Slow Cooker Chickpea Stew With Lemon and Coconut
Published August 7, 2025
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Total Time
- About 6 to 8 hours
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- About 6 to 8 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 pound dried chickpeas (no need to soak)
1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into big florets
2 (14-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
Salt and black pepper
2 lemons
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
63 grams carbs; 600 calories; 2 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 33 grams fat; 14 grams fiber; 907 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein; 12 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the chickpeas, cauliflower, coconut milk, turmeric and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Use a vegetable peeler to peel wide strips of zest from the lemons, then add to the slow cooker. Add enough water to just cover the cauliflower.
- Step 2
Cover and cook on low until the beans and cauliflower are tender, 6 to 8 hours.
- Step 3
Stir in the juice of half the lemon, then season to taste with salt, pepper and more lemon juice until the soup is rich and bright. The strips of lemon peel are deliciously sweet and floral, not at all bitter, but feel free to discard if you prefer.
Private Notes
Comments
@SDC not sure why people feel the need to comment on a recipe that differs quite a lot from the original, making it a totally different recipe. I’m going to try the simple original which sounds delicious and so easy.
I have a 6-in-1 Instant pot, and this is what I did. Note that this recipe makes a lot of food! -1lb chickpeas 1 can coconut water, 1/2 the lemon peels, salt, and 1.5 cans of water. The chickpeas need to be completed covered by the fluid with some room to spare or else the top layer will dry out -seal and cook on bean setting for 20 minutes -chickpeas will be al dente, not entirely cooked -add cauliflower, 2 small yellow onions roughly chopped, and the following: stock cube 2-3 tbsp curry powder 2-3tsp cumin powder 1 can coconut cream 1 jalapeno 1 inch of ginger 1 large clove of garlic (mash jalapeno, ginger and garlic in mortar and pestal before adding or roughly chop) 1 can of water -the cauliflower will release some water, but not enough to make it runny -seal and put on chili setting for 5 minutes -safely open and add 1 cup cashews and 2 handfuls of spinach -stir spinach (should wilt immediately), add salt and pepper to taste -add a splash of coconut cream if it's too spicy for you, but remember that the instant pot will water down the spices I served it with brown basmati coconut rice and it was delicious. The sweetness and creamy flavor of the coconut rice will also help with any spice. The chickpeas are umami and the flavours are great. Cauliflower is perfectly cooked, soft with a hint of crisp. enjoy!
@Bret Bradigan Slow cooking cauliflower for hours sounds awful. It doesn’t overcook?
Not good. Followed the recipe to a T and the chickpeas were still hard. I put turned on the slow cooker for another 4 hours on medium and they are still tough to chew. Not a ton of flavor for how many your calories you are taking in from the two full fat cans of coconut milk.
Delicious! Maybe it was the age of my chickpeas or our elevation, but I might suggest soaking them for a few hours before you start, maybe even overnight. I followed exactly and it was spectacular, especially considering how easy it was and how short the ingredient list is. I used a bag of fresh cauliflower from Costco, which cut the prep time down even more. Topped mine with a little Maldon salt and ghost chili flakes. Will be making on repeat!
Tasty...but be prepared to stink up your kitchen!