This easy chickpea tikka masala is the perfect vegan curry for a busy weeknight. With just a handful of pantry-staple ingredients required, you can tuck into a bowl of chickpea masala in 30 minutes!
You know when you crave a curry on a busy evening, but all the recipes you find have long lists of ingredients and spices and even longer cooking times? While I do love an authentic curry, there are days when easy does it.
This easy vegan tikka masala sauce takes quite a couple of shortcuts. I use two heaped tablespoons of tikka masala curry powder for spices and that's it. I always have a jar of medium heat tikka masala powder in the cupboard for recipes like this.
What is tikka masala curry powder?
Tikka masala curry powder is nothing else than a spice blend that typically has ground coriander, ground ginger, cardamom, garlic, ground cinnamon, cumin, ground nutmeg, turmeric, cayenne pepper and coriander leaf in it.
It's basically a mix of all the spices you're supposed to use in a veggie tikka masala, but you get it all in a single jar. Curry spice blends might not be authentic, but they do their job wonderfully when you want an easy vegan curry such as this one here.
Tikka curry powder comes in various levels of heat, so you can use whichever one you like. I use the medium type for this recipe as it's fiery enough for me.
When buying tikka masala curry powder, don't forget to check the list of ingredients to ensure it's vegan because not all of them are. For example, in the UK, the Schwartz Tikka Curry Spice isn't vegan, but the supermarket's own spice is.
What else do you need to make this easy chickpea curry?
Most of the ingredients you need for this curry might already be in your pantry. You'll need tinned chickpeas, tinned plum tomatoes and a tin of coconut milk, plus some onion, green or red pepper, garlic and ginger.
If you want, you can use dried chickpeas that you soak overnight, but you'll have to boil them for 30-45 minutes before using them in this curry.
If you don't have fresh garlic and ginger, you can substitute with frozen ones or even use some garlic and ginger paste instead.
I add a green pepper to this simple chickpea curry, but you can use any other colour and add some other veggies if you want.
This vegan masala is super easy to adapt, and you can add just about any veggies you may have on hand, such as aubergine, courgettes, sweet potatoes or broccoli. A handful of baby spinach added right at the end is also a good idea.
Recipe tips and tricks
- I use full-fat coconut milk for this easy vegan tikka masala, but you can use a light version if you want to cut down on calories.
- You can freeze this curry in individual containers with some rice for a quick and easy meal. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- If you don't want to use oil, use some vegetable stock instead.
- Serve the tikka masala chickpea curry with some Basmati rice or naan bread.
If you liked this easy chickpea tikka masala, you might also like:
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Easy Chickpea Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, or coconut oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large green or red pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoon tikka masala curry powder
- 1 tablespoon concentrated tomato paste
- 1 can (14 oz/ 400 g) plum tomatoes, crushed
- 1 can (13.5 fl oz/ 400 ml)coconut milk
- 2 can (14 oz/ 400 g)chickpeas
- Fresh coriander, to serve
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the onion over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the diced pepper and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until it softens a bit. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.2 tbsp olive oil1 large onion1 large green or red pepper1 tbsp garlic1 tbsp ginger
- Stir in the tikka masala powder to cover the veggies. Add the tomato paste, cook for 30 seconds, and then add the plum tomatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.2 tbsp tikka masala curry powder1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste1 can (14 oz/ 400 g) plum tomatoes
- Stir in the coconut milk and then add the chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.1 can (13.5 fl oz/ 400 ml)coconut milk2 can (14 oz/ 400 g)chickpeas
- Serve with rice or naan bread, topped with some fresh coriander if you like.Fresh coriander
Patty
Very nice recipe! Simple to make and great for food prep. Thank you!
Paris
Thank you too Patty!