Get ready to fall in love with this curried chickpea bowl! We’re talking super flavorful curry-spiced chickpeas, a simple chopped salad, and our amazing yum sauce, all served over your favorite grain.
You’ll be making this curried chickpea bowl on repeat (we know we do!). We’re always looking for new ways to enjoy chickpeas, and these bowls are a perfect addition to our collection. They’re quick, easy, and packed with flavor! See all of our chickpea recipes!
These bowls are a weeknight dinner staple in our house. They’re so satisfying with a base of rice or quinoa, spiced chickpeas, salad, and our house sauce. Looking for more delicious bowl recipes? Check out our tahini lemon quinoa bowls! And if you’re a chickpea fan like us, you’ll also love this cauliflower chickpea salad and this smashed chickpea salad.
Key Ingredients
- Rice or Quinoa: Like other Buddha bowl recipes, you can choose the base depending on what you love or have on hand. Rice, quinoa, and other cooked grains are all excellent options. I especially love these curried chickpeas with our coconut rice. For my tips on cooking quinoa, here’s how to cook quinoa. If you want to cut down on the carbs, substitute the rice or quinoa for salad greens or cauliflower rice!
- Chickpeas: You can use drained canned chickpeas or home-cooked chickpeas for this recipe. For my tips on cooking dried chickpeas, here’s how to cook chickpeas.
- Spices: The spice combination for these chickpeas (garam masala, turmeric, garlic powder, and onion powder) gives them a warm, aromatic, and slightly earthy flavor, inspired by my favorite Indian chicken curry.
- Tomato Paste: We roast our chickpeas with the spices, a bit of oil, and just a tablespoon or two of tomato paste, which gives them extra flavor and a beautiful color.
- Cucumber and Bell Pepper: I love something fresh and crunchy, so I combine diced cucumber and red bell pepper for my salad. Feel free to use your favorites! Cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, or chopped spinach would be delicious additions. This chopped cucumber tomato salad would also be excellent.
- Sesame Yum Sauce: This sauce has been a family favorite for years. It might sound like an unusual combination, but trust me, it’s magical. The mayo (or your choice of vegan mayo or plain yogurt) provides creaminess, while the Dijon mustard adds a tangy kick. Toasted sesame oil tastes nutty and is packed with umami, and the rice vinegar brightens everything up. A dash of hot sauce adds a touch of heat, and the optional ingredient – a splash of pickle juice – ties it all together beautifully. The result? A creamy, bright, toasty, and utterly irresistible sauce that takes these bowls to the next level!
Curried Chickpea Bowls
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We pack in the flavor for these curried chickpea bowls. Thanks to a delicious combination of spices, including garam masala, turmeric, and garlic powder, as well as a simple creamy sauce to drizzle on top, you will return to this recipe again and again. We certainly do.
You Will Need
Chickpea Bowls3 cups cooked cooked rice, cooked quinoa, or coconut rice
2 (15oz) cans chickpeas or 3 cups (500g) cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoon avocado oil or vegetable oil
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ cups finely diced cucumber
1 ½ cups finely diced red bell pepper
Sesame sauce, recipe below
Sesame Yum Sauce3 tablespoons mayonnaise, vegan mayonnaise, or yogurt
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 to 3 dashes hot sauce
Pinch salt
Dash dill pickle juice, optional
Directions
1Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the scallion, spices, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring the spices around the pan, for one minute.
2Drain the chickpeas, and then add them to the pan. Add 1/3 cup of water, and cook until the chickpeas are heated through and the sauce sticks to the chickpeas. Season to taste with salt. Set aside while you make the salad.
3For the salad, stir together the cucumber, bell pepper, and a pinch of salt.
4If needed, reheat your rice or quinoa.
5Make the sauce. Stir sauce ingredients together until well mixed. Taste, and then adjust with salt, hot sauce, or vinegar.
6To make the bowls, make a bed of rice or quinoa at the bottom of a wide bowl, and then top it with curried chickpeas and the cucumber salad. Serve with sesame sauce drizzled on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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I have made this several times. Always great. Take it to parties – people will think you are exotic. Sauce is excellent and compliments the dish completely.
My husband who doesn’t like chickpeas asked for it to be on our regular dinner cycle! WINNNNNNN!
I don’t like cucumber and it doesn’t like me. What can I replace it with that would go well with the spices in this dish? Thanks!
Hi Becky, How about diced zucchini (I like it raw or cooked) or you can use tomatoes.
This was yummy and easy to prepare. Just added Tamarind paste to the chickpeas.
Love recipes with lentils and chickpeas. Please keep posting these recipes.