Creamy Coconut Chickpeas
on Mar 03, 2022, Updated May 01, 2024
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Looking for the perfect chickpea meal? You’re going to fall hard for the perfection that is my Creamy Coconut Chickpeas! This comforting dish has graced my page for several years, offering a unique twist on the classic Chana Masala. Inspired by the rich flavors of 🇮🇳 Indian and Asian cuisines, healthy chickpeas are simmered in a smooth coconut sauce and are sure to seduce your taste buds.
Whether you prefer a burst of 🔥 spices or a subtle hint of flavor, these Creamy Coconut Chickpeas are whatever you make of them! Go ahead and get creative in the kitchen by seasoning as much as you like! I’d love to hear about your cultural interpretation of this dish and any personal touches you add to make it your own.
Why You’ll Love Creamy Coconut Chickpeas
The creamy 🥥 coconut milk perfectly blends with the tender chickpeas, leaving you with a comforting and satisfying meal. And the best part? You can spice it up just the way you like it. Whether you’re a kitchen whiz or a newbie, this recipe is bound to become a go-to favorite for its simplicity and flavor.
How to Prepare Creamy Coconut Chickpeas
🧅 Sauté onion in a pan on medium-high heat until translucent (1-2 minutes).
🧄 Add garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds, being careful not to burn.
🥥 Add chickpeas, tomato sauce, and cream from a can of coconut milk, and stir.
🧂 Season with spices to taste, optionally adding salt, pepper, and turmeric before or after adding wet ingredients.
🥬 Optionally, add chopped spinach and stir, then remove from heat.
🌿 Garnish with parsley, cilantro, or basil.
🍚 Serve by itself or over rice and enjoy!
Nonna’s Tip 🥥
If you don’t like coconut milk you are more than welcome to use something else, such as cream cheese or even sour cream.
Variations and Substitutions for Creamy Coconut Chickpeas
This lovely vegetarian meal is so flexible, you can certainly adjust it to fit what you have on hand. Remember if you are changing or adding ingredients you may have to experiment and adjust the quantities.
- Experiment with different vegetables such as 🫑 bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, or mushrooms. You can sauté them with the onion and garlic or add them later with the chickpeas.
- In addition to chickpeas, you could add tofu or diced 🐔 chicken for some added protein.
- Play around with different spice blends such as curry powder, garam masala, or cumin.
- Aside from 🥬 spinach, you can use kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens.
Similar Recipes
Best Served With
- A bowl of quinoa or rice 🍚
- A fresh salad such as my Simple Green Salad
- Warm naan bread or pita bread
- A side of steamed vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans
Common Questions
I use Redmond Real Salt, please note that depending on the salt you use, your dish may be less or more salty. Salt is to taste so please always taste and adjust as you cook.
Feel free to adjust the spices or add your own. Curry paste or chili powder is an option instead of Turmeric so please feel free to experiment.
If I’m using a can of chickpeas, I like to opt for organic.
Yes, you can use dried chickpeas, but you’ll need to soak and cook them before adding them to the recipe. Follow the package instructions for soaking and cooking times.
Yes, you can use heavy cream, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or cashew cream as alternatives to coconut milk cream. Adjust the quantity according to your preference for creaminess.
Yes, you can make the recipe ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.
Yes, you can freeze Creamy Coconut Chickpeas for up to 2-3 months. Let it cool completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers or bags. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
I added one cup of dry jasmine rice in 2 cups of water in my rice cooker with a pinch of salt but feel free to use any rice you like.
Creamy Coconut Chickpeas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice, any rice you like
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, or any
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas, I used one 14 oz can organic drained chickpeas
- ⅓ cup tomato sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons of the cream that sits on top of a can of coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, measure with your heart
- 1 cup fresh spinach, for any green, finely chopped
- fresh parsley or cilantro, optional
Instructions
- In a pan on medium-high heat start by sautéing the onion until translucent. This should take 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds. You do not want anything to burn.
- Add the chickpeas, tomato sauce, the cream that sits on top of a can of coconut milk and stir. Add the spices to taste and stir again. You are more than welcome to add the salt pepper and turmeric before you add the wet ingredients but in terms of taste it doesn’t make a difference to me in this dish.
- Optionally add some chopped spinach, give it a stir and take it off the heat. Garnish with parsley, cilantro, or even basil it’s totally up to you. Top it off on top of rice and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I really enjoyed this meal as a way to clean out ingredients from the fridge and have lunch ready for a few days as an easy meal prep.
I didn’t want to open a tomato sauce so I used tomato paste I had in the fridge, and I added a touch of hot curry powder and some chili powder for a light heat after tasting. I also had some kale on hand and used it in place of the spinach. It was really delicious, easy and perfect for lunch.
Definitely adding this to my regular meal prep or as a quick dinner.
Great tips! So glad you enjoyed it.
This is so delicious and easy! I used sour cream in place of the coconut because I happened to have it in my fridge. I will definitely be making this again
So glad you loved the Chickpeas Kira 🙂
i love chick peas and your recipe for the creamy coconut rice with chick peas was great the only addition was a little bit of curry powder to the chick pea mixture in my opinion it just brought it up to a different level but also liked your version.
Many Thanks Steve.
So happy to hear that Steve 🙂
Tried this recipe last night and it was absolutely delicious! I added a pinch of chilli powder for some heat and used half a can of of organic coconut cream as well as a whole can of blended tomatoes to make extra sauce for the jasmine rice. 😀
So so good!!
So glad you liked it Teznee 🙂
So glad i saw this on instagram!! It was delicious!!!and so easy!!! I did add a little more garlic and i had a tumeric that had a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. This will definitely be in weekly rotation! Thank you again! Excited to try more of your recipes
Thanks Yafa such a sweet comment
My whole family loved this dish! I used a comment in the reviews to help modify it slightly. I used 2 cans chickpeas (one can would not have been enough for my family), 1 whole can of tomato sauce, 3/4 can of coconut milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons of turmeric, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and a splash of lime juice. Kept olive oil, onion, and spinach amounts the same as listed in recipe. Put a sprinkle of dries basil on top before serving. Mine turned out reddish, not yellowish like the licture because of additional tomato sauce. Yummy!!!
Hi Jess! omg I LOVE THIS!!!!
Can u use coconut cream instead?
You absolutely can but it might be a little bit thicker 🙂
I really like this recipe, but I also added some basil paste and thai seasoning paste. This gives it a lot more flavor for those looking for stronger taste.
I do this often with sun-dried tomato pesto too ! Couldn’t agree more and THANK you for the feedback soooo helpful love the improvisation
Thank you so much for the feedback. You may have to adjust and add other seasonings according to taste as we all have different pallets 🙂
5 stars for this recipe with modifications. First the positive—this came together so easily and was very satisfying. Even my choosy husband enjoyed it. I’m talking dinner on the table in 30-40 min, which is everything when you’re parenting a toddler and are on the clock to make bedtime. The turmeric really turns up the flavors and marries the whole dish together. Onions require a much longer cooking time (5-10 min w/ stirring; undercooked onions are the WORST); I used half the coconut cream in the can and triple the amount of crushed tomatoes (the sauce is really the star here so more is more, ya know?); for garlic, 3-4 big cloves or 6-8 small; 2 cups chopped baby spinach at the end was great (really cooks down, as spinach does); and lastly, this also pairs well with basmati rice (put those Indian leftovers to good use!). Make sure everything is sufficiently salted and I’m actually a big fan of adding 1/2 tsp sea salt per cup of rice when making it fresh.
Thank you so much for the feedback that means a lot to me ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I am now making this for the fourth time this week! I shared some with my sister and her family and they absolutely loved it! And Jasmine rice is my favorite, this dish is absolutely exceptional.
So sweet Dawn! So glad you loved this recipe