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Vegan chickpea curry (chana masala) is the stuff of dreams. Cozy, comforting, super-flavorful, and ready in about 30 minutes. Don’t miss it.
Why we love this recipe
Chana masala is one of the most popular healthy comfort foods in the world. Our version of this classic recipe is:
- Quick, easy, and accessible for weeknight meals
- Without sacrificing one bit of deep, comforting flavor
- Beautifully balanced
- Make-ahead and freezer friendly
- Vegan and gluten-free
This meal is excellent right away and only gets better as it sits, so feel free to make it whenever it’s convenient and let it wait for ya.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make vegan chickpea curry.
- Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
- I sometimes use a large shallot (as pictured) instead of yellow onion. Feel free to do the same.
- Black mustard seed (sometimes called brown) is different from yellow mustard. It has a warmer, more complex flavor profile. Black mustard seed is a frequent ingredient in Indian cooking and is well worth buying if you don’t already have it on hand. (You can type “black mustard seed” into the search bar on this site for some more great ways to use it.)
- Canned chickpeas make this dish quick and easy, and they work great here. You can cook your own chickpeas from dried, of course, if you like. The two cans in this recipe equal about 3 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas.
- Ground fenugreek seed is optional but really adds to the depth of flavor. A common ingredient in Indian curries, it’s a little bit sweet and a little bit beautifully complex. If you can’t find it locally, get at Penzeys or The Spice Way on Amazon.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a quick and satisfying chana masala. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First, you’l sauté the onion, ginger, and garlic in a little bit of oil until the onion is lightly browned. Then you’ll stir in the spices and cook for a couple of minutes. Add a splash of water midway through so the spices don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and scorch.
- Pour in the tomatoes and simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Off the heat, stir in the fenugreek, lemon juice, and cilantro. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
You sure can. It’s great right away, but it only gets better as the spices have a chance to commune. Make it earlier in the day if you like, or early in the week for meal prep.
Store leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to a year.
Chana masala makes an equally fantastic main dish and side dish (or element of a meal with many parts). I love to serve it as a main with a simple pot of basmati rice and some sautéed spinach, as pictured.
More favorite cozy chickpea recipes
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Vegan Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons safflower oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced small
- 1- inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons black mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 15 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 15.5- ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¼ teaspoon ground fenugreek, optional
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medum-high in a 12-inch lidded frying pan.
- Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes, until onion is turning translucent and lightly browned.
- Add the mustard seed, cumin seed, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for two minutes. if spices stick to the pan, add a few tablespoons of water.
- Stir in tomatoes and simmer for two minutes.
- Stir in chickpeas, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Lift the lid and stir occasionally, regulating the heat so that the sauce thickens a bit but not enough to scorch. Sauce should be thick enough to cling to the chickpeas.
- Off the heat, stir in fenugreek, lemon juice, and cilantro.
Notes
- Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
- I sometimes use a large shallot (as pictured) instead of yellow onion. Feel free to do the same.
- Black mustard seed (sometimes called brown) is different from yellow mustard. It has a warmer, more complex flavor profile. Black mustard seed is a frequent ingredient in Indian cooking and is well worth buying if you don’t already have it on hand. (You can type “black mustard seed” into the search bar on this site for some more great ways to use it.)
- Canned chickpeas make this dish quick and easy, and they work great here. You can cook your own chickpeas from dried, of course, if you like. The two cans in this recipe equal about 3 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas.
- Ground fenugreek seed is optional but really adds to the depth of flavor. A common ingredient in Indian curries, it's a little bit sweet and a little bit beautifully complex. If you can't find it locally, get at Penzeys or The Spice Way on Amazon.
- This meal is ready to eat right away, but the flavors only improve over time. Feel free to make it in advance.
- For a simple meal, serve with a simple pot of basmati rice and some sautéed spinach.
- Store leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to a year.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hungry for more?
Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
