This delicious coconut, chickpea and lentil curry is ready fast with the help of an Instant Pot. It’s the perfect way to make a dish packed with flavour and texture, quickly! This mild vegetarian curry combines green lentils, chickpeas, kale, coconut milk, and plenty of spices. It’s a hearty and filling
20-minute stew, perfect for busy evenings.

Rice with chickpea curry on top on a brown edged beige plate with two forks, a small plate with chilli flakes, a bowl with chickpea curry and two lemon wedges, a glass of water and a yellow and white tea towel on a blue background.

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5-STAR READER REVIEW

“Amazing recipe! It was absolutely delicious, flavorful and textured. My husband who doesn’t usually like lentils was raving about it. Definitely something I’ll make again! Thank you for sharing.”

—Rose
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Notes on Ingredients

This is a fairly simple curry recipe with lots of pantry ingredients that you may already have on hand. Let’s talk about a few of them.

Ingredients for coconut chickpea and lentil curry including kale, broth, chickpeas, lentils, garlic, onions, ginger, lemon, chili flakes, coconut milk, and spices.

Chickpeas: I recommend using canned chickpeas for this recipe. They make the process a lot quicker. Dry chickpeas, if used, must be soaked overnight and cooked until tender, which adds a lot of steps to the recipe.

Green Lentils: I tend to use green lentils in this stew, simply because it keeps its shape a bit better than brown lentils in the instant pot. However, you can use green and brown lentils interchangeably. Just know that brown lentils may cook a bit quicker and may be softer than the green ones.

How to Make this 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 sauté mode and sauté the onions, garlic and ginger in the olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the onions soften and turn lightly golden.

Steel pot with onions, ginger and garlic and olive oil with a blue wooden handled spatula on a blue background.
Sauteed onions and ginger and garlic in a steel pot with a blue wooden handled spatula on a blue background.

Once the onions are soft, add the lentils, all the spices and the broth. Mix them well.

Steel pot with green lentils and onions and blue wooden handled spatula on a blue background.
Broth with green lentils and onions in a steel pot on a blue background.

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.

Instant pot with timer at 5 minutes on a blue background with a yellow tea towel.
Instant pot with timer off and lid being opened on a blue background with a yellow tea towel.

Meanwhile wash and prepare the kale by shredding it into smaller pieces using your hands. At this point, you can also definitely substitute spinach for the kale if you prefer.

Torn kale leaves in a white bowl on a blue background.

To the Instant pot, add the coconut milk, water, and chickpeas. Mix well then add the kale and simmer on sauté mode for 10-15 minutes with the lid off. This helps everything blend together and for the flavors to develop further.

Chickpea and lentil curry in a steel pot with a blue wooden handled spatula on a blue background.
Chickpea and lentil curry in a steel pot with torn kale leaves with a blue wooden handled spatula on a blue background.

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.

Chickpea curry in a steel pot with a half of a lemon being squeezed on top on a blue background.

If you, like me, love the instant pot, then try my easy Lentil Soup recipe or my Instant Pot Keema Rice recipe.

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to have it is with white basmati rice, sprinkled with chili flakes and with a few lemon wedges. But I also enjoy it on it’s own as a thick “soup” with a crusty piece of bread and it was divine.

Storage Instructions

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.

Rice with chickpea curry on top on a brown edged beige plate with two forks, a small plate with chilli flakes, a bowl with chickpea curry and two lemon wedges, a glass of water and a yellow and white tea towel on a blue background.

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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!

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5 from 9 ratings

Coconut, Chickpea & Green Lentil Curry (Instant Pot)

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
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, kale, coconut milk, and plenty of spices. It’s a hearty and filling 20-minute curry, perfect for busy evenings!
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Ingredients
 

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 onions, finely diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
  • 2 cups green lentils, washed and drained
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 cups broth, vegetable or chicken
  • 2 cans chickpeas, (2x 439g cans)
  • 1 can coconut milk, 400ml
  • 3 cups packed chopped kale
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • Chilli flakes, optional

Instructions
 

  • Start by finely dicing the onions, crushing the garlic cloves and mincing the ginger.
  • Sauteed onions and ginger and garlic in a steel pot with a blue wooden handled spatula on a blue background.
    In the instant pot, saute the onions, ginger and garlic using the olive oil until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Steel pot with green lentils and onions and blue wooden handled spatula on a blue background.
    Next, add all the spices and the washed green lentils and mix.
  • Broth with green lentils and onions in a steel pot on a blue background.
    Add the broth and then pressure cook for 5 minutes.
  • Torn kale leaves in a white bowl on a blue background.
    Meanwhile, prepare the kale by washing it and shredding it into smaller pieces using your hands.
  • Chickpea and lentil curry in a steel pot with a blue wooden handled spatula on a blue background.
    Manually release the pressure, then add the washed chickpeas, the coconut milk, plus 400ml water (fill the coconut milk can). Stir to combine.
  • Chickpea and lentil curry in a steel pot with torn kale leaves with a blue wooden handled spatula on a blue background.
    Add the kale and simmer on saute mode with the lid off for 10-15 minutes.
  • Chickpea curry in a steel pot with a half of a lemon being squeezed on top on a blue background.
    Taste and adjust the spices and add the lemon juice.
  • Rice with chickpea curry on top on a brown edged beige plate with two forks, a small plate with chilli flakes, a bowl with chickpea curry and two lemon wedges, a glass of water and a yellow and white tea towel on a blue background.
    Serve with rice, sprinkle with chilli flakes and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Notes

  • This recipe makes a large batch (8 or so servings). 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. 
  • Feel free to replace the kale with fresh spinach.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 604kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 31359mg, Potassium: 1219mg, Fiber: 17g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 884IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 142mg, Iron: 6mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!