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30 minutes
Vegan Thai Lentil Chickpea Curry is an easy Thai curry made with lentils, chickpeas, curry paste, tomatoes, coconut milk, and ginger. This chickpea curry recipe is a vegan collection favorite and includes Instant Pot, slow cooker, and stove instructions.
Vegan Thai Lentil Chickpea Curry
This Vegan Thai Lentil Chickpea Curry recipe is a plant-based curry made for Instant Pot, Stove, or Crockpot. It's an easy vegan curry with garbanzos, Thai red curry paste, tomatoes, and coconut milk. It's so rich and creamy, it's hard to believe it's vegan! It's one of my favorite Thai meals that practically cooks itself!
Thai Lentil Chickpea Curry Ingredients
- coconut oil (or any oil)
- green onions
- fresh ginger
- fresh garlic
- red curry paste
- cherry tomatoes (or canned tomatoes)
- coconut milk
- dried brown lentils
- cooked chickpeas
- water
- salt
- (optional) cooked brown rice or cooked quinoa for serving
How to make Chickpea curry in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker?
- Chop veggies and open canned ingredients.
- Saute veggies in oil in the cooker on the saute setting.
- Add remaining ingredients
- Close/lock/seal lid, set pressure cooker button for 6 minutes on HIGH pressure.
- Allow 10-minute natural pressure release
- Serve warm
How long do you pressure cook lentils and chickpeas?
For this Thai curry recipe, you definitely do not want to overcook the brown lentils. So I use a manual time of 6 under high pressure with a 5-minute natural pressure release. Any longer than that, your lentils might resemble mashed potatoes.
What I love about this chickpea curry
- it's naturally vegan AND gluten-free
- budget friendly (because it uses everyday ingredients that can be cross-utilized with other ingredients)
- freezer-friendly...so you can have it on hand at all times
- easy to make
- almost hands-free
- packed with protein, fiber, and flavor
Want more healthy, plant-based comfort food recipes?
- Vegan Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry
- Southwest Vegan Tortilla Soup
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Chili
- Instant Pot Vegan Tuscan White Bean Kale Soup
- 3-Bean Vegan Chili
- Thai Coconut Soup
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Vegan Thai Lentil Chickpea Curry
Vegan Thai Lentil Chickpea Curry is an easy Thai curry made with lentils, chickpeas, curry paste, tomatoes, coconut milk, and ginger. This chickpea curry recipe is a vegan collection favorite and includes Instant Pot, slow cooker, and stove instructions.
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Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 5 1-cup servings
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil, or preferred oil
- 2 med Green Onions, sliced; separate white stalks from green tops
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger, grated
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Red Curry Paste (or yellow or green)
- 12 Cherry Tomatoes, or 1 (15 ounce can) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 (13.5 ounce can) Coconut Milk
- 1 cup Uncooked Brown Lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups Cooked Chickpeas, or 1 (15 ounce can) drained
- ½ cup Water
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
Lentil Chickpea Curry Instant Pot Instructions:
- Select "Sauté" on the Instant Pot and heat the OLIVE OIL.
- When the display reads "Hot", add Add GREEN ONIONS (white stalks only), GINGER, and GARLIC; sauté a few minutes until slightly tender, stirring frequently.
- Add CURRY PASTE and TOMATOES; sauté a few more minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently.
- Add COCONUT MILK, LENTILS, CHICKPEAS, WATER, and SALT.
- Press the "Cancel" function on the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and turn the pressure release valve to the "Sealing" position.
- Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" and set the cooker on "High" pressure for 6 minutes.
- When the cycle completes, allow the pot to sit 10 minutes (undisturbed) for a natural pressure release (NPR).
- Then, release any remaining steam by turning the pressure release valve to the "Venting" position, using an oven mitt for protection.
Lentil Chickpea Curry Stove instructions:
- Heat OIL in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add GREEN ONIONS (white stalks only), GINGER, and GARLIC; sauté (and stir) a few minutes until slightly tender; add CURRY PASTE and TOMATOES; sauté a few more minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently.
- Add COCONUT MILK, LENTILS, CHICKPEAS, WATER, and SALT; bring to boil, then reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20-30 minutes (until lentils are tender and cooked through).
Lentil Chickpea Curry Crockpot Instructions:
- Heat OIL in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add GREEN ONIONS (white stalks), GINGER, and GARLIC; sauté (and stir) a few minutes until slightly tender.
- Transfer sauteed veggies over to a 3+ quart Crockpot.
- Stir in CURRY PASTE, TOMATOES, COCONUT MILK, LENTILS, CHICKPEAS, WATER, and SALT.
- Cover and set Crockpot on HIGH 2 hours or LOW 4 hours.
Serving instructions, toppings, and storage
- Serve warm over rice or quinoa, garnished with cilantro, green onion (tops), and lime.
- To store, allow to cool completely. Refrigerate in airtight containers up up to 5 days or freeze up to 1 month in freezer-safe containers.
Tried this recipe? I'd love your review!Visit the comments below and tell me how it went.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 745IU | Vitamin C: 13.1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 3.4mg
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
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Wendy says
I may have already commented, but will again. This is our go-to recipe for easy curry, because of the simplicity and so many variations possible. Today, we used panang curry, used yellow pear cherry tomatoes and a red dahl rather than brown lentils. When my kid is here, we use the yellow curry with a dash of the red. Sometimes we use regular onions, sometimes green onions. We double the recipe and make rice on a weekend and pack all our lunches for a week. I brought this for a work potluck and had at least four requests for the recipe. Thank you! This is really a winner.
The Kitchen Girl says
Awww this makes me so happy to hear! Love the red dahl curry idea ... I need to try that myself. Thank you sooo much for taking the time to leave this detailed comment. Much appreciated!
Vickie says
Home run in my house of picky eaters.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yayy! So glad to hear it and thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated!
Courtney says
Help, the recipe says canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained in the ingredients. But the instructions say add the chickpeas ‘with juice’. Am I supposed to reserve the chick pea liquid and add it Making in an instant pot.
Thanks!
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Courtney, omgosh ... good catch! Don't reserve liquid 🙂 I just fixed the recipe instructions. So sorry for confusion.