Slow cooker recipes like this are always a winner when you want something really easy but still full of flavour. This tomato chickpea curry has a rich, comforting sauce and is perfect for those days when you want dinner to just take care of itself.
I love this kind of meal for a fuss free meat free dinner that still feels hearty and satisfying. The chickpeas soak up all that lovely flavour as it cooks, and it's great served with rice, naan or whatever you like on the side.
Calories in Slow Cooker Tomato Chickpea Curry
This recipe serves 4 and is 231 calories per serving.
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See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredients Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Ghee: Adds richness and a deeper flavour that works really well with the spices.
- Onion, garlic and ginger: These create the flavour base for the curry. The onion adds sweetness and savoury depth as it softens, while the garlic and ginger bring warmth and that lovely aromatic flavour that gives a curry its real foundation.
- Cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and salt: This blend of spices is what gives the curry all its warmth and depth. The cumin and coriander add earthy flavour, the paprika brings a gentle sweetness, garam masala adds that classic rich curry flavour, turmeric gives extra warmth and colour, and the chilli powder adds heat. The salt helps lift and balance everything.
- Chopped tomatoes in rich tomato sauce: These make up the main body of the curry sauce, so a good quality brand really does make a difference to the overall flavour.
- Canned chickpeas: A handy pantry staple that makes this curry really easy while adding protein, fibre and a hearty texture.
- Vegetable or chicken Stock: Helps bring the sauce together and gives everything enough liquid to cook low and slow.
- Mango Chutney: Adds a touch of sweetness and extra depth, which helps balance the tomato and spice flavours.
- Tomato paste: Gives the sauce a more concentrated tomato flavour and helps make the finished curry taste richer.
- Coconut milk: Adds a little creaminess to the curry. I use regular not lite. You can freeze any leftover coconut milk so you have it on hand next time you need some.
- Fresh coriander: Adds a fresh finishing touch to the curry and helps lighten all the rich tomato and spice flavours. It's best stirred through at the end or sprinkled over just before serving.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions.
Variations and Substitutes
This curry is easy to adapt with what you have on hand. Canned White beans like cannellini or butter beans work well instead of chickpeas, and you can add extra veg such as spinach, red pepper, courgette, mushrooms, sweet potato or butternut squash.
For extra protein, diced chicken or pork both work well, and you can keep the chickpeas in there too for added texture. If you prefer you can also use reduced fat double cream or half and half instead of coconut milk and swap the ghee for olive oil if you need a dairy free alternative.
Tips for Slow Cooker Tomato Chickpea Curry
A few simple tips will help you get the best flavour and texture from this easy slow cooker curry.
- Fry the base first for the best flavour :Start by heating the ghee, then fry the onion, garlic and ginger until softened. Add the spices after and cook for a minute to bring out their flavour. A slow cooker with a sear function is great for this, but you can easily do it in a frying pan if yours doesn't have that feature.
- Do not be tempted to add extra liquid: The tomatoes, stock and other ingredients will create enough sauce as it cooks, so there is no need to add lots of extra liquid or the curry may end up too thin. If you feel it does need more liquid it's always best to do this at the end to ensure best result.
- Do not lift the lid unnecessarily: Every time you remove the lid, heat escapes and this can slow down the cooking time. It is best to leave the slow cooker covered and let it do its thing.
- Stir in the coconut milk at the end: For the best texture, add the coconut milk towards the end of cooking or just before serving so the sauce stays smooth and creamy.
- Taste and adjust before serving :Once cooked, give the curry a taste and adjust if needed with a little extra salt, chilli, chutney or sweetness to get the flavour just how you like it.
Side Suggestions
This curry is great served with rice to soak up all that lovely sauce. You can go with regular white or basmati rice or a rice with more flavour try this zucchini pilau rice or sweetcorn pilau rice, or for a lighter option, cauliflower rice works really well too if you want to keep it lower in carbs.
If you like something on the side for dipping, naan is always a good choice, especially if you make a batch of my garlic naan recipe. Poppadums are another great option if you want a bit of crunch alongside the curry.
To add some extra veg to the meal, roasted cauliflower is a really good match, or you could serve it with some simple greens or steamed vegetables on the side.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
Storing
This curry stores really well, which makes it great for meal prep or saving leftovers for another day. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing
It freezes well too, just allow it to cool fully before transferring to freezer proof containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating
Defrost overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm through on the hob or in the microwave until piping hot. If the sauce has thickened a little too much, just add a splash of stock to loosen it.
More Curry Recipes
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Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Tomato Chickpea Curry
A rich and comforting slow cooker curry with chickpeas, warming spices and a creamy tomato sauce, perfect for an easy meat free dinner the whole family can enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of ghee
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger root
- 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons of ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons of paprika
- ½ teaspoon of garam masala
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 teaspoon of hot chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 400g can of chopped tomatoes in rich tomato sauce (use a good quality brand)
- 400g can of chickpeas, drained
- ½ cup (120ml) of vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons of mango chutney
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- ½ cup (120ml) of coconut milk
- handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the ghee in a frying pan over a medium high heat, or use the sear function on your slow cooker if it has one.
- Add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry until softened. Add the spices and fry for a minute until fragrant.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, stock, mango chutney and tomato paste, then cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Stir in the coconut milk until combined, then garnish with fresh coriander.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- Dairy Free Friendly - use olive oil instead of ghee
- Gluten Free Friendly - use a gluten free stock
- ❄️ Freezer Friendly - - see storing, freezing and reheating section.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 231Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 8gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 10mgSodium 708mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 8gSugar 10gProtein 7g
Nutritional information and values etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
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