Dinner recipes don’t come much easier than this peanut butter chickpea curry, and it’s a firm favourite in our house.
It’s a great one to make if you fancy a change from your usual take-away curry. It will be ready in 30 minutes so quicker than waiting for a take-away to arrive!
The curry itself is super easy to throw together, with no complicated ingredients and lots of gorgeous spices. It will be one to add to your list of easy dinner recipes.
Is this peanut butter chickpea curry healthy?
You might ask whether this curry is healthy. I’m here to tell you it is! And much healthier than a take-away! One portion contains over 20g of plant protein and over 13g of fibre. The chickpeas are a great source of fibre and plant-based protein, and the peanut butter provides good fats (as well as an extra hit of protein). Adding spinach really ups the nutritional value too – lots of magnesium and iron. If you want to know more about each of the ingredients – there are more details below.
How to make curry from scratch
This peanut butter chickpea curry is really easy to make from scratch. It only takes 5 mins to prep and 25 mins to cook!
You don’t need to always use a curry paste to make your own curries either. Simply adding your own blend of spices as well as the coconut milk makes it easy to make this curry from scratch. It has a wonderful flavour and creamy texture and it’s flexible enough to add in any extra veggies you like.
Best spices for this peanut butter chickpea curry
I like to use a curry spice blend that contains cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, fennel, garlic, chilli and cardamom. It is a medium curry powder. I then add additional dried cumin and turmeric as well as fresh ginger, garlic and chilli. I find this gives my preferred curry taste. But play around with flavours and spices and find out which blends and individual spices you and your family prefer.
Peanut Butter Chickpea Curry Ingredients
Chickpeas
Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas are a fantastic source of plant-based protein. They’re rich in fibre, which can help your digestive health and help to maintain stable blood sugar levels too. Chickpeas are also packed with essential nutrients like folate, iron, and magnesium, so a great addition to your diet.
Peanut butter
I know it can get a bad press, but I’m still a peanut butter lover. It adds a rich, creamy texture to the curry while providing a good dose of healthy fats. It’s a fantastic source of monounsaturated fats and is a good source of protein and contains essential nutrients like vitamin E, magnesium, and potassium. If you don’t like it, you can easily swap for almond butter.
Coconut milk and coconut oil
Coconut milk gives a lovely, creamy texture to the curry, while coconut oil adds to the depth of flavour. Both are rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are a type of healthy fat that can boost energy and support. Coconut milk is also a good source of iron, manganese, and other essential minerals. I’m aware they are both high in saturated fats, however, I prefer this to more processed oils and milks/creams.
Red onion
I try and use red onions rather than white usually. They are much higher in quercetin (which is a natural anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory) which is found most often in red fruits and vegetables.
Red bell pepper
They aren’t just there to bring a great colour to the finished dish. Red bell peppers are incredibly rich in Vitamin C—in fact, much higher in Vitamin C than something like oranges! They also provide vitamin B6 and folate.
Tomatoes
One of the most important nutrients in tomatoes is lycopene – and this is much more bioavailable when the tomatoes are cooked. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, you can sub in canned.
Spinach
Add the spinach at the very end of the cooking time. It will wilt rather than fully cook, so retain most of the nutrients. It’s rich in vitamins A, C and K, as well as magnesium, calcium and iron.
Ginger and garlic
These two aromatic ingredients are found in many of my savoury dishes. Ginger is well-known for its anti-inflammatory and digestive benefits, while garlic is great for its immune-boosting and anti-viral properties.
Spices
Adding spices to your cooking can really add to the nutritional value of the finished dish. And curry has so many good ones! Not only do they provide warmth and depth of flavour but also offer various health benefits. For example, cumin and coriander can aid digestion, turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties, and chilli can help boost your metabolism. Obviously, they are all in small proportions here, but adding them to your diet regularly can really help your overall health.
Storage and Shelf Life
This Peanut Butter Chickpea Curry is a fantastic meal prep option. It stores well in the fridge and will keep for 3-4 days. If you want to store it for a longer period, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tips
- Adjust the spice level: If you prefer a milder curry, reduce the amount of curry powder or omit the fresh chilli. For a spicier curry, add extra chilli.
- Add more veggies for extra nutrition: This curry is versatile and can be customised with additional vegetables like carrots or peas. Simply add them in when you add the chickpeas.
- Adjust the stock: If you want a thicker curry, let it simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes to reduce the sauce. Alternatively, you can add a little less stock. If you prefer more sauce, add a little more stock. The curry also thickens over time so if you are reheating, you might need to add more stock.
- Substitutions: You can sub out the chickpeas for lentils, tofu or beans, if you prefer. I use a full fat coconut milk. If you are watching your fat intake then feel free to sub for a half fat or reduced fat option. Also, sub almond butter for peanut, if preferred.
If you are looking for other curry recipes to try, here are a few of my favourites:
CAULIFLOWER, POTATO & LENTIL CURRY
Peanut Butter Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large red onion
- Thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ red chilli
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp organic peanut butter
- 400 ml tin of organic coconut milk (14oz)
- 3 x 400g tins of chickpeas (3 x 14oz)
- 125 ml veg stock (½ cup)
- 4 large handfuls of spinach
- Small handful of fresh coriander
- Juice of a lime
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and slice the red bell pepper. In a large pan heat up the coconut oil. Once hot, fry them all for 3-4 mins with a good pinch of sea salt.
- Chop the tomatoes into small chunks and add to the pan. Stir well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the peanut butter and spices and stir through.
- Add the drained chickpeas, coconut milk and stock. Mix well and simmer for 15-20 mins, adding the spinach, coriander and lime juice for the last 2 mins.
- Serve with some toasted nuts (if you like) and either rice or naan (or both).
Notes
- The nutritional information is based on using full fat coconut milk.
- If preferred, swap the peanut butter for almond butter.
- This curry will keep in the fridge for 3 days and freezes well.
- I like to use a curry spice blend that contains cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, fennel, garlic, chilli and cardamom. It is a medium curry powder. I then add additional dried cumin and turmeric as well as fresh ginger, garlic and chilli. I find this gives my preferred curry taste. But play around with flavours and spices and find out which blends and individual spices you and your family prefer.
Very good! I used dried pepper flakes because I didn’t have a red chili pepper. But otherwise stuck to the recipe. Had it with basmati rice. Soooo good!
Amazing – glad you liked it! Great swap in with the dried flakes.