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Creamy Chickpea Curry

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John and I love Indian food! We first experienced Indian cuisine when we lived in New Haven, CT. We later frequented Indian buffets when we lived in Decatur, GA. This Creamy Chickpea Curry comes close to one of our favorite dishes, Chana Masala. It hits the spot when we’re in the mood for Indian food.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can make this recipe with canned chickpeas on the stovetop or in a crockpot. I have used a chili powder blend in the past, but as I was out of chili powder this time, I substituted taco seasoning. I found an easy homemade recipe for garam masala, but you can also buy this spice mix at most grocery stores.

Start by rinsing the chickpeas and soaking them overnight with filtered water. Dried chickpeas can nearly double in size when soaked, so make sure to cover them with enough water. Drain and rinse the chickpeas the next day when ready to cook.

Chop the onion and add it to your Instant Pot with the drained chickpeas, spices, salt, and pepper. (If you’re using canned chickpeas, sauté the onions a bit to make sure they are tender.) Add the crushed tomatoes and water. If you don’t have crushed tomatoes, you can purée diced tomatoes in a blender.

Set the pressure cooker to high for 30 minutes, allowing the pressure to release naturally. Stir in some chopped cilantro at the end, if desired.

Finally, add your desired cream. We use full-fat coconut milk. You can also use plain yogurt or half-and-half. You could actually skip the cream altogether if you don’t have any on hand.

Serve this Creamy Chickpea Curry with basmati rice and enjoy!

Creamy Chickpea Curry

Creamy Chickpea Curry

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Prep Time 12 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb Dried Chickpeas or 4 cans of chickpeas
  • 1 cup Onion, chopped
  • 14.5 oz Crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes, puréed
  • 1 Tbsp Chili Powder Blend or taco seasoning
  • 1 tsp Curry Powder
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Coriander
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 cup Coconut milk or yogurt, or half-and-half
  • 1/2 cup Chopped cilantro optional
  • 2 cups Basmati Rice

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Method
 

  1. Rinse and soak chickpeas overnight in a large bowl.
  2. Drain and rinse chickpeas the next day.
  3. Cook rice according to package directions.
  4. If using canned chickpeas, you can sauté the onion until translucent.
  5. Add chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, spices, salt, pepper, and water to the Instant Pot.
  6. Use the manual pressure cooker setting and cook on high for 30 minutes.
  7. Release pressure naturally
  8. Stir in chopped cilantro and coconut cream.
  9. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Notes

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can sauté the onions in a stockpot, add the remaining ingredients, and cook on the stovetop for about 20 minutes, uncovered.  You can also slow-cook this recipe for about 3 hours on high.  Reduce the amount of water to one cup and add more as needed.