Instant Pot Coconut Chickpea Curry is a creamy vegan curry, perfect for those busy weekdays. Made with staple pantry ingredients, this one-pot meal with pot-in-pot brown rice will make up for a perfect, wholesome meal.
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Healthy Vegan Curried Chickpeas
This coconut chickpea curry is a family favorite when it comes to Indian chickpea recipes made in the instant pot, and my kids love it as it is mild in taste. It is like Chana Masala with coconut milk!
Did I tell you – this is a dump-and-go recipe? So that makes it my absolute favorite. I can prepare a healthy meal that the whole family loves without much effort on a weekday. The best win-win situation!
Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans, and they are very nutritious. They provide you with the right amount of protein if you are following a vegan diet. Include them in your Meatless Monday dinners for a satisfying, wholesome meal.
If you do eat meat, check out my popular instant pot coconut chicken curry.
How to make Coconut Chickpea Curry in the Instant Pot?
Before starting to make this creamy coconut chickpea curry in an Instant Pot, make sure all the ingredients are ready. Luckily, this recipe calls for everyday pantry staples such as ginger, garlic, onions, tomatoes, chickpeas and coconut milk.
Also, keep ready the spices such as Garam masala, Ground turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder and ground cumin. If you are willing, I would highly recommend making homemade Garam Masala. It adds so much flavor to this curry!
- Slit the green chilis, mince the garlic and ginger, and chop the onions and tomatoes.
- Then, add all the ingredients and spices powders except the coconut milk in the Instant pot steel insert as listed in the recipe card.
- Close the lid with the vent in the sealing position.
- Set the Instant Pot to bean/chili mode for 30 minutes on high pressure.
- Then, when the pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. If the pressure is not released completely, then you can do a manual release.
- Open the instant pot and then add the coconut milk to the mixture and stir well.
- Then set the Instant Pot on sauté mode and let the curry simmer for a few minutes or until it thickens and gives a creamy consistency.
- Once you get the desired consistency, switch off the Instant Pot and garnish the chickpea curry with fresh cilantro leaves.
Enjoy this delicious Coconut Chickpea Curry. It is great over rice or with naan!
Pro-Tip
Make this curry even more nutritious by adding fresh greens like spinach or kale leaves.
We typically enjoy this Coconut Chickpea Curry with rice. Make pot-in-pot brown rice along with this Coconut Chickpea Curry. The cooking time for dry chickpeas and pot-in-pot brown rice matches perfectly.
Common Questions
Can I freeze this Chickpea Curry?
Yes, you can freeze this chickpea curry by storing it in air-tight containers for up to 3 months.
You can also store this curry in the refrigerator for 4-5 days
Can I use canned Chickpeas?
Yes, you can use both dried and canned chickpeas to make this dish. Personally, I prefer the dried ones to canned chickpeas. But, if you are in a hurry, then you can go for canned chickpeas.
- No soaking is required.
- Add about 3 cups of canned chickpeas (about two 14oz cans)
- Add only 1 cup of water for cooking.
- Pressure cook for 8 minutes when using canned chickpeas.
- For pot-in-pot rice, use white basmati rice as the cooking time matches with canned chickpeas.
Serving Suggestions
Over rice: My preferred way. I cook pot-in-pot brown rice to have them ready at the same time. If using canned chickpeas, you can cook pot-in-pot white basmati rice. Enjoy this curry with quinoa, jasmine, or cauliflower rice.
With Naan: Serve this creamy chickpea curry as a side dish when pairing it up with naan. Also, add some onion rings to the plate for a crunchy and delicious dinner platter.
As a soup or part of a vegan bowl: You can also serve this curry as a soup or part of the vegan burrito bowl.
More Instant Pot Curry Recipes You’ll Love
Instant Pot Coconut Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green Chili Pepper, slit into two*
- 1 cup Onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon Garlic , minced
- 3/4 cup Tomato , chopped
- 1 cup Chickpeas (Chole/Garbanzo beans), soaked in water for 4 hours or overnight
- 1 1/2 cup Water
Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, mild or paprika, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Jeera powder)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt
To finish
- 1 cup Coconut Milk , canned
- Cilantro leaves, chopped, to garnish
For pot-in-pot Brown Rice
- 1 cup Brown Basmati Rice
- 1 1/4 cup Water
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients and spices in the order listed in the instant pot steel insert (exept from the to finish and rice group).
- (optional for pot-in-pot rice) Place the trivet. In a bowl, add ingredients for brown rice and place it on top of the trivet.
- Close the lid with vent in sealing position. Set the instant pot on bean/chili mode for 30 minutes on high pressure.
- When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. If it is not released completely in 20 minutes, release the pressure manually and open the lid.
- (optional for pot-in-pot rice) Using tongs carefully take out the bowl of brown rice. Then take out the trivet.
- Add the coconut milk and stir well. Set the instant pot on saute mode and let the curry simmer for about 7-8 minutes. This will thicken the curry and give it a wonderful creamy consistency.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve over rice.
Do you have to sauté onions and spices ?
Hi Koel – This recipe works well even without sauteing onions. However, you can surely saute them if you prefer. Hope you enjoy the curry!
Hello,
I really love this recipe! Does this curry usually taste better on the first or fifth day?
Thanks!
Hi Sonia – Thank you! I would not suggest to store this curry for 5 days. But as the curry cools down and is stored overnight in the refrigerator, it can taste better the next day .
I don’t know what I did wrong but mine turned out so soupy and wasn’t that vibrant yellow colour at all. I had to cook it down so much further in another pot, so the sauté setting wouldn’t burn the bottom, and even then, the taste was still not what I like from a curry. This is the second instant pot curry I’ve tried to make and again it turned out the totally wrong consistency!
Hi Giliian – Sorry to hear the curry did not turn on as you expected. Some questions that might help figure what went wrong. Did you use canned chickpeas or soaked? I also think that sometimes the coconut milk brand can make a lot of difference in the consistency. I used chakoh brand full-fat coconut milk, if that helps. You can also reduce to 1 cup water next time when cooking the chickpeas.
Everyone in my family enjoyed this meal (including a 10 yr old and 3 teenagers). That is practically a miracle. I am loving your recipes thank you so much.
Hi Sylvia- Soo good to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂
Hi Can you take a photo of the pot you use to cook the rice, and perhaps post a photo of it or send the photo to me. So I can see what kind of pot to buy. I would like to do this pot in pot trick you suggest 🙂 But I don’t understand what kind of pot to use. Thank 🙂
Hi Barb – I have included a link to the pot on amazon in the recipe card equipment section. Let me know if you have trouble getting it.
When cooking with canned chickpeas, do I add 1 cup of water for every cup of chickpeas?
Hi Liz – One cup of dry chickpeas typically yields 3 cups cooked chickpeas. So I would add 3 cup of canned chickpeas for this curry. And only 1 cup water total. I just included this clarification in the recipe notes too. Hope you enjoy the curry!
What kind of “green chili pepper” do you recommend? Jalapeño?
Hi Consuelo – I have included in notes that I typically use Thai, Birdeye or Serrano Chili Pepper in my recipes. Don’t forget to adjust to your taste.
Do you have to soak the canned chickpeas?
Hi Abbey – No soaking needed for canned chickpeas. Hope you enjoy the curry!
Hello!
We made this a couple weeks ago and it was A-MAZING! All four of my picky kids ate it. I wanted to make it again and add chicken and carrots and unfortunately it totally threw off the spices and tasted bland. Do you have any suggestions for me on how to do this without ruining the flavor?
Hi Jana – So glad to hear you all, including kids, liked the curry.
I think if you are adding chicken and carrots (about a pound in total), you can double the spices (chili powder to taste for the kids). If you want to make this curry with chicken, you can also check out my coconut chicken curry recipe – https://pipingpotcurry.com/coconut-chicken-curry-instant-pot/.