Instant Pot Zucchini Chickpea Curry

5 from 4 votes

Easy Zucchini Chickpea Curry made in the Instant Pot! Hearty, vegan, gluten-free and gets done in 30 minutes!

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Use the summer zucchini to make this Zucchini Chickpea Curry in the Instant Pot.

It’s easy to make and is also vegan and gluten-free.

zucchini chickpea curry served with white rice in a yellow color bowl topped with sliced onion, cilantro and a lime wedge

One of the main reasons I wait for summers (other than the gorgeous weather of course) is my local farmers market.

This year it was delayed, in fact I feared that it would get cancelled because of what is going on in the world.

However, it started a month late with lot of restrictions. It’s like our summer ritual, that every Saturday we would go to the farmer’s market, buy lot of fresh fruits and veggies, would get coffee and have our breakfast there.

This year, food is not allowed at our local market so we miss out on our breakfast but we definitely don’t miss out on the fresh produce and I am so thankful for that.

I think I go a little crazy there, Sarvesh calls it my happy place. Honestly, it is my happy place since fresh produce makes me so happy. There’s also so much variety there which you do not find at grocery stores.

The market is full with zucchini these days and every time I go, I come back with lots of zucchini. I roast them a lot but sometimes I also like to make a simple curry with them.

Last week, I got lots of zucchini on hand and so I ended up making this Zucchini Chickpea Curry which was super easy to make in the Instant Pot.

This Zucchini Chickpea Curry

✔easy to make and gets done in 30 minutes.

✔makes a hearty meal.

✔is vegan and gluten-free.

✔great way to use the summer zucchini.

I love using my Instant Pot for just about everything and this curry was no exception.

This is a simple curry, flavored with basic Indian spices. If you cook Indian food regularly, then you will most likely have all these ingredients in your pantry.

The recipe uses coriander powder, cumin, turmeric, paprika, kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and of course fresh ginger, garlic, onion and tomatoes.

I also use a tablespoon of tomato paste and blend it with the tomatoes while making the puree. The tomato paste deepens the tomato flavor, if you don’t have it you can skip it but I recommend using it.

Also, I have used fresh tomatoes here, you can also use 1 cup of diced canned tomatoes here. That will also work.

The two main ingredients of this curry are zucchini and chickpeas.

Zucchini: I have used 2 medium zucchinis here with their skin on. I first slice them lengthwise and then cut each half of the length in 1-inch half moon pieces.

Remember to dice them around 1-inch, if it’s diced too small, zucchini will become mush while pressure cooking.

This shape and the pressure cooking time for 1 minutes results in cooked zucchini which is still firm and holds it’s shape. If you prefer softer zucchini, just add a minute or two to the pressure cooking time.

Please note that 1 minute is the pressure cooking time, it’s not like you are literally cooking the zucchini for 1 minute. The pot takes time to come to pressure and then counts for 1 minute and that time is actually around 10 minutes and enough to cook the zucchini.

Chickpeas: So, this recipe used canned chickpeas which as you guys know already cooked/boiled.

Can you use raw chickpeas? Yes, you may but for that you would first need to boil the chickpeas separately and then use them in this curry.

You can’t cook raw chickpeas and zucchini at the same time in the Instant Pot since zucchini cooks pretty quickly and raw chickpeas would take time. So, if you cook them together the zucchini will be totally mush by the time the chickpeas would cook.

So, that’s why it’s better to use canned chickpeas here, also the cooking time is drastically reduced when you do so.

Serving Suggestions

This curry can be enjoyed with white rice, brown rice, couscous, quinoa or any other grain of choice.

You can also serve it with roti.

Method

Before you start, cut each zucchini lengthwise in half and then dice each half into 1-inch half moon pieces. Also using a blender puree the tomatoes along with 1 tablespoon tomato paste and set aside.

1- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.

2- Then add the onion, ginger, garlic and green chili and cook for 3 minutes until softened.

3- Then add the pureed tomatoes and tomato paste mixture and stir.

4- Add the spices- coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, kashmiri red chili powder and also add the salt and mix.

step by step picture collage of making zucchini chickpea curry

5- Stir and then add the diced zucchini and canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed).

6- Add a cup of water and mix until everything is well combined.

7- Close the lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 1 minute with the pressure valve in the sealing position.

8- Quick release the pressure, open the lid and then add kasuri methi and cilantro. You can also add more water here if you prefer more liquid in the curry.

step by step picture collage of making zucchini chickpea curry

Squeeze some lime juice and serve zucchini chickpea curry with rice or any grain of choice.

zucchini and chickpea curry served in a brow color bowl and a blue napkin placed in the background

If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Zucchini Chickpea Curry Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

Instant Pot Zucchini Chickpea Curry

5 from 4 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Easy Zucchini Chickpea Curry made in the Instant Pot! Hearty, vegan, gluten-free and gets done in 30 minutes!

Ingredients 

  • 2 medium zucchini 390 grams, sliced in half lengthwise then diced into 1-inch half moon pieces
  • 2 medium tomatoes 230 grams, pureed
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon oil 15 ml, I used avocado oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 medium onion 162 grams, finely chopped
  • 1 inch ginger chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 green chili chopped
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 15.5 oz can chickpeas or use 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup water 8 oz
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • small half lime juice of
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Instructions 

  • Before you start, cut each zucchini lengthwise in half and then dice each half into 1-inch half moon pieces. Also using a blender puree the tomatoes along with 1 tablespoon tomato paste and set aside.
    Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
    steel pot with oil and cumin seeds
  • Then add the onion, ginger, garlic and green chili and cook for 3 minutes until softened.
    steel pot with onion, ginger, garlic and cumin seeds
  • Then add the pureed tomatoes and tomato paste mixture and stir.
    Add the spices- coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, kashmiri red chili powder and also add the salt and mix.
    pureed tomatoes with spices in a steel pot
  • Stir and then add the diced zucchini and canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed).
    Add a cup of water and mix until everything is well combined.
    diced zucchini and chickpeas in a tomato based sauce
  • Close the lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 1 minute with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Quick release the pressure by manually moving the pressure valve from the sealing to the venting position.
    instant pot display showing 1 minute
  • Open the lid and then add kasuri methi and cilantro. You can also add more water here if you prefer more liquid in the curry.
    zucchini and chickpea in a tomato based curry garnished with cilantro
  • Squeeze some lime juice and serve zucchini chickpea curry with rice or any grain of choice.
    zucchini chickpea curry served with white rice in a yellow color bowl topped with sliced onion, cilantro and a lime wedge

Stove-top instructions

  • To make the curry on stove-top, heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and them sizzle. Then add the onions, ginger, garlic and chili and cook for 3 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes and tomato paste mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the spices and salt and cook for 1 more minutes. Add the zucchini and chickpeas along with water. Cover and cook for around 10 minutes until zucchini is cooked yet holds it's shape. Add kasuri methi, cilantro and squeeze some lime juice. You may add more water as needed here since water evaporates when cooking on stove-top. Serve warm with rice.

Notes

  1. If you prefer softer zucchini, pressure cook for 2 minutes. At 1 minute (with quick pressure release), zucchini is cooked but holds it's shape which I personally prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 531mg, Potassium: 802mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 959IU, Vitamin C: 32mg, Calcium: 85mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
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Hi, I’m Manali!

Bringing you easy, delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes! Eating veggies can be fun, you just need to get creative in the kitchen with the right set of ingredients!


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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My husband and I loved it! It is perfect for no fuzz weekday recipe, delicious, comforting and nutritionally well-balanced.

    As it is not tomato season just yet, I substituted with canned tomatoes and it work just fine.

    I’m always out of idea on how to cook zucchini so I’m glad to add this recipe to my keepers 🙂 Thanks a lot Manali for yet another success recipe, and for your hard work on sharing your generous cooking!