Delicious and nourishing, this coconut, chickpea and lentil curry is ready fast
with the help of an Instant Pot! It’s the perfect way to make an amazing dish
packed with flavor, quickly! This mild vegetarian curry combines green lentils,
chickpeas (duh), kale, coconut milk, and plenty of spices. It’s a hearty and filling
20-minute stew, perfect for busy evenings! Need more soup and stew recipes, check out my favorites!
How to make this lentil and chickpea curry in the instant pot
This is one of the easiest recipes using the Instant Pot, mainly because it's vegetarian and cooking times are shorter. Here's the breakdown:
- Start by prepping your vegetables. That means finely dicing the onions, crushing the garlic, and mincing the ginger
- Turn the Instant Pot on saute mode and saute the onions, garlic and ginger in the olive oil. Once soft, add the lentils, all the spices and the broth. Mix them well
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 5 minutes. You'll also need to allow about 10-15 mins for the pressure to build up. Manually release the pressure when finished
- Meanwhile wash and prepare the kale by shredding it into smaller pieces using your hands
- To the Instant pot, add the coconut milk, water, and chickpeas. Mix well then add the Kale and simmer on saute mode for 10-15 minutes with the lid off. This helps everything blend together and for the flavors to develop further
That's it - you're done! Taste and adjust it and add the lemon juice for that final pop of flavor. Don't be tempted to add all the ingredients and pressure cook everything together - the chickpeas will turn to mush since we're using canned chickpeas here.
Oh and by the way, this is the Instant Pot I use, in case you haven't yet taken the plunge. I strongly recommend it. Need more recipes for your Instant Pot? Try my easy Lentil Soup recipe or my Instant Pot Keema Rice recipe.
How to store this chickpea curry
You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, and the curry will keep well for 3-4 days since it is completely vegetarian. This recipe is for a large batch, so if you are cooking it in this quantity, I recommend freezing it. I scoop enough of the lentil and chickpea curry for 1 meal into a freezer bag, get rid of any air, close the bag and flatten it out so it's easy to store. It will keep well in the freezer for a few months, and you'll thank yourself for it.
How to serve instant pot chickpea curry
My favorite way to have it is with white basmati rice, sprinkled with chili flakes and with a few lemon wedges. But I've also had it on it's own as a thick "soup" when I didn't have rice around and it was divine.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Are chickpeas and garbanzo beans the same bean? Yes, there is actually no difference, the same bean just has two names!
Can I use different colors of lentils? I recommend you stick with green lentils for this recipe. Green lentils are the whole lentils, not split like red lentils and contain their outer covering.
Looking for more vegetarian recipes? Then try these:
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page - I'd love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Instant Pot Coconut, Chickpea & Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 2 onions diced
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups green lentils
- 2 cans chickpeas
- 1 can 400ml coconut milk
- 3 cups packed chopped kale
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
- Juice of half lemon
- Chilli flakes optional
- 4 cups broth vegetable or chicken
Instructions
- Start by finely dicing the onions, crushing the garlic cloves and mincing the ginger.
- In the instant pot, saute the onions, ginger and garlic using the olive oil until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Next, add all the spices and the washed green lentils and mix.
- Add the broth and then pressure cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the kale by washing it and shredding it into smaller pieces using your hands.
- Manually release the pressure, then add the washed chickpeas, the coconut milk, plus 400ml water (fill the coconut milk can). Stir to combine.
- Add the kale and simmer on saute mode with the lid off for 10-15 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the spices and add the lemon juice.
- Serve with rice, sprinkle with chilli flakes and serve with a wedge of lemon.
Notes
- I am using an 8 quart Instant Pot, so if you have a smaller pot, feel free to halve the recipe to make a smaller batch
Comments
I just made your wonderful chickpea curry. It is so warming, satisfying and delicious! One change I made was to pre-cook chickpeas and brown lentils separately from scratch, since I didn’t have canned, and I didn’t have green lentils. Also, I used canned spinach instead of fresh kale. That might sound bad but I had no fresh greens, I was trying to use up canned spinach, and it actually worked well. Lastly, I omitted the two teaspoons of salt and compensated by adding half a small can of tomato purée and a teaspoon of chana masala spice blend (by Rani). Thank you very much for sharing this great recipe. I’m adding it to my collection of favourites!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Loved this! Not only is it healthy and filling without any meats, it was delicious and had the perfect amount of spices & flavor. Making it a second time for dinner today!
That's so wonderful to hear Khadiga! Thanks for the feedback 🙂