This wholesome chickpea curry with loads of vegetables like hearty butternut squash, spinach and green peas simmered in creamy coconut milk will become your favourite if you give it a try. It’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans but is also loved by a meat eating family like ours.
If you are looking to add to this vegetarian curry, give my Perfectly Spiced Roasted Baby Potatoes a try for an Indian feast at home. Flavour through the roof!
Brad and I have considered Indian food to be our comfort food for ages. Although we are both of European descent, somehow the taste of warm and slightly spicy curries make us feel at home.
It’s no wonder we eat them regularly, especially since we moved to Britain where it’s basically a national dish. There are not too many things that are better than a good curry, coupled with crispy poppadoms dipped in mango chutney and lime chilli pickle!
Chickpea Curry
I get so many requests to post a curry recipe, which tells me you guys love Indian food too! I am not claiming to be an expert, so what I am sharing today is something I cook often. This dish is loved by everyone in my family. It’s a vegetarian curry and so delicious you won’t miss meat!
There are many types of Indian curries. This particular one is called Korma, which is a blend of aromatic spices like ginger and coriander and ground nuts like cashews or almonds. It’s has a mild taste, so is you are a fan of heat, I would recommend moving onto something else like Madras Curry or Vindaloo.
Korma is an excellent curry to start with for beginners because of its creamy consistency and mild taste. Even kids will love it.
Traditionally, Korma is cooked with chicken but this version is meat free. Instead I am using canned chickpeas as the star of this recipe. The brilliant thing about chickpeas is that they are chameleons. They soak up all flavours around them and end up tasting delicious no matter where they are used!
I do have a classic Chicken Korma recipe as well. Give it a try!
Julia’s Tip
Many people are very hesitant to venture out into the world of Indian cuisine. Rightly so, as the ingredient list is long enough to intimidate the most experienced cook!
Ready made curry pastes are my answer to to that fear!
Patak’s Curry Pastes is my favourite. The taste is excellent and the variety is immense. They sells worldwide and are easy to find. Why worry about making complicated curries from scratch when someone has already put in all the hard work for you!
If you are brave enough to experiment with spices on your own, this Simplified Cauliflower and Potato Curry Aloo Gobi is for you!
How to make Indian vegan curry
As I mentioned earlier, this recipe is a cheat version since we are using a premade curry paste, that is responsible for the flavour. However, there are certain ingredients you need to add to make this curry your own and very delicious!
I always start by frying onion and garlic in vegetable oil until tender. Sometimes I add grated ginger to develop an aromatic base. I also add chopped cilantro stalks. Most people discard them and use leaves only but there is so much concentrated flavour in the stalks! Then I add a store bought curry paste and fry it briefly. This step releases the flavours by heating the paste.
Once you’ve done the groundwork to build the curry flavour, add your chosen ingredients as per recipe and simmer until desired consistency. Easy!
What to serve with curries
Serve it with steaming hot basmati rice. We also love having naan bread or chapatis as well as various Indian pickles and chutney with our curries. My personal favourite and a must have is chilli lime pickle and mango chutney. My children go crazy for crunchy poppadoms!
You can also add a traditional lentil curry called Dahl to round off this delicious dinner. And if really miss meat, why not make these Indian Spiced Meatballs in Curry Sauce.
What is your favourite Indian Curry? It’s hard to choose but I think for me personally Butter Chicken is definitely in the top 3!
This recipe was originally published in 09/2013. Updated and republished in 03/2020.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions medium, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 25g/1/2 cup cilantro/fresh coriander chopped (stalks and leaves separated, stalks reserved)
- 600g/4 cups butternut squash peeled and cubed, (1 medium)
- 240g/1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas
- 2 tbsp Patak's Korma Paste or any other curry paste not cooking sauce
- 400g/1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 250ml/1 cup water
- 100g/3 cups spinach
- 75g/1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp desiccated unsweetened coconut optional
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large and deep pan and cook chopped onions, garlic and cilantro stalks over low heat for 10 minutes until soft and slightly coloured.
- Meanwhile dice the peeled butternut squash to match the size of chickpeas. Once the onions are tender, add the curry paste and cook for a minute or so stirring the whole time, then add the squash, chickpeas, coconut milk, desiccated coconut, water and a pinch of salt, bring it to a boil by turning the heat up. Then turn the heat down to a low-medium and simmer it covered for 35-40 minutes. Stir it occasionally to prevent from burning and add a few splashes of water if it gets too dry.
- Test the butternut squash, it should be fork tender by this point but not falling apart. Your curry should be thick, so if it's too runny, uncover and let the liquid cook down for a few more minutes. When you are satisfied with the consistency of the curry stir in peas, spinach and cilantro leaves, cover with a lid and take off the heat.
- Serve with steaming hot basmati rice. We love having naan bread or chapattis and various Indian pickles and chutney with our curries. My children go crazy for crunchy poppadums!
thank you Julia for this recipe. I made it for the first time today and it was perfect! loved the milder curry taste and the sweetness added by the coconut milk. (I also used dessicated coconut which I’ve had for years and it was great.) I don’t think you can go wrong with this recipe and it was so easy to follow. love one pot meals. I will be looking up more of your recipes in the future!
What an amazing outcome, Gail!! Thank you for sharing this with me.
Wonderful! I’ve made this delicious curry several times but used almond milk instead of coconut milk. Just a personal preference. It comes out perfectly every time. Thank you for this recipe!
My pleasure, Carol!
Made this last night and found it very soupy – I boiled it down and down and down but it doesn’t get thicker it just lessens the soupy liquid. I put in an extra tbsp extra paste (Madras) too to boost flavour and try and get some more colour into it. Needed more spices I think too. I’m not sure the water is needed or at least more coconut cream or more milk to make it thicker similar to one of the previous comments. We added more spices once cooked and it was lovely.
Thank you for this – I raasted the squash first as my oven was on and even though I had no cilantro it was still very yummy. Quick and easy, I really liked this korma – I tend to find the ones I buy are too sweet but this was just right. It went down well with my family and tasted more authentic than my usual homemade curries!
Just finished making this for the first time and my hubby and I are delighted with it😁. Consistency, and flavour absolutely scrumptious. Ps: I used a Pataks Tikka Massala Spiced Paste as it’s what I had in the cupboard…..perfect!! Will definitely be making this again. Thankyou. X
My pleasure, Sue! Thank you for sharing with us!
I stumbled upon this recipe a few years ago, and I’ve been meaning to tell you that it’s become a staple dish in our home! It’s simply delicious and leaves you full but not bloated. Thank you so much for sharing this with us, and the countless other recipes on this amazing website:)
That makes me so happy, Sukaina! Thank you for taking the time to leave a lovely comment. It means so much when my readers enjoy my recipes and come back for more!
I would give this a 5 star rating if the recipe had actual measurements of items. Just how big is a “medium” butternut squash? How large are 2 “medium” onions? How big is a “bunch” of cilantro? Perhaps you could say 2 medium onions (about 1 cup) or 1 medium squash (about 4 cups) Why are the measurements in grams and cups and tbsps? Just how big is that can of chickpeas? As a seasoned cook, I adjusted, but if I were a beginner I would have had a pretty bad meal. Do you know how HUGE a bunch of cilantro is around here?
This was really yummy. Sauteed the onions, garlic, and coriander in a pan as instructed. Dumped this amd the rest of the ingredients in a slow cooker with just 1/2 cup water. 4 hours on high. At 3.5 hours, tossed in the spinach and the sweet peas. Right before serving, i added the cilantro. Also, i could not find the Indian curry in time, so i used up the last bit of Ras al Hanout i had and 1 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt and one cube of vegetable bouillon. I was hoping to have enough for leftovers and another dinner, need to make doubles next time. Thank you for the recipe. Might add cauliflower next time!
Thanks for the review, Brittany. Cooking it in a slow cooker is such a great idea. I will do that next time!
Very disappointing. Way too soupy and really needed more spices. Sorry, but not a keeper.
Hi Nicole, I understand it was not to your taste. However, Korma curry is a mild curry and does not need more spices. If you didn’t enjoy it, I would recommend using stronger tasting curry pastes like Madras or Vindaloo. In terms of soupy, just boil down the liquid to desired consistency. The success of the recipe hugely depends on your cooking instincts, which could not be taught in the written recipe.
One more comment if I may.
This was actually one issue for me as to how long I had to let the liquid evaporate to brimg down the excess of liquid. I had to stop the cooking because my butternut was falling apart. The water is unnecessary in this recipe. I have been cooking for 45 years and my cooking instincts are pretty good but not as good as yours, I am sure.
Thanks for your reply.
Can I ask you if you used a curry paste or a sauce? They are very different products. Water is absolutely necessary if you are using a paste as it is very dry, and one can of coconut milk is simply not enough to cook all these vegetables. Can you also scroll down through all the comments to see how many people cooked this dish successfully and many more on Pinterest? Like I said Korma curry might not be to your taste just like sushi is not to everyone’s taste, this does not make this a bad recipe. I am quite confident that it is in fact a keeper as I’ve made it for years and so have many of my readers.
I used the paste and not/not the sauce.
Thank you.
I agree with you!!
I cook curry 2-3 times a month, but only make korma once every few months. I couldn’t find my go to korma, so tried this. It smells wonderful, but it is WAY too soupy. Water is not necessary for curry paste, but for curry POWDER yes.
I’ve been boiling down the water for quite some time now. It’s more of a soup, for sure. Not a fan. I’ll probably need to add cornstarch.
Again, flavors and smell are pretty good. Consistency just isn’t right.
I am guessing the paste you use is very different from what I am referring to in my recipe. There is literally no liquid in it, it’s thick and stiff, so if I didn’t add any water to the vegetables, where would the liquid come from? 1.5 cups of coconut milk won’t do it, it’s simply not enough to have the curry sauce for all vegetables the recipe calls for. I am located in the UK and I have never got a similar comment from people here. Fee free to scroll down and read dozens of comments of people with a very different experience than yours.
Love this curry dish and the family does too!
Just wondering about the beautiful cast iron pan you used any suggestions on what to look for when purchasing a cast iron pan.
I am so glad you all loved this curry, Donna. The cast iron pan I use is by Lodge and I am very happy with it.
Made this a few times now and one of my absolute fave recipes. A staple on my meal prep now for work etc
More please!
My favourite comment of the day, Gaby! Thanks so much for letting me know! There are other curry recipes on the blog. Check them out!
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and beautiful pictures! In Germany it’s hard to get hold of curry pastes so I adapted from my Korma recipe instead:
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp Garam Masala
1 tsp ground cumin
I also added some lemon juice at the end, to lighten up the heaviness of the coconut milk. Oh and I added a few chopped tomatoes and in the end served with pilaff rice from the oven.
Delicious, thanks again!
Thank you for sharing that, Inga! I am so glad you were able to adapt and enjoy the recipe anyway!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe – I love it! The first time I made it, my boyfriend was very hesitant hearing no meat in the title, but we both loved it. I really like that it uses curry paste instead of curry powder, and I had never used it prior, but now use it instead of curry powder for some recipes. It also holds the flavour well and is a delicious leftover.
Great, Maggie!! I am so glad it turned your meat loving boyfriend too! Curry pastes are excellent time savers as they are developed specifically for certain recipes by using multiple ingredients and have a far more complex flavour than a curry powder.
Can the recipe be transferred and cooked in a slow cooker once all the ingredients are added? If so would I then need to use less water??
I haven’t made it in a slow cooker, so I can’t be certain but slow cookers usually require less liquid, so less water is correct. Also, I would add spinach and peas in the last half hour of cooking, otherwise spinach would disintegrate completely.
Thanks for a great recipe!! I have never tried the Patak’s curry pastes before and this one was delicious! I made it for me and my boyfriend last night! We are both fans! I’m always on the look out for great vegetarian meals and this fit the bill perfectly!
That is awesome, Sammi! It’s one of our favourites as well!
Just thought i would add my voice to those above – the family loved this meal and we will defiantly will be making again both in it’s the vegetarian form above and with a little chicken.
I sometimes throw chicken in for some extra protein and to entice children into eating it!! Thanks for your feedback, Colin!
Thank was lovely and all my kids liked it. ????
I made this last night and it was a hit!! I had actually just brought back a yellow curry paste packet from Thailand so I used that! I was just a little bummed though because it seemed way too watery. . The liquid never thickened, it was a very thin consistently, and the butternut squash were starting to fall apart so I couldn’t cook it longer. I even cooked it uncovered for a third of the time. Next time I will use half the water. . But otherwise it was great and everyone ate it all up!! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Angela, I’ve heard a similar comment before, I cook on a gas stove and I think my sauce boils more rapidly because of the flames, which makes the liquid evaporate faster as well. That might be why you ended up with more liquid.
Just cooked this for dinner. It was very delicious and will definitely be on the menu again before the pumpkin season is over. I used parsley and will use more spinach instead of the peas thre next time. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Cody, your curry sounds lovely!
I just made this and it is amazing!!
Really enjoyed this dish, such great flavors. I added a bit more spice and a few green chilies.
Think this might be freezer friendly?
I would think so, Maura. The recipe makes quite a bit, so freezing a part of it is a good idea.
Wow. I made this for a weeks worth of lunches to heat up at work. It’s so delicious and the colors are just amazing. I eat it with rice noodles that have been given a healthy dash of soy sauce, sriracha, and sesame oil. It’s a great blend. Yum Yum Yum.
Sounds delicious, Victoria!! I love when there are leftovers for lunch!
Delicious recipe Julia, thank you so much for sharing. My husband and I loved it!
You are so welcome! 🙂 It is one of our favourites as well!
I made this recipe last night and it went soooo well. Super tasty and quite easy to make.
I didn’t have the Korma paste so I used Thai paste. That was a little spicy then… But still good 🙂
Thanks so much for the recipe!
So glad you loved it, Janina!
Hi I am on a low carb diet and am just starting out and my roommate made this tonight. Super delicious! Is 20g of carbs the amount that’s in a single serving size? I figured it would be much higher since chickpeas are high in carbs. Please help!
Hi Danielle, the carb count is per serving!
I’m planning on making this this week — should there be any adjustments if I use lite coconut milk? Thank you!
No adjustments but it will be less creamy and thick, Robin.
This looks amazing! I plan to make it tonight for Father’s Day but both my husband and dad are big on meat. Any suggestions as to how I could incorporate chicken into this dish? Thanks so much!
Katie, just brown diced chicken breast as the first step and then continue with the recipe. I hope this helps.
I realize this is an older thread, but I just found your recipe and am excited to try it! One question, when you said to add the cilantro stalks, is there a point that you take the stalks out of the dish? I’m pretty new to cooking homemade meals ( just got married) so pardon my ignorance of it’s showing 🙂
Sarah, you chop up the stalks, cook them and leave them in. They add a lot of flavour. 🙂
I made this today. It was gorgeous. Definitely having it again and my daughter is coming to finish it off tomorrow
I made this for the first time and am eating it right now! very lovely, although as another commenter said, mine isn’t as “dark” as yours. I might add more paste next time as I’m not getting a ton of that flavor. Overall great healthy recipe 🙂
This was fantastic. Great winter time dish .
I am making this right now and it looks and smells wonderful!
If you don’t peel the squash are you eating the skin? I roasted the squash which allowed the skin to easily come off.
Laurie, butternut squash skin is really soft when cooked this way, not at all like when you roast it. In fact, it blends in with squash. If you roast the squash first it would get too soft for the curry unless you add it at the very end.
I googled ‘Butternut squash chicipea curry’ and found this recipe. It looks so good and simply that I can’t wait to try it. I also love your blog!
Ha, I should have paid more attention to my spelling. 😛
Thank you for stopping by. 🙂
It’s a beautiful looking dish and simple to make too. I just tried it out for the first time. Hubby and I loved it!! This recipe is a keeper for sure..:) Thanks!
Dhivya, thank you for your comment! I hope you will make it over and over again. 🙂
So… I was only able to find Patak’s korma curry sauce and not the paste in my grocery store? Do you know how much tweaking I’ll have to do to get this ‘correct’?
Liz, I would start by reducing the water amount by 1/3. You can always add a bit more if the curry starts to look dry in the process.
I made this last week and it was a big hit, even w the little ones!!!! Thanks for sharing.
I am always happy to hear that children loved the food…a great stamp of approval for me! 🙂
This was delicious . Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome, Mary Anne. 🙂
Just made this, and it’s delicious. Mine however isn’t as dark as yours. I assumed we had to drain the can of chickpeas because of the top pic, and added the correct amount of curry paste…
Yes, the chickpeas are drained. So pleased you enjoyed it, Angelica. This curry is one of our staples! 🙂
Hi, this looks lovely and can’t wait to try it!
Do you know if it freezes well?
Thank you!!
Yes, Jade it freezes great!
Is the coconut milk used as unsweetened or regular?
Coconut milk is generally unsweetened. It has a mildly sweet taste to it but it’s natural, not from added sugar.
I made this tonight and fell in love (i just didn’t have the spinach and will have it next time!!)
Thank you very much and congrats for the wonderfull pictures!
Chloé
Thank you so much for writing and letting me know, Chloe. I am so pleased you loved it. 🙂
Do you believe me if I tell you I’m cooking it right now? It’s been the third or fourth time! It’s amazing how everybody loves it!! Thank you soooo much!
Yay!!! Music to my ears. 🙂 Have a lovely Sunday!
can I ask how many ounces for the coconut milk?
Kerry, it’s a standard can of coconut milk, so between 12-13 ounces.
Liked this recipe a lot, but felt there was too much water. Next time, I might start with a cup and then add more water as needed. With two cups, I simmered for 40 minutes without a cover on just to try and reduce the liquid to something thick, and in the end resorted to cornstarch slurry.
Andy, did you use a Korma paste or a sauce because they are quite different? You would definitely need much less water if you used a sauce. The paste, however, is quite dry and you’d need 2 cups of water to cook a lot of butternut squash. Also, I have a gas stove, which usually cooks much faster due to direct flames so that could be the reason mine boiled down quicker. You should definitely adjust the recipe according to your taste, so well done on the slurry solution!
This was a terrific! Thanks for sharing!
So happy you loved it, Chris. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I love Indian food and can’t wait to try this curry!! Where does one find “Patak’s Korma Paste or any other curry paste”? in the ethnic section at the grocery store if I don’t have an Indian market close by?
Alice, Patak’s curry pastes and sauces are pretty mainstream, at least in the UK and Canada and are found in all major supermarkets. They should be next to any other Asian sauces and condiments. Good luck! 🙂
That was a great curry thank you all the family enjoyed three clean plates yum yum
Made this tonight and it was delicious. It’s a family fave.
So happy to hear that, Frankie. Thank you for sharing!
This looks amazing!!! Any recommendations for doing this recipe without a paste? Can’t get them here. Thanks!
Kellie, unfortunately without a paste you are back to a very long spice list! What spices can you get where you are?
Indian specialty grocery stores or even spanish stores carry curry paste these days
Great recipe, Julia! Such wonderful photography, too. We’re going to be posting this on Twitter and Facebook for #MeatlessMonday. Keep it up, and we’ll be sure to try this, too. 🙂
Oh wow, thanks guys! I didn’t expect that but loved hearing from you. 🙂
Made this today for me…will freeze the rest….could eat the lot at once 🐷was yummy & easy for a kitchen novice like me!
That’s awesome, Julie!! I am so glad you the recipe wasn’t difficult to follow for a kitchen novice and you loved it!!
Oh, this looks delish!! I’m always on the hunt for a yummy meat-free meal. Thanks 🙂
My pleasure, Amy. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by!