This creamy Instant Pot chickpea curry is built for weeknights: canned chickpeas, fire-roasted tomatoes, coconut milk, spinach, and curry powder, with just 5 minutes at pressure. It is my quick, deeply flavored curry rather than a traditional preparation from any one cuisine, and it has been one of those recipes that disappears at potlucks.
Serve it with Coconut-Herb Rice or quinoa.
Why This Recipe Works
The flavor starts before the pressure lid ever goes on. Onion, ginger, garlic, and curry powder are cooked on Sauté first, so the finished curry does not taste like everything was simply dumped into the pot.
The tomatoes do double duty. Their liquid loosens the browned spices and aromatics from the bottom of the pot before pressure cooking, which adds flavor and helps prevent a burn notice.
The spinach goes in last. It wilts in the hot curry after pressure cooking, so it stays green instead of disappearing into the sauce.
Ingredients
The full quantities are in the recipe card. These are the ingredients doing the most work in the recipe.
- Aromatics: Olive oil, diced yellow onion, fresh ginger, and garlic build the base before the curry powder goes in.
- Curry powder: I usually use Jamaican-style curry powder because that is what I keep in my pantry. Curry powders vary in heat, bitterness, and salt, so use a blend you already enjoy.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes: For the standard creamy, saucy consistency, use the tomatoes and their liquid. For a thicker curry, drain the tomatoes, but reserve the liquid and use enough of it to thoroughly deglaze the pot.
- Coconut milk and chickpeas: Use one 13.5-ounce can of coconut milk, not refrigerated carton beverage, and one 15.5-ounce can of well-drained chickpeas.
- Fresh baby spinach: An 8-ounce package goes in after pressure cooking and wilts directly into the sauce.
- Salt: The 1 ¼ teaspoons are divided between the sautéed onions and the finished pressure-cooking mixture.
How to Make Instant Pot Chickpea Curry
1. Sauté the Onion
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the olive oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
2. Add the Ginger and Garlic
Add the ginger and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
3. Bloom the Curry Powder
Stir in the curry powder and let it toast with the aromatics for about 1 minute.
4. Add the Tomatoes and Deglaze
Stir in the fire-roasted tomatoes with their liquid. Scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir to loosen any browned bits or spices that are sticking.
5. Add the Chickpeas and Coconut Milk
Add the well-drained chickpeas, coconut milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well.
6. Pressure Cook for 5 Minutes
Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. When the cook time is complete, quick-release the pressure.
7. Wilt the Spinach
Add the fresh baby spinach and stir until it is fully wilted into the hot curry.
8. Finish and Serve
The finished curry should be creamy and saucy, not watery or broth-like. Serve it with rice or quinoa.
Expert Tips
Drain the chickpeas thoroughly. The finished curry should be creamy and saucy, not watery or broth-like. Extra chickpea liquid can thin it out.
For a thicker curry, drain the tomatoes. Reserve the tomato liquid, then add only as much as needed to scrape every browned bit from the bottom of the pot before pressure cooking.
Watch the curry powder as it blooms. Curry blends vary, and ground spices can scorch quickly. Toast it for about 1 minute, stirring, then add the tomatoes.
Doubling does not require a longer pressure time. Keep the cook time at 5 minutes, allow extra time for the pot to come to pressure, deglaze thoroughly, and stay below your cooker's maximum fill line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not directly. Dried chickpeas need much longer to cook and would overcook the other ingredients in this method. Cook the chickpeas first, then use about 1 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas in place of the can.
I usually use Jamaican-style curry powder because that is what I keep in my pantry. Curry powders vary in heat, bitterness, and salt, so use a blend you already enjoy.
Yes. Keep the pressure-cooking time at 5 minutes, allow extra time for the pot to come to pressure, deglaze thoroughly, and stay below your cooker's maximum fill line.
The finished curry should be creamy and saucy, not watery. Drain the chickpeas thoroughly. For a thicker curry, drain the tomatoes, but reserve enough liquid to deglaze the pot completely.
Yes. I have a separate stovetop chickpea curry recipe if you would rather make it without the Instant Pot.
Did you make this Instant Pot Chickpea Curry?
Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chickpea Curry with Coconut Milk and Spinach
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot 6-quart or larger
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 1 ¼ tsp. sea salt divided
- 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger grated
- 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp. curry powder Jamaican-style or preferred blend
- 14.5 oz tomatoes fire-roasted and diced; juices reserved
- 13.5 oz. coconut milk canned, not refrigerated carton beverage
- 15.5 oz chickpeas well drained
- 8 oz. fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the olive oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the ginger and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Stir in the curry powder and let it toast with the aromatics for about 1 minute, stirring so the spices do not scorch.
- For the standard creamy, saucy consistency, stir in the tomatoes and their liquid. For a thicker curry, add the drained tomatoes plus only enough reserved liquid to deglaze. Scrape the bottom of the pot until no browned bits or spices remain stuck.
- Add the well-drained chickpeas, coconut milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well.
- Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. When the cook time is complete, quick-release the pressure.
- Add the fresh baby spinach and stir until it is fully wilted into the hot curry.
- The finished curry should be creamy and saucy, not watery or broth-like. Serve it with rice or quinoa.
Rebeca Brandolino
Thanks for the wonderful recipe Gary! I made enough for four servings for myself, for the work week! I look forward to this delicious curry! I exchanged kale for the spinach and added red bell pepper!
Amy
My "go to" chickpea curry recipe! My absolute favorite. Sometimes I make it without spinach because I almost always have the other ingredients on hand, and this recipe is on my regular monthly rotation! Thank you for sharing Instant Pot version. So quick and convenient!
Rebekah
Great flavor but way too soupy. Just not what I was expecting for a curry. Will try it again, but maybe add a thickener.
Gary White
Hi Rebekah, sorry yours turned out soupy, as it should not have. Is it possible that you didn't drain the chickpeas?
Ashley
Not as thick as I expected but it more than makes up for it in taste. Very easy to make as well. I like that it doesn’t have a ton of ingredients.
LEANNA PETRIVELLI
One of my favorite vegan recipes!
Sly
I always mix my own curry spices: Cumin, red pepper flakes, tumeric, coriander, black pepper, garam masala. What a delicious recipe! I also threw in a handful of unsweetened coconut flakes, and had to use frozen spinach (unfortunately). But the wow factor was still there. Absolutely delicious and easy. I highly recommend this recipe for Curry in a Hurry! THANK YOU!
Jessie Georges
Quick, easy and healthy.
Leanna Petrivelli
One of my favorite recipes!
Amy
Wonderful! I adjusted the recipe to feed my family of 6 to serve 11 thinking it would be lots. My 12 year old and 22 year old boys both had 2 large bowls each and I had a reg size bowl and there was none left for the others that were eating later. I think that says it all! Yummy!!!
AndiB
I have made this several times. Was one of the first recipes I ever tried in the IP and it has been a hit. With 3 big eaters, we don’t usually get 6 servings so plan to double it next time. Thank you!
Mike
Holy cow! That was one of the best recipes I've ever tried. Minimalist, yet complex flavors. Fancy meal requiring a minimal amount of time. Excited to make again
Laura Cummings
Absolutely delicious! I wasn't a big fan of chickpeas but I wanted to start eating less meat. This recipe is incredible !! My 2 boys wolfed it down then wanted more. I added the garam masala also , along with small chunks of cauliflower and peppers . You could just fire in any veg you have to hand . Delicious and super easy.
Leanna Petrivelli
This is one of my favorite vegan recipes. Easy to make and it's so flavorful!
Alex P.
We make this all the time. Delicious and easy.
Fiona Louise Demichele
Wow wow I think I could turn vegan this was lovely I chucked some tumeric in mine and I had some red chilli to use up bloody lovely . How long can it be kept in fridge please many thanks
MaggieB
Easy and tasty!
Black Expats in Merida
At the potluck last night, I had to make a vegan curry option and I gotta tell ya: I heard about this chickpea curry all night. My husband said, while cleaning up, "That chickpea curry was so good I was angry about how full I was. Great job, babe." I still feel shocked; it was the thing I spent the LEAST time on and gave the LEAST attention to! Thank you so much!