This post may contain affiliate links for which I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more info, check out my Disclosure Policy. Thank you for your support!
This Slow Cooker Chickpea and Potato Curry is the ultimate vegan slow cooker curry! My viral chickpea potato curry recipe is a great budget-friendly meal, as well as being naturally gluten free and vegan. Packed with flavour and SO easy to make!
I love an easy, vegan slow cooker recipe and this Slow Cooker Chickpea and Potato Curry is a great budget meal the whole family will love.
This slow cooker chickpea curry with potatoes is gluten free, dairy free and vegan. It’s been a huge hit on my Instagram and TikTok and even features in my recipe book!
In Indian cooking Chana is ‘chickpea’ and Aloo is ‘potato’ – so this is my slow cooker aloo chana recipe.
It uses simple storecupboard spices, as well as a base of tinned tomatoes and coconut milk for a mildly spiced, creamy curry.
If you’ve already made my gluten free vegan chickpea curry you’ll love this. I also have a chicken, chickpea and potato curry for the meat-eaters, by popular demand!
You could even make a curry feast with my other slow cooker recipes, including my slow cooker sweet potato and spinach dal or my butternut squash and chickpea curry.
Serve them up with a gluten free naan bread (or easy gluten free flatbread if you want a cheat’s version) and some rice for a delicious dinner!
Ingredients
There’s a full recipe card below with the quantities and instructions, but here are the main ingredients for my slow cooker potato and chickpea curry:
- Tin of Chickpeas – You can use dried chickpeas if you prefer but always make sure you soak them first as per the pack instructions.
- Baby Potatoes – Feel free to use a large potato if you like and cut it into large chunks. Just make sure you don’t cut the potato up too small or it’ll turn to mash! I find baby potatoes give a great textre.
- Onion – You can use a red onion if you prefer.
- Garlic – Use garlic cloves and peel then finely chop or crush them. You can also use a garlic paste or frozen chopped garlic too.
- Ginger Paste – I find the pastes easier but again you can use frozen, chopped ginger instead. Or peel a thumb-sized piece of ginger and then grate or finely chop it.
- Chopped Tinned Tomatoes – Chopped fresh tomatoes will also work (perfect if you have a glut from the garden!) but remove any stalks first. Whole tinned tomatoes will also work or you can chop them yourself before adding.
- Tomato Puree – I find this just adds a great colour and depth of flavour to the dish.
- Full Fat Coconut Milk – I always use full fat coconut milk in tins. A reduced fat coconut milk will work but you may find the curry has a runnier consistency. If you can’t have coconut but can tolerate dairy you could use double cream instead for a richer curry. But I’d probably add this at the same time as the spinach in the recipe.
- Mango Chutney – You can omit it if you like, or add a teaspoon of sugar for the sweetness without the mango.
- Frozen Chopped Spinach – I always use frozen spinach in this as I find it cheaper and easier. Fresh spinach will work as well – leave the leaves whole or chop them.
The spice mix for this slow cooker chickpea and potato curry is super basic but gives a lovely, mild spice to the dish. You will need:
- Salt
- Turmeric
- Chilli Powder (mild or hot, it’s your choice!)
- Garam Masala
How to make slow cooker chickpea potato curry
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method, but here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this slow cooker chickpea and potato curry is to make:
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and cut the baby potatoes in half. If using larger potatoes, cut them into large chunks/quarters.
Add everything to the slow cooker except the spinach and coriander and stir well so the spices are well mixed with everything else.
Place the lid on and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
In the last half hour of cooking, remove the lid, add the frozen spinach and mix well. Replace the lid for the final 30 minutes.
Serve with lots of freshly chopped coriander. I like to stir some through the curry or you can sprinkle it on top… or both!
What if I don’t have a slow cooker?
No problem! You can either make this recipe on the hob or in the oven.
For the hob, cover with a lid and cook on a low/med simmer for around 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.
For the oven I’d recommend cooking with a lid on at around 180C (Gas Mark 4) for around an hour.
But ultimately this recipe is made for the slow cooker so I’d definitely recommend it as the best and most efficient way to make it!
Storing and Freezing
This gluten free curry recipe is so great for batch cooking as you can easily freeze it! Simply portion the curry out and leave to cool completely.
Freeze it for up to 6 months and reheat from frozen in the microwave before eating.
Any leftovers of this chickpea potato curry can also be stored in the fridge for 3 days and reheated as needed. I also love it cold!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this slow cooker curry recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
I know a lot of people are worried about the cost of living and looking for cheaper alternative to turning on the gas or electric oven.
The good news is slow cookers are actually pretty efficient to run!
I’ve done a bit of research online and it looks like a slow cooker costs roughly 16p a day to run, compared to 87p a day for an electric cooker.
It seems slow cookers, microwaves and air fryers are ultimately a cheaper option, which is why I think you’ll love this recipe so much!
I absolutely love my Morphy Richard’s Sear and Stew Slow Cooker. It’s perfect because the pan can be used on the hob too! Ideal for recipes where you want to sear meat or cook off aromatics like onions before slow cooking. The pan is also dishwasher safe and really light and easy to lift, unlike some ceramic ones.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Slow Cooker Chickpea and Potato Curry
Ingredients
- 400 g tin of chickpeas in water
- 500 g baby potatoes
- 1 large onion, (peeled and finely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic, (peeled and crushed)
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 200 ml full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tbsp mango chutney
- 200 g frozen chopped spinach
- Handful fresh coriander
FOR THE SPICE MIX:
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and cut the baby potatoes in half. If using larger potatoes, cut them into large chunks/quarters. Add everything to the slow cooker except the spinach and coriander and stir well.
- Place the lid on and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
- In the last half hour of cooking, add the frozen spinach and mix well. Replace the lid for the final 30 minutes.
- Serve with lots of freshly chopped coriander! I like to stir some through the curry or you can sprinkle it on top.
Video
Notes
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how this slow cooker curry recipe should look at each stage.
- Storing and Freezing: Check out the post above this recipe card for more information on how to store and freeze this chickpea potato curry.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Slow Cooker Curry Recipe!
Nutrition
More slow cooker recipes
Get my cookbook!
Want more gluten free meals inspiration? My debut cookbook, Delicious Gluten Free Meals, has 100+ gluten free recipes, from breakfast and lunch ideas to dinners, desserts and sides.
Made this for the first time yesterday and it was AMAZING!!! I’m Pescaterian but was gonna serious hunt for a veggie protein packed meal for this fall weather. I added vegetable broth, butternut squash, carrots, lentils, and sweet potatoes and took out the regular potato’s! I freaking love this! Using it as dinner meal prep for the week. Sent it to a coworker who’s apparently in a celiac diagnosis right now.