• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Simply delicious oil-free vegan recipes

  • Recipe Index
    • Recipes by Category
    • Recipes by Tag
    • Recipe Box
  • About Me
    • Press
  • NewsBites
  • Shop!
  • Website

Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas

March 23, 2014 By Susan Voisin 195 Comments
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Privacy Policy.

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Share on Facebook

Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas

I have an excellent recipe for you, as well as a special treat for all of you Loki fans.

Over spring break, my husband and I took our high school junior on a 5-day whirlwind tour of 6 colleges in Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. We had excellent vegan food, especially in Chicago (Karyn’s on Green just rocks!) but one meal stands out as an unexpected treat. We were driving through Indianapolis after touring our last college, on our way back to Chicago to catch a 9pm flight home, and stopped at an all-vegetarian Indian restaurant called Spice Nation.

We were just in time for the lunch buffet, where all the vegan dishes were helpfully labeled. I will be honest: We stuffed ourselves. Everything was so good, and it was a thrill to be able to eat at an Indian restaurant and not worry about butter or cream. I think all of us would agree that our favorite dish was the one that was put out last, a creamed spinach with chickpeas similar to Palak Paneer but without the cheese.

Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas

By the time the spinach dish was put out on the buffet, I was already so full that I could only have a small taste of it. Rich and creamy, it was hard to believe that it was vegan, but the staff assured us it truly was. I came home determined to replicate it at home. Of course, I had to be a little different, so I made my version with kale instead of spinach. But my family didn’t notice, and according to them, it’s as good as the original, which was definitely not low-fat.

I used a few raw cashews for creaminess, but other than that, this rich, flavorful curry contains no oil, not even to temper the spices. I also used soy milk, but you can make it completely soy-free by using rice, almond, hemp, or coconut milk. And, of course, it’s naturally gluten-free.

It was an instant family favorite both for its flavor and for how quick it is to prepare. Even using a bunch of kale that had to be washed, stemmed, and chopped, I was able to make this dish in under a half hour. If you use pre-chopped kale or spinach, you can make it even more quickly.

Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas
5 from 15 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved! Add to Recipe BoxGo to Recipe Box

Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas

Gluten Free
Soy Free
Feel free to use other greens besides kale, whatever you have on-hand.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger root minced, or 1 tsp. powdered ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala see below
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 8 cups chopped kale 1 10-ounce bunch, about 6 ounces after stems removed, packed
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 cup unsweetened soymilk or other non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 15- ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed well
  • salt to taste
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 4-5 minutes, adding water by the tablespoon if needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining spices and cook for another minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
  • Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the kale and vegetable broth. Cover and cook until the kale is bright green and tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • While the kale is cooking, put the milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, and tomato paste in the blender and puree until smooth. When the kale is done, add it to the blender and blend until smooth.
  • Transfer blended mixture back to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Check seasonings and add more to taste. Stir in chickpeas and continue simmering about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve over basmati rice.

Notes

You can use packaged garam masala, but I prefer to make my own:
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds (from green cardamom pods)
1 small cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Toast lightly in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant (be careful not to burn). Remove from heat, cool, and grind in a coffee grinder or spice mill. Use immediately or seal tightly and store in a dark place away from heat. Makes about 2 tablespoons.
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 223 Calories from Fat 52
% Daily Value*
Fat 5.8g9%
Sodium 206.1mg9%
Carbohydrates 34.4g11%
Fiber 5.8g24%
Sugar 6.6g7%
Protein 13.5g27%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional info is approximate.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, Vegan
Keyword curried chickpeas
Have you made this recipe?Mention @SusanFFVK and tag #fatfreevegankitchen in your photos on Instagram.
Share on Facebook Pin This Recipe Share by Email

Before our trip, I had to buy a new suitcase. It arrived from Amazon in a big box that Loki immediately decided was our gift to him. I taped his favorite toy to the top and threw some of his balls and stuffed animals inside, and whenever he starts running wild, knocking everything off the kitchen table or climbing up the drapes, I bring him over to his box. This is the result:

Enjoy!

Susan

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy something through them, I receive a commission that helps support this site. Thanks for your purchase!

Filed Under: Family Favorites, Main Dishes, Recipes, Vegetables Tagged With: Chickpea Recipes, Eat-to-Live, Gluten-free, Higher-fat, Indian, Loki, Soy-free

Get NewsBites!

Sign up for our newsletter to receive new recipes & tips by email!

Privacy Policy
Previous Post: « Black and Red Lentil Chili
Next Post: Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Divorced Kat

    May 8, 2017 at 11:59 am

    Great recipe! It looks like millions of calories, and it’s my little secret that it’s actually quite healthy!
    I have made this twice and followed it exactly (including the nutritional yeast), except at the very end I added a few shakes of cayenne pepper. I divided this into 5 servings instead of 6 and served over a little quinoa. (I’m not a fan of rice.)

    Reply
  2. Krista

    May 11, 2017 at 5:58 pm

    This recipe is a favorite that I make often!!

    Reply
  3. Katie

    November 13, 2017 at 1:01 pm

    Just made this, and it is AMAZING! SO flavourful and filling. I’m putting this in regular rotation, for sure. Even my carnivore husband loves it. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      November 13, 2017 at 1:52 pm

      Thank you, Katie! This is one of those recipes that I wish everyone would try.

      Reply
  4. Anna

    January 17, 2018 at 3:50 am

    This meal has become one my favorites, I simply love it, made it many times 😊 Thanks for sharing your great taste in food with us!
    Anna

    Reply
  5. Karli

    March 3, 2018 at 6:40 am

    I tried this last night with green beans. It was delicious. My daughter doesn’t like spicy so I’ll add less pepper to the whole recipe. We really enjoyed it!

    Reply
  6. Krista

    March 3, 2018 at 6:21 pm

    I just love this recipe! It’s so easy to put together and it makes such a delicious and satisfying meal!

    Reply
  7. Laura-Jayne

    July 2, 2018 at 4:49 am

    This is an ammmmmmaazzzing curry! Especially because it negates the natural bitterness of kale. Kale was the only yhing we could grow in our natural garden soil so I have used this so many times ober the years. I searched for this once again because I want to try it with my 2 year old!

    Reply
  8. Jackie Jardine-Moore

    March 25, 2019 at 3:58 pm

    Made this and absolutely loved it! I am making a second batch of the sauce today to use without the chickpeas over baked potatoes. I can see this will be a great way to up my kale intake and plan to make it often. I am trying the I-Pot this time just to see how it does.
    P.S…couldn’t get your “star rating” to work or I would have given it a “5”

    Reply
  9. R Irene Raymond

    October 1, 2019 at 2:24 pm

    This is my favorite vegan recipe so far!!! WOW! THANK YOU!!

    Reply
  10. Aya

    October 12, 2019 at 11:17 am

    I make this recipe a lot, though I use spinach instead of kale, since that’s what Omni husband prefers. It’s so good and the hubs regularly requests it.

    Reply
  11. Clare Thompson

    February 6, 2020 at 1:29 am

    Have made this recipe over the last few years and just love it, we always want more:)

    Reply
  12. crystal

    March 19, 2020 at 7:00 pm

    This recipe is amazing. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers because I can imagine that the flavors meld even more.

    Reply
  13. Peggy

    May 6, 2020 at 6:23 am

    This recipe could turn me into a vegetarian. Really, this recipe is fabulous. I didn’t have nutritional yeast or cashews, but it was delicious and I will make this often as a substitute for a hearty meatless meal.

    Reply
  14. Sarah

    July 22, 2020 at 7:54 pm

    How long do you think this recipe will keep in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      July 22, 2020 at 9:40 pm

      I would use it within a week.

      Reply
  15. ACC

    July 29, 2020 at 11:24 am

    Thank you for this recipe! I made it with some alterations. Instead of onion, which I need to avoid right now, I used 2 cups of celery and added 1 tablespoon of onion powder. I also left out the cashews and used more like 1/8 of a teaspoon of hot pepper (and it was still too hot for me, likely because I have been avoiding spicy food in addition to onion–next time I will leave it out). Wasn’t quite right so I added 1 tablespoon of onion flakes and 2 more tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Still needed something and my intuition told me to try tarragon; since my mind and my intuition did not agree, I only used 1/2 a teaspoon, then added 1./2 a teaspoon of cardamon only because my brain confused it with coriander (need to not wait til I’m hungry to cook, clearly) and then I added 1/2 teaspoon of that. I think it’s good and I will be making it again! I did wonder what you would think about substituting the cashews with an equal amount of oat milk yogurt. I might try that next time. Thanks again!

    Reply
  16. ACC

    August 2, 2020 at 4:47 pm

    Annnd I should have asked this in my last comment…do you think this would freeze well?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      August 2, 2020 at 6:09 pm

      Yes, I think it would, but I haven’t tried it.

      Reply
  17. Jackie

    December 29, 2020 at 11:16 am

    I don’t always leave reviews, but this is fantastic!! I cook mostly Indian food and what I find on pinterest doesn’t always have that authentic Indian flavor, this does!! It’s also not spicy (it can be if you want it to be) so it’s perfect for my kids too. Finding oil free Indian food isn’t always easy- I’m so happy I stumbled across this recipe today!

    Reply
  18. rushdia omar

    July 20, 2022 at 3:25 am

    Love this recipe

    Reply
  19. Laura

    November 16, 2022 at 4:19 pm

    I used pepitas instead of cashews and served the curry over baked sweet potato halves with a scoop of 0% Greek yogurt for extra protein. This works as a THM:E meal for those following that diet. Highly recommend the sweet potato as it really rounds out the other flavors (:

    In Canada or at least where I live, the normal cans of beans on grocery store shelves are 19oz. A tip for recipes like this calling for two 15oz cans is to make two-thirds of the recipe using one 19oz can. It worked really well with this recipe card to adjust the number of servings from 6 to 4. Remember ⅓ of a tbsp is 1 tsp!

    Reply
  20. Amy

    December 1, 2022 at 5:05 pm

    This has become a favorite in my house. It tastes like it took much longer than it did, and I love the way thar only 1/4 cashews can create such a creamy sauce. Healthful and delicious, thank you for this one!

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to My Kitchen!

Susan VoisinI'm Susan Voisin, and I love creating delicious whole foods plant-based dishes with no added oil. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Find It Fast

  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Ridiculously Easy Recipes
  • Weight Watchers Recipes
  • Recipes by Tag (ingredient, gluten-free, etc.)
  • Complete Recipe Index

Find a Recipe

Allergens

All of my recipes are vegan, dairy-free, and fish free. To find recipes free of other allergens, click on an icon below.

Gluten FreeNut FreeSugar FreeSoy Free

Footer

Fall Favorites

Pasta Fagioli with Cranberry Beans and Kale

Pasta Fagioli with Cranberry Beans and Kale

Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna

Lentil Soup with Coriander and Cumin from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Lentil Soup with Coriander and Cumin

See More Fall Favorites

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Photos, original recipes, and text © Susan Voisin. All rights reserved. Do not republish content without permission.

Nutritional information is approximate and is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. This site has no affiliation with Weight Watchers™️ and cannot guarantee accuracy of Points™️.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2023 · Susan Voisin · Privacy Policy· Log in