Vegan Chickpea Tikka Masala – So much better than takeout and so much quicker! If you find yourself heading to your local Indian takeaway, you just need to try this one-pot Vegan Tikka Masala Curry – ready in under 30 MINUTES!
Serve warm over Pilau rice or with naan bread to scoop out all the creamy sauce.
Learn how to make this One Pot Chickpeas Tikka Masala recipe with ease following the step-by-step method.

ONE POT CHICKPEA TIKKA MASALA CURRY RECIPE
Paneer Tikka Masala is something I like to treat my guests on special occasions. Surprisingly I haven’t posted a recipe yet on this blog. But there are many times, we have a vegan guest around and I have been in a fix thinking how do I treat them to a special curry, a vegan version of our tikka masala.
It’s a shame that our vegan guests miss on something delicious. So I simply decided to swap the Paneer for Chickpeas and use coconut milk instead of cream in this recipe. This easy and delicious Vegan Chickpeas Tikka Masala was a clear winner on the table.
It was not just the vegan guests but our vegetarian guests also loved it thoroughly!
You can cook Chickpeas at home in less than 1 hour. I have got you covered with all the details on whether to soak or not soak? How to cook dried chickpeas in a pressure cooker? Check out my post to make a large batch and save some money too.
WE KNOW YOU WILL LOVE THESE CHICKPEA TIKKA MASALA VEGAN ! BECAUSE THEY ARE
So easy to make. You will ditch your visit to the Indian takeaway joint.
Full-on Flavors even the next day!
All about comfort food with ease!
Healthier and just so delicious.
totally a delight with roti, flatbread, naan bread, or paratha
Ready in just 30 minutes


VEGAN CHICKPEA TIKKA MASALA
This Tikka Masala curry is healthy with incredible flavours. Dairy-Free Free & Gluten-Free! It is actually made with pantry staple ingredients along with 2 minutes Garam masala or Tikka Masala Powder. The recipe is quite straightforward.
Firstly, we quickly stir up a curry base. Then top it up with chickpeas & coconut milk which lends a creamy coconut flavour to this curry. Finally, finish the chana masala with coconut milk off with coriander leaves.
Flavors in this curry just gets better the next day. Well, I mean the leftover tikka masala is so delicious, that I do stir up a big batch and save some for my lunch next day.
I like using Tikka Masala powder for this curry, however if you don’t have any in your pantry, just use some garam masala powder instead. It is easy to stir up an instant garam masala recipe in 2 minutes.
INGREDIENTS FOR THIS TIKKA MASALA CURRY with CHICKPEAS
Oil – Sunflower oil or Olive Oil works well. I like to keep the quantity of oil quite low in my curries, as the recipe really doesn’t need more.
Onions – Red Onions add a lot of flavor to the Chickpeas curry. However, White Onions also work well. 1 large onion or 2 small onions are good for this recipe.
Ginger & Garlic – Use 1″ Ginger and 4 cloves of Garlic minced. Alternatively use 1 Tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste.
Canned chopped tomato – Add the whole can along with juice to the curry base. Canned tomatoes add a depth of red color to the curry. You can swap likewise with fresh tomatoes too if they are available in plenty.
Tomato Paste
Chickpeas – I usually have a batch of cooked chickpeas in my fridge, so they went straight into this curry. For convenience, you can use 2 cans of chickpeas. Remember to drain the water before you add the chickpeas to tikka masala
Garam Masala Powder or Tikka Masala Powder – To give our Tikka Masala gravy an authentic spin, add tikka masala powder. However, if you don’t have them accessible add HOMEMADE garam masala powder to the recipe.
Please keep in mind, Curry Powder is not Garam Masala Powder.
Turmeric Powder
Red Chilli Powder or Cayenne Pepper
Salt to taste
Coconut Milk or Cashew Cream works as a great vegan replacement in the authentic tikka masala gravy. But if you are not keen on a vegan choice, just go for HEAVY CREAM OR DOUBLE CREAM.
Coriander Leaves or Cilantro Leaves
HOW TO MAKE ONE-POT CHICKPEA TIKKA MASALA STEP BY STEP
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.

Add onions, salt, and saute in between until translucent. About 3 minutes.
Stir in minced garlic and ginger

Cook Ginger Garlic Onion mixture until fragrant for about 2 minutes.
Stir in a can of chopped tomatoes.

Add the Garam masala powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder & salt, and stir.
Cover and cook until the tomatoes are mushy, about 5-6 minutes.

Add 2 tbsp tomato paste, 3/4 cup of water, and cook covered for 2-3 minutes.

Add chickpeas, coconut milk and cook for another 5 minutes, until the curry gravy has thickened.


Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Add more coconut milk to the curry, if you find it spicer.
Switch off the flame. Remove the chickpea tikka masala from heat and garnish it with coriander leaves.
Serve this vegan Indian curry with steaming white rice and naan bread.

Btw, did you know
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA IS UK’S NATIONAL DISH.
So popular and top of the chart at most of the restaurants. Yes, it is true that Chicken tikka masala is now a British national dish because Chicken Tikka was devised for the British to suit their flavors by Indians during the rule of the British Empire (between 1858- 1947 ).
Being a vegetarian, I like to Serve One-Pot Vegan Chicken Tikka Masala by making real deal simple swaps. I would recommend using Chickpeas for Chicken in the Tikka Masala and coconut milk instead of cream.
YOU MAY LOVE TO TRY THESE RECIPES TOO
Easy VEGAN CHICKPEA TIKKA MASALA RECIPE WITH COCONUT MILK BELOW

Ingredients
- 2 Tsp oil
- 2 medium onion roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 1 can chopped tomato 400g
- 2 Tsp Tomato Paste
- 2 Cup Cooked Chickpeas
- 1 Tbsp Garam Masala Powder or Tikka Masala Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 Tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 Tsp ground cumin
- 1 Tsp ground coriander
- 2 Tbsp Kasuri Methi Optional
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
- 3/4 Cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Coriander Leaves
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add onions, salt and saute in between until translucent. About 3 minutes.
- Stir in ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant for about 2 minutes.
- Add the can of chopped tomatoes.
- Add the Garam masala powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder , coriander powder, cumin powder & salt and stir.
- Cover and cook until the tomatoes are mushy, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add 2 tbsp tomato paste, 3/4 cup of water and cook covered for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chickpeas, coconut milk and cook for another 5 minutes, until the curry gravy has thickened.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Switch off the flame. Remove the chickpea tikka masala from heat, add crushed kasuri methi and garnish with coriander leaves. Stir.
- Serve this vegan curry with steaming white rice and naan bread.
Nutrition
FISSLER RIVA 5 PIECE SET
Recently the lovely folks at Fissler International sent me a Riva 5 piece stainless steel set . These high gloss stainless steel beauties have a timeless and classic design, making everyday cooking an absolute pleasure.
This set consists of
Roasting pot 20 cm
Cooking pot 16 cm , 20 cm & 24cm
Stemmed casserole without lid 16 cm
Some of the wonderful features of these 5 piece set are
- Heat retention properties – The superthermic base of the riva set has the best absorption, hear distribution and storage. Rice made in the saucepan stayed warm for a good 2 hours. Just ideal for Energy saving cooking.
- Non stick feature – Usually food cooked in SS pots will stick to the base. But we did not have any rice or curry sticking to the base. Check out the pictures in detail in my step by step method.
- Tight Metal lid – preserved all the flavors of my chickpea tikka masala intact.
I couldn’t have imagined cooking a curry or rice in Stainless steel cookware if it was not for Riva set.
A good cookware is highly recommended to keep up the amazing spirits while cooking up 1000’s of meals in your culinary corner. Current RRP – £299. So what are you waiting for? How about treating your friends and family this Christmas.
Disclosure – Sandhya’s Kitchen was sent Riva 5 Piece Set by Fissler for review. All opinions expressed here are of my own.
Looks good! I just made it tonight!! Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Hi Terri, Thank you for your message.So glad to you, you loved the vegan chana masala recipe.
Perfect Vegan curry for Weekday night!! I love the fact, vegan chickpea curry uses pantry staples and can be made in one pot in 30 minutes!
Omg, this curry was a clear winner at home!! My family really loved it and the curry was mopped clean.