Easy Chana Aloo

4.87 from 23 votes

Easy Chickpea and Potato curry which gets done in 30 minutes! This Chana Aloo is best enjoyed over white rice with some onions on the side. Vegan & gluten-free.

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Easy Chana Aloo Curry gets done in 30 minutes and is the perfect meal for those busy days!

This chickpea and potato curry is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and is best served with rice.

This post is sponsored by Circulon. All opinions expressed are my own.

chana aloo served in 2 white bowls and topped with sliced onion and lime wedge

As the rush of a new week begins, we all look forward to easy and quick recipes. We all like to eat better (well most of the time) but struggle with the time constraints. And I get that, because in spite of being a food blogger, I struggle with this too.

There are days when I literally have 30 minutes to put food on the table (or else we eat out!) and on those days, I rely back on my easy Indian recipes. Ever since I started cooking myself, I have adapted several of my favorite Indian recipes to make them easier and quicker for busy days.

One such meal that I make pretty often on those busy nights is this Easy Chana Aloo. I serve it over white rice in a bowl with some sliced onions on the side to make a complete meal. Don’t you love the convenience of these “meal-in-a-bowl” recipes!

Traditionally, this curry uses raw chickpeas which are soaked overnight and then cooked for good 25-30 minutes until really softened.

chana aloo served over rice in a bowl topped with onion, chilies and lime wedge

In this easy version, I use canned chickpeas to speed up the process. What also helps to put this curry together in no time is my new Circulon Elementum Cookware!

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chana aloo served in a nonstick pan with a plate full of onions and chilies on the side

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I used the 3 Qt. Covered Saute to make this Chana Aloo Curry. This generously sized pan made it easy for me to make enough curry for us to last few days. Yay for meal prep!

This Chana Aloo Curry

✓ is vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free

✓ one-pot meal which is perfect for busy days!

✓ great for meal-prep

✓ also great to pack in your lunch box

✓ served over rice in a bowl for that complete “meal-in-a-bowl” experience

✓ tastes even better the next day!

chana aloo served over rice in a bowl topped with onion, chilies and lime wedge

Few tips on making this Chana Aloo

Remember to chop the potatoes small, preferably in ½ inch cubes or less, else they will take a lot of time to cook completely.

Adjust spice levels to taste. If you do not have all these spices, simply use a tablespoon or two of curry powder with some smoked paprika and it would still be great. I don’t like too much heat in my food hence I have used little cayenne pepper here, you can add as much as you like.

I have used canned diced tomatoes here to cut short the process. But you can use 2-3 regular tomatoes in place. Just chop them fine or puree and then use in the recipe.

I served this curry over white rice but you may eat it with brown rice, quinoa or any other grain of choice.

Hope you guys like this Easy Chana Aloo recipe! Please tag me on social media using the hashtag #cookwithmanali if you happen to make it. I love seeing all your pictures. And don’t forget to participate in the giveaway, generously sponsored by Circulon!

and now let’s see how easy it really is to make this Chana Aloo!

Method

1- Heat oil in Circulon Elementum 3 Qt. Covered Saute Pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cloves and cumin seeds. Saute for few seconds until the cumin seeds sizzle and the spices are fragrant.

2- Add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions turn light golden brown in color.

3- Then add in a can of diced tomatoes and stir well.

4- Add the spices- coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and stir. Also add the salt, mix well and let it all cook for 3-4 minutes.

step by step recipe pictures of chana aloo

5- Add in the chickpeas and cubed potatoes. Mix well until the chickpeas and the potatoes are coated with the masala.

6- Add 1.5 to 2 cups of water to the pan and stir.

7- Close the pan with its lid and let the curry cook on medium heat for around 12 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and the curry thickens up.

8- Once the curry is done, add in the cilantro and the lime juice and mix.

step by step recipe pictures of chana aloo

Serve chana aloo over rice for a comforting meal!

chana aloo served over rice in a bowl topped with onion, chilies and lime wedge

If you’ve tried this Easy Chana Aloo Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

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Easy Chana Aloo

4.87 from 23 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Easy Chickpea and Potato curry which gets done in 30 minutes! This Chana Aloo is best enjoyed over white rice with some onions on the side. Vegan & gluten-free.

Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons oil I used avocado oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 green cardamom pods
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 large onion 200 grams, finely chopped
  • 3-4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 inch ginger finely chopped
  • 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper adjust to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 30 oz can chickpeas 850 grams/2 x 15 oz
  • 1 large potato 320 grams, cut into 1/2" cubes, around 1.5 cups cubed potatoes
  • 1.5-2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro plus more to garnish
  • juice of 1/2 lime
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Instructions 

  • Heat oil in a Circulon Elementum 3 Qt. Covered Saute Pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cloves and cumin seeds. Saute for few seconds until the cumin seeds sizzle and the spices are fragrant.
  • Add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions turn light golden brown in color.
  • Then add in a can of diced tomatoes and stir well.
  • Add the spices- coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and stir. Also add the salt, mix well and let it all cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add in the chickpeas and cubed potatoes. Mix well until the chickpeas and the potatoes are coated with the masala.
  • Add 1.5 to 2 cups of water to the pan and stir.
  • Close the pan with its lid and let the curry cook on medium heat for around 12 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and the curry thickens up.
  • Once the curry is done, add in the cilantro and the lime juice and mix.
  • Serve chana aloo over rice for a comforting meal!

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1046mg, Potassium: 588mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 340IU, Vitamin C: 13.5mg, Calcium: 132mg, Iron: 4.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Your feedback is valuable!Please share your comments, ratings, and any suggestions or adaptations below to help us improve and make our recipes more successful.

Hi, I’m Manali!

Bringing you easy, delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes! Eating veggies can be fun, you just need to get creative in the kitchen with the right set of ingredients!


4.87 from 23 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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87 Comments

  1. Do you remove the bay leaf and cardamom pods at some point? Also, what if I don’t have:
    whole cloves or cumin seeds? Can I use the ground spice version? If so, how much of each?

    1. yes you can remove them before eating as some people do not like biting into whole spices. I would skip the whole cloves, powder is not a good substitute here. and same for cumin seeds. Cumin seeds and cumin powder give different flavor to a dish. The recipe uses cumin powder already.

  2. 4 stars
    Very tasty but sadly the potatoes didn’t cook well at all so I removed a star. Cooked for 20mins still not done and they were cubed… In the plus side I added paneer which was fried seperately and it was such a good addition!

    1. Hi Dom, looks like you cut the potatoes too big. Potatoes should cook in 20 minutes if they are chopped not too big. Please dice them into smaller cubes next time.

  3. Like many others, I found this tasty and saying, ‘I love it!’ I didn’t bother with rice so I had naan on the side.

    One minor ding is the Prep Time listed as 5 minutes. Unless you have a lime of sous chefs in your kitchen, just gathering the ingredients takes 5 min. Then there’s measuring the spices, chopping the onion, garlic, and ginger, the potatoes, cilantro, etc. Easily 20 minutes of prep. Just saying.

  4. 5 stars
    Hi Manali, Happy New Year to you and your family!
    I’ve never been much of a chic pea fan but my son had been hounding me to make this recipe. Glad I did! Easy to put together and very tasty for a New Year’s Eve dinner. Full disclosure: I used dried chic peas (soaked overnight then simmered for an hour) and also had to crank the heat up a notch with a bit of hot red pepper. Served with lamb bhuna, fried patra, the everpresent hariyali paneer tikka, rice and homemade hot lime pickle. Also worth mentioning, it was just as good reheated this morning!

  5. 5 stars
    Made this recipe last night, delicious! I took my time making the masala sautéing ingredients over medium heat and I cooked it in a cast iron pan. I also used chicken broth instead of water. I bumped up the turmeric and cumin by 1/4 tsp, some of my spices might’ve been old. But I agree it had the perfect amount of heat. I thought it was very tasty and had a lot of good flavor. The only trouble I was keeping enough broth in the pan toward the end, it kept evaporating.

  6. 5 stars
    I love your recipe but I add cherry tomatoes instead and cauliflower to make it Gobi. I skipped the first part as I had none of these spices available so I started with the onion and down from there, thanks!

  7. Hi Manali
    Loved this dish was bored of my recipe.
    Thanks so much also tried your awesome naan recipe which was delicious.
    Thanks for sharing!

  8. 5 stars
    I would rate this 10 stars if I could! Made this last night for my husband and mother-in-law and served it with homemade garlic naan. OMG we were in heaven, and I’ll definitely be making this again. I didn’t have whole cloves (or at least I couldn’t find them in my spice cupboard), so I just added a pinch of ground cloves. I also didn’t have cilantro, which I adore and will serve with it next time – but it tasted wonderful without it. Thanks for the recipe! Perfect balance of spices, with just the right amount of heat!