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This sweet potato curry with chickpeas is cozy in the way you want dinner to be: rich, warming, and just a little bit indulgent. The cashews add that salty crunch you didn’t know you needed, and yes, you should absolutely serve it with warm, soft naan to swipe through the sauce.
This sweet potato curry with chickpeas is cozy in the way you want dinner to be: rich, warming, and just a little bit indulgent. The cashews add that salty crunch you didn’t know you needed, and yes, you should absolutely serve it with warm, soft naan to swipe through the sauce.
This vegetarian sweet potato curry with chickpeas is the kind of dinner that feels a little fancy but is wildly easy and weeknight-friendly. It’s cozy, comforting, and unapologetically saucy—the kind of meal you’ll want to serve with a pile of warm naan or over a bed of rice just to make sure not a single drop goes to waste. The chickpeas bring protein, the sweet potatoes add that natural sweetness, and the coconut milk ties it all together in a velvety, fragrant sauce. Oh, and don’t skip the toasted cashews on top—they’re the salty crunch that makes this whole thing sing. As for leftovers, they’re even better the next day. You’ll be the happiest person at lunch!
If you love the combination of coconut milk and curry as much as I do, you should also check out my coconut curry Instant Pot lentil soup, my vegetarian chickpea curry, and this creamy, dreamy curry pumpkin cauliflower soup.
Table of Contents
Quick Overview
- Prep Time: ~15 minutes
- Cook Time: ~30 minutes
- Total Time: ~45 minutes
- Serves: 8
Simple, Pantry-Forward Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes (cubed—naturally hearty)
- Canned chickpeas (efficient, protein-packed)
- Canned tomatoes (bright and acidic)
- Coconut milk (full-fat for melt-in-your-mouth richness)
- Curry paste and spices (let them bloom!)
- Onion, garlic, ginger (flavor base that smells like magic)
- Cashews (because texture is everything)
How to Make It
Step 1: Soften the Sweet Potatoes
Heat the oil in a large or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and onions to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add Some Flavor
Stir in the curry paste and turmeric, coating the veggies evenly. Continue to cook for another minute or so.
Step 3: Bring In the Chickpeas
Add the chickpeas, tomatoes (liquid from can included), and coconut milk.
Step 4: Simmer to Soften
Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and let it go for about 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
Step 5: Prep to Serve
Stir half of the cashews into the curry, and top the curry with the rest. Garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.
What to Serve This With
Sweet potato curry with chickpeas is rich and hearty, so it pairs beautifully with fresh, bright, and comforting side dishes. Here are a few ideas:
- Naan—Some warm, pillowy naan is the perfect thing to drag through this sauce.
- Rice—Identifies as a “bottom” when it comes to curry, soaking it all up so you don’t leave any sauce behind. This coconut ginger Instant Pot rice is a great option.
- Roasted vegetables—Go for some nice oven-roasted broccoli with nutritional yeast, hot honey roasted carrots, or Parmesan-roasted zucchini.
- Salad—Keep it real simple and fresh with an easy side salad with lemon juice.
Storage, Freezing & Reheating
- Sweet potato curry with chickpeas keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- To freeze, let the curry cool down to room temperature. Once it’s been cooled, transfer it to a freezer-friendly container (I like freezing this in portions using this silicone tray) and pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months for best quality. Transfer it to the fridge the night before you plan to reheat it.
- Reheat leftovers in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed through. In the microwave, you can heat leftovers up in 30-second increments until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’re looking at about 30-40 minutes. This depends on how quickly the potatoes cook. Cubing them into bite-sized cubes and ensuring that all the cubes are very close in size is key for quick and even cooking.
In this recipe, you cook the sweet potatoes right in the pot along with everything else.
Sweet Potato Curry With Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into approx. 1/2" pieces.
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons of curry paste, mild or hot depending on your preference
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz canned chopped tomatoes, liquid included
- 14 oz coconut milk
- 1/2 cup toasted cashews, divided
- Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large cooking pot, heat the coconut oil over moderate heat.
- Add the sweet potatoes and onions, and cook, stirring every so often, for 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the curry paste and turmeric. Stir to coat the veggies and cook for another minute.
- Add the chickpeas, tomatoes with liquid, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and allow to simmer for approx. 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly. At this point, if you’d like a thicker curry, do the following: mix 1/4 cup of cold milk and 2 tablespoons of corn starch until powder dissolves. Gradually stir the mixture into the curry. Mix well as the curry thickens.
- Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes tender.
- Add half of the cashews and stir to mix them in.
- Upon serving, garnish with parsley or cilantro and the remaining cashews.
- Serve with warm naan bread, pitas, or rice.
Notes
Nutrition
More Curry & Coconut Recipes to Try…
Okay I had to comment again, Dana. I just made this for dinner tonight and IT. WAS. DELICIOUS. So filling in a healthy way. We paired it with some basmati rice; the perfect combo. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Cassie! Thanks so much for coming by and letting me know how the dish went! I’m really glad you loved it. That makes my heart happy :D
Dana, this looks hands down fabulous! I’m a huge sweet potato fan and have recently gotten into curries as well. This would be a great, healthy dish to make for my partner and I, he of the I-hate-veggies-unless-you-hide-them mindset.
Also, GoT potluck?! SO COOL.
Thanks, Cassie! Oh, I think you’ll love this, then. The combination of sweet potato and curry is unreal.
And ha! My husband is also a pretty picky eater. He hates potatoes because he hates the texture, but he does try things before he knocks them, so I have to give him tons of credit for that. He even tried this dish, despite his hate for potatoes AND chickpeas, and he enjoyed it! I was completely floored, haha.
AND YES! We definitely have a fun group of friends and we’ll find any excuse to have potlucks. GoT seemed like a good reason to have one :)
Gah, it looks so rich and creamy (or coconut-creamy) and incredible. The way you can SEE the spices just sitting there on the surface of the veggies makes me want a BIG ol’ serving right now. And the cashews? I’m just done. I love cashews. Like, I have to control myself around them. Spectacular dish Dana.
Thanks, Sean! Yes–cashews are a huge weakness of mine. I mean, I love all nuts (phrasing!) but there is something real special about cashews; lightly salted, and a magical combination of crunchy and creamy.
I want cashews now, damnit.
You are right this dish is absolutely stunning! I’ve pinned this recipe to try. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorites so I can not wait to try!! Definitely think it would be a crowd pleaser :)
Thanks, Meaghan! Let me know when you try them! I hope you love it and I hope any crowd you serve it to is all kinds of pleased :)
This sounds and looks delicious, need to try this over the weekend. Gonna make a big batch as I am sure this will be super delicious for lunch as well!!
Thanks, Hannah! I can definitely vouch that this is delicious leftover and reheated. It gets even thicker and nummier–which seemed impossible as far as the latter part goes! I hope you love it!
This curry looks delicious! I love the combination of sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and cashews.
Hi Cathy!
Thanks so much! The three combined worked really well together. I still actually have some leftovers. Might have to have those for lunch :)
I have never tried any curry recipes with sweet potato. i always bake them and have it. Will try a curry :) Good one!
Thanks, Suki! I hope you enjoy it. Let me know how it goes!
This looks super delish, Dana! I’m also loving the visual updates — I assume surgery went well? ;)
Thanks, Justine! I’m glad you love the new look. Surgery went well indeed. Still working on some minor details here and there, but I definitely feel refreshed! Sometimes you just need to give your space a face lift. Or maybe… a space lift?
Sweet potato is one of my favourites, and the combination of chick peas and curry sounds so delish! This recipe looks so beautiful too. Can’t wait to try!
Hi Shauna! Thanks so much! This was definitely a hit and might become a regular in this household. I hope you love it! Let me know how it goes!
This looks delicious. And I have the ingredients on hand… doing it! Thanks! :)
Hey Nikki! Thanks!
Ha, don’t you just love when you find a recipe you want to play with and you just happen to have ALL of the ingredients on hand? Meant to be :) I hope you love it! Let me know how it goes and if you’re an Instagramer, snap a photo and tag #KillingThyme, I’d love to see it <3