Vegan Apple Curry (with Chickpeas)

Vegan apple curry with chickpeas and coconut milk; this is a mild curry recipe that your family will love. And it’s ready in about 30 minutes!

Delicious, mildly hot, vegan apple curry with chickpeas and coconut milk, this dish will make your day. This is an easy weeknight dinner recipe, perfect for the family.

Another apple recipe, you might think. Well, yes! I still have what feels like a million apples in my cellar, so we diligently eat apples in one form or another daily. 🙂

What else can I do with so many apples? Cinnamon Apple Muffins with Oil, Healthy Apple Cake, Romanian Apple Pie, or Moist Apple and Cinnamon Cake are just a few of the apple recipes I make every fall when the apples are cheap and plentiful.

And if you would like to try more savory apple recipes, check out the Beef Apple Stew, Roast Chicken with Apples, Rhubarb Chicken Curry, Braised Fennel with Apples, or learn How to Cook Liver (with Onions and Apples).

What makes this curry a family pleaser?

• Creamy and indulgent, yet still healthy.
• Spicy and full of flavor, yet mild.
• Super cheap, a great bonus nowadays. The vegan apple curry is made with pantry ingredients and seasonal produce.
• Ready in 30 minutes.

Recipe ingredients

This vegan chickpea curry is a super cheap dish to make. It uses few ingredients; everything is affordable and readily available. And it can be made with pantry ingredients.

I know I always have one opened jar of curry paste in the fridge, and I am not always particular about which sort I use. When it comes to coconut milk, chickpeas, apples, and onions, I cannot even remember one occasion when I needed them and did not have them.

• Apples: Tangy, crisp apples, medium size. A total of about 400 - 450 g/ 1 pound.
• Curry paste or curry powder:
  • I use either yellow curry powder or yellow curry paste; it is medium hot, and we enjoy the flavor. Green curry is fine as well. Red curry paste is a matter of taste, I find it way too hot, so I rarely use it.
  • If you use curry powder, you will need 1 tablespoon, and you will cook it for 1 minute with the apples.
  • If you use curry paste, you will need 2 ½ tablespoons, and you will cook it for 2-3 minutes with the apples.

• Coconut milk: You will need about one cup of unsweetened coconut milk.

• Coconut oil: I love to use it when I cook with coconut milk or make something vegan or Indian; I find it adds a bit of extra flavor.
  • However, you can replace it with regular oil.

• Cilantro: Fresh leaves. Not everybody loves cilantro, so feel free to leave it out or replace it with the more popular parsley.

• Other ingredients: Onion, vegetable stock, one can of chickpeas, cornstarch, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper.

How to make curry with apples and chickpeas?

• Preparations: Chop the onion and core and slice the apples (the slices should not be too thin) (1).

• Saute: Cook the onions in coconut oil until translucent. Add apples and curry paste and stir carefully to distribute the paste all over the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes (2).

• Simmer: Add stock and coconut milk, stir well, add the drained chickpeas, and bring to a boil. Let simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes until the chickpeas are heated through, and the apples are softer but not mushy (3).

• Thicken sauce (optional): If the sauce is not thick enough, stir the cornstarch with a bit of water to obtain a thick yet pourable paste. Whisk the paste into the sauce and cook for about one minute (4).
• Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.

Expert Tips

Spiciness:

• Use curry paste according to how hot it is and how hot you like your food.
• The yellow paste I used was not very hot, so two tablespoons were enough for a mildly hot curry.
• If your curry paste is hotter, use less. If you like your curry to be hotter, use a spicier curry paste or add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. It is all a matter of taste and heat tolerance.

Apples:

• Use crisp apples; they will hold their shape better when cooked. There is no need to peel them; the peel helps them keep their shape better.
• Don't overcook the apples; they should not be mushy. Just barely cooked and still holding their shape.

Thicker sauce:

• The sauce will thicken slightly during the cooking time. But if you want a thicker, creamier sauce, thicken it with cornstarch slurry.

Recipe FAQ

What to serve with apple curry?

Freshly cooked Basmati or Jasmine rice will probably be your first option. Brown rice and other grains, like quinoa, millet, bulgur, couscous, and buckwheat, are all delicious sides.

I also love to serve this vegan apple curry with this Afghan Naan Bread (or Indian naan, of course), other Indian bread like roti or paratha are also great.

More delicious curry recipes

Vegan Apple Curry (with Chickpeas)

Vegan apple curry with chickpeas and coconut milk; this is a mild curry recipe that your family will love. And it’s ready in about 30 minutes!

4.67 from 6 votes

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Course: Stews

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 338kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 onion medium
• ▢ 3 apples medium about 450 g/ 1 lb, Note 1
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder OR 2 ½ tablespoon yellow curry paste Notes 2, 3
• ▢ 250 ml vegetable stock 8.5 fl.oz/ 1 cup
• ▢ 250 ml coconut milk 8.5 fl.oz/ 1 cup
• ▢ 1 can chickpeas 400 g/ 14 oz
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional
• ▢ fine sea salt and pepper
• ▢ fresh cilantro

Instructions

• Preparations: Finely chop the onion. Core the apples and cut them into not-too-thin slices.
• Saute: Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan. Cook the onions until translucent. Add the apples and curry and stir carefully to distribute the paste all over the pan. Cook curry powder for 1 minute with the apples and curry paste for 2-3 minutes while stirring often and taking care not to burn the curry.
• Simmer: Pour the vegetable stock and the coconut milk into the pan. Stir well, add the drained chickpeas, and bring to a boil. Let simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes until the chickpeas are heated through and the apples are softer but not mushy (Note 3).
• Thicken sauce if desired: Stir the cornstarch with a bit of water to obtain a thick yet pourable paste. Whisk this paste into the sauce and let cook for another minute.
• Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice or Naan bread.

Notes

1. The apples should be crisp and relatively tangy. Crisp apples will hold their shape better when cooked. There is no need to peel them; the peel helps them keep their shape better.
2. If you use curry powder, you will need 1 tablespoon and cook it for 1 minute with the apples.
   If you use curry paste, you will need 2 ½ tablespoons, and you will cook it for 2-3 minutes with the apples.
3. Use curry paste according to how hot it is and how hot you like your food. The yellow paste I used was not very hot, so two tablespoons were enough for a mildly hot curry. If your curry paste is hotter, use less.
4. Don't overcook the apples; they should not be mushy. Just barely cooked and still holding their shape.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1049mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 18g

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