Chana Aloo Masala
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.Ordinarily, curries are labor of love, but this one comes together in 1 hour and has everything I am looking for in a curry. I make this Chana Aloo Masala with tender chickpeas, creamy potatoes, and a warm garam masala spice blend. The robust tomato gravy has a restaurant-style quality while still tasting really authentic. It is nourishing, family-friendly, naturally vegan, and gluten-free.
This is a classic Indian staple that combines chickpeas and potatoes in a thick, spiced tomato gravy. It is the kind of one-pot meal that goes well with warm roti or fluffy basmati rice. If you are like me and love Indian comfort food, especially those with plant-based protein, I also recommend trying my sweet potato dahl for another easy dinner packed with traditional flavors.
I have made traditional chana masala so many times that my kids ask for it by name! This take on the recipe came alive when one night I had a bowl of baby potatoes on the counter and decided to add them in. At first, it was just to bulk up the curry, but this addition transformed it into a more satisfying dinner. The potatoes soak up the flavors in the gravy, and the starch adds a lush thickness to the curry. They are definitely my kids’ favorite part of the chana aloo masala.
👩🏽🍳 Why I Love This Recipe
As a nutritionist and a mom, this recipe has my heart for so many reasons. It is filling, balanced, packed with plant protein, and can be made in one pot. Chickpeas bring fiber and protein, potatoes add the carbs, and the spices create a rich flavor profile without relying on heavy cream or butter. It is also one of the rare dinners where my kids eat onions without negotiating.
The flavor starts with the caramelized onions, then I toast the spices until they are rich and fragrant. I pour in the tomatoes and crush them right in the pot; this creates the thick gravy that clings to every chickpea and potato cube. As the potatoes simmer in the sauce, they absorb all the spices, making sure each bite is bold, instead of bland.
I have a friend who has never liked chickpeas. Funny thing is, I am quite certain that she had never even tried it. She does, however, love curry. One afternoon, she happened to stop by while I was preparing dinner. She took one look at the chickpeas and turned up her nose. Fast forward a few minutes, and the aromas were filling up the kitchen. I heard her stomach growl and knew that this was my chance to make her a convert. She stayed for dinner, and guess what?… she took some chana aloo masala home too. Ha!
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🥘 Ingredients
This really is such a humble recipe, that is why I have kept the ingredients simple. Most of these things, including the spices, are probably already in your kitchen. But each ingredient has earned its place in the pot.
Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas, which are drained and rinsed, for this curry, as it is easy and convenient. If you are using dried chickpeas, be sure to set aside time for cooking them before adding them to the curry.
Red onion: For this recipe, I prefer to use red onions as they add color and a touch of sweetness.
Garlic: I could not imagine a curry without garlic. I use whole garlic, which I have minced. Prepared garlic is fine, but it can be overpowering and burns easily.
Whole peeled canned tomatoes: With this curry, I use everything in the can. The tomatoes and their juices. Sometimes I even rinse out the excess tomato juice with some water and add it in. Tinned chopped tomatoes are more watery, but can be used in a pinch.
Baby red potatoes: I love using baby red potatoes for this curry! They are starchy and cook quickly! I cut them into small cubes, about the same size as the chickpeas, for even cooking and a balanced bite.
Indian spices: This recipe calls for all the classic spices, some whole, and some powdered. You will need: cumin seeds, ground coriander, fresh or ground ginger, garam masala, cardamom pods, cayenne pepper or red chili powder, ground cumin, and salt.
Fresh cilantro and plain yogurt: I finish off this dish with fresh chopped cilantro and a dollop of creamy plain yogurt, which can be vegan.
🔪 How To Make
I make this in one pot, yay for less cleaning up! Once the spices are added, the steps move quickly, so be sure to have all your ingredients weighed, measured, and ready to go.
Cook the onions: In a large pot, I heat my olive oil over medium-high heat, add my onions, and cook until tender and caramelized.
Toast the spices: Next, I reduce the heat slightly, add the garlic, cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garam masala, and cardamom. I stir constantly to make sure the spices are toasted and not burning. Once your cumin seeds start popping, you can move on to the next step.
Add tomatoes and potatoes: I pour the tinned tomatoes into the pot and crush them with a potato masher. Next, I add in my cubed potatoes.
Simmer and add chickpeas: At this point, I bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat to a steady simmer, and add the remaining spices, chopped cilantro, and chickpeas. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, and the sauce has thickened.
Serve: I finish off the curry with some more fresh cilantro and a dollop of plain yogurt.
💭 Expert Tips
My #1 Secret Tip for this chana aloo masala recipe is to take my time caramelizing the onions until they are a deep golden brown and have released their natural sugars. This step builds the base flavor of the curry, and it makes the final product taste as if it has simmered for hours.
Other Tips To Keep In Mind:
- Remove husks from the chickpeas: I sometimes notice the translucent husks detaching from the chickpeas. These can leave a bitter flavor. If I have the time, I boil the chickpeas in a small pot of water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. The husks float to the top, and you can easily remove them.
- Keep your spices in the fridge or freezer: I extend the shelf life of certain dry spices by keeping them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. This way, my spices always taste fresh.
- Small potato cubes: I have experimented with larger potato pieces, but quickly discovered that they extended cooking time significantly. I also noticed that larger pieces of potato develop the leather outer layer when cooked in an acid, such as tomato gravy.
- Save your garam masala for last: This is an old school pro tip, instead of adding all your garam masala during the initial cooking stages, save at least 1 spoonful for the very end. Once you have switched off your heat, stir it through and reignite the flavors.
- Remove the cardamom pods: I remove all my cardamom pods before serving. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that picky eaters become grumpy picky eaters when they bite into one of these.
📖 Variations
I have been making this recipe for years, and have been able to play around with it. These are the three variations that have been approved by my family.
Leafy greens: I stir in 3 cups of chopped baby spinach during the last 5 minutes of simmering. It melts right into the sauce and adds to the iron intake, perfect for my picky eaters.
Extra heat: If we are in the mood for a hotter take on this curry, I add in one sliced serrano pepper with the tomatoes. This does not affect the flavor balance but adds heat like my hubby likes.
Creamy finish: For a richer and mellower taste, I stir in 1/3 cup of coconut milk at the end. My absolute favorite!
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Indian food is meant to be served and enjoyed family style. I guess that is why I always make several side dishes and accompaniments when I make my chana aloo masala. My family loves the full restaurant-style experience. The last time I made this dinner for my family, I laid out a spread which included fluffy basmati rice and authentic Guyanese roti. I even served a starter platter filled with my traditional Indian samosas.
If I am making this for a larger group, I like to add a few more traditional Indian dishes to the table. I get especially excited if I am cooking for someone who has not had the privilege of experiencing authentic home-cooked Indian food. My roasted tandoori cauliflower is a favorite among everyone, so I make sure I have extra. I also like to end the meal by sticking with the theme, with a rasmalai tres leches cake.
🧊 Storing And ♨️ Reheating
Refrigeration: I allow the curry to cool completely, store it in an airtight container, which keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Any leftovers can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Personally, I like to label it with the date, since my future self appreciates that kind of organization.
Reheating: I reheat my chana aloo masala on the stove top and add a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much. If reheating from frozen, I first thaw the curry in the refrigerator overnight.
❓Recipe FAQs
Why does my chana aloo taste flat even after all the spices?
Flat-tasting curry comes down to one of three things in my kitchen: The onions were not cooked long enough, the spices were not toasted sufficiently, or the curry did not simmer long enough to thicken. These steps should not be rushed. Making a curry is like a delicate science. If your curry is flat, return it to the stove, uncovered, and simmer for a bit longer.
What can I do if my curry is too spicy?
When I accidentally exceed the heat threshold, I do not try to fix it by adding more salt. That is a myth. I usually stir in a few spoonfuls of yogurt, milk, or a generous squeeze of lemon juice. If the heat is still too intense, I serve the curry with mint yogurt, which helps balance the heat, but still complements the flavor.
How can I thicken up my chana aloo masala without flour or cornstarch?
This curry thickens naturally, but if it does become watery, I mash a few potatoes near the end of cooking and stir them through the curry. Then I allow it to simmer uncovered for 3-5 minutes until thick.
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🎥 Watch How to Make It
Chana Aloo Masala
Ordinarily, curries are labor of love, but this one comes together in 1 hour and has everything I am looking for in a curry. I make this chana aloo masala with tender chickpeas, creamy potatoes, and a warm garam masala spice blend. The robust tomato gravy has a restaurant-style quality while still tasting really authentic. It is nourishing, family-friendly, naturally vegan, and gluten-free.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 227kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground ginger or 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 4 cardamom pods lightly crushed
- 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes 1 can
- 1 tsp salt more to taste
- 1 tbsp cilantro leaves chopped, plus more for garnish
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper add more to taste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 30 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 (15 oz) cans
- 5 baby red potatoes diced
- 6 tbsp plain non fat Greek yogurt or coconut milk yogurt optional, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and red onion and cook, stirring frequently until it is deeply caramelized. Reduce the heat to low.
- Add the garlic, cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garam masala, and cardamom pods, and fry them, stirring constantly, until the cumin seeds pop and the spices are fragrant and toasty, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the juice and the tomatoes from the can and crush them in the pot with a potato masher. Add the salt and the potatoes.
- Raise the heat to medium-high, and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cilantro and cayenne, and all of the rest of the spices, and simmer the sauce until it reduces a bit and begins to thicken. Add the chickpeas, and stir to combine.
- Keep simmering the curry on low until the chickpeas and potatoes soften (about 30 minutes).
- Serve and top with cilantro and yogurt.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this chana aloo masala recipe is to take my time caramelizing the onions until they are a deep golden brown and have released their natural sugars. This step builds the base flavor of the curry, and it makes the final product taste as if it has simmered for hours.
- Remove husks from the chickpeas: I sometimes notice the translucent husks detaching from the chickpeas. These can leave a bitter flavor. If I have the time, I boil the chickpeas in a small pot of water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. The husks float to the top, and you can easily remove them.
- Keep your spices in the fridge or freezer: I extend the shelf life of certain dry spices by keeping them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. This way, my spices always taste fresh.
- Small potato cubes: I have experimented with larger potato pieces, but quickly discovered that they extended cooking time significantly. I also noticed that larger pieces of potato develop the leather outer layer when cooked in an acid, such as tomato gravy.
- Save your garam masala for last: This is an old school pro tip, instead of adding all your garam masala during the initial cooking stages, save at least 1 spoonful for the very end. Once you have switched off your heat, stir it through and reignite the flavors.
- Remove the cardamom pods: I remove all my cardamom pods before serving. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that picky eaters become grumpy picky eaters when they bite into one of these.
Nutrition
Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.2g | Protein: 9.9g | Fat: 3.3g | Sodium: 430.2mg | Fiber: 7.3g | Sugar: 7.5g
We absolutely loved this chana masala. It was very easy to prepare and the end results, absolutely delicious. My hubs has requested me to make this often.
Yay!! So happy to hear that Eileen!
I made this tonight and it’s excellent! I didn’t have the cumin seeds but doubled the powder. Also doubled the cayenne because I like the heat. Thanks for posting!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that Cynthia! 🙂
I made this recipe tonight and it was way too tomatoey. I’m used to making a chana masala with fresh tomatoes after cooking it. I didn’t use potatoes because I prepared a cauliflower rice. Could this have made the difference in taste?
Hi Jill! If you left out the potatoes then yes, the tomatoes would be too much for this dish. You can also try omitting the tomatoes and adding them as a garnish after the dish is cooked!
How would you make this recipe toddler friendly for an 18 month old?
Hi Dhaval! Honestly, I’d make it the exact same way – but maybe just omit the cayenne pepper. When I make it for our family, I make it exactly as the recipe says but I don’t add in the cayenne. Once everything is cooked, I separate out Layla’s portion in a bowl, and then I add in the cayenne pepper (to the pot) for us so we still get a spicy meal. When I give it to Layla, I mix it with a little bit of yogurt and she absolutely loves it! Hope that helps!
thanks! so you leave the garam masala in?
Yup I leave the garam masala in! The garam masala I use isn’t like hot-spicy — so it just adds a wonderful depth of flavor and Layla really likes it. I add it to her khichdi too and it works great!
This sounds great! Can’t wait to try it. The pictures are beautiful too!
Thanks Deb! This is one of our favorite recipes – I hope you love it as much as we do!
Hi! Are cardamom pods just in the spice section?? And do you have a recipe for Palak Paneer?
Hi Kristen! Yes – you can get cardamom pods in most spice sections at the grocery store. They are usually right next to the bottles of ground cardamom. Hope that helps! I don’t have a recipe for Palak Paneer yet, but it’s definitely on my list of recipes I’d like to “healthify” – so stay tuned!
This looks great, I can’t way to try it. I’m counting my calories and I was just wondering what the serving size for this recipe is. Thanks, Chitra
Hi Chitra! So this recipe makes 6 servings, so the serving size is 1/6 of the Chana Masala + 1 Tbsp yogurt. Hope that helps! Can’t wait to hear how you like this recipe!
I’m a terrible cook. Mine turned out really chunky and undercooked yet I mananged to burn the bottom of my pot too. 🙁 Also the canned tomatoes taste tin-ny.
Hi Lucy, I’m so sorry to hear that! It sounds like you ended up cooking this on too-high heat – which is why the bottom burnt but the entire recipe wasn’t actually cooked. Next time, try cooking it on medium/low heat – and stir it frequently so that all the moisture from the bottom doesn’t get absorbed by the heat (which also leads to the bottom burning). The canned tomatoes will taste tinny if they aren’t cooked through properly, and the type of canned tomato you buy is important. Make sure to buy organic, non-GMO, BPA-free lined cans – then the tomatoes won’t have a strange/canned/tinny taste to them. Hope that helps, and I hope you keep cooking! Practice makes perfect – I promise, I had many mishaps in the kitchen when I was learning how to cook! Good luck, and keep me posted on how things go!
Hi! I stumbled onto your blog from Gina’s @Skinnytaste.com and thank goodness! My fiance and I are huge indian food lovers, but living in the Memphis, TN – we don’t really have a lot of options. I have been trying for months to find good, authentic recipes for some of our favorite dishes that would also be healthy (wedding is only 3 months away)! So Thank You for having such great recipes and blog. I am only a little sad that I didn’t discover it earlier, when I was working out in Walnut Creek CA…..
Hi Kelly!! It’s so nice to meet you, and thanks so much for your kind words about my blog! I can’t wait to hear how you and your fiance like this Chana Masala recipe – you’ll have to let me know how it turns out. Too bad you’re not in the Bay Area anymore, you’ll have to let me know if you end up coming back for a visit. Happy new year btw! 🙂
The Chana Masala was a huge success, although a little chunkier than yours! I will have to work on my technique! Thanks!
That’s so great Kelly! Chunky Chana Masala is totally ok too 🙂 Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Yum! They served Chana at my brother’s wedding. Can’t wait to try it at home.
That’s awesome! We served Chana during one of the events at my wedding too 🙂 It’s one of those great staples that’s just always delicious. I’m sure you’ll love this version of the original!
Chickpeas and potatoes 🙂 enough said 🙂
haha totally 🙂 enjoy!
Love the way you’ve put step by step picture and guided us through the preparation. Just a small tip / suggestion. When you boil chickpeas at home, add 1 or 2 tea bags and pressure cook the normal way. This adds a little dark brown color to your chickpeas but doesn’t affect the taste. Go ahead with the same recipe. It works best with bhature.
That’s a really interesting tip, thanks for sharing Meenakshi!
I love chana masala but never make it at home, mainly because I don’t know how. Something tells me your recipe is awesome. Bookmarking this one for sure. Hope all is well and hope to see you soon 🙂
Aw thanks so much Trish!! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you. And yes – will definitely see you soon!
Looks really delicious. Following your step by step pictures – I was getting hungrier by the minute.
Thanks Mina! I’m sure you will love this recipe!
Love it! Next on my list to try 🙂
And I love your “how can you not like yogurt?” – I would have the same exact reaction. Yogurt and chana masala are so perfect together!
Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think Eisha! And I totally agree – yogurt gives the perfect cool quality to the hot & spicy Chana Masala 🙂
My hubby to be doesn’t like yogurt either. I don’t get it. I won’t tell him when yogurt is in things because he says he can taste it. He can’t- silly mind games!
Haha I’ve done that before too and I totally agree – if I don’t tell him it’s yogurt he doesn’t know (but sometimes he knows that something is “different”) 🙂