Chickpea and Mushroom Curry (Without Coconut Milk)

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Chickpea and mushroom curry is loaded with vegetables, plant-based protein, and the most delicious red curry sauce. Serve it over vibrant yellow turmeric rice for a satisfying meal that's ready in 45 minutes. This almond milk curry is made without coconut milk, but it's still super creamy and satisfying!

I love curried dishes and I make some variety of vegan curry for dinner at least 2-3 times a month! I recently made this Yellow Thai Cauliflower Lentil Curry, it's SO delicious and it's one of our new favorite meals. However, I try to watch our saturated fat intake, so I like to switch it up occasionally and make curry with almond milk instead of coconut milk.

Vegetable curry that's made without coconut milk is extremely tasty and flavorful even though it's lower in fat. This chickpea curry features lots of vegetables and layers of flavor from the red curry paste, curry powder, tangy lime juice, and fresh herbs. Served over vibrant turmeric rice, this easy vegan meal is simply irresistible!  

Can You Use Almond Milk Instead of Coconut Milk in Curry? 

Absolutely! I do it all the time, it's delicious. Almond milk isn't as thick as coconut milk but it still adds the creamy texture that you want in curry. Just make sure to use unsweetened allmond milk with no added sugar. 

Step by Step Instructions

First, get the brown rice cooking in a pot (Photo 1). If you want to make the yellow turmeric rice, add 1 tsp of turmeric powder to the water when you add the salt. While the rice is cooking, saute the onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and carrots in a large pan until they start to soften.

Add the minced garlic, dry seasonings, and red curry paste to the pan (Photo 2). Let it cook for a few minutes. It should smell very fragrant. Add the chickpeas, vegetable broth, and almond milk to the pan (Photo 3). Bring it to a low simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low and let it cook until the vegetables are tender. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the chickpea mushroom curry and garnish with fresh cilantro (Photo 4). 

What Goes With It?

I usually serve the chickpea and mushroom curry over yellow turmeric rice with a big side salad and a tray of roasted vegetables. Any of the following vegan side dishes would be great options to make:

• Creamy Broccoli Salad
• Quinoa with Cilantro Lime Sauce (instead of the brown rice)
• Roasted Maple Dijon Brussels Sprouts
• Avocado Arugula Cherry Tomato Salad

Recipe Variations

If you're in the mood to switch up this recipe, try the following variations: 

• Serve it over Pasta: Instead of using rice, add 8 oz of cooked gluten-free pasta to the vegetables and make curried chickpea mushroom pasta for dinner instead! 
• Add Greens: Get an extra serving of greens in by adding (1) 10 oz bag of frozen spinach or a few handfuls of fresh spinach to the pan with the chickpeas and vegetables. I love doing this with curry to add even more color to the dish.
• Curry Soup: Turn this vegetable curry with rice into curry soup by adding 2-3 additional cups of low-sodium vegetable broth and mixing in 1 cup of cooked rice. Serve the soup with warm naan. 

How Long Does it Last in the Refrigerator? 

Store the leftover almond milk chickpea curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. 

Can I Freeze It?

This vegetable curry freezes perfectly! Store the leftover curry separately from the rice in freezer-safe containers and then store them in the freezer for 3-4 months. 

How To Reheat It

From the Freezer: Take the containers out of the freezer and put them in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours. 

From the Fridge: Transfer the rice and chickpea mushroom curry to two separate bowls to warm up int he microwave or to pots to heat up on the stovetop. You may need to add a little bit of water to both pots if it gets too dry and starts to stick to the bottom of the pot. 

Substitutions & FAQ

• Chickpea Substitutions: You can use great northern beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, or any type of lentils instead of the chickpeas. 
• Mushroom Variations: I used white button mushrooms because they looked the best at the market this week. You could also use cremini, portobello, shiitake, or a mix of frozen wild mushrooms. Use the mushrooms that look the freshest and are the best price. 
• Red Curry Paste Substitutions: Green curry paste or yellow curry paste can be used instead of the red curry paste. 
• Almond Milk Substitutions: You can substitute unsweetened cashew milk or coconut milk for the almond milk. 
• Is this recipe spicy? It has a little bit of a kick to it. If you aren't a fan of spicy food, you should start with 1 tbsp of red curry paste and taste it before you add the second tbsp of red curry paste. 

Success Tips

• Only use unsweetened plant milk to make this almond milk curry. Sweetened plant milk or vanilla-flavored almond milk should not be used to make a savory recipe. 
• Red curry pasta is a little bit spicy, if you don't like spicy food, you should use green or yellow curry paste instead. 
• You don't need to use store-bought curry paste if you'd rather make it from scratch. However, it's convenient and a time saver to use the jarred paste. Personallly, I think the jarred paste tastes just as delicious as making homemade curry paste. 
• Store the leftover chickpea curry in an airtight container for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future meal. 

Want More Vegan Curry Recipes? 

Green Curried Lentils

Vegan Vegetable Curry with Coconut Milk

Curried Tofu Scramble

Spicy Red Curry Cauliflower Soup

Chickpea and Mushroom Curry

Chickpea and mushroom curry is loaded with vegetables, plant-based protein, and the most delicious red curry sauce. Serve it over vibrant yellow turmeric rice for a satisfying meal that's ready in 45 minutes. This almond milk curry is made without coconut milk, but it's still super creamy and satisfying!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 254kcal

Author: Stacey Eckert

Equipment

• Medium Pot
• Large Pan

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups brown rice
• ▢ 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ▢ 3-4 tbsp water (to saute)
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion diced
• ▢ 3 medium carrots sliced
• ▢ 2 large bell peppers sliced
• ▢ 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
• ▢ 4 medium garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 2 tbsp red curry paste (add more to taste)
• ▢ 2 tbsp curry powder
• ▢ ½ tsp himalayan pink sea salt (add more to taste)
• ▢ ¼ tsp black pepper
• ▢ (2) 14 oz cans chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
• ▢ 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
• ▢ 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• ▢ 1 tbsp lime juice (about half a lime)
• ▢ ¼ cup cilantro roughly chopped

Instructions

• Cook the rice according to package instructions. If you'd like to make yellow rice, add 1 tsp of turmeric powder to the water when you add the salt. When the rice is done cooking, set it aside until the vegetable curry is done cooking.
• While the rice is cooking, start cooking the vegetables. In a large pan over medium heat, saute the diced onion, sliced carrots, sliced bell peppers, and sliced mushrooms until they start to soften, about 10 minutes.
• Add minced garlic, 2 tbsp red curry paste, 2 tbsp curry powder, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper to the pan. Stir and let it cook for 2-3 minutes or until it's fragrant.
• Add the rinsed and drained chickpeas, 1 cup vegetable broth, and 2 cups unsweetened almond milk to the pan. Bring it to a low simmer then reduce the heat to medium-low and let it cook for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are all tender.
• Squeeze half a lime over the curry and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over yellow turmeric rice.

Notes

• Only use unsweetened plant milk to make this almond milk curry. Sweetened plant milk or vanilla-flavored almond milk should not be used to make a savory recipe. 
• Red curry pasta is a little bit spicy, if you don't like spicy food, you should use green or yellow curry paste instead. 
• You don't need to use store-bought curry paste if you'd rather make it from scratch. However, it's convenient and a time saver to use the jarred paste. Personallly, I think the jarred paste tastes just as delicious as making homemade curry paste. 
• Store the leftover chickpea curry in an airtight container for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future meal.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 495mg | Potassium: 766mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 7772IU | Vitamin C: 77mg | Calcium: 199mg | Iron: 4mg

Tried this recipe?Please rate it and leave a comment below if you have any feedback! If you post a picture on Instagram, please tag @Stacey_Homemaker and use the hashtag #StaceyHomemaker so I can see your delicious creation!

*This recipe was originally shared on 1/23/17, but I updated it with better recipe instructions on 7/15/20.