Looking for a flavour-packed nutritious curry? This Chickpea and Lentil Curry is exactly what you need. It’s creamy, comforting, delicious and packed with fibre.
Packed with a variety of rich aromatic spices and plants, this Chickpea and Lentil Curry is my go-to alternative to a takeaway when I want something a bit healthier that doesn’t compromise on flavour.
Flavour is always a top priority with my recipes, so I wanted to make sure this Chickpea and Lentil Curry was not only full of nutrients, but could also wow anyone who is a little sceptical of plant-based curries!
Plus, I love the combination of the curry roasted chickpeas with the creamy lentil base for a fun variation in texture, so I hope that you do too!
Why You’ll Love This Chickpea and Lentil Curry
- Delicious: There is so much flavour packed into this Chickpea and Lentil Curry. The spicy roasted chickpeas provide a punchy kick that pulls it all together! It’s an absolute crowd pleaser!
- Nourishing: This curry is packed with plant-based protein, fibre and essential nutrients. Plus, this curry is very plant-rich, with over 10 plant points!
- Perfect For Meal Prep: This Chickpea and Lentil Curry is great for making in bulk for meal prep. It’s also freezer-friendly so you can easily save some portions for another day.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
This Chickpea and Lentil Curry might look intimidating at first with its long list of ingredients, but I promise you, it’s so simple to make. You’ll probably find most of these ingredients in your kitchen cupboard, but if not, they’re also readily available in any supermarket.
Below are some helpful notes about the ingredients used in this Chickpea and Lentil Curry recipe. You can find the precise ingredients you’ll need in the recipe card further down.
- Dried red lentils
- Tinned chickpeas
- Chopped tomatoes
- Coconut milk – I like to use full fat coconut milk. However, to make this chickpea and lentil curry lower in saturated fat, you can switch to a reduced fat coconut milk. Though bear in mind that this will reduce some of that delicious creamy coconut flavour!
- Oil – Any oil will do. I like to use olive oil or rapeseed oil.
- Brown onion
- Carrot
- Pepper
- Garlic
- Ginger puree – This is often found in the fresh herbs and spices section of the vegetable aisle in the supermarket. Alternatively, you can grate in around 1 inch of fresh ginger.
- Herbs and spices – Chilli flakes, cumin, dried coriander, ground turmeric, garam masala and curry powder.
- Vegetable stock
- Juice of half a lemon
- Spinach
- Salt and pepper
🌱 Total number of plant points: 10+
This Chickpea and Lentil Curry includes a variety of legumes, vegetables and spices, totalling to around 10 plant points (with it being slightly more if you added chilli flakes).
How to Make this Chickpea and Lentil Curry
1) Making The Lentil Curry Base
Sauté the onions and garlic: Add some oil to a large pan and sauté the diced onions on a medium-low heat. Then add the garlic and sauté for a minute.
Add the vegetables and spices: Add the carrot, pepper, ginger and red chilli flakes with water and cook until soft. Then add the spices and cook for a further minute.
Wash the lentils: In a colander or sieve, rinse the red lentils until the water runs clear.
Add the other ingredients: Mix in the lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and stock and cook on low for 30 minutes.
Finish with lemon and spinach: Once cooked stir in the lemon juice and spinach until it wilts.
2) Roasted Chickpeas Topper
Roast the Chickpeas: Whilst the curry is cooking, roast the chickpeas with curry powder until crispy in a frying pan or in the oven.
Variations
For ease, you can miss out the step of roasting the chickpeas and instead just add them to the curry.
Though personally, I love the burst of flavour the curry roasted chickpeas add, so I think it’s worth the extra dish to wash up!
Storing and Reheating Chickpea and Lentil Curry
Once cooked and cooled, this chickpea and lentil curry will last up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. I like to keep the lentil curry base and the roasted chickpeas in separate containers to keep some crunch on the chickpeas, but for ease you can just throw them into one container.
This chickpea and lentil curry is also perfect for freezing. Just make sure the curry is cooled down, then combine the chickpeas and lentil curry base, and portion into to freezer-friendly sealed containers. Always remember to label with the date it was made and consume within 3 months.
To reheat, simply put a portion in the microwave for several minutes (or longer if from frozen) or reheat in a pan until piping hot.
What to Serve with Chickpea and Lentil Curry
- Rice: Adding brown rice with this curry will add an extra plant point to this meal. For ease, I sometimes buy microwavable mixed brown and wild rice packs, which will contribute to 2 additional plant points!
- Naan bread or poppadoms: If you want this curry to feel more indulgent (it makes a great option for a Friday night ‘fakeaway’) you can also serve it with your favourite flavour naan breads or poppadoms.
- Fresh coriander: Not my cup of tea but I know lots of people who love the addition of fresh coriander to their curry – so if this is you, go wild!
More Curry Recipes You’ll Love
Creamy Chickpea and Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive/rapeseed oil
- 1 large brown, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 pepper, diced
- 4 garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp ginger puree
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried coriander
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground garam masala
- 250g dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 can coconut milk
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2-3 handfuls spinach, washed
Roasted Chickpeas
- 1 tbsp olive/rapeseed oil
- 1 tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp curry powder
Instructions
Roasted Chickpeas
- Whilst the curry is cooking, drain and wash the chickpeas and dry them with a paper towel.
- In a bowl, add the chickpeas, oil and curry powder and mix until evenly coated.
- Add the chickpeas to a frying pan and fry on a medium-low heat for 15 mins until crispy. Alternatively, you can roast them in the oven at 160℃ fan in an oven dish for 20 minutes until crispy and golden.
Lentil Curry Base
- In a large pan add oil and the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes on a medium-low heat, continuously stirring, until it gets soft but not browned. Then add the crushed garlic and cook for another minute.
- Reduce the heat and add the carrot, pepper, ginger, red chilli flakes and a dash of water (adding more water if needed to stop it sticking) and cook with a lid on for 10 minutes.
- Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala to the pan and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
- Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and stock and cook on a medium-low heat with the lid on for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then cook with the lid off on a low heat for another 15 minutes.
- Once cooked, stir in the lemon juice and the spinach until it wilts.
- Serve the curry with the roasted chickpeas scattered on top or mixed through.