One-Pot Chickpea Tikka Masala [Vegan]

A simple, hearty, filling meatless meal made in one pot with a homemade Tikka Masala spice blend and pantry staples like chickpeas, canned tomatoes, and coconut milk. Make this saucy, spicy, warming dish for Meatless Monday or any night you need something warm and satisfying for dinner. 

Say hello to my new favorite dinner: Homemade Chickpea Tikka Masala. 

Yes, it’s like Chicken Tikka Masala…but with chickpeas instead of chicken to make it entirely meatless!

It’s saucy, smoky, spicy, hearty, filling, a little creamy from canned coconut milk, and super comforting on a chilly night. Plus, it’s made in 1-pot in about 30 minutes and uses simple pantry ingredients (plus loads of fresh ginger and garlic) and makes great leftovers. 

I mean, really, what’s not to love?

Let’s make Tikka Masala!

It all starts with the spice blend. Typical Tikka Masala calls for anywhere from 6-15 spices, and getting the right proportions can be tricky. Not to mention, pulling out so many jars from the spice cabinet makes it feel like a project when, truly, this recipe is as simple as it gets. 

So, instead, we’re going to start by making a big batch of my favorite Tikka Masala Spice Blend. It makes enough for three batches of Tikka Masala and can easily be scaled up if you know you want to keep mass quantities of this around for your weekly Tikka Masala fix!

Here’s what I love to put in my Tikka Masala Spice Blend:

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Garam Masala. This is a blend of spices like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and often features spices that I don’t keep in the pantry like mace, curry leaf, dried mango, fennel, fenugreek, etc. It’s a great base flavor for our spice blend, and is a classic Tikka Masala addition! 

Cardamom. For warmth and depth.

Cumin. For smokiness and earthiness.

Coriander. For brightness.

Smoked Paprika. For color and smokiness.

Turmeric. For color and a little bit of bitterness.

Cayenne. For an extra kick of heat. 

Once you have a jar of this in the pantry, making Tikka Masala is as easy as chopping and sautéing onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno, opening up a few cans from the pantry (chickpeas, tomatoes, and coconut milk), sprinkling in spices, and letting everything simmer until thick and luscious. 

Since traditional Tikka Masala is made with yogurt (or yogurt-marinated chicken), I like to add a little squirt of lemon juice and a drizzle of maple syrup at the end, just to help add a touch of acidity and balance out the spice: both of these ingredients are optional, and won’t make or break the dish. If you have them, add them! If not, you’ll still have some killer meatless tikka. 

 Serve it with cilantro over rice, with naan, or with a side of veggies like broccoli or cauliflower. Or, do like I do, and make a batch over the weekend and portion it out into glass containers for easy grab-and-go tikka masala for lunches or dinners on busy days. 

Either way, I think you are going to LOVE this easy homemade Chickpea Tikka Masala. If you try it out, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your saucy goodness and share it with me on Instagram… I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen! 

One-Pot Chickpea Tikka Masala [Vegan]

2018-09-27 06:45:58

Serves 4

A simple, hearty, filling meatless meal made in one pot with a homemade Tikka Masala spice blend and pantry staples like chickpeas, canned tomatoes, and coconut milk. Make this saucy, spicy, warming dish for Meatless Monday or any night you need something warm and satisfying for dinner. 

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Total Time

30 min

Total Time

30 min

Tikka Masala Spice Blend

1. 2 Tablespoons garam masala
2. 2 Tablespoons turmeric
3. 1 Tablespoon cumin
4. 1 Tablespoon coriander
5. 1 Tablespoon cardamom
6. 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
7. 1 teaspoon cayenne

Tikka Masala

1. 2 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil
2. 1 medium yellow or red onion
3. 4 large cloves garlic
4. 4-inch piece of fresh ginger
5. 2 jalapeno peppers
6. 3 Tablespoons Tikka Masala Spice Blend
7. 1 teaspoon sea salt
8. 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained
9. 28oz can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes* (or 2 14-oz cans)
10. 15-oz can full-fat coconut milk
11. juice of half a lemon (optional, for a little tang)
12. 1 teaspoon maple syrup, honey, or sugar of choice (optional, to balance the heat)
13. 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. 1. Start by making the spice blend. Put all ingredients into a small jar with a lid, and shake to fully combine. Pro tip: if serving your tikka masala with rice, start the rice now, so it's cooking while you make the tikka masala.
2. 2. Heat a large sauce pan or skillet with tall sides over medium heat. Peel and finely dice the onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeños (remove the jalapeno seeds only if you're sensitive to heat). Add diced veggies to the skillet with coconut oil, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until starting to soften. While veggies sautée, open up all your cans (and drain the chickpeas) so they're ready to dump into the pan in the next step.
3. 3. Add 3 Tablespoons of the spice blend and salt to the pan and stir to combine, then add in chickpeas, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Increase heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes.
4. 4. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice and maple syrup (if using), and chopped cilantro. Stir to combine, then serve over rice, with naan or veggies like broccoli or cauliflower. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

1. *If you can't find fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, regular work fine here! I just love their added depth of flavor, so they're always in my pantry.
2. The spice blend can be doubled or tripled to keep a large jar around for easy weeknight tikka masala. The recipe above should make enough spice blend for 3 batches of tikka masala.

By Chelsea Colbath

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