This eggplant curry combines high-protein chickpeas with tender eggplant and a creamy coconut milk-based sauce for the ultimate wholesome, comforting mid-week meal. Best of all, this curry recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free, can be made oil-free, and is ready in under 30 minutes!
If there’s one thing you’ll easily figure out when browsing through my blog, I LOVE comfort food—a lot. In-between recipes including vegan gumbo, Hungarian goulash, vegan pot pie, and mushroom bourguignon, I also love curries like vegan butter chicken, sweet potato curry, red lentil dahl, and this eggplant curry (aka aubergine curry/ brinjal curry).
This vegan curry recipe includes some of my favorite ingredients; chickpeas, eggplant, coconut milk, and curry powder. The resulting curry is creamy, comforting, slightly spicy (but customizable!), and truly satisfying – perfect for serving with rice and/or naan for a complete meal. All in under 30 minutes!
Comforting and Nutritious Chickpea Eggplant Curry
Did you know that curry powder not only tastes fantastic -with a combination of several spices often including cilantro, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and chili- but it’s also packed with all sorts of health benefits?
For example, the spices within curry powder may help protect against cancerous cells, reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce Alzheimer’s’ symptoms, ease pain and inflammation, boost bone health, protect the immune system, and even increase the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the body! Now that’s a list of health benefits I can get behind. Especially when it comes in the package of a delicious Indian eggplant curry recipe.
Best of all, this nutritious vegan chickpea curry is made up of largely pantry staples; something I’ve focused on a lot recently and following the recent global ‘situation’. I even recently pulled together a list of pantry-friendly vegan dinner recipes.
If you can’t source eggplant? Well, you’ve got yourself a coconut chickpea curry, have veggies in the fridge in need of using? Chuck them in (check below for veggie suggestions), no coconut milk? Use another dairy-free cream. There’s no stopping this vegan curry!
In fact, I pretty much always aim to have several cans (or a bag) of chickpeas in my pantry ready to pull together quick, nutritious dinners like this and other favorites, including chickpea tacos, stuffed zucchini, and broccoli chickpea stir-fry. You can even shove these legumes into your dessert. Flourless chickpea brownies, anyone?!
Eggplant is also a common ingredient in my kitchen, used to stuff with lentils and stuffed within quesadillas and wraps, with leftovers added to veggie stir-fry noodles!
Today, though, let’s get to work turning those chickpeas and eggplant into a delicious coconut curry!
The Ingredients
- Chickpeas: I used a 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed. Feel free to cook the chickpeas from dry if preferred.
- Eggplant: I prefer to use two small eggplants rather than one large one. Smaller ones tend to contain fewer seeds (i.e. less bitterness!) and hold together better while cooking.
- Aromatics: I use a simple classic combination of onion and garlic.
- Coconut milk: I use canned coconut milk or coconut cream. Use lite coconut milk for a healthier option – though it won’t be as creamy. If you can’t source coconut milk, then feel free to use another dairy-free cream. I like oat cream or soy cream, etc.
- Curry Powder: Alternatively, you could use curry paste. You can buy different heat levels of curry powder/paste (mild, medium, hot), so choose based on your personal preference. If you have no curry powder, then garam masala would also work.
- Seasonings: I love to add extra cumin to this vegan chickpea curry. I also add a little additional turmeric (packed with health benefits), smoked paprika (for smokiness), and cayenne pepper (for spice). I also use salt and pepper, as usual.
Check the recipe notes below for more ingredient notes!
To Serve:
- Cooked Rice: I often use jasmine rice but use the rice or grain of your choice.
- Dairy-free Yogurt: I love to serve any vegan curry recipe with a dollop of dairy-free yogurt. It balances with any spice very well.
- Naan: Optional, but I love mopping up all the sauce with warm aromatic homemade naan bread.
- Garnish: I like to use either a little fresh cilantro or finely shredded raw spinach.
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.
How To Make Eggplant Curry
There are just three simple steps when cooking this flavorful curry recipe.
- Start by cubing the eggplant and finely chopping the onion into small pieces.
- Heat a little oil (or water for an oil-free option) in a pan over medium heat. Add the two ingredients and cook for around 10 minutes until the eggplant becomes tender.
- Add the garlic and drained chickpeas.
- Then add the coconut milk, spices, and salt, and pepper and stir well. Simmer the curry for around 5 minutes.
When ready, serve the vegan chickpea curry with your choice of cooked rice and/or naan bread. Garnish the dish with fresh cilantro or finely chopped spinach and enjoy!
How To Store and Reheat?
Store: Any leftovers will keep for 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The eggplant coconut curry should also freeze well, though it isn’t something I’ve tried. I recommend allowing it to cool completely first. Then freeze in portions for between 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat: Reheat the curry either on the stovetop over medium-low until warmed through or in the microwave. If the sauce has thickened up too much, add a little of your favorite plant-based milk to thin it again. Stir carefully when reheating, so you don’t mash all the eggplant.
Recipe Notes & Variations
- Other Vegetables: This eggplant curry recipe is fairly versatile. Feel free to bulk up (or replace ingredients) the vegan curry further with additional ingredients; potato, cauliflowers, squash, zucchini – as long as they’ll cook within the time, anything goes.
- To thicken the curry: I find that the sauce thickens up wonderfully. However, if you happen to add too much liquid, use a little cornstarch, arrowroot flour, or potato starch. Create a slurry with it first before adding it to the sauce.
- For slightly different flavor: You can add 2-3 large diced tomatoes or some tinned tomatoes.
- The eggplant: You could also use roasted eggplant within this curry! Perfect for using up leftovers.
Other Vegan Comforting Recipes
If you love wholesome, comforting recipes like this chickpea curry recipe then you might also like:
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Vegan Meatballs
- German Potato Soup
- Vegan Mushroom Risotto
- Lentil Bolognese
- Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- Creamed Peas And Carrots
If you try this chickpea eggplant curry recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan #elavegan – I love seeing them.
Chickpea & Egplant Curry
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can (400 g) chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 small eggplants (or a large one)
- 1/2 large onion diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk canned (or lite coconut milk)
- 1-2 tbsp curry powder (you can use curry paste instead)
- 1-2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin (or more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooked rice of choice (I use Jasmine rice)
- Spinach or fresh coriander for serving
Instructions
- Watch the video for easy visual instructions.Chop the eggplant and the onion into small pieces and heat a little oil (or water) in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and the eggplant and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until the eggplant becomes tender. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the pan.
- Add the coconut milk, spices, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Serve your curry with cooked rice of choice (my favorite is Jasmine rice) or naan bread. Garnish with either spinach or fresh coriander. Enjoy!
Notes
Video Of The Recipe
- Use small eggplants: It's always best to use smaller eggplants in recipes like this. The more pieces that have skin, the less chance of you ending up with eggplant 'mush'. This is because the skin will help to hold it together a bit better.
- Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving with full-fat coconut milk.
- If you use light coconut milk the recipe will have less fat and calories (about 191 kcal and 5.5 grams of fat).
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Keri
This is hands-down the best curry I’ve ever had!! I can’t believe I made it. 🙂 Thank you for an awesome recipe- the flavor is amazing!! I made it with mushrooms, diced carrots, and roasted tomatoes instead of eggplant and loved it.
Ela
Wow, thanks so much for your amazing feedback, Keri! I am super happy you loved my vegan chickpea curry 🙂
Luz
This recipe is super delicious and so easy to make. I love it. Thank you
Ela
Very glad you liked my recipe, Luz! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Michelle Giterman
the recipe was SOOOO good. I topped it off with pineapple, cilantro and green onion. HEAVEN!
Ela
Thanks so much for your feedback, Michelle! I am glad you loved my recipe 🙂
Annakaren
Can’t wait to try out this recipe! I’ can hardly wait ????
Ela
❤️
Nina
Just made this recipe to my hubby and our two year old (slightly less spicy for her), we all loved it!
I fried pineapple in the pan and added it on the top, together with lots of coriander, yummy!
Ela
I am so glad to hear that! Thanks for your amazing feedback, Nina 🙂
Lee Fraser
Hi Ela-my girlfriend and I enjoy your page and you give us great inspiration to create lovely meals.
We follow Ayurveda and find it’s really awkward following it strictly at work…as we are not supposed to heat up meals. ( Ayurvedic rules not work rules) do you have any tips that could help us please. Would be truly grateful.
Ela
Thanks for your comment, Lee. Unfortunately, I don’t understand your question. Are you looking for recipes which are raw (not cooked)?
Scarlett
Love this recipe! It’s so yummy. A few helps needed to perfect it, hopefully Ela could help me with it thanks!
1. Eggplants turned out quite tough despite I’ve chopped them into very small pieces and pan fry more than 5 minutes. How can I cook them softer?
2. May I know how do you get your nutritional facts? If I would like to increase the protein, what suggestions do you have?
Other than that, lovely recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Ela
Hi Scarlett, thanks for your kind comment. Regarding 1) It helps to either put a lid on the pan or to add a little bit oil (in case you don’t mind oil), this way the eggplant will turn out softer.
2) I use Cronometer.com it’s really a great app. 🙂 You could add more legumes or textured soy protein. Hope this helps 🙂
Scarlett
Thanks for replying. I’ll def try it out
Dee | Green Smoothie Gourmet
Ela! I love your version, it’s much lighter then what I’ve eaten. I’ve never made it, other family members have so perhaps I should pass them your recipe!
I love that it is oil free! ❤️ Dee xx
Ela
Awww thank you, Dee!! I hope you will try out my recipe 🙂
Tiffany
Made this today. Added just a bit of like juice to give a little kick. Family loved it!
Ela
Sounds great, Tiffany! I am glad you liked it. 🙂
Maggie
I made this yesterday and it tasted soooo good! Best of all it didn’t irritate my sensitive stomach. Thanks so much! I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!! 🙂
Ela
I am so glad to hear that, Maggie! Thanks for your great feedback 🙂
David
I too found this very helpful ,just what i was looking for, particularly the ‘no oil’ angle and no need to use salt.
Thank you!
Ela
Thanks for your feedback, David. 🙂
Jess @choosingchia
I love any curry with coconut milk in it! I also love smoked paprika so this sounds divine!
Kate
This looks amazing! I am so excited to make it tonight for dinner! Would almond milk be a possible substitute for the coconut?
Ela
Hi Kate, yes it is possible to use almond milk but it will be less creamy because coconut milk contains more fat. 🙂 Let me know how it turns out with almond milk 🙂
Sheronda Bynum
Thank you for sharing! This recipe was very easy to make! Turned out delicious!!
Ela
I am very glad to hear that, Sheronda 🙂
Aron Vass
I tried your chickpea curry and it’s kinda heaven! You know i’m the only one in my family who is vegan but they loved it too !
Ela
I am so glad to hear that, Aron. Wonderful news that your family loved it too 🙂
Karla Valero
Hola Ela!!
Thank you very much for sharing your recipes. This is the first one I try and I declare myself your fan. It was GREAT. Riquísimo.
Eres la mejor!!!!!
Ela
Awww, muchas gracias!! I am so happy you liked my chickpea curry 🙂
Irina
Dear Ela, I’ve tried your chickpea curry last week and all of my lovelies loved it 🙂 I used instead of eggplant zucchinis cause I hadn’t eggplant in my fridge 😀 it was really delicious and we’ll definitely gonna to try it again. Next time with eggplant. Love your recipes and your Insta account. Really happy to met you. Thank for your inspiration and being part of my social media life : * ♡
Big hug Irina
Ela
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Irina. Very happy you and your loved ones liked my recipe. Using zucchini is a great idea, I really love zucchini and it goes so well in many different recipes. Lots of love to you
Ashleigh
I absolutely love this recipe! My fiancé and I make it regularly, and it never disappoints. Thank you for sharing such a delicious and easy recipe!
Ela
Thank you for this wonderful feedback, it makes me so happy that you and your fiancé like my vegan chickpea curry. 🙂
Kimmi
Ela, thank you for this recipe. I was really looking forward to making it, as I bought an eggplant from the farmer’s market and needed to find a recipe in which to cook it! I followed your recipe, but only had one tbsp left of curry powder… and held off on the salt & pepper. However, I think I left it too long on the stove (turned off the heat as I went to put my little one to bed, and had a cover on the pan). When I came back to it , I found it to be more watery than I would’ve liked, and unfortunately I had no more curry powder to add. Added a bit of Himalayan pink salt and a couple more dashes of cumin. I suppose I could thicken it with some cornstarch but I am afraid of dlituting the flavor even more. Gotta pick up more curry powder before I give it another shot!. Hoping the next time will be better. More curry and maybe no cover on the pan.
Ela
Hey, Kimmi, it’s difficult to give you an advice since you didn’t follow the recipe completely. Using just 1 tbsp of curry powder DOES make a significant difference (I tried it before)! Also, I made this recipe at least 10 times and have so many positive reviews on Instagram, Pinterest and here on my blog, and never ever did someone or I notice a cover on the pan. Did you use regular canned coconut milk or light canned coconut milk or boxed coconut milk? I had people telling me my curry comes out very creamy, never did I hear it’s too watery, so I am really curious what might have gone wrong with your curry.
Kimmi
Hi Ela, thank you for the reply. I hope my comment did not come off as a complaint, b/c that was not my intention. In any case, my attempt did not come out as well as it could because I simply did not follow your recipe completely. I used unsweetened coconut milk from a carton. I definitely need to pick up more curry powder as one tsbp did not give it enough oomph. I also need to leave the pan uncovered as I am sure that is what resulted in the dish being watered down. I will try it again and let you know how it goes. 🙂
Kimmi
Hi again Ela… I wanted to mention that I just read your ‘about’ page and really enjoyed it. I love that you are blogging, as you say, ‘to spread the vegan message’ and hope that it is inspiring others to see that eating vegan can be a wonderful, thing – on many levels. Thank you for for your efforts!
Ela
Thanks for checking out my “about page”, Kimmi, and for your sweet words. I really appreciate it 🙂
Ela
Hi Kimmi, don’t worry it didn’t come off as a complaint. I was just a little bit surprised because I received so much positive feedback for this recipe before. Thanks for the clarification and I am looking forward to hearing if your next attempt (with the correct ingredients) will turn out much better. 🙂
BM
I really enjoyed this recipe, but wanted to add more in depth feedback. I felt the dish was REALLY heavy and too creamy, which is funny because I really love creamy curries. But it was too creamy for me (which is a first). I also felt it needed some sugar, most curries are at least a little bit sweet and I felt this benefitted from some sweetness. I added about a tablespoon of coconut sugar and it was really good, you could get away with even less than that. I think if I were to make again I’d use less of the coconut milk, maybe about 2/3rd’s of a can or 3/4’s at most, you can always add more later so it’s a watchout if anybody reads this. It’s also a HUGE amount of food considering it says it makes 2 portions, I think it’s more like 4 portions, especially given how heavy it is. And my wife and I are big eaters. Which is great, we have leftovers now!
I also used 2 Chinese Eggplants but I didn’t dice it small, I made large chunks. Which was a problem because sauteeing either 5 or even 10 minutes and then only simmering for 5 minutes isn’t enough to cook it. The skin of my eggplant stayed quite firm even after I cooked this a lot longer. I added water to give me more time to cook it without thickening too much. If you don’t want to use small chunks of Eggplant, I’d recommend either cooking it beforehand or adding/water or stock and cooking it a lot longer. Which I think is a good idea as well to get the whole dish to really get more flavor.
Last but not last, I used oil since I wasn’t looking for a no oil dish. Given that, before I added the coconut milk I added some oil to the corner of my pan and tempered all of the spices in it. This really helps bring out the flavor of the spices.
Sorry for the long comment, thanks for the recipe! I’ll probably make it a regular with some small adjustments.
Ela
Hi, BM, thanks for your thorough feedback. My recipe calls for just one CUP of coconut milk, and not one CAN. Also, like mentioned in the recipe notes, you can always use light coconut milk which makes the whole dish less heavy and less creamy.
Regarding the coconut sugar, that’s a good suggestion, as I already used coconut sugar before (in my vegan chili recipe) and it really made it more flavorful. I will try it in my curry as well, next time when I make it. You can find the chili recipe here: https://elavegan.com/vegan-chili-recipe-chili-sin-carne/
My recipe calls for small chunks of eggplant because it cooks faster this way. Of course, you need to let it cook longer if you prefer large chunks. Most people “google” for fast to make meals though, that’s why I try to keep the prep/cook time as short as possible (but I also agree that the curry becomes more flavorful with a longer cook time).
Nevertheless, I am really glad you and your wife enjoyed my recipe and that you will make it more often now with some small adjustments. 🙂
BM
Holy cow I’m an idiot! Worst part is that when I thought it was too creamy I thought maybe I didn’t follow the recipe correctly and multiple times I went to go back to check the recipe, got distracted and forgot about it. Lol! Also every other curry recipe I’ve made had 1 entire can so I probably didn’t think twice.
Yep I agree about the small chunks of eggplant, would have worked better. But I decided to put larger chunks in to sort of replace/substitute chicken/meat. But yeah using water worked well, but I got impatient at the end and some of the larger pieces were undercooked, oh well. Yeah it makes a lot more sense to have a quicker recipe, the fact that it’s simple/easy/quick is why I’m going to add it to my regular meals. Because I have a Thai curry I love where I make my own curry paste, and it’s amazing, but takes a lot of time so only for special occasions.
Ela
Don’t worry, mistakes happen. 🙂 And yummy, your own curry paste sounds super delicious.
Rebecca Z
Amazing recipe! It turned out really good and was not heavy. Really fun and simple to make
Ela
Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback, Rebecca 🙂 So glad you like my chickpea curry recipe ❤️