10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry (2024)

Published: Jul 22, 2021 · Modified: Mar 17, 2022 · Written by Dannii Martin · This post may contain affiliate links · 207 Comments

This delicious one pot 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry is an easy vegan curry that you need in your life. It's low in calories and fat (just 123 calories for a big serving) and you just tip everything in to the pan and it’s ready less than 10 minutes later. Bursting with iron rich spinach and protein packed chickpeas, this chickpea curry recipe freezes well and it's absolutely delicious and easy to adapt depending on how spicy you like it.

This chickpea spinach curry (also known as Chana Palak curry, or Chana Palak Masala) is one of those recipes that we make almost every week. The whole family loves it. We always have the ingredients in the cupboard to make this, so when we haven't got anything else planned and we need something quick, easy and healthy, we make this.

It's really easy to adapt too, with different beans or greens, and even different spices too. We are always making it a different way to keep it interesting.

Step by step

One: Heat a little olive oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Two: Add the spices and stir well.

Three: Add the chopped tomatoes, drained chickpeas and salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Four: 2 minutes before it has finished cooking, add the spinach and coriander and stir well.

Five: Cook for 2 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.

Check out our story for a quick guide to how this chickpea curry recipe is made.

Why should you try it?

What spices to use

The most used spices in our kitchen, which feature in this dish, are ground coriander, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, turmeric and of course cayenne because they are all flavour packed.

You can pick spices up for really cheap, especially if you buy them in bigger packets in ethnic stores and they really do make the dish.

Don't be afraid to start experimenting with herbs and spices. Add a little more or a little less of each depending on your tastes to make this tasty vegan chickpea curry recipe.

If you are short on time, or you don't have a range of spices, then you can just use 3 teaspoon of garam masala in this dish instead.

You could also use your favourite curry paste to make it a different way each time. We have made this with tikka and korma paste and it's delicious.

What vegetables to add

We only used spinach and onion in this curry to keep it quick and simple, but you can include pretty much any vegetables. Finely chop some red peppers and mushrooms and cook at the same time as the onion or swap the spinach for some kale or other leafy greens if you want to mix it up a bit.

To give this curry a more meaty feel, you could throw some chunks of aubergine into the mix or some larger chunks of portobello mushroom. Why not skip the rice and add some good sweet potato to the curry instead?

We had tinned chickpeas, we had tinned tomatoes and we had some spinach in the fridge that was starting to look a bit sorry for itself, so I thought I would throw it all together to make a curry.

Because this 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry uses cupboard staples it is a really budget curry and hardly costs anything to make - around £0.32/$0.42 per serving!

Healthy benefits of chickpeas

Chickpeas a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. They offer a variety of health benefits, including improved digestion and reducing the risk of several diseases. They are also high in protein and are an excellent alternative to meat.

How to make in a slow cooker

Of course using a slow cooker is going to mean your meal takes longer than 10 minutes to cook, but there is still very little prep.

Simply follow steps one and two in the instructions and then put everything expect the spinach and herbs in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 and a half hours. 30 minutes before serving, stir in the spinach and coriander.

FAQs

Extra tips

• If you don't have a can of chickpeas, then any other can of plain beans will work. We like chickpeas because they are really creamy and cheap, but others work too. We have used haricot and cannellini before in this spinach curry.
• Don't have any spinach? You can use another leafy green instead. Kale, Cabbage and Swiss chard will all work, but they will take a little bit longer to cook, so put them in the pan earlier.
• If you have a bit of extra time, cook the onions on a lower heat for longer. The onions will be much softer and have more flavour, but as we wanted a quick curry we sped up that step. You can use red onion too, if you want.
• Don't want any heat? You can leave out the cayenne for a super mild curry, but still all the flavour from the other spices. Equally, if you like really spicy curries then you can add more cayenne.
• Use garam masala or curry powder to save even more time. If you don't have the individual spices to hand, or you don't want to measure them, add 3 teaspoon of garam masala instead.
• Creamy curries are super comforting, so why not add a spoonful of cream, coconut milk or creme fraiche to the pan just before serving.
• This curry freezes really well, and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you want to keep leftovers in the fridge they will stay fresh for up to 2 days.
• Instead of serving this spinach curry with plain rice, mix some lime juice and fresh coriander in to the rice before serving.
• A little tip about tinned tomatoes - we always use whole tomatoes and chop them up in the pan with a wooden spoon as they are less processed. Chopped tomatoes tend to be really watery, but they can be used. Try to buy the best quality too, as you can really taste the difference.

More vegetarian curry recipes

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