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!
Chickpea Curry – an authentic recipe
This curry. It 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!
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.)
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.
Don’t feel restricted to just use curry powder in Indian-style curries. It’s used in all sorts of recipes, such as:
- Thai Satay Chicken Skewers with peanut sauce
- Satay Chicken Curry
- Curried Rice
- Everyday Chicken Curry – creamy, mild Western style curry
- Easy Thai Coconut Soup
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.
What to serve this with
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!).
You also get bonus points if you go to the effort of serving these with Easy Soft Flatbreads. The perfect vehicle to scoop up that curry sauce!! – Nagi x
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
- Browse the Curry Collection
Chickpea Potato Curry (Chana Aloo Curry)
Watch how to make it
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Easy Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)
Ingredients
Spices:
- 2 tbsp curry powder (Note 2)
- 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 cooking oil (I used vegetable)
- 2 large garlic cloves , minced
- 1 large onion , diced (brown, white, yellow)
- 1 1/2 cups potatoes , cut into 1.2cm / 1/2" cubes
- 28 oz / 800g canned chickpeas (2 x 14oz/400g), drained
- 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 (Note 4)
- Salt to taste
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:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published January 2016. Updated with new photos, new video and entirely rewritten post in February 2019. No change to recipe.
Life of Dozer
No curry for you, too spicy! What will you give me for this drumstick…???
This was delicious. The only thing different was that I had half Amat of home rosemary Orange marmalade and I added iy
That’s so great to hear Rosemary! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x
This curry was delish! I used half chicken stock and a can of coconut milk which made it nice and creamy. Also served it with coconut rice.
That’s terrific to hear Simone! Love the addition of coconut milk in this 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend! N x
Hi Nagi,
First of all let me start by saying that I barely boil water in my daily life…..meaning I am useless to most in the kitchen. I do love Indian food (discovered it late in life) and whenever i look for recipes, there are a million components. When i came across your recipe above, i said to self “Hmmmm”.
Anyways, i tried it yesterday and it really came great. I am personally astonished! I made it more spicy of course ( and of course not spicy enough…i like heat and handle it well).
So long story short, how do i add chicken to this dish? I would love to know that – I am a big fan also of vindaloo…….
Thanks again, deb
Made this tonight and used a can of coconut milk instead of broth… so delicious!!
Made this tonight and used a can of coconut milk instead of broth… so delicious!
Thank you Nagi. I love this curry. I have it regularly. Best wishes from Galway, Ireland.
This is a nice curry with perfect texture. However, it is very spicy. I do not often use cayenne pepper and was unaware of how much heat it adds to this dish. I would cut down on the cayenne next time and perhaps reduce the allspice proportionately. I added some vegan cream cheese to try to cut the spice, which didn’t do much but added a lovely creamy quality to this curry. I also pre-boiled the cubed potatoes to ensure they were super soft by the time I served the dish.
What a simple but brilliant idea!! Thank you so much for the inspo! I have pinned the recipe so I can make it soon! x
Hope you do! It’s soo delish! N x
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Thank you.
I made this today and it was fantastic! I think it’s one of the most tasty dishes I’ve ever made. Loved the flavor! Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this Shawn! N x
wonderful points altogether, you just gained a new reader. What would you suggest about your post that you made some days ago? Any positive?
Hey Nag! I don’t know who to thank most, you or Imma? But, I do know one thing THIS RECIPE IS A KEEPER! We ate our dinner so fast I thought we inhaled it. HAHA… Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Love hearing that Grace! So pleased you enjoyed this 🙂 N x
I just made this recipe and it was amazing!!! I didn’t want to stop eating it. My husband loved it just as much as I did!! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
So pleased to hear that Danielle! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x
This is amazing!! My boyfriend is super picky and request this dish all the time!! Thanks for sharing!
So pleased to hear he enjoys this Teresa, thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know! N xx
Hi Nagi, A few suggestions based on the comments and my own experience making this last night:
1. If you don’t like spicy then I would suggest that you cut the cayenne to about 1/4 tsp, reduce the white/black pepper in half and reduce the allspice in half. I found that even with 1/4 tsp of cayenne being the only adjustment this was too spicy but it tasted like the allspice was the one taking over. I’m not sure if this was a caused by the variety or freshness of my allspice or if the original blooming of the spices with the onion increased the heat. I felt that 3 minutes was not long enough to get my onion to the right doneness so I cooked a little longer.
2. Not wanting to wait for 2 cups of broth to reduce, I used a vegetable broth paste instead. This allowed me to add the tsp of veg broth paste but only add 1C of water to go with it. I found this to be just enough water to simmer the potatoes (covered). When finished cooking, I added a tsp of flour to thicken rather than continue reducing.
3. I used 1c of fresh parsley instead of cilantro, I had both but opted for the parsley. I think using fresh matters here to also cut the heat. If you find a the end that it’s still to spicy, you can try adding yogurt or cottage cheese (before adding the parsley/cilantro) to lessen the heat.
Thank you for the recipe. As with most, each cook needs to adjust to their personal taste but I am always grateful for the inspiration that gets me started. Meatless dishes always pose a challenge for me but I found this one to be quite filling.
I meant to say add the 2 tsp of veg broth paste in number 2.
Love all those tips James! thanks so much for that 🙂 Other readers will find it so helpful! N xx
Hi! I just made this dish today, it turned out very spicy, probably because I added and extra chili pepper 😉 Not complaining, I like spice! However, the sauce was light orange and not as thick as the picture, do you know why this might be? I also had to let it simmer for 30min for the potatoes to soften.
Hi Snuff! The colour is from the spices, and also from cooking down the sauce 🙂 did you simmer per recipe to cook it down? Glad you enjoyed it though! N x
chickpea curry was delish
That’s so great to hear Graham! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it! N x
Do you think coconut milk would work in this to cut through the spice?
Hi Klair! I don’t think it will cut through the spice but it will certainly add lovely flavour to it! This curry really is not that spicy if you use a mild curry powder. I added a tip at the top of the recipe regarding the spiciness 🙂 N x
This is a lovely curry but way too spicy so I would definitely cut down on the spices😳 Then it would be great .
I’m sorry to hear you thought this was too spicy Alison. Glad you loved the flavour though!
Very easy and delicious. However, it is very spicy! Use a mild curry. Also, the potatoes take about 40 min, not 15 min. I thought the 15 min instruction was a little off and I was right!
Hi Jess! Yes! Definitely use a mild curry if you are sensitive to spicy food! I’m glad you still enjoyed it. Thank you for picking up about the cook time, I will fix it up 🙂
Hi Jess! I just checked the recipe again and the potatoes should cook in 15 minutes if chopped fairly small, per recipe 🙂 I wonder if it was the type of potato you used?? 🙂
What kind of potato should we be using?
In all honesty, this is great with any type wether starchy or waxy 🙂 I tend to use good all rounders