Quick Chickpea Curry

Mary Draper
Dec 29, 2025
2 min read

Do you ever just crave a warm cozy meal like chickpea curry? I’d saved a viral Chana Masala recipe video from Sara of Nutrient Matters for a rainy day, and today was that day. But I didn’t have a few items on hand like fresh tomatoes, so I made a few tweaks (and bonus it becomes even faster & easier), and paired it with a gluten-free version of Radhi’s naan (from her JoyFULL cookbook). It totally scratched that warm & cozy itch.

INGREDIENTS

4-6 tbsp tomato paste (more if you like it tomato-y)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 2 frozen cubes of my minced garlic in EVOO)

thumb of ginger, finely grated

2 cardamon pods

1 bay leaf

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam malasa

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp curry powder

1⁄2 tsp cumin

1⁄4 tsp turmeric

sea salt, to taste

1 can chickpeas

1 cup water

2 tbsp plain yogurt of choice, plus more for serving

For Serving: cilantro, lemon juice, and more yogurt of choice for serving

Instructions

Add oil & onion to large saucepan over medium heat & cook until softened
Add spices, garlic, ginger & tomato paste and stir for about 60 seconds
Add water & chickpeas, then bring to a boil, and turn to medium low, cover & simmer about 20 minutes (add more water if you need to - I did have to add a splash more near the end)
Scoop out a few spoons of chickpeas and smash, then mix back in to thicken the curry
Season with salt, stir in yogurt, & serve!
Garnish with fresh cilantro, lemon juice, and more yogurt if desired.