An EASY vegan version of vindaloo has evaded us for a while. Recreating the rich, spicy, warming flavors of this Indian curry while staying true to our commitment to simplicity is a challenge. The quest continues, but through our trials and tribulations, we landed on a super comforting, warming chickpea curry that was too good not to share!
Made in 1 pot with easy-to-find ingredients, this curry is fuss-free and SO flavorful. Let us show you how it’s done!
The vindaloo we’ve tried from Indian restaurants has a rich, spicy, tangy, and not-too-tomatoey sauce that has us totally hooked! Recreating the exact dish turned out to be too ambitious for weeknight cooking (let’s be honest…too difficult, and we’re getting takeout!), but what we landed on has become a new weeknight favorite!
This 1-pot chickpea curry starts with sautéing onion and red bell pepper until very tender, which creates a rich, savory-sweet base. Then fresh ginger, garlic, and cumin seeds begin sending it into warming territory!
Next come fresh tomatoes for a saucy, substantial base. We tried with canned but found the stronger tomato flavor overpowered the dish. A little bit of tomato paste, however, adds depth and thickness.
We kept the spices simple, warming, and accessible: red pepper flakes, coriander, cinnamon, and clove.
The remaining essentials include chickpeas for heartiness, vegetable broth to make it saucy, sea salt for overall flavor, and a little apple cider vinegar and coconut sugar (or another sweetener) to mimic the sweet, tangy flavors of vindaloo.
After simmering to thicken and let the flavors develop, you can optionally stir in baby spinach for a nutritional boost!
We hope you LOVE this chickpea curry! It’s:
Warming
Savory
Subtly spicy
Vibrant
Comforting
Wholesome
& SO delicious!
It’s a simple, satisfying weeknight meal that pairs perfectly with our Easy Jeera Rice and feels extra special when served with Easy Vegan Naan or Fluffy Gluten-Free Naan.
More Chickpea Recipes
- Spicy Buffalo Chickpea Wraps
- 1-Pot Chickpea Shakshuka
- Curried Quinoa Chickpea Burgers
- 1-Pot Chickpea Tomato Peanut Stew (West African-Inspired)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Warming 1-Pot Chickpea Curry (Vindaloo-Inspired)
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tbsp coconut or avocado oil (if oil-free, sub water and add more as needed)
- 1 cup diced white or yellow onion (1/2 large onion yields ~1 cup or 160 g)
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 large pepper yields ~1 ½ cups or 180 g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (3 cloves yield ~1 ½ Tbsp or 14 g)
- 2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds (or sub half as much ground)
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes (2-3 roma tomatoes yield 1 ½ cups or 300 g)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tiny pinch ground cloves
- 2 (15-oz.) cans chickpeas, drained (or sub ~3 cups home-cooked in place of the 2 cans)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth*
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp coconut sugar (or maple syrup)
- 2-3 cups baby spinach (optional)
FOR SERVING optional
- Easy Jeera Rice (or white or brown rice, quinoa, coconut rice, or cauliflower rice)
- Easy Vegan Naan (or gluten-free)
- Coconut yogurt (or store-bought // plain, unsweetened // we like Culina, Coyo, or Cocojune)
- Freshly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- If serving with rice or naan, start it before making the curry. Recipes are linked in the ingredients section above.
- Heat oil in a large pot or large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and sauté until beginning to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds (and more oil, if needed) and sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, and cook for 5-7 minutes until they begin to break down. Then add the tomato paste, red pepper flakes, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the drained chickpeas, vegetable broth, salt, vinegar, and coconut sugar (or maple syrup) and stir. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20-25 minutes to thicken and allow the chickpeas to soak up the flavors.
- Remove the lid, increase the heat, and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes, until thick and saucy. Taste and adjust, as needed, adding more vinegar for acidity, coconut sugar for sweetness, or salt for overall flavor. Optionally, stir in baby spinach and cook until wilted.
- Enjoy with rice (or other grains) and/or naan and garnish with coconut yogurt and fresh cilantro (all optional).
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a little water if needed, until warm.
Notes
*We tested replacing the vegetable broth with water, but strongly preferred the version with vegetable broth.
*Very loosely adapted from Swasthi’s Chicken Vindaloo.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Chelsea says
New favourite meal prep!! 10/10
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy this one, Chelsea. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jennifer says
Absolutely delicious. Myself (vegan) and the boyfriend (omnivore) just loved it! MB recipes never miss!
Whoop! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind words and lovely review, Jennifer! xo
SteveF says
This chickpea curry is a “go to” meal. Tasty, not too hot and easy to make. Great for a mid-week meal or for serving when I have weekend dinner guests.
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Steve! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Abby says
I made this the day that the recipe came out and forgot to give it an all star review! I have made it again since then! It is so tasty and I love that it uses ingredients that I normally keep on hand. Works to make in a pinch! As always the flavors were spot on and it was fresh and delicious. The recipe was so clear and easy to follow (which is always true!). Thanks again for a wonderful curry, I have loved every curry of y’alls I have tried (and I have tried most of them)! Thank you for sharing all these wonderful recipes with us! :)
Aw, thank you so much for your sweet review, Abby! We’re so glad you’ve been enjoying this recipe! xoxo
Ashley Kostyniuk says
This is fantastic! I served with your “perfect coconut rice” recipe. Will definitely make again.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Ashley! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Naomi says
perfect recipe
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Naomi! Thanks for sharing. xo
Eva says
Delicious, easy and quick! I didn’t have cumin seeds so I tossed in about a teaspoon of black mustard seeds (which I should have added earlier on with the onions and garlic, so they would get toasted and “pop”), and I didn’t have fresh ginger so used about a 1/2 teaspoon of powdered. I added about 2 teaspoons of Thai green chili paste, and a few shakes of cayenne chili pepper powder. I used a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes because I didn’t have fresh, but I guess my additional spices balanced out the flavors. I served it with basmati rice. Thanks for the recipe!
Amazing! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Eva! xo
Nicole says
So SO good and quick for a weeknight meal. I shared left overs with a coworker the next day, and she went out and made it that night. Love the simplicity of a one pot meal with the complexity of amazing flavors. I made the vegan naan to go with it, and all i can say is make a double batch of naan – even my 4 and 7 year olds loved it <3 Looking forward to the next recipe!
Whoop! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for the lovely review, Nicole! xo
Seth King says
Have you tried it with Insant Pot and if so is the time?
Thank you
Hi Seth, we haven’t! It might cause a burn warning unless you add additional liquid (broth and/or maybe coconut milk?). For timing, probably 4-5 minutes on high pressure.
Lynne says
This is wonderful and smells amazing! Even hubs—who I’m trying to convince to eat less meat—loved this. I used tinned tomatoes, because that’s what I had. Also added a bit extra spice because that’s the way we like things. I’ll def make again!
Yay! We’re so glad to hear it was a hit and you’ll be making it again. Thank you for the lovely review, Lynne! xo
Cheryl says
Could you substitute the chickpeas with butter beans or pinto beans?
Hi Cheryl, we think that would work! Kidney beans might also be nice. Let us know if you try it!
Karen says
So delicious! I used canned tomatoes (even though clearly advised not to in the recipe), as it is really winter where I am and I can’t even buy red tomatoes right now. The only ones at the store are pale and green-ish and crazy expensive. The tomato flavour was definitely stronger than intended, as is clearly stated in the recipe. I added extra spices to compensate a bit and it was great. I am sure that with fresh tomatoes it will be even more amazing.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Karen! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Christina Ronk says
I’m about tho make this and see that there is no curry required. Is that correct? I just figured that there would be curry in a chickpea CURRY recipe :)
Thanks,
Christina
Hi Christina, there’s no curry powder in this one! We used individual spices.