Slow Cooker Chickpea Stew With Lemon and Coconut

By Ali Slagle

Published Aug. 8, 2025

Slow Cooker Chickpea Stew With Lemon and Coconut
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
4(764)
Comments
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Soothing yet bright, this soup tastes like something that took careful attention, but really just requires throwing five ingredients into a slow cooker and letting it cook for hours. Dried chickpeas and cauliflower soften in the gentle heat, and the coconut milk thickens as the mixture cooks, seasoned with earthy turmeric and sweet lemon peel. While a little lemon juice balances the richness, the predominant lemon flavor here isn’t tangy but rather floral from the peels releasing their oils into the stew. Reminiscent of curries throughout South and Southeast Asia, it can be eaten over rice, or with sliced almonds or cilantro on top, but it can just as well stand alone.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1pound dried chickpeas (no need to soak)
  • 1head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into big florets
  • 2(14-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
  • 1tablespoon ground turmeric
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 2lemons
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

600 calories; 33 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 63 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 907 milligrams sodium

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

  1. 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.

  2. Step 2

    Cover and cook on low until the beans and cauliflower are tender, 6 to 8 hours.

  3. 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.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
764 user ratings
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Comments

Mo Kevany

@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.

SDC

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!

Anon O. Miss

@Bret Bradigan Slow cooking cauliflower for hours sounds awful. It doesn’t overcook?

Laurieb

Tasty base, but really bland - our family required a whole lot more spices .... beyond turmeric, we added curries and chilies .... Added kale and served over rice with roasted poblano, fresh mint, chili onion, cilantro, lime, lemon and a side of partha. For me - not repeatable - but a decent one off.

Julie M

I don’t think I’ve ever given 3 stars before. Made according to recipe. It cooked properly but had a disappointingly boring taste that was too lemony, and I like lemon. I used 2 small ones for the peels and the juice of one of them at the end. I assumed “half the lemon juice” meant the juice of one lemon but why not just say the juice of one lemon? Or better yet, an approximate measurement with “adjust for taste?”Seems to be a source of some confusion. I may at least use this basic idea without lemon and add red curry paste or a lot of spices to make a good curry.

Knight owl

So unbelievably bad. I can’t believe this recipe has more than one star. After 6 hours in the slow cooker, the overcooked cauliflower and lemon peels combine to create the most revolting stench. My house was almost uninhabitable until I aired everything out. The smell made my wife and son gag. I chocked down a few bowls and found the taste less offensive than the smell, but it came out incredibly bland. I followed the recipe exactly.

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