Baked Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry – a one-pot wonder made in one casserole dish. So easy to make, so perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. No standing around sautéing needed! Glutenfree, soy-free, nut-free option.
I’ve been loving making curries in a casserole dish. It’s hands free and less active time! Today is this creamy Chickpea Sweet Potato curry. Unbelievably easy to make, comforting, and 1 Pan! Are you loving these casserole dishes?!
The chickpeas’ meaty texture really shines in this baked curry – all tender and enveloped in the rich, creamy sauce. Baked cubed sweet potatoes add substance and act as sponges to soak up all the delicious curry gravy.
The gravy of this baked curry is made with coconut milk and enriched with peanut butter. Peanuts in savory dishes are amazing, trust me! And don’t worry. It won’t be too overwhelmingly sweet but perfectly balanced by the hum of garlic and ginger, the fragrant spices and the acidity of the tomatoes.
MORE INDIAN COMFORT FOOD
- Baked Madras curry Tofu
- Baked vegetable Curry Casserole
- Baked Balti Veggies
- Butter Tofu
- IP Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce
- Tofu in Spinach Curry
- Vegetable Jalfrezi
Baked Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon curry powder or berbere spice or dry harissa spice or 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or cayenne or omit for less heat
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 15 ounce (425.24 g) diced tomatoes with their juices or 1 cup chopped and 1 cup pureed
- 15 ounce (425.24 g) can chickpeas drained or 1 1/4 cup of cooked chickpeas
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) cubed sweet potatoes or about 2 1/2 cups , use other veggies such as potatoes, cauliflower, butternut squash, zucchini or a combination for variation
- 1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk (use the whole 14 oz can for saucier) , see notes for subs
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter or almond butter or sunflower seed butter for Nutfree
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 2 cups well-packed fresh baby spinach or 1 cup frozen spinach thawed
- cilantro pepper flakes, and lime juice for garnish
Instructions
- In a 9x11 or a similar size baking dish, add the oil and spread evenly. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F(205 c)
- Then add the onion, garlic, and ginger on one side and the sweet potato on the other side.
- Mix all the spices except salt in a bowl. Mix well and sprinkle all over.
- Mix the onions a little bit and mix sweet potatoes to coat the spices but keep the onions and sweet potatoes separate. Sprinkle some splashes of water if needed while mixing, to help the spices stick.
- Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit(206 c) for 15-16 minutes or until the onions are golden.
- Then remove the baking dish from the oven then add in the coconut milk and peanut butter and mix in. Mix the peanut butter into the coconut milk until it's mixed in otherwise, it will just stay in one corner of the dish.
- Then add in the tomato, chickpeas, salt, water, and mix really well.
- Put the dish back in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked to preference and the sauce has thickened. (If the sweet potatoes aren’t tender at 20 min, cover the dish with parchment and check in another 10-15 mins)
- Remove from the oven and immediately add in the spinach and mix in. The spinach will wilt with the heat of the sauce.
- Taste and adjust salt and flavor then garnish with cilantro, red pepper flakes, and lime juice and serve with rice, cauliflower rice or flatbread.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- onions, minced ginger, and garlic are added to the casserole dish and form the base of our gravy
- spices: coriander, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, curry powder or berbere spice or dry harissa spice or 2 teaspoons garam masala, black pepper
- coconut milk makes this a rich and creamy curry. For a coconut-free version, use cashew milk
- canned diced tomatoes lend sweetness, acidity, body, and color to the tofu curry sauce
- cooked chickpeas, drained or 1 1/4 cup of cooked chickpeas for added protein
- cubed sweet potatoes or about 2 1/2 cups
- peanut butter or almond butter for thickening or use sunflower seed butter for nut-free
- well-packed fresh baby spinach
Tips & Substitutions:
- To make this nut-free, you can use some sunflower seed butter. You can also use 3 tablespoons of split red lentils (masoor dal) instead. Just add them with the chickpeas. They will cook and thicken the sauce.
- You can also use fresh tomatoes, pureed instead of canned tomatoes.
- Instead of spinach, you can use chard or mustard greens.
- Use other veggies such as cauliflower, potato, butternut squash or a combination
- Use other non dairy milks such as cashew milk or oat milk
How to make Baked Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry:
In a 9×11 or a similar size baking dish, add the oil and spread evenly. Then add the onion, garlic, and ginger on one side and the sweet potato on the other side.
Mix all the spices except salt in a bowl. Mix well and sprinkle all over. Mix the onions a little bit and mix sweet potatoes to coat the spices but keep the onions and sweet potatoes separate. Sprinkle some splashes of water while mixing if needed to help the spices stick.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit(206 c) for 15–16 minutes or until the onions are golden.
Then remove the baking dish from the oven then add in the coconut milk and peanut butter and mix in.
Mix the peanut butter into the coconut milk until it’s mixed in otherwise, it will just stay in one corner of the dish.
Then add in the tomato, chickpeas, salt, water, and mix really well.
Put the dish back in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked to preference and the sauce has thickened.
Remove from the oven and immediately add in the spinach and mix in. The spinach will wilt with the heat of the sauce.
Taste and adjust salt and flavor then garnish with cilantro, red pepper flakes, and lime juice and serve with rice or flatbread.
Storage: refrigerate for upto 3 days. Freeze for upto a month
Michelle
This was so tasty! I added one zucchini for extra veggies and served it with basmati rice. I used 1/2 curry and 1/2 garam Marsala. This will definitely be on repeat at my house.
Vegan Richa Support
awesome! thank you!
Nicky
I have lost count of how many times I have made this recipe now. It is great for weekday meals and I have also made it when we have had friends over and they have loved it too.
Vegan Richa Support
That makes me so happy to hear!
Ann H.
This recipe is easy and delicious! I cooked it on the stovetop instead in the oven, added some zucchini, and served it over brown rice. I will definitely make this again.
Vegan Richa Support
Excellent.
Ann H.
This recipe is easy and delicious! I cooked it on the stovetop instead in the oven, added some zucchini, and served it over brown rice. I will definitely make this again.
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome.
Hillary
SO GOOD! I chopped the sweet potatoes pretty small after reading the comments, and I didn’t need to cook the dish for extra time. I stirred in chopped kale for the last 10 minutes of cooking instead of using spinach at the end. 🌱💚
Richa
Yay!!
Heather
We have a random spinach allergy in our household. This looks too good to pass up. Any recommendations for a spinach substitute?
Richa
Just omit it
celia
Made this today and we love it! Very creamy, rich and filling. I cut the sweet potato to slightly larger than the chick peas and they cooked well.
Vegan Richa Support
perfect 🤩
Leah B
Made this recently and used berbere instead of the curry powder as you suggested in the recipe options. It was amazing! It was even better as leftovers. I will definitely be making this one again.
Similar to others’ experiences, it took more time to cook to get the sweet potatoes tender, but that could be because it was so cold in my house/pantry that the can of coconut milk was solid when I opened it. I’m sure that lowered the temperature of the casserole when I added that and then it would have taken additional time to get back to temperature.
Thanks for another great recipe!
Richa
Yes definitely the overall temps of ingredients , the pan etc makes a difference. Just bake until everything is cooked to preference. And stick to those times for next time
Anna
Excellent, easy recipe. 10/10 recommend!
Vegan Richa Support
wow 🤩
Jackie
Very flavorful. Used curry powder for this first time but will likely try garam masala and the others in the future. Another great recipe! Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
great! hope you like it with the different spices too
Rachel
This came out delicious! I ended up having to bake it for an hour in order to cook the sweet potatoes. Not sure what made it take so long, I cut them into ~0.5-inch chunks.
Richa
Half inch skis good size, maybe chop slightly smaller. Maybe the ingredients were too cold, pan was too thick or oven not running hot enough or a combination affectjng the overall time the sauce was boiling. Cover the pan witb parchment to hold the heat in and faster cooking
Genie
I made this — turned out great! I did have to bake it longer to get the sweet potatoes cooked though. Peanut butter and coconut milk together! Two of my favorite things.
Vegan Richa Support
perfect combo
Cheryl
This was delicious!! I love the baked casseroles. I had to bake it for 10 extra minutes to get my sweet potatoes cooked, but worth the wait.
Vegan Richa Support
I love them too, Cheryl
Anna
Hands-off, easy, and best of all, delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
i love these types of recipes too =) thanks Anna
Carol Vare
This is amazingly easy to eat make and is spectacular. You will love this dish!
Vegan Richa Support
thanks Carol!
Fawn
1/6/22 5⭐️ i doubled this recipe and it barely fit in my 9×13 glass baking dish. I used 1.5 cans of coconut milk and it was super duper creamy (maybe too much!) i added 1 zucchini. More spinach would be better. If i had a bigger baking dish, i should have added more zucchini and maybe cauliflower. There was plenty of cream sauce.
Vegan Richa Support
good to know
Nandini
So creamy and delicious… Must try
Vegan Richa Support
I can’t wait to hear what you think
SC
Can we make it without any nut butter ? If so any alternative for thickening the sauce ?
Richa
Yes see notes. Use sunflower seed butter or add 3 tbsp split red lentils with the chickpeas. The red lentils will cook and break down a bit. Mix them some to help them break down more and thicken the mix . The sauce is plenty thick even without any additions. It’s not watery thin.
Sylvia W
I cannot wait to try this! It is especially lovely that there are so many variations/options to personalize the end result. I will make this spicy for myself, but will tone down the seasoning a bit (eliminating any peppers) for a dear friend whose health issues and taste buds cannot handle spicy heat, but who is learning, with my assistance, to enjoy plant based international foods. I think she is going to love this!
Richa
❤️❤️❤️
Carol K
Stellar! My family gave this a big WOW! last night. This curry is so very satisfying. The flavors are rich and complex without being too spicy. I roasted 1 sweet potato and 1 yam in the oven, and sauteed and combined all other ingredients on the stove before adding them to the roasting pan to continue in the oven. Also I added 1/3 cup diced firm mango and used a whole can of coconut milk.
Richa
Yumm.
Leemor
Yum!!! Was so great and easy!!
Vegan Richa Support
Success !
Amy
Excited to try this – absolutely obsessed with your lentil curry casserole! If including cauliflower, when would you recommend adding it in in the cooking process?
Richa
With the chickpeas.
Jen
Made this for dinner using the stovetop version and subbed the baharat spice blend from your cookbook for garam masala. So good and perfect for a snowy evening, thank you!!
Richa
Awesome! Yes baharat would be wonderful in it!
Trina
Made this night, so yummy. I did cook my chickpeas and rice, separately of course, in my pressure cooker. I also strained my tomatoes through the food mill, can’t have the skin or seeds, used refrigerated coconut milk that come in the half gallon size, and added the extra almond butter. Delicious!!!!
Thank you for the one pan baked curry.
Trina
Richa
Awesome
arj
A true one-dish casserole! I am obsessed with anything one pot on the stove, instant pot, or casserole in the oven. Who can manage anything else weeknight?
I would love to make this tonight but I don’t have any spinach or kale in the house. Will it be lacking w/o greens? Should I toss in some frozen peas or extra potatoes to bulk it up?
Richa
Should be just fine without the greens. You can add other veggies if you like, it’s a forgiving recipe.
susan souza
would like to know if another milk could be used instead of coconut forthe chickpea curry.
Richa
Yes, use cashew milk or oat milk
Falguni Dalal
Hi Richa! This recipe looks amazing! However, I abosolutley loathe sweet potatoes. Can this recipe be made using regular russet potatoes? I have tried eating sweet potatoes many times and truly dislike them. Would using a white potato change the flavor too much in a negative way?
Thanks so much for your blog! We love it and enjoy your recipes so much!
Richa
Use regular potatoes. Potatoes and chickpeas go very well as well and Indian spices!