Creamy Coconut Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry
Butternut squash and chickpeas simmer in one skillet with coconut milk, ginger and garam masala. Spinach and lime go in at the end. Ready in about 45 minutes.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
Creamy Coconut Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry is a vegan dinner recipe made with coconut oil (or neutral oil), cumin seeds, yellow onion. It takes 45 minutes of hands-on time, serves 4, and each serving has 577 calories, 17 g of protein and 15 g of fiber.
The squash cooks right in the sauce, so the curry starts with a quick tadka. Cumin seeds sizzle in coconut oil, then the onion goes in and browns properly. Some of the soft squash breaks down into the coconut milk and thickens it without any cream or blending. Wilting the spinach and adding lime at the very end keeps the curry bright instead of heavy.
A cuisine (Indian) + creamy coconut sauce with seasonal squash instead of smoky dry skillet take on our Smoky Chickpea & Spinach Skillet.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp27 gcoconut oil (or neutral oil)
- 1 tsp2.1 gcumin seeds
- 1 large150 gyellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves12 ggarlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp6 gfresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 tsp4 ggaram masala
- 1 tsp3 gground turmeric
- ½ tsp1.4 gKashmiri or mild chili powder
- 2 tbsp32 gtomato paste
- 1½ lb680 gbutternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
- 2 cans480 gchickpeas, drained and rinsed (two 15-oz cans)
- 1 can400 gfull-fat coconut milk (13.5-oz can), shaken
- ½ cup119 gwater
- 1¼ tsp7.5 gfine salt, plus more to taste
- 5 cups150 gbaby spinach
- 1½ tbsp23 gfresh lime juice
- ¼ cup4 gfresh cilantro, chopped, for serving (optional)
- 3 cups474 gcooked basmati rice, for serving (optional)
Kit: 12-inch deep skillet or sauté pan with lid, chef's knife, vegetable peeler
Tips
- Cut the squash into even 3/4-inch cubes so it all gets tender at the same time. Bigger pieces need 5 or more extra minutes.
- Cook the tomato paste until it darkens. This takes away its raw taste and gives the sauce a deeper flavor.
- Use full-fat coconut milk. Light coconut milk makes a thin sauce that can split while it simmers.
- Add the lime off the heat. Simmering it dulls its bright flavor.
Swap ideas
- Sweet potato instead of butternut squash
- Sweeter and a little starchier. Cooks in about the same time and thickens the sauce more.
- Kale instead of spinach
- More chew and an earthier taste. Strip the leaves, chop them, and add 3 minutes before the end of the simmer.
- Curry powder instead of garam masala
- More savory and turmeric-forward, with less warm-spice sweetness.
- A minced green chili with the garlic
- Adds fresh heat. Keep the seeds in for a spicier curry.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
577kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 25 g 125%
- Sugars
- 12.5 g
- Sodium
- 804 mg 35%
- Potassium
- 1581 mg 34%
- Calcium
- 224 mg 17%
- Iron
- 10.6 mg 59%
- Vitamin C
- 56 mg 63%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Oil, coconut, Spices, cumin seed, Onions, raw, Garlic, raw, Ginger root, raw, ORGANIC GARAM MASALA (KHAZANA, SLT Foods Inc.; USDA Branded Foods, serving size 100 g), Spices, turmeric, ground, Spices, chili powder, Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Squash, winter, butternut, raw, Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Nuts, coconut milk, canned (liquid expressed from grated meat and water), Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Salt, table, Spinach, raw, Lime juice, raw
Method
Heat the coconut oil in a 12-inch deep skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle until fragrant and a shade darker, 30–45 seconds.
Add the onion and a pinch of the salt. Cook, stirring now and then, until soft and golden at the edges, 8–10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the garam masala, turmeric, chili powder and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste darkens to a brick red and starts sticking to the pan, about 1–2 minutes.
Add the squash and chickpeas and stir to coat them in the spice paste. Pour in the coconut milk and water, add the rest of the salt, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring once or twice, until a knife slides easily into the squash, 15–18 minutes.
Uncover and gently press a few squash cubes against the side of the pan to thicken the sauce. Simmer uncovered for 2–3 minutes, until the sauce coats a spoon. If it gets too thick, add a splash of water.
Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time until it wilts, then add the lime juice. Taste and add more salt or lime if needed.
Serve over basmati rice or with warm flatbread, topped with cilantro.
Storage: Cool the curry, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. You can freeze it for up to 3 months, but the spinach and squash will be softer after thawing.
Questions
- How much protein is in creamy coconut butternut squash chickpea curry?
- Each of the 4 servings has 17 g of protein, 15 g of fiber and 577 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is creamy coconut butternut squash chickpea curry vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does creamy coconut butternut squash chickpea curry take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking, so 45 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make creamy coconut butternut squash chickpea curry ahead?
- Cool the curry, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. You can freeze it for up to 3 months, but the spinach and squash will be softer after thawing.
- What can I substitute in creamy coconut butternut squash chickpea curry?
- Sweet potato instead of butternut squash — sweeter and a little starchier. cooks in about the same time and thickens the sauce more.. Kale instead of spinach — more chew and an earthier taste. strip the leaves, chop them, and add 3 minutes before the end of the simmer.. Curry powder instead of garam masala — more savory and turmeric-forward, with less warm-spice sweetness.. A minced green chili with the garlic — adds fresh heat. keep the seeds in for a spicier curry..
- Is creamy coconut butternut squash chickpea curry gluten-free and nut-free?
- Based on the ingredients, yes. Always check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Inspired by: Thai Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry – Rainbow Plant Life, Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry – Cupful of Kale
Published September 19, 2026 ·Indian
