Thai Chickpea Potato Curry

Make this flavor-packed chickpea potato curry in just 35 minutes with creamy coconut milk, red curry paste, and Thai chilies. It’s the perfect easy weeknight dinner for two!

We’ve been really into vegetarian curries lately, including both Indian and Thai varieties – like our cauliflower tikka masala. Now that the weather is colder and we’re heading into the busy holiday season, we wanted to make a super simple and easy Thai curry using two of our favorite ingredients, chickpeas and potato.

This recipe is ideal for nights when we have just enough energy to cook a real dinner, but don’t want it to be too complicated or take too long. We rely on simple ingredients like Thai curry paste, coconut milk, and jarred garlic and ginger for easy flavor, while adding Thai chilies for much-needed spice.

The result is a cozy, flavorful dinner for two that’s ready in just about a half hour!

If you like this recipe, you might also want to try our Thai-inspired pineapple curry or our vegetarian cauliflower tikka masala. Both are flavor-packed and easy to make in under an hour!

Why We Love This Recipe

Key Ingredients

• Potatoes – Russet potatoes work great for this recipe because they end up with a soft, tender texture that absorbs the flavor of the curry.
• Chickpeas – Use canned chickpeas – they can cook right in the curry. Make sure to drain, rinse, and discard any loose skins.
• Thai chili peppers – You can find these at most grocery stores. Sometimes they’re green, sometimes they’re red. The green ones can taste hotter, because their heat is more immediate, while the red ones are slightly sweeter but have a heat that builds more slowly. We use the green ones for this recipe, but you could also use the red variety for a sweeter flavor profile. Thai chilies are hot, so make sure to wear gloves when handling these peppers, no matter what color they are!
• Aromatics – Yellow onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger give this curry a flavorful base along with the Thai chilies. You can use fresh or jarred garlic and ginger (we often opt for jarred for convenience – it tastes just as good for something like curry or soup, in our opinion!)
• Thai red curry paste – We love the Thai Kitchen brand for curry paste, since it’s made with natural ingredients and has great flavor. It’s fairly mild, so we use a lot in this recipe, but we like that it makes it easier to fine-tune the spice level of this curry to your tastes.
• Coconut milk – Use full-fat coconut milk; this gives the curry a slightly creamy texture which is just delicious. Reduced fat options will yield a thinner curry, which we don’t enjoy as much.
• Vegetable broth – You won’t need an entire carton, so buy a small can if possible. Or, pull some out of your freezer stash a day ahead (we like to freeze extra broth in our half-cup Souper Cubes so it’s available for recipes like this one).
• Fish sauce – Often used in Thai curry, fish sauce gives this dish an umami flavor and some much needed sodium. You can find this in the international aisle of the grocery store.
• Jasmine rice – We like to serve Thai curry with a side of steamed jasmine rice. You could also go with white rice or brown rice if you prefer.

Recipe Variations

Suit this recipe to your tastes with these different variations:

• Don’t like heat? Use half the amount of Thai chilies or omit them entirely for less heat. You could also reduce the curry paste by no more than half to lose some heat without sacrificing flavor.
• Want a different protein? Use your favorite meat like chicken, pork, or beef instead of chickpeas and potatoes. Brown the meat first in the pot with a little bit of oil, then build the curry around it and let it finish cooking as everything simmers.
• Craving more veggies? Add extra veggies like carrots or bell pepper to the pot while cooking down the aromatics.

How To Make Chickpea and Potato Curry

This recipe is fairly simple, and can be made in about 35 minutes or less with just two pots:

Step 1: Boil the potatoes in a pot of salted water until they’re just fork-tender. This will cook them a bit before they simmer and soften up in the curry.

Step 2: Sauté the aromatics. In a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, Thai chilies, garlic, and ginger. Cook until softened and fragrant, just a few minutes.

Step 3: Bloom the curry paste. Add the curry paste and stir to combine, letting the spices bloom for about a minute or so until very fragrant.

Step 4: Stir in the coconut milk, vegetable broth, and fish sauce.

Step 5: Add the chickpeas and potatoes to the pot, then increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Once it’s gently bubbling, lower the heat and simmer until the chickpeas are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to encourage even heating.

Step 6: Serve with steamed jasmine rice. Make sure to stir well before serving. Note that you may want to let it cool for about 5 minutes before eating so you don’t burn your mouth! It will be very hot.

Chickpea and Potato Curry FAQs