Lazy Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry cooks in just 20 minutes. Healthy and vegan, with nut-free and oil-free options. Freezer & kid-friendly.
The easiest and most delicious chickpea curry I have ever made! This recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners and meal prep, and it even freezes well. Plus, it's packed with flavor and can be made without spice or oil.
This Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry recipe was inspired by my Indian-Spiced Skillet Chickpeas & Kale, as well as this Chickpea Pumpkin Curry on my website.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- Chickpeas are high in protein and fiber. Two cans are used for this chickpea curry recipe to pack in more protein.
- Sweet potatoes are one of the top sources of beta-carotene—a precursor to vitamin A. Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are the richest in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a naturally occurring plant “phyto” chemical that gives vegetables their bright colors. Some of these phytochemicals are believed to protect cells from damage that could lead to cancer. They add a welcomed hint of sweetness to this chickpea curry.
- Peanut butter is mixed with water to make a delicious peanut cream. This gives the chickpea curry its creamy texture without the need for coconut milk or any nondairy milk.
- Vegetable broth is the liquid of choice for this chickpea curry. It adds flavor while keeping this dish light and dairy-free. Use low-sodium broth for a healthier option.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🥜 Substitutions
Peanut butter - substitute with tahini or SunButter made with sunflower seeds for a nut-free chickpea curry
Red bell pepper - omit as desired
Baby spinach or kale - add greens when simmering the curry as desired
Green chili and cayenne pepper - omit for non-spicy
For another quick and healthy curry chickpea recipe, try this Best Curried Chickpea Salad on my site. Visit my Vegan Curry Recipes page for more easy curry ideas.
📖 Instructions
Step 1. Cook the onion, garlic, ginger, green chili, bell pepper, and sweet potato until the onion is translucent. Add the cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
Step 2. Add the chickpeas and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Mix in the diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Simmer covered for 10 minutes, or until the sweet potato is fork tender, stirring frequently.
Step 3. Transfer the peanut butter to a small bowl with ⅓ cup water. Mix well until creamy.
Step 4. Remove the Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry from the heat and mix in the peanut cream. Add fresh lime juice and salt to taste. Serve with rice or naan.
💡 Expert Tips
- Aromatics: Cook your onion, ginger, and garlic with the sweet potato and bell pepper to save time. The flavor is not compromised for this recipe.
- Check for doneness: Cut the sweet potato into ½-inch pieces so it cooks quickly and evenly. The curry is cooked once the sweet potato is fork tender.
- The peanut cream is very delicious. Add more water to make peanut milk and serve with cookies!
- Storage: Refrigerate any leftover Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Substitute the 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas for 1 cup dried chickpeas. Soak and cook the dried chickpeas separate from the curry. Drain and add them to the curry when the recipe calls for canned chickpeas.
Yes! You can substitute the vegetable broth for oat milk for a creamier curry.
You can freeze this curry for up to 3 months. Set aside to reach room temperature before storing in a freezer-safe container.
🍽 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Curry
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable broth
- 1 medium onion small dice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 small serrano pepper or jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
- 1 medium red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked)
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- ¾ cup vegetable broth or water, or oat milk, plus more as needed
- ⅓ cup peanut butter or any nut or seed butter
- Fresh lime juice to taste
- Salt to taste
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook aromatics & veggies: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, garlic, ginger, green chili, bell pepper, and sweet potato for about 7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Stir frequently.
- Cook spices: Add the cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Simmer: Add the chickpeas and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Mix in the diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Simmer covered for 10 minutes, or until the sweet potato is fork tender, stirring frequently.
- Make peanut cream: Transfer the peanut butter to a small bowl with ⅓ cup water. Mix well until creamy.
- Mix and season: Add the peanut cream to the curry and stir until fully incorporated. Add fresh lime juice and salt to taste.
- For serving: Garnish with cilantro, if using. Serve with rice or naan.
Notes
- Aromatics: Cook your onion, ginger, and garlic with the sweet potato and bell pepper to save time. The flavor is not compromised for this recipe.
- Check for doneness: Cut the sweet potato into ½-inch pieces so it cooks quickly and evenly. The curry is cooked once the sweet potato is fork tender.
- The peanut cream is very delicious. Add more water to make a peanut milk and serve with cookies!
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Catherine says
Thank you for this quick and tasty recipe, I've been looking for a curry recipe that doesn't use coconut milk because of the high saturated fats and my high cholesterol! I didn't have the Serrano peppers and will definitely try it again with them. I served it with basmati rice, roasted sweet plantain and roasted curry broccoli and pumpkin seeds. My teenager liked it. I think I needed to cook my sweet potatoes longer I followed the recipe but maybe I should have cut them smaller. I think it will be even better tomorrow like most curries the next day!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for your comment! Love the combination with sweet plantains! Thank you for sharing.
Marcy Youker says
sounds great, I have all the ingredients, will try it, thank you , love your recipes!!!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you so much. Enjoy:)
Shannon says
This looks awesome! Do you think I could prep/freeze the main ingredients ahead of time then make it in instant pot instead?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yes!
Tim says
What do you think about using tahini instead of peanut butter?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Absolutely! It will work well.
Tim says
One more question if I may. Can you reheat the leftovers normally in a pan,? I’ve never cooked nut or seed butter in a recipe before.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi! Yes. Just add a little water or broth to thin out the sauce when reheating.
CLAIRE V RILEY says
I made this a while ago and it was delicious! I'm going to make it again. And, yes, the peanut cream was out of this world!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thanks for your comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Naomi Vernon says
This was amazing! The only modifications I made were "eyeballing" the sweet potato (I used yam), and peppers, and did not add the nut butter, because I could not find it easily where we live. I cannot wait to try this again with the nut or seed butter, as it was absolutely delicious, and will likely become a part of our normal rotation.
Nisha Melvani says
Yay! I'm thrilled it was a hit! I love yam! Thanks for leaving a comment.
Heather says
This recipe is amazing!! More prep work than I thought but easy otherwise. My husband will not eat a meal without meat so I added cubed up chicken thighs, so good!! We served over rice and had leftovers for lunches for a couple days. Also we used serranos because we like the heat!
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad you were able to make it work for both of you! Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for leaving a comment.
Margaret says
I really enjoyed this but the prep time is misleading. Maybe 10 minutes for a professional but not for the average cook. I was short a can of chickpeas but decreased amount of peanut butter and thought it tasted great. Enjoyed with naan one night and rice the next. Lime and cilantro garnishes are a must!
Nisha Melvani says
Sorry it took longer than I anticipated. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Lime juice certainly brings the flavors together! THANK YOU.
@laura_mac91 says
Such a tasty and easy curry! Not too spicy with the jalapeño and it has a lovely creamy texture from the peanut butter. I’ve been enjoying this for lunch over the past few days. Thank you for sharing.
Nisha Melvani says
Makes me so happy to hear that! Thank you.
@halocooks says
An absolutely perfect meal!! Came together so quickly and full of flavour. My family LOVED this. I will be making this again and again!
Nisha Melvani says
So glad you all enjoyed it. Thank you.
Kaka says
Absolutely delicious. Really enjoyed.
I challenge anyone to prep and cook that in just 30 minutes though!
Nisha Melvani says
So glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like it was worth the prep:)
Jessica Sepulveda says
Made this for dinner, it was a beautiful plate of deliciousness!!! My husband and teenager loved it too. Thanks for the yummy recipe for my weeknight arsenal. Cannot recommend enough!
Nisha Melvani says
So good to hear. I really love this recipe and was so excited to put it out there. I'm glad you and your family enjoyed it as much as I did!
Caitlin says
Made this for lunches for the week. I have really been enjoying it, thank you!
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad. Thank you for commenting.
Neena Chandiramani says
Love the sweet potato in this superb dish - my favorite!
Nisha Melvani says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.