Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry

This roasted butternut squash and chickpea curry is a comforting vegan dish full of flavor with that creamy coconut and tomato sauce. Perfect for any time of the year, particularly on a cold autumn or winter night - ready in under one hour!

This will go very well with this roasted curried squash recipe coconut curry makes a fabulously healthy, vegetarian midweek meal.

A vegan curry like this is popular all throughout the year, it is packed with goodness and amazing nutrients as well as super delicious. It definitely makes an amazing family meal or it can make a great choice for special holidays or special occasions to bring to your table and impress your family and friends.

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🤹🏻 Substitutions
• 🔪 How to make squash and chickpea curry
• 🍽 Serving Suggestions
• Variations
• 💭 Recipe FAQs
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Top tips
• 📋 Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry

🥘 Ingredients

There are a few ingredients needed to make this butternut and chickpea curry but well worth it:

• coconut milk - for this vegan option
• cooked chickpeas
• curry powder - use any curry powder you prefer or have
• chili powder - this is optional
• chopped tomatoes - I used fresh ones
• cumin seeds
• garam masala
• ground cumin - optional
• ground turmeric - this adds great color and benefits to this curry dish
• ginger
• garlic - fresh and freshly grated garlic is the best as it has the best flavor and no additives
• olive oil
• onion
• salt and pepper - to taste
• vegetable stock - it is best to use your own homemade-from-scratch
• fresh coriander/cilantro

See the recipe card for exact quantities.

🤹🏻 Substitutions

Here are some substitution ideas for some of the ingredients in case you do not have them in hand or don't like some of them.

• coconut milk - for this vegan option but use single or heavy cream used for a vegetarian one, both as delicious - a good 2-10% Greek yogurt will also work fab for a version that is lower in calls and fats.
• chickpeas - can be canned or freshly cooked in a pressure cooker
• curry powder - can be as spicy as your threshold allows
• chili powder - this is optional if you like to keep the heat down
• chopped tomatoes - canned ones but choose a good brand for a good flavor
• cumin seeds - these add a great flavor or use mustard seeds instead
• ginger - I recommend using fresh ginger but powder will also work
• olive oil - or coconut oil melted - this is only to drizzle on the butternut squash - melted butter can also be used for a vegetarian option
• onion - you may also use leeks instead or shallots
• vegetable stock - it is best to have your own made-from-scratch one but a stock cube will also do ( just mind the salt if you are using a stock cube)
• fresh coriander/cilantro - parsley works very well here too if you do not like cilantro

🔪 How to make squash and chickpea curry

This dish is a very easy one to put together, it can be cooked in a flash if you have some leftover butternut squash and if going for canned chickpeas. It will be ready in 20 min. It takes longer if you are baking the butternut squash and if you decide to cook the chickpeas from scratch but it is all worth it, no matter what.

1. Start by preparing the butternut squash

• by cutting off both ends, peeling the skin, and cutting in half lengthways.
• scrape out the seeds and stringy insides using a spoon.
• cut into equal-sized cubes, approximately 1 cm big.

2. While the squash is roasting nicely, start the curry. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan and add finely chopped onion. Fry for a couple of minutes then we need to add the garlic and ginger.

See the recipe card for more on to finalize this beautiful and delicious curry recipe.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

This butternut squash and chickpea curry dish were inspired by my vegetarian Thai curry recipe. This curry dish pairs very well with this instant pot coconut rice recipe or any salad like this beans and fennel salad or this super simple but perfect tomato and cucumber salad. What about Serving this with a beautiful sourdough naan, or a simple flatbread made from scratch? Mmm, delicious options that are all here on my site.

Variations

Make this curry less spicy or super spicy, all depending on how you like it.

• Spicy - add extra fresh green or red chilies, and dried red chili flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish
• Deluxe - add some nuts, toasted nuts like cashew, pistachio, or even peanuts, crispy onions, and toasted sesame seeds. Amazing!
• Kid-friendly - keep spiciness to a minimum and add some potatoes nicely cubed. Add the potatoes if you decide to use them at the beginning of the cooking as soon as the onion has softened.
• Other ingredients that go very well in this chickpea curry are ladies' fingers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, spring greens, and beans.

See this dhal curry recipe for a kid-friendly curry alternative recipe. My kids love that and this squid curry as well as the best ever and super healthy lamb curry.

💭 Recipe FAQs

👩🏻‍🍳 Top tips

• This curry can be cooked in a slow cooker, an instapot, in the oven, or on the stove, as suggested here.
• To keep this curry dish healthy, choose light coconut milk with less saturated fat and fewer calories than regular full-fat coconut milk. Any plant-based milk makes a great alternative too.
• Try making this curry juicier if you have it over rice or less juicy if you serve it with a flatbread.
• Adding some fresh curry leaves will make this dish extra aromatic.

Have you made this squash and chickpeas curry?

Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. Thanks for stopping by!