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
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!
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.
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:
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 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.
Also, a dollop of yogurt goes nicely – the fresh cool tang tempers the spiciness and adds a touch of creaminess.
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
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Easy Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)
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 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 (1 large, any type, peeled)
- 28 oz / 800g canned chickpeas (2 x 14oz/400g cans), drained (Note 3)
- 14 oz / 400g canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth/stock , low sodium
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , plus more to taste (halve for table salt)
- 2 scallion/shallot stems , sliced (green & white part)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped (or coriander/cilantro)
Serving – choose
- coriander/cilantro leaves , chopped
- Dollop of yogurt
- Basmati rice OR
- White rice
Instructions
- Sauté – 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.
- Simmer 15 minutes – Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, veg or chicken broth and salt. 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 – Taste and add more salt if needed. Stir through scallions/shallots and parsley.
- Serve with rice with a dollop of yogurt and coriander/cilantro if desired. 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.
Fresh salad on the side
Cabbage, Carrot, Mint Salad – great refreshing salad, ideal to pair with curries
And – more great curries of the world!
Biryani (it’s amazing!)
Dal (Indian lentil curry)
Browse the Curry Collection
Life of Dozer
No curry for you, too spicy! What will you give me for this drumstick…???
Happy Valentine’s Day to my favorite foodie and the Doze !!!!!🥰
I believe yours was yesterday ??
Yes it was! Happy Valentine’s Day to you too Sarah! Hugs from both me and Dozer! N x 🌹
Hi Nagi and all,
Great recipe, great site and very pleasant community ! Many many thanks for that, Nagi.
As for the recipe – and all indian dishes, (I am certain that you know, but it is not clearly stated in your site as far as I could see) – it is much better to dry-heat them before use and only then grate or mortar them for liberating aromes and oils. This is true of, for example, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, carvi seeds, dried chilies, mustard grains (yellow and black), cardamom grains etc etc. I even do this sometimes to fresh ginger! Cinnamon bark also, but cannot be easily be powdered at home… such soices also keep fresh a lot longer than their powder counterparts.
Many thanks again, Nagi.
Eitan Gilboa.
Ah yes Eitan! I totally agree. 🙂 The very best curries are definitely made with fresh ground spices. I even bought a NutriBullet especially to grind spices! N x
Loved this Nagi again so simple you are an amazing cook l will say it again you need a TV series . Cooking with Nagi and Dozer lol
I honestly think the ONLY reason I’d ever create a TV series is just so I can get Dozer on TV! 😂
Haven’t made this yet but yes, I also have all the ingredients. I was going through my pantry to use up what I have!
Think maybe your psychic!
I love curry but my family don’t so I’m Just wondering if this will freeze well?
Thanks
Love this site
Hi Mel! Yes this freezes great! I will pop that in the notes if I haven’t already! N x
However ‘foodie’ we in Australia are, geographical distances and differing cultures make such a difference! Have to grin about this great Caribbean recipe ’cause remember so many ‘arguments’ with a dear German gf who had lived there and posted all those recipes I thought ‘terribly wrong’! Until I was patiently taught how they had come about! Now I find the differences quite fascinating and am not only going to make this soonest but have actually subscribed to Imma’s blog for a look-see. Yes the spices column still seems ‘odd’ for an Indian-named dish . . . but want to experience what is normal over there . . .
Caribbean food is influenced by many cultures including Indian food, so that explains the similarities in flavour here! Hope you’re having a great weekend Eha – N x
Color me surprised–I actually do have all the ingredients, plus coconut milk for rice. Those figure as pantry staples too, but tonight was pre-ordained as (indoor) grilled shrimp with peanut sauce and angel hair pasta, so curry will be at a later date…and likely not nearly as punchy.
YUM. I want YOUR dinner!
I’m losing my mind….you mention coriander when showing ingredients, but don’t have it listed in the actual recipe? Or, maybe I’m missing something or other……no worries, I will be making this! We are in total deep freeze-so far almost 40 days in a row of not getting above freezing, so this will be great!! Thanks for posting!
Nope, you have all your marbles, I am the one who made the mistake! 😂 I mislabelled the ingredients photograph. I am so used to coriander in curries, I think I was on autopilot. Fixed! N x
Nagi, made the curried rice last night, delicious. Will make this curry tonight, sounds delicious also. Please please share your cauliflower rice recipe
Yes I will Cheryl! But I went to get some cauliflower to share the recipe and it was $7 a head! When the price goes back down to normal I will do it! N x
Looks good, will make it tomorrow, yet with sweet potato instead of the regular. Stirr fried spinach will go with it. May serve with hard boiled eggs.
YES. So good! The other vegetable loaded version I do is made with sweet potato! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi! This sounds so amazing. If you have a moment could you let us know what you put in your vege loaded version? Do you add at the same time as the potatoes and chickpeas? Thanks!!
Hi Laurie – here is the vege loaded version! https://salesdock.info/vegetable-curry/%3C/a%3E – N x
How do you do it!? How do you know what I have, and how do you know I am wondering what to do with the chickpeas and potato’s !!!
Nagi does it again!!!
I want to do it more often. Tell me what’s in your pantry Gary! 😂
Hi Nagi. This recipe looks great but with one caveat. Try dried chickpeas. You will never eat canned again, I assure you. After tried the dried chickpeas in hummus I realised why my hummus did not taste like that in a middle Eastern restaurant. The canned ones have a bitter after taste.
I hear you Paul. I have a post sitting in my drafts for cooking dried chickpeas. I’m currently obsessed with cooking them with flavour, then I’m eating them plain out of the pot, they are that good!!!
Nagi this curry looks awesome but as an Indian I have to cringe at the authentic label and would like the opportunity to have an Indian voice speak our truth. This is not a criticism but hopefully will be an interesting and educational comment for other food nerds out there. The following spices/herbs are not used in traditional Indian cooking: thyme, parsley, paprika, allspice, cayenne,. Allspice is native to Jamaica and paprika & cayenne derive from capsicum which is native to the Americas. Thyme and parsley have their genesis in the Mediterranean region. Indians always use chilli powder (not paprika/cayenne) and coriander (not parsley). Traditional aloo chole (as this recipe is called in hindi) has a few other spices which I appreciate may not be found in everyone’s pantries, unlike the ones you’ve listed.
Hi Shal! Don’t worry, I never take offence when people leave constructive feedback, I actually really like it because how else can I learn? 🙂 This is actually a Trinidad recipe, I just say it tastes like an Indian curry. I know those spices aren’t usually used in Indian cooking!!! Though – paprika you say? I’ve seen that in a lot of Indian recipes, and I certainly use it in many of mine. You say it’s not traditional?? N xx
Nagi clearly states that this is Caribbean dish from an African-Caribbean source. She doesn’t claim that it’s authentically Indian curry, just that it tastes similar. Since I’m guessing most of her readers will be familiar with Indian type curries (which are delicious, it’s true!), she is simply drawing parallels between the two cuisines.
I appreciate the fact that you’re not trying to criticise her but you are inferring there should be correction for something she doesn’t actually say.
How funny I was just wondering what to do with the two cans of chickpeas I had in the pantry. I was leaning towards humus this looks way more inviting!
Two cans of chickpeas makes a LOT of hummus!!! 😂
This curry is awesome! I keep stocks of it in my freezer with rice at all times 😅
BEST validation ever! 😂 PS I don’t have it “all” the time, but I often have it too! N x
Hi Nagi, I am from Trinidad and was so pleased to see you publish one of our favourite foods here, we usually eat it with roti (similar to naan) instead of rice.
I hope I did it justice Anganie! It is honestly one of my favourites, I make variations of this using the sauce but with other ingredients. I even made a fish one the other day! N x
Made this for supper tonight. My wife and ILOVED it. A bunch of spinach pan fried in olive oil and garlic made a perfect nest for the rice and curry.
That’s great to hear Kevin! Glad you enjoyed it! N x
I was thinking of serving it with sautéed spinach as a side, but your idea of it as a nest is so much better! Thanks for the great tip!
Made this tonight, was really flavourful and fast, thank you so much!! One minor adjustment: I added a little more water than what the recipe called for, so to thicken the sauce, i mashed a few of the potatoes with the back of my spoon. Didn’t need to add anything to this already great sauce!
Great idea Sharon! I’m so glad you loved it!
I added a can of coconut milk because it was a little too spicy and garlic salt. It was delicious. I would go with one tablespoon of curry powder before adding the second. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Melissa, sorry you thought it was too spicy! I’ve found that different curry powders do differ in heat, but you can always reduce the amount and cut out the cayenne pepper to keep it mild – N x
Can this be made in the crockpot?
Hi Kayla, you could transfer to a crockpot at step 4 if you like ☺️
I have made this dish so many times. It is so delicious. I am making it again right now for the 2nd time in a week. Thank you!
That’s great tp hear Mary Ann!