Creamy Broccoli And Chickpeas Curry With Coconut

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This broccoli and chickpeas curry is made super creamy with coconut milk and almond butter. It’s a filling vegan chickpea recipe to serve with white rice or fresh, warm naan. 

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Vegan Chickpea Recipes

Six months ago, I never would have been able to sell Eric on a vegetarian chickpea curry, let alone a vegan one. Although, when it comes to making Indian-inspired curries, it’s often pretty easy to make them vegan.

Even early on, though, Eric always made an exception for vegetarian Indian cuisine. It’s so easy to make veggies taste good when they are cooked with Indian spices. 

There are so many options for vegan chickpea recipes. I could probably make one a day for months on end and not run out, and that doesn’t even count making hummus. This one, though, that blends broccoli and chickpeas, is one I truly love. 

Check out this Vegan Chana Masala With Coconut Milk recipe or this Vegan Chickpea And Lentil Curry.

Why Chickpeas And Coconut Milk Pair Well 

Curried chickpeas with coconut milk just pair well. There’s something about the slight sweetness of the coconut. And the creaminess of the milk goes well with the creamy texture of a chickpea or garbanzo bean. 

Like chickpeas with curry? Check out our recipe for a Curry Chickpea Salad or our Vegan Chickpeas And Spinach Curry.

What Makes This Chickpea Curry Creamy 

When it comes to broccoli and chickpea recipes, there’s no shortage. There are lots of ways to pair them in salads, pasta, and even casseroles. I like this pairing best when it’s made creamy in some way. That often means using cheese or heavy cream. 

To keep this broccoli and chickpeas curry recipe vegan, though, I use a trifecta of tasty ingredients. This includes coconut oil and coconut milk. This not only provides some creaminess but also infuses the dish with an underlying aroma and flavor of coconut. 

The Secret Ingredient

What really makes it creamy, though, is almond butter. There’s something about the texture of almond butter that just adds a nuttiness to this curry.

You can also use coconut milk or even peanut butter. If using peanut butter, try looking for an all-natural or organic peanut butter rather than a more commercial brand.

The regular, everyday peanut butter won’t have the same consistency. Plus it will add other oils, sugars, and preservatives you don’t necessarily want in the curry. 

Here’s what I would recommend, all of which you can buy on Amazon. They all have the right consistency to make this coconut chickpea curry super creamy. 

Almond Butter

Cashew Butter

All-Natural Peanut Butter

Ingredients For Chickpea Broccoli Curry

I like starting any curry recipe with a base of coconut oil. There is something about the fragrance of the coconut oil when cooking that I just love. Canola or any other oil would work well too. You can buy coconut oil on Amazon here. 

Check out this Cauliflower And Lentil Curry recipe.

Seasoning And Spices For Chickpea Curry

The oil is seasoned with diced yellow onion, minced or pressed garlic, and fresh ginger. The onion should be diced small so that there are no large chunks in the final curry.

I like to use a garlic press so that there aren’t big chunks of garlic in the curry. Try the Zulay stainless steel garlic press, which is easy to use. There’s no need to even peel the garlic ahead of time. You can use a normal cheese grater on the fine setting to grate the ginger. 

The spices come from garam masala, ground turmeric, and cayenne pepper or chili powder. Although you can make your own garam masala at home, I just buy mine in bulk – I use a lot of it.

We like the Pride of Indian brand. The garam masala provides most of the flavor, but the turmeric adds a nice yellow color to this broccoli and chickpeas curry recipe.

The cayenne pepper or chili powder provides a bit of heat. This is really optional. If you don’t like spice, skip it. Or, add half of the amount for a little spice. You can always add more, but once spice is added, it’s hard to unspice a curry.

Add a bit of salt as well. Don’t be afraid to use salt. It won’t make the curry salty. Instead, it will amplify the flavors and make the entire curry more flavorful. 

Vegetables And Other Ingredients

The main vegetable for this curry is broccoli. I like to cut the stems into small pieces so that they cook quicker. And they don’t go to waste. The heads of the broccoli can be left whole or cut in pieces to make them cook quicker. Diced carrots also had any extra bit of vegetable as well as some added color to the curry recipe. 

The canned chickpeas should be drained and rinsed in cool water. Because they are already cooked, they are really just being warmed in the curry. And, the combination of the chickpeas, coconut milk, and almond butter is why this curry is so creamy. And, vegetable broth is used as the liquid that everything is cooked in. 

At the end, a bit of tomato paste is added for some much-needed acidity, which adds balance to the recipe. I tend to keep a tube of concentrated tomato paste at home so that I can add a squeeze when needed. You can buy tomato paste on Amazon here.

Serve with broccoli and coconut curry chickpeas with some roughly chopped cilantro, alongside rice or fresh naan. Just fold the fresh cilantro into the curry just before serving. I used this naan recipe, which was pretty easy to make without yeast.

How To Make Chickpea Curry With Broccoli

Add coconut oil to a medium-sized dutch oven or large saucepan. Once it melts, add onion, garlic, and ginger. Coat in the olive oil and cook until it starts to sweat, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the garam masala, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt. Coat the spices in the oil to release the aroma and the flavor of the spices.

Add the diced carrots and broccoli stems and coat in the oil. Allow to cook 3-5 minutes or until the carrots start to soften. Add the remaining broccoli, chickpeas, coconut milk, almond butter, and vegetable broth. Stir well to make sure the almond butter is well blended.

Cook 3-5 minutes or until the broccoli starts to soften and the chickpeas are warm. Add the tomato paste and stir.

Fold in the fresh cilantro just before serving. Serve warm over rice or with warm naan. 

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