Vegan Mango Coconut Chickpea (Printable)

Creamy curry with mango, coconut, and chickpeas served on fragrant basmati rice.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Rice

01 - 1 cup basmati or jasmine rice
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Curry

04 - 1 tablespoon coconut oil
05 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
08 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
09 - 1 1/2 cups ripe mango, diced
10 - 1 can chickpeas (15 ounces), drained and rinsed
11 - 1 can full-fat coconut milk (13.5 ounces)
12 - 2 tablespoons curry powder
13 - 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
15 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
16 - 1 tablespoon lime juice
17 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave, optional
18 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

# How To Make It:

01 - Combine rice, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
02 - Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent.
03 - Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and diced bell pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently until fragrant.
04 - Stir in diced mango, drained chickpeas, coconut milk, curry powder, turmeric, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine all ingredients.
05 - Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and flavors meld together.
06 - Stir in lime juice and maple syrup if using. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper as needed.
07 - Divide cooked rice among serving bowls. Ladle curry over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's ready in twenty minutes, which means weeknight dinners stop feeling like a chore.
  • The sweet mango and creamy coconut balance each other in a way that feels like comfort food, but tastes like an adventure.
  • Chickpeas give you actual protein and substance, so you're not eating something that leaves you hungry an hour later.
  • One skillet plus one pot means cleanup is almost as fast as dinner was.
02 -
  • If you skip rinsing the chickpeas, the curry will develop an unpleasant starchy, gummy texture that ruins the whole thing—I learned this and it was not fun.
  • Frozen mango works just as well as fresh and honestly stays firmer, so don't feel like you need to hunt for perfect ripe fruit.
  • The lime juice at the end is what transforms this from tasting like a standard curry into something bright and memorable, so don't treat it as optional.
03 -
  • If your curry tastes flat or boring, it needs more lime juice or salt—those two things wake up every other flavor on the plate.
  • Cooking the onion, garlic, and ginger together for a few minutes before adding anything else creates a deeper flavor foundation that transforms the entire dish.
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