A quick, flavorful dinner in under 30 minutes! This easy, plant-based curry dish is also always a hit at potlucks and family dinners.
First, let me begin by saying that I am fully aware that this is not an authentic preparation of curry. I mean, I live in Florida, with roots from Alabama and the Carolinas. But, this recipe is a quick, flavorful, Americanized Instant Pot curry. And it's been a big hit every time I've served it! Try it with this Coconut-Herb Rice.
I've eaten a lot of "quick and easy" curries before. And, quite frankly, they often lack the most important ingredient in ANY food: Flavor! Well, let me assure you that this version delivers. I've taken this dish to multiple potlucks. And surprisingly, it has been the big hit! (Possibly because no one knew it was a plant-based recipe...? Lol.)
The Process
Using sauté setting - add oil, onions, and ¼ teaspoon of salt and cook for about 3 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent.
Add garlic and cook for one minute more.
Add curry powder and mix well.
Allow to toast for about a minute.
Stir in tomatoes (using liquid to deglaze the bottom of pot)...
Then add chickpeas and coconut milk. Mix well.
Lock lid and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure.
Add spinach...
...and mix until fully wilted.
And the AMAZING Result... Instant Pot Curry!
Tips for Making this Instant Pot Curry
Be sure to use the juice from the tomatoes to deglaze the bottom of the pot. The ginger may stick a little, which is okay; but gently scraping the pot with some liquid will help prevent any possible burn notices.
FAQs
Can I use dried chickpeas instead of canned? Simply swapping out dried for canned will not work with this method. The amount of time it takes to cook dried chickpeas would drastically overcook the tomatoes. What you might try is cooking a batch of chickpeas and storing them in the fridge; using them as you need them.
What kind of curry powder do you use? I know my answer to this may not be common, but I really only ever have Jamaican-style curry powder in my pantry. I use it all the time and we love the flavor! But you can really use any kind that you prefer.
★ Did you make this Instant Pot Curry with Chickpeas?
Please give it a star rating below! ★
Instant Pot Curry with Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Spinach
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
- 14.5 oz tomatoes fire-roasted, diced
- 13.5 oz. coconut milk
- 15.5 oz chickpeas drained
- 8 oz. fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Using sauté setting – add oil, onions, and ¼ teaspoon of salt and cook for about 3 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent. Then add ginger and continue cooking for another 3 minutes or so. Next, add garlic and cook for one minute more. Now Add curry powder and mix well, allowing to toast for about a minute.
- Stir in tomatoes (using liquid to deglaze the bottom of pot), followed by chickpeas, coconut milk, and remaining salt. Mix well.
- Lock lid and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure.
- Finally, add spinach and mix until fully wilted. Serve with rice or quinoa.
Video
Notes
FAQs
Can I use dried chickpeas instead of canned? Simply swapping out dried for canned will not work with this method. The amount of time it takes to cook dried chickpeas would drastically overcook the tomatoes. What you might try is cooking a batch of chickpeas and storing them in the fridge; using them as you need them. You will need about 1 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas. What kind of curry powder do you use? I know my answer to this may not be common, but I really only ever have Jamaican-style curry powder in my pantry. I use it all the time and we love the flavor! But you can really use any kind that you prefer. Can I double the recipe? Yes. The cook time will remain the same. Can I make this recipe on the stove top? Yes! You can can find our stove top version here.Nutrition
More Veggie Forward Options
- Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
- Instant Pot Baby Lima Beans
- Instant Pot Lentil Dal
- Instant Pot Vegan Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
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Easy and delicious.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I've made this several times it's very good but lately it's been difficult the find the coconut milk. Can I use regular milk instead?
I personally have not tried regular milk, so I cannot confidently advise on what the outcome would be. This article may be helpful however: https://www.acouplecooks.com/substitutes-for-coconut-milk-in-curry/
I love it! Quick and easy. Putting this in my rotation. The fire roasted tomatoes, thumbs up.
This was soooo delicious! My entire family loved it...and half of them are meat eaters. I want to say that since I doubled the recipe, I followed the instructions as listed but using a large pan on the stove. I added thinly sliced green and yellow peppers, too. The only other tweak I made was I added about a tablespoon of Garam Marsala with the curry. The dish only gets tastier as leftovers. I highly recommend this recipe.
Such great flavor! I love it.
Thanks Joel!
Do you use the sauté setting for the entire time you are cooking?
Keep on sauté all the way up til step 3. Then lock lid and switch to pressure cook.
Thank you!!
The flavor is wonderful but mine came out watery, didn't thicken at all. Any suggestions?
Hi Dian, this recipe is not meant to be thick. It should come out soupy, which is why we like to serve it with rice or quinoa.
Love this!!!!!!!
Delicious! added a bit of honey and lime juice at the end. thank you!
Yes! Just yes!
Amazing! Everyone in my family loved it. I loved that it only took a few minutes to prepare.
I make more than enough so I can freeze and reheat for later. Delish!
Just made for fourth time in four weeks. Equally good with light or regular coco milk. Also add a tablespoon or two of red pepper and go way overboard on both garlic and ginger. Add sriracha to taste, over rice and sometimes a little precooked chicken breast.
Easy and delicious, will be making this again for sure!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious recipe!! Thank you, so easy for my gluten-free diet and my husband who is vegan.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Haven’t tried it yet. Can you do the rice at the same time, pot in pot?
I don't think that would give you the results you want.
Ok so I'm pretty excited to try this recipe but am a little confused about the cooking time in the top of the recipe above the ingredients it says 5 minutes prep 20 minutes cook time but I'm only seeing about 12 minutes total between the simmer times and the 5 min pressure cook time just want to make sure I'm reading it right
I usually factor in the time it takes to come to pressure. So you have a better idea of how long it actually takes.
Hi Gary, Me being an absolute newbie (haven't used my pot yet, but about to try this recipe) I'm glad you've stipulated that you include the time that it takes to come to pressure otherwise I'm sure I would have stuffed this up some how. I'll be on the lookout for more of your recipes now.
Yum-yum. I made this twice - once in IP and the other on stovetop. Both were so tasty. I followed some reviewers and added garam masala and carrots. I also added a med size white potato and some red bell pepper.
Thanks. I just got my IP and am so happy to have a great recipe to use with it.
Being so simple, this recipe took me by surprise. Like other comments I added garam masala. I was so pleased with the result, my only disappointment was I forgot to add the spinach. l wont't let that happen again, it was crying for something green.
I LOVE this recipe- easy, quick and delicious!! Next time I'll double it and add more veggies!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Did you use dry chickpeas or canned?
Canned.
Dry chickpeas will take 40-40 min.
This was SO easy and SO good!!! Next time I'll double it to have more leftovers!! I made a few change: added some carrots and celery with the onion, and saw someone mention to add graham masala - so did that too. Can't wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
Delicious. I made it with chickpeas that i had made the day before in the Instapot and it was creamy delicious goodness! Will definitely make again. So easy!
Amazing. I have already had two large bowls. So good you don't need rice. I added kale to it instead of spinach. My eleven year old daughter loves it too.
How would I adjust the recipe if I wanted to add some chicken?
I would brown the chicken first, then remove it and follow instructions as listed. Then return chicken to pot before locking the lid to cook under pressure.
This was delicious! Made as directed, it was a huge hit for the folks at my Instant Pot class. Thank you!
This was so delicious 😋. I added a few things to my dish; shrimp, lentils and raisins. It turned out fabulous. Thanks 🙏🏻 for sharing this recipe with us.
Can I substitute the fresh ginger with the powder one?
Yes, but you'll use far less since powdered is more concentrated than fresh. The rule of thumb is to use 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger for every tablespoon of fresh ginger.
A bit of a bitter taste for me. Took it to a pot luck as a vegan option and not much was eaten
I agree, honey needed to be added.
This was really delicious and incredibly easy to make. I doubled the ginger and added 2 tsp of garam masala. Served over jasmine rice with a little chopped cilantro and fresh lemon at the table. It was a big hit with the family. Next time, I will probably double the chickpeas and omit the salt. Thanks so much for the recipe!
A delicious dish, however, the curry is bitter. I recommend putting honey in the pot after it cooks in the PC. The bitterness will then be gone!
Modified by adding chicken and using dried beans.
Cooked for 40 mins. Came out perfect.
When I went to make this I discovered I did not have chickpeas in the house. Never fear - romano beans are here and they worked well. A delicious and easy recipe. (I did throw in some cumin seeds and cayenne with the onions.) Thanks.
Love this recipe! but it would be helpful if the onion and garlic measurements were also in their pre-chopped form e.g. 1/2 a small-to-medium(?) onion, X cloves of garlic. As a beginner cook it can slow down the process a bit when you're getting all your ingredients together. Thanks!
Wow! So good! My whole family including my 5 and 7 yr olds gobbled it up.
If I’m using dried chickpeas, do you recommend to pre-cook them or just have them cook with everything form 40 min or so ? Thanks!
You could pre-cook them. Or, if you soak them overnight, you can add 1 pound of dry beans along with 6 cups of chicken broth. For the dry soaked beans, cook everything for 5 minutes at high pressure with 20 minutes of NPR. That should work for you! Although it will be a little different that the recipe that's posted here.
This is so good and so easy I honestly could kiss you both! This will be in heavy rotation in my home.
How would you suggest preparing if I don't have an instant?
https://thefoodieeats.com/vegan-chickpea-curry/ 🙂
Will this work without an instant pot?
Absolutely! Here's the link to the stove top version: https://thefoodieeats.com/vegan-chickpea-curry/
So tasty and so easy! We added carrots and bell peppers. Even the kids loved it.
This was AMAZING!!!! The 3rd time I made it I added no salt, organic canned corn and some black beans. Also, because we are trying to follow a whole foods, plant based diet, I added more spinach. We have a Bible study group every Tuesday night that wolfed this stuff down and wanted MORE!! : ) Thank you!!!!
I’m still eating this as I type - such well developed flavors! I’m generally not a huge fan of coconut milk as a prominent flavor - I threw in a heavy dash of cayenne and it was perfect!!! I’ll be making this often!
Turned out great for me. Served over brown rice.
I have tried this twice now, and both times I’ve heard a burn notice. The second time I cooked everything on the stove, then transferred it to the pot for the tomato and coconut milk step, closed the lid and tried to pressure cook. It was so black on the bottom I had to soak the pan over night and scrub for my life to get it out.
Delicious!
Amazing even my little ones love it!!!!
Wonderful, will make again.
Yes f I Double this recipe how does that affect pressure cooking time?
Time would remain the same.
I doubled it this time (loved it the first time!!) and got a burn notice. Any ideas?
Is it possible that the ginger stuck to the bottom of the pot? I've doubled this recipe many times and never gotten a burn.
Love curry and chickpea and rice recipes. This one is a winner! So easy, quick, convenient and nutritionally complete.
Can this curry recipe be doubled?
It's delicious and the flavors are amazing for as simple as it is!
Wanting to make enough for family visiting over the the holidays. I do have 6 & 8 qt IPs.
I thought possibly doubling the ginger might be too much...any thoughts? Thanks.
Absolutely! We double it often. It will not be too much ginger. The cook time will remain the same.
I loved this recipe. My daughter did too. We are vegans so I will definitely look around your blog to see what other vegan instant pot recipes you have to share. This one for sure will be a regular in our home.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It is a family favorite for us as well! We are planning to go plant-based in 2020, so we hope to share more plant-based options in the future.
A new family favorite!
Ca I substitute regular milk for the coconut milk? I’m not vegan, but just trying to incorporate more plant based meals in my diet, and this sounds delicious! I have a real aversion to the taste of coconut.
I've never tried that before, so I'm not sure how it will work. Seems like it would though.
I really really don’t like canned chickpeas. They taste metallic. It’s crazy easy to soak a cup and a half of dry chickpeas in water with a teaspoon of baking soda for 8 hours before making this recipe. (Water should be 2 inches higher than the peas, rinse before cooking.)
Super simple but great flavor! Definitely adding to our rotation!
Loved it! Thanks
I thought this was out standing. I did use half regular curry and half hot madras curry powder. I also added carrots from other suggestions. Next time I will add more chick peas. To me it is better the next day. Others said it was bitter but I did not get that. Maybe it is the brand of curry or letting the spices mellow together to eat the next day. I love my instant pot. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
We squeezed some fresh lime and ground some lemon pepper over this and BOOM....absolutely delicious. From the time I started gathering ingredients to the time we sat down to eat was less than 30 minutes, so this is perfect to fast week night dinners. We will be doubling this recipe in the future so we have leftovers. Thank you!!
Made this recipe for lunch! Wonderful flavor! Will make again!
A perfect combination of food. So easy and delicious!
Awesome and super easy. A go to recipe for when I am in a hurry.
Yumm!! Will definitely be making this again!
Amazing recipe! I did add chicken - I used my grill pan to half cook a boneless chicken breast, cubed it and added it to pressure cook with rest of ingredients. Thank you very much for this recipe!
Delicious! I double the recipe for 2 nights meals.
My first meal in the IP and it was delicious! Like others, I added carrots and some honey. Absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again!
So simple and delicious
Made exactly as recipe said......delicious!! My husband, who would normally NEVER have tried something like this, really liked it. Super easy and fast, will definitely make again and again.
This recipe is super easy, healthy, and delicious! I’ve made it many times and always double the recipe for other meals. I only add some cilantro right before I eat it.
Thank you!! Made this tonight for the first time. We are under a Coronavirus stay-at-home order in Florida, and I was looking for a vegan recipe that could easily be prepared from pantry items. I made this with a 10 oz. bag of frozen spinach, instead of fresh. It was delicious!! The only other change I made was to add 1 T. of garam masala, as mentioned by another reviewer. My husband and I loved it, and will happily make it again!
If Ibwanted to use fresh tomatoes instead of canned, how much would I hace to use? Thanks
I would say about 1 1/2 cups worth of tomatoes. You may also want to add about a 1/2 cup of water since the canned ones have some juice inside.
This is so good!!! I make it every two weeks and double it! Thank you so much!
The first time I made this, my husband, who usually refuses any meal without meat, was converted! It's now regularly on the menu. Quick, simple and delicious.
I've just become vegan 4 months ago. This is by far one of the best receipes that I have made. Simple to make and so much flavor. Will be making this regularly.
So good! This was so simple and quick to whip up for lunch. Even my picky 8 year old loved it. This will be a go to recipe from now on. Thanks!
This was so easy. One of the first things I made in my instaPot. Tastes amazing!
So great. I added chicken to this recipe. Great recipe!
Just made this and served over cauliflower rice! Absolutely delicious.
Absolutely divine!! Six servings my butt... my husband I were tempted to finish it all off tonight—it’s THAT good!! My 18 month old ate all the spinach out and loved it too 💛
This was 5 star delicious!!!
I only had frozen spinach but it worked. Soooo yummy.
I’m about to devour a second bowl.
A new favorite for my family! I added two diced potatoes & a few chopped carrots as well. Was nervous about a burn warning, so added some broth just in case. Husband was bummed no leftovers for next-day lunch, so will try increasing amounts next time & maybe adding lentils??
We’ve made this 4 times in 2 weeks - always a huge, flavourful success and takes so little time! Well done FoodieEats!
This is the absolute best. I loved it and my guest did too. Would love to know how long you might cook it without using the instant pot?
You can find the stove-top version here. 🙂
This was fantastic! I did adjust a bit by making 3 times the recipe, and adding about ten tablespoons of curry using two different kinds. The burn notice appeared about 25 minutes into the Instant Pot building pressure, but no problem as it had been mentioned by someone in the comments which I read before making it so I was prepared. I did a quick release and opened the Instant Pot. From past experience I knew everything would be great and it was. The contents were bubbling away, so I added the spinach, the juice from half of a lime, stirred, put the top back on, hit 'keep warm', and it was good to go until I was ready to serve it. My family loved it, and there was enough left to freeze for another meal which is why I had tripled the recipe. Perfection!!!
This is one of our favorites. I have shared multiple times. Took a trip with a group last winter and brought just the Insta pot for cooking on the road.. This was the most asked-for recipe, although the others were good, too!
Like everyone else, love this! Would like to double the recipe for some leftovers. Will, or how will doubling this recipe change the instant pot cook time?
The cook time will remain the same.
Thank you so much!!
If I wanted to add boneless chicken thighs how would I do that?
I would cut up the chicken, season with s&p and brown them in the pot on sauté with a little oil - then remove them and set aside. Cook the rest of the recipe as written, then return the chicken to pot before cooking under pressure. I know some people even throw uncooked chicken in the pot, but I really like the texture and flavor of browning it first.
Looking forward to trying this - Always looking for recipes that use spinach, kale, chard or collards. I have leftover chickpeas from making hummus and frozen cubes, 1 ounce, of ginger/garlic paste. Thank you!
So good, my notoriously picky w year old asked for seconds! I ended up pureeing the tomatoes a bit so they weren't too chunky and used two cans of chickpease. Thanks for the great recipe!
Made this for the millionth time tonight - always a winner! Love that if I use frozen spinach (I run it under hot water and squeeze out all the water before adding), everything else is a staple in my house (I even used leftover frozen rice). This is a keeper - I pulled it tonight just to make sure I had it Pinned in case something happens to my printout and realized I never commented. Never had a problem with burn notice but I deglaze well with the tomatos, sometimes even adding just some of the juice first and scraping with a wooden spoon. Thanks for this yummy recipe!
I love your site. You have just the right amount of Vegan, Instant Pot and Meat recipes to keep me very happy. I am Vegan but my family (husband, brothers and sister) aren't. Holidays are always at my home. I serve some meat, some vegan, and never tell them it is vegan. LOL I can't wait to try the Pumpkin Spice Creamer. I will use my homemade cashew milk and leave out the sugar. And this soup is just perfect. Thank you both for this wonderful site. Do you have a cookbook?
Thanks Michele for the very kind words! I do not have a cookbook, just the blog.
This dish is SOO DELICIOUS!😋 It is INDEED one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes!😁
I didn't have any fire roasted tinned tomatoes on hand so I used a tin of plain diced tomatoes and added a tablespoon of vegan soy sauce to add back some umami that the fire roast would have given. It turned out great! Thank you.
This is delicious! Curry powders vary in hotness, and apparently mine was pretty mild. The addition of a bit of sriacha was the perfect tweak to balance the sweetness of the tomatoes. Definitely not a fault of the recipe. I will definitely be making this again.
Fabulous recipe! Thank you for posting it! I added in some leftover zucchini and squash and I used a spinach/arugula mix. I kept sriracha at the table in case anyone wanted a little more spice. It was a perfect dish for a cold, rainy fall night!
I can’t tell - from the photos - is that fresh minced garlic or dried minced garlic?
Fresh.
Thank you - it's delicious. It's part of our regular rotation now.
absolutely delicious. I just used cayenne pepper and paprika instead of curry powder👍
What a flavourful easy quick dish! I doubled up on the recipe and added 1lb of ground turkey to it.
I made the curry as described in the instant pot and cooked my ground turkey in a skillet. Once the Instant pot was finished I just added the ground turkey to it and let it sit for a while to absorb the flavors. Served with rice and pita bread - delicious! Thank you for sharing!!!
Delicious! Great vegan meal that is fast and simple to make.
Great Recipe! This was delicious and super easy and fast! I was lazy and used the ginger paste you get in a tube and minced garlic from a jar. I added a teaspoon of brown sugar for a little bit of extra sweetness.
A perfect no meat meal.
I love it!
So easy to make it, and absolutely delicious.
Thank you so much ❤️
This was excellent! I didn't have dried curry powder, so I added red curry paste and garam masala. Also didn't have any leafy greens (like spinach) so I added frozen peas. Thanks so much!
Love this recipe. It is my GO TO after a long day teaching seventh grade SCIENCE!
I'm looking forward to trying this recipe. I have a family member who cannot eat tomatoes (no night shades). Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for the fire roasted tomatoes?
I'd recommend checking Pinterest or Google for a curry made without tomatoes, as this recipe relies pretty heavily on them.
The can chickpea is better for this quick cook and the coconut milk is everything
OMG this recipe was 🔥 I followed it just like you said and instead of rice I used quinoa. This was the BEST thank you. Wish I could show you my finished meal!