this recipe was totally tasteless I love curries but this was a waste of ingredients
Dannii Martin says
That's strange, as it should have a lot of flavour. As you can see, there are a lot of great reviews for this. The only reason I can thing of, is if the spiced you used were not fresh. If they have been opened for 6 months or more, they will loose their flavour. Also, this is a healthy curry - if you are comparing it to a takeaway curry, it will not have the same flavour. You can add some ghee for that more authentic flavour.
darren thomas says
Amazing curry, really healthy and so easy to make, I would recommend using the best ingredients possible as this makes such a difference and I would definitely agree with using whole Mutti tin tomatoes. It also freezes really well, amazing thank you !!!
Dannii Martin says
I am happy that you enjoyed it. I always stock up on Mutti tomatoes when they are on offer.
christina says
I'm trying to start making healthier recipes this was absolutely delicious 100% recommend
Sofia says
Very very tasty! And full of aromas!
Laure says
Hi Dannii.
Sorry to say but I think this curry tasted terrible.
Dannii says
Hi Laure. Sorry to hear that - maybe we can help troubleshoot this? As for something to taste "terrible" there must have been something actually go wrong in terms of ingredients etc. As you can see, there are lots of positive reviews and this is a recipe we use ourselves weekly, so we know it works. What was terrible about it? Consistency? Spices? If you let us know than hopefully we can help you to enjoy it if you make it again.
Jeff says
I don't think this person cooked the curry! I did it was great.
Some people just go around leaving negative comments.
Strange this social media.
Rachel says
I love this curry. It’s healthy and packed with things that are good for me. I can eat it for any meal, any day of the week.
Dannii says
So glad you enjoyed it.
kirrili taylor says
This was delicious and super easy - I added some fresh ginger and extra spinach. I’m probs a bit greedy but I could easily have eaten the whole lot just myself!
Dannii says
Make a double batch next time :)
Denise says
Doubled up on spice quantity and served with brown rice. Really tasty and super quick xxx
Han says
Hi, I am planning on making this, I’m a total curry novice. Am wondering is the 400g weight of the chickpeas before or after draining? The cans here are 400g but that is before draining so would I need to weigh them after draining? Thanks ☺️
Dannii Martin says
Yes, that is the weight of the can before draining.
Jude says
Really nice. I added a tin of ratatouille I had in stock. The spinach really makes it for me. Anyone know if it freezes?
Dannii says
Yes, it freezes really well. I can be kept for up to 2 months in the freezer.
Gina says
This has become my favorite go-to quick dinner recipe. So easy yet so much flavor!
Jennifer says
This is a super easy, but flavoursome dish! Im glad I have left overs.