Published: · Modified: by Vaishali · This post may contain affiliate links · 30 Comments
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Total time: 20 minutes minutes
A bright, flavorful and easy recipe for vegan Thai Curried Chickpeas made with an easy vegan Thai red curry paste. Make the curry paste ahead and refrigerate, then make the curry in under 15 minutes when you have a mind to eat it. Vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free recipe.
If you love chickpeas in creamy, spicy, curried sauces, like this chickpea curry, you will fall in love with these curried Thai chickpeas.
Most of the meal prep I do involves making flavorful sauces, pastes and masalas and freezing them, so I can quickly put together a meal for a weeknight. And having Thai curry pastes in the freezer ensures that I always have a resource on hand to feed my family a delicious, nutritious dinner (like this vegan Massaman Curry), no matter how late it is or how tired I am.
These vegan Thai Curried Chickpeas are perfect for hurried lunches and dinners. All they need is a side of rice and you have the most delicious meal on hand.
I have more recently shared with you my recipes for vegan Thai green curry paste and Thai yellow curry paste. My vegan Thai red curry paste can also be found on my DIY spice mixes page.
I got into making vegan versions of Thai curry pastes long ago. I love Thai food and the curry pastes I used to buy became a no-no when I began to eat plant-based. To make it worse, I couldn't read the labels on half the brands sold at my local Asian grocery store, because they were written in either Thai or another language I couldn't read. Also, it's safe to assume that most store bought versions contain fish sauce (although vegan versions are available now--read labels carefully).
And although a true Thai red curry paste contains some ingredients that you likely don't stock in your pantry on a regular basis, like galangal and lemon grass--I don't--it's easy to make one that's true to the original flavor without these specialty ingredients. In fact, I tend to use common substitutes like limes and ginger--which I do have in my pantry--much more often than I use the real things.
It takes minutes to make a Thai red curry paste, and you get enough to use 3-4 times, so it's definitely an endeavor worth taking on when you have just 10-15 minutes to spare.
The chickpeas themselves take under 15 minutes to put together. The only thing you really need some time for is to cook the onions until they get brown spots. The rest is a breeze.
How to make the best Thai curried chickpeas
- Your red curry paste needs a handful of aromatic ingredients, including onions, galangal and lemongrass, as well as ingredients that add umami (tamari or soy sauce if you are not gluten-free), spice (red chili peppers and Sriracha sauce) and sweetness (sugar). It's fine to use flavor substitutes like ginger and lime, but don't skip these too, or you'll mess up that perfect balance of flavors that makes this red curry paste so amazing.
- Once you've got your curry paste, you can either refrigerate it for a week or so, or better, freeze it unless you're planning to cook with it several times. Each recipe of curry paste is good for 3-4 uses.
- My recipe asks you to add two heaping tablespoons of the curry paste to the sauce, but play it by ear--and your tastebuds. The curry paste is quite hot, and although it all mellows down nicely in the curry with the lime and the sugar and the coconut milk, you want to start out by adding a tablespoon, taste, then add more if you want it.
- To make the curry, you need to chop onions, tomatoes and garlic, and you're pretty much done. Basil is the herb of choice here, but I know it isn't always easy to find fresh basil in summer. When I make this in winter, and I can't think of a better meal for the cold weather, I just use dry basil which works nicely.
- I use canned chickpeas, but if you like doing things from scratch, cook your own by all means. It makes no difference to the flavor and home-cooked is always better than store-bought.
What do you serve with the chickpeas?
I serve them with basmati rice, or with a Thai-style coconut rice.
Serve a fresh salad on the side or, as I did this time, some avocado. It makes a delicious and healthy meal.
- Easy Vegan Thai Green Curry
- Thai Noodles in a Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Vegan Massaman Curry
Vegan Thai Curried Chickpeas
A bright, flavorful and easy recipe for vegan Thai Curried Chickpeas made with an easy vegan Thai red curry paste. Make the curry paste ahead and refrigerate, then make the curry in under 15 minutes when you have a mind to eat it. Vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free recipe.
5 from 6 votes
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Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: nut-free, Thai
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 20 minutes mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 166kcal
Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (If making this oil-free, use 1 tablespoon of the coconut milk to saute the onions)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 4-5 cloves garlic (minced or crushed into a paste)
- 2 heaping tbsp Thai red curry paste (use more or less depending on your taste)
- 2 teaspoon tamari (soy sauce is fine too, but if you use it your dish won't be gluten-free)
- 2 tomatoes (finely diced)
- 3 cups chickpeas (cooked or canned)
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 10 basil leaves (torn, or 1 teaspoon dry basil)
- ¼ cup coconut milk
Instructions
Heat the oil in a skillet and add the onions. Saute until golden spots appear.
Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the red curry paste. Stir until the paste has dissolved into the oil.
Add the chickpeas, tamari, sugar, lime juice and tomatoes. If using dry basil, add it at this time. If the sauce is dry, add half to one cup of water.
When the curry comes to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer another two-three minutes. Add the coconut milk and warm through without bringing to a boil.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of red curry paste and stir in.
Check if you need salt. If using fresh basil leaves, add now and turn off the heat.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Thai Curried Chickpeas
Amount per Serving
Calories
166
% Daily Value*
Fat
6
g
Saturated Fat
2
g
10
%
Sodium
91
mg
4
%
Potassium
309
mg
9
%
Carbohydrates
23
g
8
%
Fiber
5
g
20
%
Sugar
6
g
7
%
Protein
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
6
%
Vitamin C
7
mg
8
%
Calcium
43
mg
4
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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About Vaishali
Hi! I'm Vaishali, a journalist turned food blogger. At Holy Cow Vegan I share easy, tasty recipes made with clean, wholesome ingredients that the entire family can enjoy.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Maria
Hi Vaishali,
I came across your blog when searching for chickpea curry recipes. I made your "Easy Chana Masala" last night - for tonight's dinner. My husband commented "smells good" from the living room and it did smell wonderful!
Having recently become vegan, I'm always looking for simple and tasty recipes. I signed up to your blog and look forward to receiving and trying your recipes 🙂
To make the above coconut rice, do you wash the rice before toasting it?
Thank you!
Reply
Vaishali
Hey Maria, no need to soak the rice before toasting. Thanks for the feedback on the easy chana masala. So glad you liked it!
Reply
Anonymous
Your recipes are so beautiful and I can tell they taste delicious; being a vegan with a pakistani father and white mother, your recipes speak to me. I love thai food there's so many yummy flavors; I will save this blog...I have many of your recipes on my mental to-do list lol. Thanks!
Reply
Vaishali
Anon, thanks for your lovely comment. I hope you will try some of the recipes! And let me know how they turn out. 🙂
Reply
Raven
Looks absolutely delicious! Can't wait to compare to my chickpea recipe:
Reply
NalaShanti
I am mad about chickpeas and here I find I am not the only one! This is a great dish. I didn't have a fresh tomato on hand and was too lazy to go out so I used stewed canned tomatoes. They worked out great to add moisture to the dish. I also was out of coconut oil so I added a handful of grated coconut with the rice before the liquid was added. It toasted up nicely and was an additional layer of flavor. Yum.
Reply
Rossana
Made this last night.......YUMMMMMM!!!! Definitely in our top 10!!!! Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes.Reply
Penny
I just found your wonderful blog through a link a friend posted on Facebook. I am now feeling SO hungry! I love chickpeas and cook a large batch to keep in the fridge, but am always looking for new ways to use them. This will be the next recipe I try! Thank you!
What a sweet pooch! Very like our old dog, Charlie...
I'm now off to add you to my blogroll.
Reply
Daisy
Hi Vaishali,
thank you so much for your comment! 🙂 I'm really happy about it.
This weekend I will try the Creamy Baked Pasta in a Minty tofu Sauce :). I don't remember the last time I had pasta, some couple of months ago maybe, so when I saw the pictures in your post I said to myself: "That's it! This weekend I'll give it a try". It's so much fun trying new recipes!
I'm totally amazed by the size of the vegan/vegetarian community here and how creative and supporting you guys are! 🙂Keep up the fantastic work!
PS - I'm having Indian Vegetarian Cooking classes, free (!!) given by a group of Indian people that work in Microsoft (there is big Indian community working for Microsoft, here in Seattle), and last week they taught us how to make Aloo Parathas 🙂 and I just came across with your recipe!
Gosh, I want to go home and cook!Reply
Daisy
Hi Vaishali,I found out your blog, a couple of months ago, when I was searching for roasted potatoes :). I tried your recipe and they were delicious! Since then I've been following you recipes and in the beginning of this week I tried this recipe. I was curious because of the flavors. I love basil, but in my home country (Portugal) we don't we it often, but chickpeas we do. I never had rice cooked in coconut milk and I said to myself "this sounds so exotic and yummy!". It was, definitely! 🙂 This is an excellent meal! Thank you so much for sharing!
Susana.
PS - Your dogs are adorable!
Reply
Susan
I'd love some of that, especially on this rainy, chilly day.
Opie knows comfort when he feels it. : } That's one happy fellow.
Reply
G3
Vaishali!! I saw this pic .. and wanted to eat it right off my screen. So I rushed home and cooked it for dinner .. and oh My God!! Was sooo yumm!!! I loved the coconut flavor in the rice .. and the curry was to die for!! I think this was one of the very few recipes which I have tried which looked EXACTLY like the pic you posted, color consistency .. everything!Reply
jodye
This dish looks and sounds amazing! Mmm coconut milk always gets me. and P.S. your dog is the most adorable animal I've ever seen!
Reply
Indhu
yummy curry and rice... and I have only had the south indian version of coconut rice that is a must when making other mixed rice like puliyodharai, lemon rice, etc... for festivals and stuff - your version must be delicious 🙂
and I had the same doubt that Mahimaa had about coconuts and cholesterol - thanks for clarifying 🙂Reply
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