Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.

Tasty chickpeas, creamy sauce, and tender sweet potatoes make the perfect blend of savory delight in this vegan sweet potato chickpea curry. You can whip it up in just 40 minutes and you will end up with a fantastic dinner for the whole family. Naturally gluten-free and vegan too!

This sweet potato and chickpea curry recipe has become a regular weeknight dinner in our household. Everyone in my family loves it, and we’re more than happy to eat it several times a month. In addition to tasting amazing, this sweet potato chickpea curry is loaded with nutrients from pantry staples. It uses basic ingredients like baby spinach, chickpeas, bell peppers, and corn to nourish the whole family.

It doesn’t require a ton of complex spices to build layers of flavor. Garlic, ginger, salt, and curry powder do the trick, landing it as one of our favorite easy curry recipes. The best part is, that this chickpea and sweet potato curry makes eight servings, so it’s a great meal prep recipe to make at the beginning of the week.

Just 10 minutes to prep, this one-pot meal uses a cooking time of only 30 minutes. It’s also super customizable with any veggies you have on hand. This truly is a recipe that’s layered with so much flavor. Chickpea sweet potato curry with spinach is healthy comfort food at its best!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why You’ll Love This Sweet Potato And Chickpea Curry

• Quick: It’s almost unbelievable that you can develop both a savory and sweet curry in about 30 minutes. So if you’re exhausted from a long day’s work and need a quick weeknight dinner for your family, this mouthwatering dish will do. 
• Versatile: Loads of side dishes that pair with this creamy sweet potato curry recipe. Whether you have leftover white rice or extra vegetables in the fridge, this dish will put nearly any vegetable or grain to use!
• Nutrient-Dense: This plant-based dish gets a bunch of vegetables in while also remaining satisfying. The curried sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamins and the chickpeas are a protein powerhouse!
• Plant-Based:  If you’re worried about the preferences of any visitors, this vegan sweet potato curry recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan! Also, some curries use peanut butter but this does not, so it is also a nut-free curry. Both vegans and meat lovers will enjoy this filling and creamy dish.

Latest Recipe Video!

🥘 Ingredients

This easy sweet potato curry recipe uses simple ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store! See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

• Sweet Potatoes: You’ll need 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, cut into small cubes.
• Red Onion, Garlic, Grated Ginger: I recommend fresh ginger and garlic cloves for maximum flavor in this vegan curry recipe!
• Veggies: I used bell peppers, corn, carrots, celery, and baby spinach!
• Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are perfect in this chickpea spinach sweet potato curry. They save you prep time and are usually canned when they are in season, making them super flavorful!
• Curry Powder: One of the main reasons this sweet potato curry recipe with chickpeas has so much flavor! The best curry powder I have found on the market today is Simply Organic Curry Powder – just a couple tablespoons of that one spice makes this dish taste like it’s been building flavors all day long. This medium curry powder has the perfect balance of warm spices, sweet spices and a little bit of heat – I love it! For the best flavor, don’t forget to add kosher salt and pepper to taste as well!
• Coconut Milk: I used light coconut milk to get the creamy consistency of curry sauce without all of the fat and calories! Make sure to choose unsweetened coconut milk for this plant-based meal.

🍲 Ingredient Substitutions

• Oil: If you don’t have olive olive oil, substitute with vegetable oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
• Milk: Full fat coconut milk will also work, making this Indian curry ultra-rich and creamy, just note the changes in nutrition. If you do not need this vegan chickpea curry with sweet potatoes to be dairy-free you can also use regular milk – either whole milk or half and half in equal portions would work.
• Curry Powder: If you can’t find curry powder, you can try making your own blend with ground coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, dry mustard and pepper for this sweet potato garbanzo bean curry.
• Chickpeas: If you don’t have chickpeas, you can also use red lentils or brown lentils for this sweet potato spinach coconut curry – you’ll just have to adjust the cooking time to ensure they cook through.
• Veggies: Instead of spinach you can use other greens like swiss chard or kale. This is also a great recipe for using up any leftover veggies you have on hand too!

🔪 How To Make Sweet Potato Curry

Here are the instructions on how to make this easy sweet potato curry with coconut milk:

Heat Aromatics and Vegetables: Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, and bell peppers. Sauté for 8 minutes, often stirring until the onions are translucent.

Add More Veggies & Curry: Add the garlic, ginger, corn, spinach or baby kale, and curry powder. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Incorporate All Ingredients: Add in sweet potatoes, chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, and coconut milk.

Simmer: Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender.

💭 Expert Tips

• Use Fresh Ingredients: Use fresh ginger and fresh garlic cloves instead of pre-minced ingredients. Doing so adds superior flavor; you will notice the difference!
• Adjust Heat: Adjust the heat by adding red chili pepper for more spice. 
• Keep it Vegan (Optional): If you need to keep this recipe vegan, make sure your choice of curry powder or curry paste does not contain fish sauce.
• Dice Sweet Potatoes Uniformly: Dice the sweet potatoes the same size to ensure even cooking. When the sweet potatoes are tender, you’ll know the dish is ready. Cutting them all into 1-inch pieces ensures they don’t get mushy quickly while still being bite-size.

📖 Variations

• Add Different Veggies: Incorporate other vegetables you might have on hand. Add 1 cup of chopped green beans, cubed red potatoes, or sweet peas.
• Thinner Broth: Use the same amount of vegetable stock instead of coconut milk if you would like a lighter and less creamy curry.
• Curry Flavor: This chickpea and spinach curry with sweet potatoes will still taste great if you use a paste, such as Panang curry paste or Thai red curry paste, but note that the paste may be spicier and the flavor profile will be more Thai-inspired than Indian. Start with adding 1 tablespoon, stir, and taste the broth first to ensure the desired heat is palatable before adding a second tablespoon.
• Oil-Free: For an oil-free curry, simply sauté the veggies in a bit of vegetable broth.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Serve sweet potato curry hot with jasmine rice, brown rice, pressure cooker quinoa or cauliflower rice! You can also add some vegan naan bread or this Guyanese roti for a delicious and filling weeknight meal, a hearty lunch, or even a date night dinner.

If desired, top this easy meal with fresh lime juice, lime wedges, and/or fresh cilantro for a refreshing, herbal finish. Chopped peanuts or cashews also make a great flavor and protein-packed garnish!

🫙 Storage Directions

• Refrigeration: This dish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This sweet potato coconut curry is a great meal prep recipe that tastes even better the next day – so feel free to make a double batch and reheat it for meals later in the week!
• Freezing: Let this kumara chickpea curry cool completely, then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating it.
• Reheating: Reheat the leftover curry in a microwave-safe bowl, covered, or heat over the stovetop in a large skillet on medium heat. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if needed to thin it out.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🍛 More Delicious Curry Dishes!

• Vegan Thai Green Curry
• Vegan Panang Curry
• Rajma Masala
• Aubergine Curry
• Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry
• Thai Peanut Curry
• Egg Curry
• 25 Vegetarian and Vegan Indian Recipes

📋 Recipe Card