Cook it Real Good logo

menu icon
search icon
×

Published: · Modified: by

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Jump to Recipe

This easy and healthy Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry is an easy 30 minute one pot wonder!  This vegan and gluten-free dish uses yellow curry paste and coconut milk as a base to make a seriously delicious and creamy curry.  This curry freezes beautifully, so store some away for those nights you don't want to cook. 

sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry in a bowl with rice

I recently did a poll on Instagram to see what types of recipes you guys wanted to see more of and there was a resounding “YES PLEASE” for more quick dinners and one pot dishes.

So here’s one that ticks BOTH of those boxes – Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry.

It’s ready in 30 minutes and it’s all done in just one pot.  The combination of flavours work so well together and I love that I even snuck a bit of greenery in there for good measure.

Serve this curry on it’s own or with rice but do yourself a favour and add crushed peanuts on top for some crunch.  Seriously.  It’s SO good.

And why not make some quick and easy yoghurt flatbreads too?  They are the perfect addition to this curry!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS SWEET POTATO, CHICKPEA AND SPINACH CURRY…

  • It’s ready in 30 minutes.
  • It’s made in one pot – less washing up!
  • It uses everyday ingredients.
  • It’s perfect for Meatless Monday.

diced sweet potato and onion on a white cutting board

SWEET POTATO, CHICKPEA AND SPINACH CURRY INGREDIENTS LIST

One of the reasons why I love this curry so much is that I almost always have the ingredients on hand.  Here’s what you’ll need to whip this up…

  • Olive Oil
  • Sweet Potato
  • Brown Onion
  • Red capsicum / bell pepper
  • Carrot
  • Baby Spinach
  • Tinned Chickpeas
  • Coconut Milk
  • Yellow Curry Paste
  • Soy Sauce
  • Garlic
  • Ginger

close up of sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry in a bowl with rice

HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO, CHICKPEA AND SPINACH CURRY – STEP BY STEP

Putting this curry together couldn’t be easier, which is why it is one of my weeknight wonders.  Here’s what you need to do…

  1. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in a large pot.
  2. Add sweet potato, capsicum /bell pepper, carrot and chickpeas to the pot and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add everything else (except for the spinach) to the pot – coconut milk, curry paste, soy sauce and water.
  4. Simmer until the sweet potatoes have cooked and the sauce has thickened.
  5. Stir spinach through the curry until wilted.

WHAT TO SERVE THIS CURRY WITH

I love to serve this curry on top of a bed of basmati rice but brown rice would work well too.  You could even serve it with cauliflower rice for a low carb version.  I also like to sprinkle some crushed peanuts or cashews on top for extra crunch.

Some quick and easy yoghurt flatbread (pictured below) or naan bread is also great for soaking up the curry sauce, or stuffing the vegetables into.

sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry in a bowl with rice surrounded by vegetables

STORING YOUR CURRY

Store leftover curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

MORE DELICIOUS MEATLESS DINNER IDEAS

If you’ve tried this Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it! Pop a comment and a star rating below!

You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to keep up to date with more delicious recipes.

📋 RECIPE

sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This easy and healthy Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry is a 30 minute one pot wonder!  This vegan and gluten-free dish uses yellow curry paste and coconut milk as a base to make a seriously delicious and creamy curry. 

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled & diced
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 1 red capsicum / bell pepper, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 cup baby spinach, washed
  • 400g / 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 400ml / 13.5 oz can coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon yellow curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce / tamari / coconut aminos
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • ½ teaspoon crushed ginger
  • 1 cup water

Optional

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted peanuts or cashews, crushed
  • cooked rice / cauliflower rice
  • flatbread / naan bread

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium-high.  Add onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until softened.  Add garlic and ginger and cook for another 30 seconds.  
  2. Add sweet potato, capsicum / bell pepper, carrot and chickpeas to the saucepan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  
  3. Add coconut milk, curry paste, soy sauce and water to the saucepan and stir to combine.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potato is cooked fully.
  4. Stir baby spinach through curry until wilted, then serve either on it's own or on top of rice with a sprinkle of peanuts on top.  

Notes

INGREDIENTS:

  • This curry works well with red curry paste if you're looking for a spicier curry. You might like to add in some red pepper flakes in too!
  • If you are wanting to make this vegan / vegetarian, be sure to check which curry paste you use.

UPDATES:

  • Recipe first published May 28, 2018. Post updated July 9, 2019 with added photos and tips. No change to the recipe.

NUTRITION:

  • Nutrition information is from a nutrition calculator and is based on one serve without rice.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 456Saturated Fat: 19gSodium: 104mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 10gSugar: 9gProtein: 13g
© Cassie
Cuisine: Thai / Category: Dinner
«
»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Toria says

    Hi there! How do you go about freezing this? After cooking and then just thaw, reheat on the stove, and serve over rice?

    • Cassie says

      Hey Toria - yep that's what I do. Once it's cooled pop it in the freezer, then when you want to eat it just let it thaw in the fridge overnight, reheat and serve 🙂

      • Toria says

        Great, thank you for the quick feedback!

  2. mark says

    Can you use curry powder instead of paste. I find the paste too spicy after using it in other recipes in the past.

    • Cassie says

      Hey Mark - I actually have another recipe that is very similar and uses curry powder (https://www.cookitrealgood.com/sweet-potato-lentil-and-chickpea-curry/). Could easily sub spinach into that one too. I will say yellow curry paste is relatively mild if you haven't used that in particular before, but if you have curry powder will be the way to go. Enjoy 🙂

  3. sila says

    Which brand of yellow curry paste do you use?😊

    • Cassie says

      I use Ayam brand here in Australia - found in Coles or Woolies

  4. Bronwyn says

    This was delicious. I cooked it in my instant pot for 6 minutes + 2 minutes NR + QR. I then added the spinach and coconut cream (not a full can), replaced the lid and left it on Keep Warm for 10 minutes. It was really good - but there was no way that would feed thee of us so I literally started again immediately and made a second batch. I've typed up the recipe for my future reference adding much more of the veggies. Because I will definitely be making this again!

    Thank you for a great recipe! I'm excited to find such a delicious vegetarian meal for my Meat Free Mondays.

    • Cassie says

      Thank you Bronwyn! This will be so helpful to others to know it can be made in the Instant Pot!

  5. Halina says

    Do you think I can substitute coconut milk for a different plant based milk. It has too much fat for me.

    • Cassie says

      Hi Halina, the coconut milk in this curry is the thick canned kind and does help to thicken up the sauce in a way other plant-based milks wouldn't. BUT I do have a very similar recipe that has no coconut milk - https://www.cookitrealgood.com/sweet-potato-lentil-and-chickpea-curry/. You could even add in some spinach if you'd like. Hope that helps 🙂

      • Haeleigh says

        I used the vitasoy soy milky in substitute for coconut milk because we don't like the coconut flavour and it worked perfectly fine 👍

        • Cassie says

          That's my favourite soy milk!

  6. Devon says

    Hi there! I’m making this next week and it sounds amazing. We tend to like our curry spicy when eating at Indian restaurants or similar! Do you have any tips to make this a bit spicier?

    • Cassie says

      Hi Devon - great question. I'd recommend finely dicing a red chilli and adding it to the softened onion. Or you could also just try adding either a little chilli powder or red pepper flakes - I'd add this in after softening the onion too. Let me know how it goes 🙂

  7. Amanda says

    This is an awesome recipe! I cook chicken on the side for my husband (or any company we have who also eat meat) and it has been a great success!
    It is a bit watery so I use a little bit less water to get that really thick curry mixture!

    • Cassie says

      Thanks Amanda! I'm so thrilled to hear it's been a success for you. I have this one on the meal plan this week so I will play with the liquids. Better to need to add a little liquid at the end then have it to watery 🙂 Thanks for the heads up!

      • Amanda says

        Cassie - as I was putting it away I noticed that it was thicker after some time cooling down too. I think next time I will just use slightly less than a full cup of water.

        It's still my absolute favorite curry recipe! Always a hit with my family and friends!

        • Cassie says

          I'm glad it thickened up a bit after some time! Good tip to use just a little less than a full cup. I'll try that when I make it this week. Enjoy the leftovers 🙂

  8. Sara Bakelaar says

    Yum! After the initial cooking time I found the sauce was too watery for my liking so I used a potato masher and mashed it up. Served over basmati rice - so good! Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!

    • Cassie says

      Awesome Sara - I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I love the idea of mashing the potato up a bit.

      • Sara says

        Just made this again and did not find it watery... I cut the vegetables smaller this time which must have helped. Also my 10 month old devoured it!!!

        • Cassie says

          That's so good to hear! And approved by a 10 mth old?! That's high praise. I have a little one on the way and pray he is a good eater haha!

  9. Errycka says

    Made this for dinner tonight and it was yummy. I absolutely love curry!! I didn’t follow your measurements and chose to spice it up a bit with red pepper and also used Jamaican curry powder. Thank you for sharing:)

    • Cassie says

      They sound like great additions Errycka! Glad you enjoyed 🙂

  10. Hilary says

    Hi, can you use curry powder instead of paste? Thanks!

  11. Brittany says

    Is it okay to use Red or Green curry paste in place of the Yellow? I couldn’t find any in my grocery store.

    • Cassie says

      Go for it 🙂 I'd try the red curry paste, although it is a little spicier than yellow so if you don't love spicy, green may be best.

  12. Chris says

    Made this last night and everybody loved it including my fussy mother in-law and carnivore husband ?. Toasted peanuts on top added a delicious crunch.

    • Cassie says

      That's actually one of the highest compliments! My husband is fussy as and if he likes a meal I consider it a universal win 🙂 Toasted peanuts sound like a perfect addition!

  13. Ashley Walters says

    Just so you know you have a typo! #3
    Add coconut milk, curry pasta... I think you mean to say curry paste!

    • Cassie says

      Legend! Will fix up now

  14. Polly says

    I've always loved your sweet potato, lentil and chickpea curry so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to give it a try. Easily made it's way onto our family's weekly meal plan - thanks Cassie.

    • Cassie says

      I love a good curry Polly! So glad to hear you loved this one 🙂

Skip to Recipe