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…???
I LOVED THIS! I added a can of coconut milk at the end because my roommate and I like the sweetness and flavor with the spiciness. We LOVED it! After it sat on the stove for an hour or so, the flavors absorbed so much more into the chickpeas and potatoes and was even better. Making it again today just so I can have it throughout the week! LOVE IT!
That’s so terrific to hear Esther! Thank you for letting me know – N x 💓
Hi there. Thanks for sharing, looks absolutely inviting. I wanted to let you know tho that the recipe is very Indian indeed. Chana curry is a common dish here, that we eat with roti or poori or naan too. As for the aloo, (both chana and aloo are
Indian words :)) we add them in most curries lol. We don’t use chicken stalk tho as most of our curries are vegetarian here.
Love hearing that validation Kristie! That’s what I thought immediately the first time I tried this 🙂 N xx
I made the recipe to the specifications but it was exttemely watery.
Hi Vanessa! It needs to be simmered to reduce the sauce so it thickens 🙂 N x
This recipe was so delicious! I replaced the potatoes with sweet potatoes and added peas. It was too spicy for my daughters (and me), so I divided it and added coconut milk to ours. It didn’t thicken as much as I’d hoped, but I enjoyed the extra sauce with my rice anyway. Thank you!
Glad to hear that Mrs B! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Just made this tonite. Tasted delish but I had to make a few amendments. In order to cook the potatoes all the way thru ( even tho I cooked them an extra 10 minutes at the start), I had to add extra broth which I felt diluted the flavor. Even after adding extra broth there wasn’t enough to sop up the naan bread which is what I was excitedly looking forward to! Tasted great, just not enough gravy and potatoes needed more time and liquid.
I’m glad you were able to make adjustments Patti! Did you cut the potatoes to the size per the recipe? 🙂 N x
Absolutely delicious. As good as any Indian food you would get out. Spice mix is spot on. I will be making this regularly.
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Sarah! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Hi there. I’m going to try this recipe next week, but was wondering if I could swap the chickpeas for a different bean. For some reason, of all the beans chickpeas are the ones I do not like.
Thanks,
Nicole
For sure! Choose whatever bean you want 🙂 N x
Delicious! Quite hot, but I loved it! Will make it many times in the future.
I’m so pleased to hear that Alina! Thank you for letting me know! N xx ❤️
I rarely if ever comment and I typically turn up my nose on anything curry but i needed a curry chickpea reciope for a dinner theme party. I just had to write to tell you how outstanding this dish was. Enjoyed by all and even had one person question whether or not the dish was ordered from a Carribean resturant. This recipe is a keeper!
That’s fantastic to hear Carm! Thanks for leaving a review! N x ❤️
This was so delicious! I devoured this. I made enough for the week.
I’m so happy to hear that Shay! Thanks for sharing your feedback – N x ❤️
I loved this. I will reduce the curry next time though. My poor husband couldn’t eat it. I’ve suggested he try it as leftovers tomorrow with some plain yogurt.
Any other suggestions on how one might make it less spicy after the fact? (For whimpy husbands 😉
Hi Sharon! For wimpy hubbies, reduce the cayenne pepper and make sure you use a curry powder not labelled as HOT SPICY HOT HOT!! 😉 N xx
This turned out pretty watery for me. I used the amount of vegetable broth listed. Was I supposed to drain the canned tomatoes?
HI Kate! The tomatoes should reduce to thicken with the cook time provided. Did you use crushed or diced tomatoes? 🙂 N x
I made this tonight and it was so quick and delicious! I used hot curry powder and also added scotch bonnet peppers. They add a true Caribbean flavor and are one of my favorites. Also used sweet potatoes. I served it over Basmati rice and it was wonderful. Thank you for a great recipe
Thank you for the review Cindy, it’s so terrific to hear you enjoyed this! N xx
This was so yummy and makes a lot!!! I only put in 1 tbsp of curry powder and it was quite spicy lol but also I think I’d like to make it with chicken stock next time.. Think it’d give it a little more flavour 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Hi Courtney! Yes this is spicy 🙂 So definitely reduce the spice to your taste! N xx
Tried this tonight and it was delicious. As a German I’m not used to have potatoes AND rice. But it’s such an awesome combination. Will be one of my standards from now on!
That’s so great to hear Bee! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
Hi Nagi, I used the same spices and garlic and tomatoes as you said here but changed the veggies to use up what was in the fridge/pantry and it worked really well! I used sweet potato, carrots, green bell pepper, celery, red onion, and broccoli. The broccoli went in right at the end so it didn’t go mushy. I also added in a tin of sweetcorn for a bit of extra colour, and I love sweetcorn! It made enough for 6 people with rice and naan bread too. Yummy!!!
That’s so great to hear Anne and Alex! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
Could I cook this in a crock pot? What veggies do you recommend for substituting the potatoes? lentil?
Hi Linda! Sure you can – for the simmering part 🙂 You can substitute the potatoes with anything that will stand up to the simmering time – lentils or even chunky pieces of vegetables like carrot!
I’m excited to try this tonight! What type of potatoes do you recommend? Would red potatoes work (just because that’s what I have on hand)?
Yes! (Sorry I missed your dinner!) N x
Made this tonight for my dinner, I’m vegan and gluten free, this is perfect. I used water not stock and added mushrooms and peas. Delicious!
I’m so pleased to hear that Bernie! Thank you for letting me know – N x
This recipe is not vegetarian if one uses chicken broth as stated. It would be with vegetarian broth instead. Good recipe though. Thanks.
Hi Shirley! Yep I agree, that’s why I have either veg or chicken in the ingredients. Thanks for the pick up in the directions though! N x