This Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry is a quick and easy meal that the whole family will enjoy. The sweet potato adds a delicious sweetness which complements the spices perfectly.
Sweet Potato was one of the first foods that both my boys ate and they instantly loved it. It still is a favourite today and this Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry is just one of the many ways that they enjoy eating it. I often add a little sweetness to my kids’ curry as it can help counteract the spice in the dish and in this case the sweet potato works perfectly.
How to Make Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry
- Saute onion & carrot until the onion is translucent. – I usually grate some vegetables into meals that have some form of sauce to max out my kids’ vegetable intake. The grated carrot disintegrates into the sauce and goes unnoticed. It also adds sweetness to the curry to help with the heat.
- Add the garlic and spices and stir for a further minute.
- Add the sweet potato and continue to stir for a further two mins. Add some stock if it starts to stick.
- Add the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approx 30 mins, until the potato is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Cutting the Potatoes
Take a little time over the cutting of the potatoes, you want the pieces to be uniform in size so that they will cook at the same time. I cut mine roughly 1cm cubes, if you make them bigger then the curry will need longer simmering to ensure the potatoes are cooked.
Choosing a Curry Powder
Curry powders vary greatly and will change the taste of this curry. I recommend you study the back of the pack to see what is in them before buying. Some brands have salt pretty high up in the ingredient list, which you want to avoid for babies and young toddlers. Some also have added sugar which I personally avoid. I use quite a hot curry powder but my kids have been eating curry for quite a while now and are used to spicer food. I recommend using a mild powder if your kids haven’t been exposed to spicy food much. If it is still too spicy for them, stirring through some plain yoghurt will help and it tastes delicious too.
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Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 Onion, finely diced
- 1 Carrot, grated and then chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp Curry Powder (see note 1)
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 270g 2 cups Sweet Potato, cut into 1cm cubes
- 800g 28oz Canned Chickpeas (2 x 400g), drained
- 400g 14 oz Can of Chopped Tomatoes
- 500ml 2 cups Vegetable / Chicken Stock (see note 2)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until the onion is transparent (around 2-3 mins)
- Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and curry powder and stir continuously for another min.
- Add the sweet potato and continue to stir for a further two mins. Add some stock if it starts to stick.
- Add the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approx 30 mins, until the potato is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Recipe Notes
- Curry powder can vary greatly and can really change the taste of this curry. Check the ingredients and avoid those that have a high salt content if cooking for babies and young toddlers.Â
- Use homemade / low sodium stock for babies and kids.Â
Linda says
Hi Amy,
would substituting the stock with coconut milk (400ml can) and adding 100ml of stock would work ? Would coconut milk still cook the sweet potatoes like stock would ?
Or do you recommend cooking as per recipe and adding a dash of coconut milk (100ml)? Or 50/50 stock and coconut milk?
I do love coconut milk in a curry so trying to think of how to use it here. I see other people in the comments have used it too.
Want to try this recipe tomorrow but don’t want to stuff it up !
Thanks for your advice .
Amy says
Hi Linda, I haven’t tried this with coconut milk. I’d stir through coconut milk (to taste) at the end of cooking. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Joanne says
Loved this recipe ,as do all of my family and friends I have recommended to !Easy to make tastes delicious…..
Amy says
Thanks Joanne 🙂
TJP says
Added tomato paste and a bit of cinnamon. Loved it!
Amy says
Brilliant, thank you
SGraham says
This is such an easy, tasty recipe to make I admit I didn’t have all the ingredients but it still tasted good
Amy says
Excellent! Thank you 🙂
Julie says
Love this recipe! I added a little cashew cream at the end. And sprinkled a few cashews over the finished dish.
Amy says
Yum! Sounds like a great addition 🙂
Jen says
This was so spicy, not sure how you expected kids to eat it?!
Amy says
Hi Jen, I’ve never had a problem getting my kids to eat this, in fact, they request this meal often and I usually add more spice. Did you use a mild curry powder? Curry powders vary quite a bit from brand to brand so I’m guessing you picked up a hotter one.
Lori Mueller says
I made this tonight for dinner. We loved it a lot but i think I would add more tomatoes and coconut milk for a creamier sauce. But otherwise was wonderful and satisfying. Thank you!
Amy says
So happy you liked it, Lori. A few other readers have added coconut milk to this curry and enjoyed it. Sounds lovely!
Natalie says
This is a personal favorite of mine, my 6 year old loves it, and my vegetarian friends. So cost effective too. Thank you!
Amy says
Thanks Natalie, this is one of our favourites too, I make it most weeks. So glad you enjoy it 🙂
Maggie says
What is the ideal age for this recipe? It would be helpful to know in all your recipes for babies/kids as there isn’t any indication
Amy says
Hi Maggie, thanks for your feedback. I don’t give age indications as I do feel it depends on the baby, parents and weaning method. With my first I did a more traditional style of weaning (starting with purees) with my eldest I did baby-led weaning and he really ate what we did from the beginning. I’d have probably served this to my first around 10 months and my second around 7mths.
Bella lombardo says
This recipe was so good! I used coconut milk instead of stock and it was amazing
Amy says
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Bella. So glad you liked it and great idea to use coconut milk 🙂
Riona says
I made this for my 19 month old son today and he absolutely loved it. Thank you so much
Amy says
Thanks for the feedback Riona, so glad he liked it 🙂
Tara says
I make this all the time, it’s absolutely delicious! I often freeze the leftovers and have meals for next week! So good
Amy says
Great! So glad you enjoy this recipe, Tara 🙂
Miss Maxine Mullock says
Great and healthy recipe I used it as part of diet plan during training
Amy says
Thank you!
Lisa says
Great recipe, luckily my kids eat mostly anything so I chuck in a couple of handfuls of spinach and chopped coriander near the end too for a bit of extra veg and flavour.
Amy says
Sounds perfect, Lisa! Thanks for taking the time to give feedback 🙂
Rosie Paicu says
Hi is this recipe suitable for an 8 month old baby?
Amy says
Hi Rosie, it really depends on baby and the method of weaning you are doing. Is your baby used to textured foods? You can always mash it up a bit. I would make sure to check the ingredients of the curry powder you use (as some can be high in salt) and use homemade stock or water.
Emily says
Grated carrot! Genius!!! As my children have a strange dislike of sweet potatos. I often have problems getting them to eat this dish…until I discovered your version. Thank you very much
Amy says
Hi Emily, Fab! So glad the recipe was a hit! Thanks for taking the time to rate and let me know 🙂
Julie says
Very nice recipe! I use it a lot!
Amy says
Great! So glad you like it 🙂
Helen says
Delicious curry, It’s a go to in our household. I add in some cauliflower, red lentils (with just one tin of chickpeas), and chuck in a handful of spinach and a can of coconut milk at the end. Serve it up with rice and homemade chapatis.
Amy says
Hi Helen, thank you for your lovely comment. This curry in a regular in our house, I must make this trying your variations, they sound great 🙂
Kristina says
I added a can of coconut milk as per the comments above – it was absolutely delicious! x
Amy says
Love that you loved it, Kristina! I must try coconut milk in it one day 🙂
Mother watson says
Made this a few times now as directed and it is really nice. It makes you feel good eating it as you know it’s full of goodness and I’ve always got the ingredients in because they are just normal store cupboard essentials and not faffy pastes. One kid loves it but the other is a veg hater at the moment. Even better the next day and I freeze it too. Thanks for sharing!!
Amy says
Thanks Mother Watson! Yes, I agree the next day it tastes even better. This is one of my fav weeknight meals, glad you like it too 🙂
Vera says
I made it with organic sweet potatoes and left the peel on for extra nutrients. Also added some grated ginger. It’s delicious with some brown rice, toped with yoghurt cilantro!
Amy says
Thanks for the feedback Vera, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Lisa says
Made this up last week and added some left over Kent pumpkin. Was lovely. Froze the rest. Defrosted well and tasted even better. I did up the spice factor as well because that’s how we roll. No younger children to worry about. Thank you for sharing!
Amy says
Hi Lisa, glad you liked it! I’m with you on the spice factor, I am slowly training my boys to love spice by increasing the spice level slightly every time I make this 😉
Kelly Martin says
Delicious easy 30 min curry, added a handful of frozen peas for colour, will definitely recommend and use again, many thanks 🙂
Amy says
Thanks Kelly, I actually made this tonight – one of our favourites!
Kilie says
Can you freeze it
Amy says
Hi Kilie, Yes you can freeze 🙂
Elaine says
Thank you Amy… this recipe got the thumbs up from a bunch of kids from 14 months to 4 yrs yesterday…clean plates!! And the leftovers are filling the freezer! Love it!
Amy says
Thanks Elaine, delighted it was a hit with the kiddos. Thanks for taking the time to let me know, it means a lot 🙂
Eliza says
What a great recipe, thank you!
My 2 year old ate half of his portion and didn’t spit it out – a success in my book and we enjoyed it very much too. I halved the stock and used half a tin of coconut milk and some frozen spinach, definitely making again!
Amy says
Yeah to your little one not spitting it out! So happy you liked the recipe and I’m loving the addition of spinach 🙂
Amy says
Can this be frozen
Amy says
Hi Amy, I haven’t actually frozen this before but I think it would freeze well.
Julie says
Finally got round to making this tonight and it was delicious, I added mushrooms and a can of coconut milk. Super tasty and the little one loved it too.
Amy says
Fab! I must try adding some coconut milk the next time I’m a little heavy handed with the spice! I always forget that my kids don’t like it as hot as me 😉
Hannah says
Great recipe! 2 year old loved it.
I added some mushrooms before simmering which gave us an extra meaty texture which the husband enjoyed!
Amy says
Fab! Must try mushrooms next time – sounds delicious! Thanks for rating and commenting 🙂
Rachel says
I made this the other week. My kids weren’t too keen (they’re fussy little things) but I loved it!!! Going to make up a big batch to freeze portions for lunchtime when I’m working at home. So delicious in a jacket potato and much healthier than my usual cheese. Thanks!
Amy says
Hi Rachel, so happy you loved it (even though your kids didn’t!) . I’m loving the sound of it in a jacket potato, may just have to try that next time! Thanks for the feedback!
Heidi says
I made this last night and it was delicious. Both my kids loved it but I did have to add some yogurt to theirs. I thought it was amazing but my husband said it was lacking some meat…!
Amy says
I have a husband that used to say that a meal wasn’t a meal without meat. He is getting used to it now though! So happy you enjoyed the curry and the kids liked it too!
Georgia Tillson says
Hey do you havw to cook the sweet potato and carrot before putting it in the curry x
Amy says
Hi Georgia, No you don’t need to cook them beforehand. Just make sure you chop the sweet potato small. 🙂
Saskia says
I feel like you do need to cook the sweet potato before, I made it today and although delicious was finding that the sweet potato was staying hard stubbornly!!!
Amy says
Hi Saskia, I have never had this problem. Did you cut very small? 1cm cubes? Glad you liked the taste though 🙂