Vegan Chickpea Tikka Masala – So much better than a takeout and so much quicker! If you find yourself heading to your local Indian takeaway, you just need try this one pot Vegan Tikka Masala – ready in under 30 MINUTES. Serve warm over steamed rice or with naan bread to scoop out all the creamy sauce.
Learn how to make this Chickpeas Tikka Masala recipe with ease following the step by step method.
We were recently sent a Riva 5 piece Set by Fissler. Do check out to see how much we loved them.
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 a 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.
Its 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 pressure cooker? Check out my post to make a large batch and save some money too.
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.
VEGAN CHICKPEA TIKKA MASALA
This Tikka Masala curry is healthy with incredible flavours. It is actually made with pantry staple ingredients along with Garam masala or Tikka Masala Powder. Recipe is quite straight forward. 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 it 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 a quick tikka masala powder at home too.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKPEAS TIKKA MASALA
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 – I have used a teaspoon of ginger paste and garlic paste to make this tikka masala. You can use 1″ Ginger and 4 cloves of Garlic minced as an alternative.
Canned chopped tomato – Add the whole can along with juice to the curry base. Canned tomatoes add a depth of red color in the curry. You can swap like wise 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. However 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 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 ginger paste and garlic paste .
Cook Ginger Garlic Onion mixture until fragrant for about 2 minutes.
Stir in 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. 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 with coriander leaves.
Serve this vegan 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 flavours 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 to use Chickpeas for Chicken in the Tikka Masala and coconut milk instead of cream.
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 Flavours even the next day!
All about comfort food with ease!
Healthier and just so delicious.
totally a delight with roti, naan bread or paratha
ready in just 30 minutes
YOU MAY LOVE TO TRY THESE RECIPES TOO
VEGAN EASY CHICKPEA TIKKA MASALA RECIPE BELOW

Vegan Chickpea Tikka Masala - So much better than a takeout and so much quicker! This one pot Vegan Tikka Masala is ready in just 30 minutes. Serve warm over steamed rice or with naan to scoop out all the creamy sauce. Here's the link to cook Chickpeas at home.
- 2 Tsp oil
- 2 medium onion roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 1 can 400g chopped tomato
- 2 Tsp Tomato Paste
- 2 Cups Cooked Chickpeas
- 1 Tbsp Garam Masala Powder or Tikka Masala Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 Tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 Tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
- 2 Tbsp Kasuri Methi Optional
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
- 3/4 Cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Coriander Leaves
-
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
-
Add onions, salt and saute in between until translucent. About 3 minutes.
-
Stir in ginger paste and garlic paste and cook until fragrant for about 2 minutes.
-
Stir in 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.
Disclosure – Sandhya’s Kitchen was sent Riva 5 Piece Set by Fissler for review. All opinions expressed here are of my own.
Looks good!
When should the Kasuri Methi be added? It’s on the ingredient list, but not used.
Hi Terri, Thank you for your message.
Kasuri methi is always added at the end just before adding the cilantro/ coriander leaves.. It does elevate the flavors of the curry.