A hearty one-pot meal, vegan Cauliflower Chickpea Curry is easy to prepare in under an hour. You can make it with or without coconut milk to suit your taste. This fragrant dish is delicious on its own or with rice or your favorite grain.
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I received a complimentary copy of Frugal Vegan to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
Vegetable curries are easy to make at home with minimal ingredients. They tend to be really flexible so you can use whatever ingredients you have on hand.
Some of my favorites are green bean curry and cabbage coconut curry. And this Cauliflower Chickpea Curry is another flavorful meal I make regularly.
This tasty vegan curry is from the amazing cookbook Frugal Vegan by Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee of Well Vegan. You're sure to enjoy it whether you choose to add the optional coconut milk or not.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's super flavorful and can be made with our without coconut milk.
- You can make it in under an hour.
- The leftovers taste incredible, plus they are freezer friendly.
Ingredients
- Olive oil (or omit and saute in water, if you prefer)
- Onion
- Fresh garlic
- Bay leaf
- Cauliflower
- Red potatoes
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Canned chickpeas
- Vegetable stock (or water)
- Frozen peas
- Full-fat coconut milk or reduced-fat "lite" coconut milk (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Variations
- Add other veggies like carrots, red bell pepper, and broccoli
- Leave out the red potatoes or use yellow potatoes or sweet potatoes
- Use fire-roasted diced tomatoes for extra flavor
- Prefer a spicy curry? Add in red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or use a spicy curry powder
- Top with fresh cilantro leaves
- Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Instructions
Making Cauliflower Chickpea Curry is very easy once you've chopped the vegetables. Most of the cooking time is hands-off while the stew simmers.
- Heat a little olive oil (or water) and saute the onion. Add the garlic, curry powder and bay leaf and quickly saute. Then add the cauliflower, potatoes, crushed tomatoes, chickpeas and vegetable stock.
- Bring to a simmer, lower the heat and continue to simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender, stirring occasionally
- Stir in the peas and coconut milk, if you’re using it, and cook just another minute. Remove the bay leaf and add salt and pepper to taste.
Amy's tip
Before pouring in the coconut milk, take a taste of the curry to decide whether you want to add it or not. You can also divide the curry and add coconut milk to part of it and leave the other part without it!
Serving suggestions
Cauliflower Chickpea Curry can be enjoyed on its own or served with rice or other grains.
Or try it with a salad on the side like avocado and hearts of palm salad or tomato cucumber and bell pepper salad.
Storing and freezing
Leftover curry can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. However, if you plan to freeze it, leave out the coconut milk. You can add it later to the reheated curry.
I recommend freezing individual servings in mason jars or small glass containers with lids. Be sure to allow a little room at the top since the liquid will expand when frozen.
Recipe FAQs
If you want to use dried beans, cook them in advance before making this recipe. You will need ½ cup of dried chickpeas which will be approximately 1½ cups when cooked.
Curry powder is a blend of spices including turmeric, cumin, and ginger. Despite its name, it doesn't contain curry leaves.
Adding coconut milk to a curry makes it creamy with a hint of sweetness. It also makes it less spicy.
More vegan curry recipes
Made this recipe? Have a question? Please leave a comment below. 💙 And for even more recipes, join the Plant Forward Vegan Recipes Facebook group for community, inspiration & fun!
Love and Veggies,
Amy
📋 Recipe
Vegan Cauliflower Chickpea Curry
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Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons curry powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 head cauliflower florets, cut in pieces
- 3 medium red potatoes, cut in ½-inch chunks
- 1-15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1-15 ounce can chickpeas , rinsed and drained
- 2 cups vegetable broth, (or water)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1-14 ounce can coconut milk, (optional) full-fat recommended or reduced-fat (lite)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until very soft and just starting to brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute before adding the curry and bay leaf. Cook for another 30 seconds. Then add the cauliflower, potatoes, crushed tomatoes, chickpeas and vegetable broth.1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 Tablespoons curry powder, 1 bay leaf, 1 head cauliflower florets, 3 medium red potatoes, 1-15 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1-15 ounce can chickpeas, 2 cups vegetable broth
- Bring to a simmer, lower the heat and continue to simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender.
- Add the peas and coconut milk, if you’re using it, and cook just another minute. Remove the bay leaf and add salt and pepper to taste.1 cup frozen peas, 1-14 ounce can coconut milk, salt and pepper
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Donna says
I've used canned coconut milk in other recipes and it's always very sweet. Is there a brand that you can recommend that is not overwhelming sweet?
Amy Katz says
I find they are all pretty similar. You might like the "lite" canned coconut milk better because it's more watered down.
Christina says
2 tbspns of curry and cauliflower? Oh, that's a big yes from me. I love curry!!! Am having this for lunch today! So yummy! Oh, didn't add the coconut milk and need to try this soup with it definitely!
Amy Katz says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Christina!
Cindy says
I have really enjoyed your site. Very friendly and easy to see. I have printed quite a few recipes to try in the coming weeks. They look delicious. Thanks! Cindy
Amy Katz says
Thank you so much, Cindy!
Linda says
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I added the coconut milk at the end and it was so delicious. My house smelled so good, just like our favorite Indian restaurant! This is a recipe that I will be making on a regular basis. Thanks Amy for another winner!
Amy Katz says
That's fantastic, thanks Linda!
helen Papathanasiou says
Very delicious. This will become a favorite. I added coriander paprika and ginger too, Also used fire roasted tomatoes. I prefer it without the coconut but my daughter loved it with the coconut milk.
Amy Katz says
I'm happy you both enjoyed it! I love using fire roasted tomatoes, too.
Shari says
Delicious and simple to make! The whole family loved it over basmati rice, and it was even better the next day!
Amy Katz says
I'm so happy to hear this, Shari!
Linda says
Hi Amy!
I have everything needed to make this except full fat coconut milk. I only have 2 cans of lite. You recommend full fat so my question is, would it work with the lite one or should I omit it all together?
Amy Katz says
Hi Linda! Yes, you can use the lite coconut milk instead. Enjoy!
Linda says
Thanks! I will leave a review once I make it!
Bonnie says
So delicious on a -40 day. I had a friend over and she loved it too. (I forgot the peas.)
Amy Katz says
Fantastic, thanks Bonnie!
Jami K says
Do you think this would work with cashew cream instead of coconut milk? What amount of cashews and water would you recommend, if it would work?
Amy Katz says
Hi Jami! Thanks for your patience. Yes, you can blend 1/2 cup raw cashews with 1/2 cup water. Let me know how you like it!
Deb says
Delicious. Thanks for sharing. Added cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger and extra garlic
Donna Steward says
This recipe sounds wonderful!
1) There are just the 2 of us, can I freeze the leftovers?
2) Also, how big are the servings?
3) We are not fans of chickpeas, can I sub the chickpeas with Northern Beans?
Amy says
Thanks Donna! I hope you enjoy it!
1) Yes, you can freeze the leftovers.
2) The servings really aren't that big, in my opinion. I think you could refrigerate or freeze the leftovers and have enough for a couple more meals.
3) Sure, you can use a different bean, or leave the beans out and add more vegetables.
Mary Ann Felix says
I've been on the hunt for an easy, delicious chickpea curry recipe with coconut and this one jumped out at me, so I made it yesterday. IT'S AWESOME! For my version I omitted the oil and cauliflower but it wasn't missed when it came to the taste. Fire roasted tomatoes and extra vegetable stock were added. Also, I threw in some bell pepper and carrots. It was so delicious that my husband tried it and LIKED IT - which makes it a keeper and a new favorite! We had it again tonight with some rice and a salad. It was even better the next day and now it's GONE BABY. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a nutritious, delicious and easy meal. Thank you!
Amy says
That's wonderful to hear, Mary Ann! Thank you for sharing your version, too!
Debra says
Adding carrots is a great idea! I'll add them the next time I make it.
Rachael Neusch says
This was the first curry I made and it was deliciou!. Next time I will use 1 1/2 cans of coconut milk.
Amy says
I'm so happy your enjoyed it, Rachael!
Kristen says
How much coconut milk do you add if you want to use it!!
Amy says
One can of coconut milk. I highly recommend adding it!
Silvia Andonie says
Hello.. I did chickpea curry recipe and it was easy and delicious! Thank you!
Amy says
Thank you, Silvia! I'm happy you enjoyed it.