Name: Vegan Green Curry with Chickpeas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 2 tbsp coconut oil; 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups); 4 large cloves garlic, minced; 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated (or 1 tbsp finely minced); 3 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms; 2 15-oz. cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 3 cups thinly sliced baby bok choy (leafy greens and stem); 1 13.5-oz. can full fat coconut milk; 2 tbsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce; 1 tbsp lime juice (1/2 of a small lime); 3 tbsp Thai green curry paste*; 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar); 1/4 cup fresh cilantro; 1 tsp salt; 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional); 2 tbsp chopped Thai or regular basil; For serving: steamed white or brown rice, fresh cilantro and/or Thai basil, chopped cashews. red pepper flakes

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This Vegan Green Curry with Chickpeas and Mushrooms is a comforting, delicious, one-pan dinner. Serve with rice, plenty of fresh herbs and crunchy cashews for a perfectly balanced meal!

This post is sponsored by Le Creuset. All opinions are our own.

close up overhead view of vegan thai green curry with chickpeas in braiser

I LOVE curry-based dishes of just about any variety. I realize that statement covers quite a bit of ground – there are several different (very different!) varieties of curry. But I love 'em all.

A curry sauce + vegetables of some kind + a protein of some kind = a delicious, well-rounded meal. You can customize based on your spice preferences, dietary preferences (vegan vs. non-vegan) and so much more.

This particular recipe relies on a Thai green curry base, paired with chickpeas, shiitake mushrooms and bok choy. It's flavorful, not too spicy, and packed with plant protein. Served with rice, it's the kind of dinner you can make over and over without getting bored!

What is Green Curry?

Green curry is a central Thai variety of curry. Traditional green curry paste typically contains green chilies, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime, cilantro and often shrimp paste.

vegan green curry with chickpeas and mushrooms served over white rice in bowl with fork

If you order green curry at a Thai restaurant, it will probably be pretty spicy. Traditionally, green curry is hotter than both red and yellow Thai curries.

However, store-bought green curry pastes are often a bit milder than you might think. If you're making Thai green curry at home and want it to be extra spicy and fresh, we suggest making your own paste from scratch. We love this recipe; it's actually quite easy!

For the sake of a quick, easy weeknight dinner, we use store-bought in this recipe.

Is green curry paste vegan?

Traditionally, no. It usually contains shrimp paste. However, a number of store-bought green curry pastes are vegan, including the one we used in this recipe (from Thai Kitchen).

Be sure to carefully read the label before purchasing. When in doubt, just make it from scratch! Or order online. That's always the easiest option 😉

Instructions

Once you've found a suitable green curry paste, the rest of this recipe is very easy to make.

Start with a base of sautéed onion, garlic and ginger. We use coconut oil for the sautéing, but just about any other neutral oil will do. We love the added coconut flavor!

Once the onion mixture is browned and fragrant, add in sliced shiitake mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms add the most flavor to this dish, but they can be harder to find and a bit more expensive. If you'd prefer, feel free to substitute with a more common variety of mushrooms.

Thinly sliced bok choy and chickpeas are the next two additions. We used baby bok choy (the leafy green part and the crisp, white stalks), but regular bok choy works perfectly fine, too. If you can't find (or don't like) bok choy, you could substitute with Swiss chard, broccolini, napa cabbage, or even kale.

close up overhead of vegan chickpea green curry with Thai basil and cilantro garnish

While that's all cooking down, grab a blender or food processor to make the green curry sauce. Add in the green curry paste, along with a can of coconut milk (full fat is best), tamari, lime juice, fresh cilantro, and a pinch of coconut sugar, salt and red pepper flakes.

The store-bought green curry paste we used isn't particularly green, or particularly spicy. The cilantro adds that beautiful light green color (and a fresh, herby taste), while extra red pepper flakes add a bit more heat. If you're sensitive to spice, feel free to leave the extra pepper out.

Once the sauce is blended up, pour it into the pan and let it simmer away. Fresh chopped Thai basil and more cilantro are an optional finishing touch, but no worries if you don't have any. It's delicious as it is!

One Pot Curry

Our favorite pot to use for this vegan green curry is our Le Creuset enameled cast iron braiser. With a 5-qt. capacity, it's the perfect size for a larger family of 4-6 individuals.

overhead view of vegan green curry with chickpeas and mushrooms in Le Creuset braiser

The wider base allows for even cooking of all ingredients in a single layer, so it's perfect for searing proteins or vegetables. I love using it for curry dishes. It's big enough so that I don't have to worry about making a mess on my stove. Plus, more surface area means it cooks a bit more quickly.

We're so excited to share this recipe as a part of a series of 4 one-pot recipes featuring some of our favorite Le Creuset cookware pieces. If you missed the first two, we shared a hearty Lentil Sweet Potato Curry Soup and a delicious one-pan Crispy Tofu and Rice Noodle Dish. We'll be finishing up with a fun vegan brunch recipe next week, so stay tuned!

More Easy Weeknight Vegan Dinner Recipes

vegan green curry with chickpeas and mushrooms served over white rice in bowl

If you make this vegan Thai green curry recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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