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Home Bean and Lentil Recipes

Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)

By:Nagi
Published:13 Feb '19Updated:2 Mar '21
580 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Here’s a really great authentic Chickpea Curry that’s made from scratch but is extremely easy! Say goodbye to boring chickpea recipes – this one packs serious flavours but you won’t need to hunt down any unusual spices. You may even have them all!

This vegetarian curry is one of those foods where carnivores truly don’t miss the meat. (I am, of course, referring to myself 🙂 ) And it’s super healthy – 280 calories per serve!

Close up of Chickpea Curry (Chana Aloo) in a bowl over coconut rice with a dollop of yogurt

Chickpea Curry 

This curry tastes just like Indian curry you get from restaurants. I really mean that.

It has great layers of flavour. Real punchy flavours. And it’s made from scratch – no curry pastes here!

The roots of this particular curry is Trinidad in the Caribbean. But it really tastes just like Indian curries (the tomato based ones, not the creamy ones).

I don’t know if you’ve ever made Indian curries at home before, but I have. And with a few exceptions – like Butter Chicken, Tikka Masala and Biryani– the list of spices almost always includes spices that I need to hunt down at speciality spice stores or Indian grocery stores.

And therein lies the reason why I am obsessed with this. It’s made with spices you can get from your local supermarket. And just as much flavour.

Big flavours. BIG. HUGE!

Chickpea Potato Curry - an authentic recipe that's so easy, made from scratch, no hunting down unusual ingredients. Incredible flavour! #trinidad #caribbean

Close up of Chickpea Curry (Chana Aloo) in a pot, ready to be served

This Chickpea curry is slightly adapted from a recipe by Imma from Immaculate Bites, an African-Caribbean food blog. Until I came across Imma’s site, I actually didn’t know that much about Caribbean cuisine. Did you know that Caribbean food is a fusion of many different cuisines, including African, American Indian, European, Indian, Arabic and Chinese? Traditions brought to the region by the population.

And this Chana Aloo Curry (Chana = chickpeas, Aloo = potatoes), is one such example. A Caribbean recipe that tastes very Indian!


Ingredients in Chickpea Potato Curry

A great tasting curry from scratch will always call for a fair few spices. However, the really nice thing about this curry recipe is that all the spices are ones you can find at everyday supermarkets.

For me, these are standard pantry spices – and I’m betting I am not the only one! (Bonus: If you’re missing one or two – other than curry powder – it’s not the end of the world.)

Ingredients in Chickpea Curry

The Curry Powder

The main spice used is curry powder. These are the curry powders I typically use – but any brand should be fine, I’ve used plenty over the years.

Curry powder

 Other recipes that use curry powder

Don’t feel restricted to just use curry powder in Indian-style curries. It’s used in all sorts of recipes, such as:

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Curried Sausages
Close up of Thai Chicken Satay being dipped into Thai Peanut Sauce
Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Two rustic bowls with Curried Rice made with Basmati Rice, topped with a dollop of yogurt
Curried Rice
Close up of easy Chicken Curry served over rice in a rustic black bowl.
Chicken Curry
Thai Coconut Soup with Shrimp/Prawns and Noodles in a rustic bowl, ready to be eaten
Amazing Easy Thai Coconut Soup
Bowl of Chicken Satay Curry (Malaysian) served over Jasmine Rice
Chicken Satay Curry (Malaysian)

Making the Chickpea Potato Curry

Measuring out those spices is definitely the step that takes the most time in this recipe!! So once that’s done, it’s a pretty effortless recipe:

  • Sauté garlic and onion
  • Sauté spices (brings out the flavour)
  • Coat potato in the spices
  • Add everything else (chickpeas, tomato, broth/stock)
  • Simmer to reduce and thicken, then stir in green onion and parsley at the end
Want to make a lower carb version?

Try this Vegetable Curry! Same sauce, but made with vegetables instead of chickpeas and potato.

How to make Chickpea Curry (Chana Aloo)

Photo of Chickpea Curry (Chana Aloo) in a bowl over coconut rice with a dollop of yogurt in a rustic bowl, ready to be eaten

What to serve with Chickpea Curry

Rice is essential to soak up all that sauce – preferably basmati rice. If you want to go all out, serve it with Coconut Rice. The combination of the subtle, sweet coconut flavour with the big spicy flavours in this curry is SO GOOD!

If you want to cut back on the carbs, try cauliflower rice (please, someone remind me to share this recipe, I mention it so often!).

Also, a dollop of yogurt goes nicely – the fresh cool tang tempers the spiciness and adds a touch of creaminess.

Close up of Chickpea Curry (Chana Aloo) being scooped up with Easy Soft Flatbread

You get bonus points if you go to the effort of serving these authentic Naan, the perfect vehicle to scoop up that wickedly delicious curry sauce!!! Otherwise, these yeast-free Easy Soft Flatbreads are simpler and taste just like naan.

– Nagi x


Chickpea Potato Curry (Chana Aloo Curry)
Watch how to make it

Fresh salad on the side

  • Cabbage, Carrot, Mint Salad – great refreshing salad, ideal to pair with curries
  • Indian Tomato Salad
  • Everyday Cabbage Salad

And – more great curries of the world!

  • Biryani (it’s amazing!)
  • Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken
  • Dal (Indian lentil curry)
  • Thai Red Curry and Green Curry
  • Massaman Curry
  • Goan Fish Curry
  • Browse the Curry Collection

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Close up of Indian chickpea curry in a pot

Easy Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Curry, Dinner
Caribbean, Trinidad
4.93 from 156 votes
Servings5
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. A Caribbean curry from Trinidad that tastes very similar to tomato based Indian curries. This curry has incredible flavour, and is one of the easiest real curries because you won't need to trek to the speciality store for the spices, you can get everything from the supermarket! Spice level: Medium (Note 1)

Ingredients

Spices (Note 2):

  • 2 tbsp curry powder (Note 3)
  • 1 tsp All Spice powder
  • 1 tsp nutmeg powder (or 1/2 tsp freshly grated)
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or normal or sweet)
  • 2 tsp dried thyme leaves (or 3 tsp fresh)
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp white pepper (or 1/2 tsp black pepper)

Curry

  • 3 tbsp (65ml) cooking oil (I used vegetable)
  • 2 large garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 large onion , diced (brown, white, yellow)
  • 1 1/2 cups (225g) potatoes , cut into 1.2cm / 1/2" cubes
  • 28 oz / 800g canned chickpeas (2 x 14oz/400g cans) , drained (Note 3)
  • 14 oz / 400g canned crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups (500ml) vegetable or chicken broth/stock
  • 2 scallion/shallot stems , sliced (green & white part)
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped (or coriander/cilantro)
  • Salt to taste

Serving - choose

  • Basmati rice
  • White rice

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large pot or very deep skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add onion and garlic, cook for 3 minutes until onion is translucent. 
  • Add Curry Spices and stir for 1 minute.
  • Add the potatoes and stir to coat in the Spices. If the spices start to stick to the bottom of the pot, add a tiny splash of water.
  • Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and vegetable or chicken broth. Bring to simmer then turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and the sauce has thickened.
  • Adjust salt to taste, stir through scallions/shallots and parsley.
  • Serve with rice - basmati would be ideal, or Coconut Rice if you're wanting to impress. To go all out, add some Easy Soft Flatbreads!

Recipe Notes:

1. Spiciness: If you use a mild rather than super hot curry powder, this recipe has a medium level of curry because then the spiciness is coming from the cayenne and white pepper. If you are concerned about the spiciness, mix the spices together without the cayenne pepper, then do a taste test before adding into the pot.
3. Spices: Because there are quite a number of spices, it's not the end of the world if you skip one or two of them (except curry powder!). It won't taste quite the same but still really great. The ones that aren't that critical (in isolation) are: nutmeg, thyme, cayenne, pepper, and All Spice.
3. Curry Powder: This can be made with any curry powder you have / want. I've made it with Clives of India, Keens and Hoyts over the years (brands sold at Australian grocery stores) as well as curry powders from Indian stores, and they were all great. 
Note: Curry powders differ in spiciness! Only use HOT if you can handle the heat!
4. Chickpeas - This recipe is terrific made with any beans or lentils. The spicy curry sauce is terrific with cannellini beans, navy, great northern, kidney, black beans, butter beans, lima beans, and any type of lentils.
Dried chickpeas - 1 standard can is about 1.5 cups / 250g once drained, so you need 3 cups / 500g of cooked chickpeas. Dried chickpeas increase by about 3.2x once cooked, so you will need 1 cup / 165g dried chickpeas which will yield just over 3 cups once cooked. 
5. Storage - Keeps extremely well, nothing in this goes off quickly. Fridge 5 days (or longer if you're comfortable!),  freezes brilliantly too. When I'm in a curry, I partially thaw in the microwave (just to loosen from container) then finish heating through on the stove. Otherwise, can also thaw and reheat completely in microwave.
6. Source: This recipe is slightly modified from the Curry Channa and Aloo recipe from Immaculate Bites. Original recipe called for 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, finely chopped. I've simplified it by using cayenne pepper for spiciness - I honestly can't tell the difference (I've tried both ways). Also, the original recipe did not call for canned tomatoes. Some Trinidad Chana Aloo Curry recipes do. I added it to create a slightly thicker sauce.
Nutrition per serving, curry only (excludes rice).

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 526gCalories: 248cal (12%)Carbohydrates: 32g (11%)Protein: 8g (16%)Fat: 11g (17%)Sodium: 759mg (33%)Potassium: 733mg (21%)Fiber: 8g (33%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 945IU (19%)Vitamin C: 18.6mg (23%)Calcium: 103mg (10%)Iron: 5.6mg (31%)
Keywords: Chickpea curry, easy curry recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published January 2016. Updated with new photos, new video and entirely rewritten post in February 2019. No change to recipe.

Life of Dozer

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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580 Comments

  1. Elizabeth says

    February 20, 2021 at 6:43 am

    5 stars
    This is one of my go-to recipes, especially great for hosting! It is so flavorful and the ingredients are so simple.

    Reply
  2. Jody says

    February 13, 2021 at 6:45 pm

    Would this be good with sweet potatoes instead of white?

    Reply
  3. Mehmet says

    February 3, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    Hi Nagi, made this today. Easy, inexpensive and very tasty. I served it with pilaff and yogurt.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  4. Francis says

    January 29, 2021 at 5:22 pm

    5 stars
    I made this last month and my girlfriend has now become my wife.

    Reply
  5. charlie cooper says

    January 23, 2021 at 6:27 am

    Fantastic, extremely concentrated flavours, intense and spicy, and the potatoes add some bulk to the dish. Will be making again for sure

    Reply
  6. Andrea Dunne says

    January 18, 2021 at 8:31 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe today for my family Sunday dinner. It was absolutely delicious in every way. Great flavours great heat which we love and great consistency. Cant reccomend it enough!! Oh and I made your coconut rice too to go with the curry. Your recipe for that was fool proof. It turned out light fluffy and flavorful! Thanks for a great dinner. Ps. I made the coconut rice with basmati and it was perfect.

    Reply
  7. David says

    January 3, 2021 at 1:51 pm

    4 stars
    This was a very tasty recipe. My family has six young kids, but they all have a high tolerance for spicy dishes (they request spicy, and then add jalapenos, sriracha or hot sauce at the table to make it hotter on a regular basis). That being said, I stuck to the recipe, expecting it to be mild in my family’s eyes, but it was spicy (they didn’t add any hot stuff today, I tell ya!). So if you don’t like hot, cut back on the cayenne and pepper. But other than that, it was a well written, easy to prepare recipe that made a very tasty, filling and healthy dish.

    Reply
    • Brenda Willis says

      January 13, 2021 at 10:58 am

      5 stars
      Love the ease of cooking once spices were measured. Love I can freeze it! Tasty! On my way to being flexatarian!

      Reply
  8. Katrina says

    December 12, 2020 at 7:01 pm

    5 stars
    This is delicious! I added a spoon of yoghurt on top. Thanks Nagi. I love your recipes.

    Reply
  9. Suzan Vasica says

    October 29, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    Just came across this recipe the other day. Sounds so good. Can’t wait to try it

    Reply
  10. Ramona says

    October 27, 2020 at 8:02 am

    When you’re in a curry, lol!

    Reply
    • Christine says

      November 4, 2020 at 5:14 am

      I saw that too 😂

      Reply
  11. Tom says

    October 24, 2020 at 11:53 am

    5 stars
    I decided to use dried chickpeas, bit of a mistake as it added a bit of complexity, still delicious though.
    I have a question about tablespoons – are you using Australian tablespoons (~20ml) or what I presume are north American tablespoons (~15ml)? I just discovered I have both in my draw, both bought in Australia and never realised there was a difference!

    Reply
  12. Katie O Donovan says

    October 21, 2020 at 4:16 am

    5 stars
    This was sooo good! I added some minced garlic and peas and honestly this is one of my favourite recipes.

    Reply
  13. Juliana Pires says

    October 9, 2020 at 5:47 pm

    5 stars
    Hello Nagi,
    I just want to thank you for your wonderful work.
    I’ve made several of your recipes and ALL of them turned up absolutely delicious.
    They are very easy to follow, nourishing and tasty.
    Keep up with the great work. We really appreciate it!

    Reply
  14. Anna says

    September 30, 2020 at 1:03 pm

    My Chana aloo curry turned out wonderfully. I wanted to make it vegan so I didn’t top it with yogurt. In future I will cut down on the cayenne as my family found it too spicy. The consistency was wonderful; not too thick and not too runny. Served with basmati rice is ideal. Thanks Nagi.

    Reply
  15. Natalie says

    September 29, 2020 at 6:54 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I added an extra cup of stock after the 15 minutes because I like my curries saucy. Added a dollop of yoghurt when serving and it brought it all together 🤤 Definitely going to make this again, so bloody easy!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 29, 2020 at 7:04 pm

      That’s great to hear Natalie, I’m so glad you loved it! N x

      Reply
  16. OLO says

    September 23, 2020 at 11:49 pm

    5 stars
    Really delicious. Followed the recipe and added a couple of red peppers served over coconut brown rice. Will definitely make again.

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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