This delicious Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry recipe is super simple to make, it’s naturally gluten-free and vegan, and it’s simmered with the coziest creamy coconut curry flavors. Perfect with rice and/or naan bread!

Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry with Cilantro in Saute Pan

On chilly winter nights that call for cozy comfort food…this sweet potato chickpea coconut curry is sure to hit the spot. ♡

We’ve been making versions of this recipe all season with whatever leftover veggies we have in the house, but this simple combination of sweet potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes and spinach has definitely been our favorite. These basic ingredients are all simmered together in a silky, creamy, coconut curry broth that is brightened up with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Then I highly recommend serving the curry piled high with lots of fresh toppings (hello, fresh cilantro and thinly-sliced red onions) over either rice, rice noodles, and/or homemade naan bread.

It’s a quick, easy, vegetarian (also vegan), gluten-free, flavor-packed meal that’s easy to customize with whatever veggies and greens you have on hand. And, bonus, it also makes for fantastic leftovers the next day. So go rummage through that crisper drawer and let’s make some cozy coconut curry together!

Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry | 1-Minute Video

Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry Closeup

Coconut Curry Ingredients:

Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need to make this coconut curry:

  • Onion: Our curry begins with onion (white, yellow or red), sautéed in olive oil until softened.
  • Ginger and garlic: I highly recommend using fresh ginger and garlic for maximum flavor in this curry, which we will mince (or you can grate the ginger) and add to the sauté. That said, if you don’t have fresh ginger in the house, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of ground ginger in place of the fresh ginger.
  • Spices: I kept things simple for this curry with a combination of garam masala and curry powder (plus salt and pepper).
  • Milks: To make this curry nice and creamy, we will use a blend of full-fat coconut milk (I like this brand) and some type of plain plant-based milk (I used oat milk). Alternately, you could also just add in some veggie stock in place of the plain plant-based milk.
  • Tomatoes: One can of diced tomatoes. (I recommend fire-roasted diced tomatoes, if they are available in your grocery store, for extra flavor.)
  • Sweet potato: One large sweet potato, diced into 1/2-inch cubes.
  • Chickpeas: One can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
  • Greens: I added a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach to this curry, but feel free to use kale, collards, or any other greens that you prefer.
  • Lemon juice: A generous squeeze of lemon juice (or you could also use lime juice) really helps to brighten up the flavors of the broth.
  • Toppings: Finally, I recommend loading each bowl of curry up with lots of chopped fresh cilantro, a sprinkling of thinly-sliced green onions, and/or a pinch of crushed red chili flakes if you would like to add some heat. Feel free to serve your curry with naan bread, rice, and/or rice noodles.

Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry in Sauté Pan with Cilantro

Possible Curry Recipe Variations:

Here are a few additional ways that you can customize this curry recipe if you’d like:

  • Make it spicy: If you would like to add more heat to the entire batch of curry, add a few pinches of crushed red chili flakes to the broth. Or you can also mince and add in a fresh chili, such as jalapeño, serrano or a Thai bird chili.
  • Make it lighter: You are welcome to sub in low-fat coconut milk if you prefer, but note that the broth will be significantly less creamy and a bit thinner.
  • Use butternut squash (or other potatoes): Feel free to sub in diced butternut squash or another type of potatoes (such as Yukon Gold or red potatoes) in place of the sweet potatoes.
  • Add a protein: Feel free to also add meat (chicken, beef, pork, ground turkey, etc) or seafood (shrimp, salmon, etc) to add some protein to this dish if you would like, either in addition to or in place of the chickpeas.

Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry in Bowl with Naan Bread and Rice

More Favorite Curry Recipes:

Love curry as much as I do? Here are a few more of my favorite curry recipes on Gimme Some Oven:

Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry

4.86 from 42 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Author: Ali
Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry in Saute Pan
This delicious Sweet Potato Chickpea Coconut Curry recipe is super simple to make, it's naturally gluten-free and vegan, and it's simmered with the coziest creamy coconut curry flavors.  Perfect with rice and/or naan bread!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Sauté the veggies. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.  Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.  Add the curry powder and garam masala and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the next round of ingredients. Add the oat milk, chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut milk, sweet potato and stir to combine.  Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a very low simmer.
  • Simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking the curry (uncovered) over a very low simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are softened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Stir in the remaining ingredients. Add the baby spinach and lemon juice and gently toss with the curry until the spinach has begun to wilt.  Season the curry with however much salt and pepper you think is needed, to taste.
  • Serve. Serve warm, garnished with lots of toppings, with either naan, rice, and/or rice noodles.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

About Ali

Hi, I'm Ali Martin! I created this site in 2009 to celebrate good food and gathering around the table. I live in Kansas City with my husband and two young boys and love creating simple, reliable, delicious recipes that anyone can make!

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4.86 from 42 votes

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Recipe Rating




55 Comments

  1. Karen Hass says:

    5 stars
    Such a rich meld of flavors in this dish! I made this recipe as is served over basmati rice, although I may have added a bit more ginger than the recipe called for, and took the suggestion to add cilantro as a topping. My husband is not a big fan of curry but he loved it! This recipe is a keeper — thanks for sharing it!

  2. Elaine says:

    5 stars
    My whole family loved this recipe. It was a perfect comfort food and the lemon really brightened it up. Thank you for a delicious recipe!

  3. KimS says:

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness! Beyond delicious. Also, I got some light colored sweet potatoes in my CSA that were so dry and hard you almost couldn’t eat them. They did great in this recipe…and the sauce was the perfect thing!!! I only had light coconut milk, but I had some half-n-half so subbed about a half cup of that for the oat milk! We even forgot the toppings…did not need them.

  4. Seeva Thiagarajah says:

    Excellent recepe,kudos.

  5. Debra Prupas says:

    5 stars
    Forgot to mention that instead of the fire-roasted tomatoes (not sure I know what this is), I used regular tomatoes and a touch of liquid smoke!

  6. Drishtie says:

    4 stars
    Hi can I use regular diced tomatoes if I can’t find the diced ones?

  7. Debra Prupas says:

    5 stars
    Delicious! (Did not have oat milk so used skim milk instead)

  8. Jim Erskine says:

    5 stars
    Made this recipe and it was a hit! Used chicken stock and used all curry my garam masala was old and only tiny bit left. Used tomatoes with green chilies. Will make it again and thanks for all that you do. Can’t wait to have the leftovers for my lunch. I also made a rice pilaf and BBQ”D chicken leg quarters (skinless bone in) You are a great Cook/Chef

  9. Thomas A Smith says:

    What can one substitute if they do not want to use coconut oil due to its saturated fat content?

    1. Ali says:

      Coconut milk? You are welcome to use low-fat coconut milk, if you prefer. Or you can also sub in almond or oat milk…although the curry will be much less creamy and considerably thinner.

    2. Lindsey says:

      Any thoughts on whether this soup would freeze well?

  10. Marci Buttars says:

    5 stars
    When do you add the chickpeas? I don’t see them in the recipe. Looks amazing!

    1. Ali says:

      Oops, typo! Thank you for catching that. Add them at the same time as the tomatoes, etc. :) I just edited the recipe!