This rich and creamy chickpea and lentil curry is hearty, filling and ready in 20 minutes! A delicious weeknight dinner from storecupboard ingredients.
🍴 Why you will love this recipe
A quick and easy weeknight dinner that’s nutritious, satisfying and made from pantry staples. It comes together in about 20 minutes and serves four—perfect for busy evenings.
The base is a reduced, intensely flavoured tomato sauce finished with coconut milk for a smooth, creamy texture. Tinned chickpeas and lentils keep the dish filling and affordable.
This curry freezes well for meal-prep and reheats easily. Tailor the chilli level to your taste for a milder or spicier result.
📝 What you need
Ingredients
Tinned chickpeas are convenient, nutritious and have a pleasant texture. If you use dried chickpeas, soak and cook them beforehand.
Tinned lentils save time and make this a true 20-minute meal. Cook dried green lentils for 15–20 minutes if you prefer them.
Spices You can use a ready-made curry powder (mild to hot) or combine individual spices such as garam masala, ground coriander, cumin and turmeric—adjust to taste.
Coconut milk Use coconut milk from a tin (full-fat or reduced-fat both work) to create a creamy finish.
👩🏽🍳 How to make your chickpea and lentil curry
For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the recipe section below.
Peel and finely slice the onion and fry gently. Slice the pepper and add it to the pan along with the garlic, ginger and chilli.
Stir in the spices, then add the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and lentils.
Simmer until most of the liquid has reduced and the sauce is fairly thick. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for another 3–4 minutes until creamy. Finish with lemon juice and baby spinach, then serve.
🔪 Top Tips & FAQs
Adjust the consistency before serving — if the curry is too thick, loosen with a splash of water or extra lemon juice; if too thin, simmer a little longer.
Adjust flavour to suit you — leave out fresh chillis for a milder dish or add chilli flakes for extra heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as you go.
Yes — it freezes well, so you can batch-cook and store portions for later.
Stored in an airtight container, the curry will keep for 4–5 days in the fridge.
Yes, but dried pulses need pre-cooking. Dried chickpeas require soaking (and long cooking) while dried green lentils need about 15–20 minutes boiling, so the total time will be longer than 20 minutes.
🍽 If you liked that…
You might also enjoy these vegan recipes:
-
Creamy Parsnip Curry with lentils
-
Brinjal Bhaji (Aubergine Bhaji)
-
Creamy Courgette Curry
-
Peanut Butter Chickpea Curry
Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it on Instagram, tagging @thevegspace or using #thevegspace. Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly recipes.
📖 Recipe
Chickpea and Lentil Curry
Kate Ford | The Veg Space
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 1 red onion
- 1 red pepper
- 2 cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic paste)
- Thumb-sized piece fresh ginger (or 2 teaspoon ginger paste)
- 1–2 fresh chillis
- Spices: either 1 teaspoon each garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin and turmeric, or 3 teaspoons curry powder
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 400 g tin chickpeas
- 400 g tin lentils
- 400 ml tin coconut milk
- 1 lemon
- Handful baby spinach
- Handful fresh coriander
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large casserole dish or deep frying pan.
- Peel and finely slice the red onion, then fry gently for 2–3 minutes.
- Trim and slice the red pepper and add to the pan with the garlic, ginger and chilli. Cook for a further 2–3 minutes.
- Add the spices and stir until fragrant and combined.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, then refill the empty tomato tin halfway with water (about 200ml) and pour that into the pan.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and lentils and add them to the pan. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 6–8 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the sauce is fairly thick.
- Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for a further 3–4 minutes until the curry is thick and creamy.
- Stir through the lemon juice and baby spinach. Serve sprinkled with chopped coriander.
Notes
Adjust consistency before serving — add water or more lemon juice if too thick; simmer longer if too runny.
Adjust the heat to taste — omit fresh chillis for milder, or add chilli flakes for extra spice.
Nutrition
Calories: 355 kcal
Let us know how it was! Mention @thevegspace or #thevegspace.
Free 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan
Download a free 4-week vegan meal plan and shopping list to simplify your cooking and make meal planning effortless.
Don’t want to miss a thing?
Follow on social media or subscribe to the newsletter to receive new vegan recipes straight to your inbox every week.
Please note that all recipes and images on The Veg Space are copyright protected. If you would like to share the recipe, please use the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or copy and paste the recipe (even if credited to The Veg Space). Many thanks for your understanding.