This easy Vegan Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry is creamy, satisfying, and full of flavorful Indian spices. It's packed full of veggies and chickpeas, comes together in 40 minutes, and makes a perfect cozy dish for any time of year!
This Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry is so velvety and luxurious, you'll think it's takeout. But it's actually packed with veggies and chickpeas for a flavorful, nutritious, and fully satisfying meal.
If you've ever felt intimidated by making homemade curry, then this vegan curry recipe is the perfect place to start. Most of the ingredients are simple and you probably already have them in your pantry!
This vegan comfort food recipe is mildly spiced to make it family-friendly, but if you want a little more heat, it's easy to doctor up with cayenne pepper or green chiles.
Looking for more unique vegan sweet potato recipes? Check out these vegan sweet potato pancakes or this sweet potato spinach salad!
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You'll love this sweet potato chickpea curry recipe because it's:
- Simple & Delicious
- Quick & Easy
- Vegan/Vegetarian
- Kid-friendly
- Gluten-free
- WFPB & Oil-Free
- Perfect for cozy nights in!
Ingredient notes
For the roasted sweet potatoes
- sweet potatoes: The star of the show!
- olive oil or aquafaba : To help the seasonings stick.
- curry powder: Just to add a little extra flavor.
- salt
- fresh cracked pepper
For the Curry
- Vidalia or yellow onion: Really any type of onion will be fine.
- garlic: Because everything is better with garlic! (Granulated garlic is also fine)
- fresh ginger: You could substitute powdered ginger if you don't have fresh.
- curry powder: Mild, medium, or spicy, depending on your preference.
- cumin
- coriander
- turmeric
- garam masala: I really like how this balances the curry flavor. If you just had to pick two spices for this dish, the curry powder and garam masala do the most work.
- salt
- chickpeas: Other beans or even cubed tofu could be subbed, but I like chickpeas best because they hold their form and require little prep work.
- unseasoned, diced tomatoes
- vegetable broth
- reduced-fat coconut milk:
- nutmeg: I always add a little fresh grated nutmeg to creamy dishes because it adds the perfect balance.
- lemon juice
Garnish
- fresh cilantro
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here are step-by-step instructions with photos.
- Preheat the oven to 450F or 230C.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized cubes (no need to peel). Place the cubed sweet potato in a small mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil or aquafaba, salt, curry powder, and fresh cracked pepper. Spread the sweet potato cubes evenly on a lined baking sheet.
Roast for about 30 minutes, or until fork-tender and lightly browned.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, do the rest of the prep work. This includes peeling and chopping the onion, grating the garlic and ginger, and draining and rinsing the chickpeas.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil (optional) and the onions. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they start to turn translucent and smell aromatic.
Add the garlic, ginger, and other spices. Sauté for another minute or two.
Next, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Then add the crushed tomatoes and broth. Cook for about another minute, until combined.
Now add the coconut milk, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
When the sweet potatoes are done roasting, remove them from the oven and carefully add them to the curry sauce.
Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the sauce is the right consistency. Serve right away with basmati rice and cilantro.
Hint: The right consistency for this curry is up to you. Some like it thin and other prefers a thicker curry. If you accidentally cook it down too much, just stir in a ¼ cup of water or broth.
Variations
Here are a few variations if you want to switch things up.
- Beans - swap out the chickpeas for any type of beans. I think white beans or kidney beans would be the best choice.
- Butternut Squash - Use butternut squash instead of sweet potato. You can find full instructions with this Butternut Squash Curry recipe.
- Spicy - add chopped green chile, red pepper flakes, or cayenne powder to give this curry a spicy kick.
- High Protein - for a higher protein curry recipe, you could add cubed tofu or check out this easy Tofu Curry.
Equipment
For this recipe, you'll need a cutting board and knife, as well as a baking sheet and. a large skillet. I like to use a microplane for grating fresh nutmeg, but you could also use any type of grater.
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How to serve
Serve this Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry with a side of jasmine or basmati rice and a cilantro garnish.
For a fun dessert pairing, try these delicious Mango Lassi Popsicles!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat or in a microwave (covered to prevent splatter). Adding a few tablespoons of water before reheating will help keep the same consistency.
Top tip
Whenever you're making a dish like this, I advise you to taste the curry and adjust the seasonings before serving. You might find that you want a little more salt or a touch of spice. Tasting as you go is an easy way to adjust the recipe to your own preferences.
FAQs
Yes. To make this vegan curry without coconut milk, you can substitute with a different kind of unsweetened plant milk or vegan cream. Add a drop or two of coconut extract if you want the coconut flavor.
I haven't tried this in an instant pot (yet!). However, I think it could work. Just sauté everything in the instant pot as you would in the skillet with a few modifications: You would probably need an additional 1 to 1 ½ cups of water or broth. Instead of roasting the potatoes, you would add them to the curry to cook with everything else. Pressure cook for 5 minutes. (Wait to add the coconut milk, lemon juice, and chickpeas until the very end.) For more tips, you can check out this instant pot butternut squash curry recipe.
Definitely! Just prep as described and air fry the sweet potatoes at 425F or 220C for 10 to 12 minutes.
More vegan Indian recipes
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry (Easy + Vegan)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the roasted sweet potatoes
- 3 to 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or aquafaba
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- fresh cracked pepper
For the Curry
- 1 vidalia or yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (about a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger)
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
- 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 15 oz can of chickpeas
- 15 oz can of unseasoned, diced tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 15 oz can of reduced-fat coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Garnish
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
Roast the Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 450F or 230C.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized cubes (no need to peel). Place the cubed sweet potato in a small mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil or aquafaba, salt, curry powder, and fresh cracked pepper. Spread the sweet potato cubes evenly on a lined baking sheet.
- Roast for about 30 minutes, or until fork-tender and lightly browned.
Make the Curry
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, do the rest of the prep work. This includes peeling and chopping the onion, grating the garlic and ginger, and draining and rinsing the chickpeas
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil (optional) and the onions. Sautee for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they start to turn translucent and smell aromatic. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry spices. Sautee for another minute or two.
- Next, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas and sautee for 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the crushed tomatoes and broth. Cook for about another minute, until combined.
- Now add the coconut milk and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
- When the sweet potatoes are done roasting, remove them from the oven and carefully add them to the curry sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the sauce is the right consistency. Serve right away with basmati rice and cilantro.
Notes
- Some of the prep work can be done while the sweet potatoes roasting. This accounts for the prep time and cook time not adding up to the total time.
- If you can't find unseasoned diced tomatoes, you might need to reduce the added salt somewhat.
Nutrition
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Did you try this recipe? Have a question? Just leave a comment below and I'll get back to you ASAP!
Freya
Do you drain the can of tomatoes?
Julianne Lynch
You don't need to, but you can if you want.