Chickpea Masala

This super easy, ultra-creamy, and heavily spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala recipe is STILL one of my favorite dinners to this day! That spicy-creamy sauce is just so👌that I have to sop up every last bit with a piece of naan. This dish comes together super fast, requires very little chopping, is insanely inexpensive, and holds up well in the fridge, so it’s great for meal prep! This one is a staple in my weekly rotation. 😊

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“This is a staple in our home. It is so easy and comforting, we’ve made it countless times and still love it! Thank you for posting!”

Louise

Easy Chickpea Masala Recipe

If you love bold spices and rich, comforting flavors, this cauliflower and chickpea masala recipe is about to blow your socks off! It starts with a fragrant homemade seasoning mix, then tender cauliflower and hearty chickpeas simmer in a velvety tomato-based sauce. A splash of heavy cream makes it ultra-lush, but don’t worry—I’ve got an easy vegan swap in the recipe card below! Simple, budget-friendly, and absolutely packed with flavor, this dish is a total weeknight win.

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Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala

4.83 from 192 votes

This super easy, ultra creamy, and heavily spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala recipe will be your new favorite weeknight dinner! So much flavor, so little effort. 

Author: Beth Moncel

Servings 4 About 1.25 cups each

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 30 minutes mins

Total 40 minutes mins

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Ingredients

Masala Spice Mix

• 2 Tbsp garam masala ($0.60)
• 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric ($0.05)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne* ($0.02)
• 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
• Freshly Cracked Pepper ($0.03)

Skillet Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion ($0.21)
• 3 cloves garlic ($0.24)
• 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.15)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
• 12 oz. frozen cauliflower florets** ($1.00)
• 1 15oz. can chickpeas, drained ($0.49)
• 1 15oz. can tomato sauce*** ($0.59)
• 1/4 cup water ($0.00)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream**** ($0.26)
• salt to taste ($0.02)

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Instructions 

• In a small bowl, combine the spices for the masala spice mix (garam masala, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper).
• Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Add all three to a large skillet along with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 3 minutes). Add the spice mix and continue to sauté for one more minute.
• Add the frozen cauliflower florets to the skillet with the aromatics and spices, and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes more, or until the cauliflower have thawed through and are completely coated in spices.
• Add the drained chickpeas, tomato sauce, and 1/4 cup water to the skillet. Stir to combine, then allow them to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. This will help mellow the acidity of the tomato sauce and allow the spices to blend. If the mixture becomes too dry as it simmers, add a couple more tablespoons of water.
• After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Give the masala a taste and add salt as needed. Serve in a bowl either over rice or with a piece of bread for dipping.

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Notes

*You can adjust the heat of this sauce by increasing, decreasing, or even eliminating the amount of cayenne pepper in the spice mix. The amount listed below creates what I would call a “medium” spice level, but that’s extremely subjective, so take that with a grain of salt.

**You can also use fresh cauliflower, but be sure to blanch it first to reduce the cooking time.

***For those living outside the United States, our “tomato sauce” is puréed cooked tomatoes with a little salt and sometimes a scant amount of onion powder. The closest product to this would probably be passata.

****Want to make this recipe vegan? An easy sub for the heavy cream in this recipe would be full-fat coconut milk (the stuff that comes in cans, NOT the dairy milk substitute). You can play around with the quantities, but I’d guess somewhere between 1/2 to 1 cup would work well.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.25CupsCalories: 306.9kcalCarbohydrates: 33.3gProtein: 9.58gFat: 16.48gSodium: 1153.2mgFiber: 10.45g

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Video

How to Make Chickpea Masala – Step by Step Photos

Make the spice mix: Begin by combining 2 Tbsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a small bowl.

Prep the aromatics: Finely dice one yellow onion, mince three cloves of garlic and grate about 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger (ginger is hard to measure, so this is flexible). 

Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 3 minutes). Add the spice mix and continue to sauté for one more minute.

Sauté the cauliflower: Add 12oz. frozen cauliflower florets to the skillet and continue to sauté until the cauliflower is thawed through and coated in spices. 

Simmer: Next, add one 15oz. can chickpeas (drained), one 15oz. can tomato sauce, and about 1/4 cup water to the skillet. Stir to combine and then let the sauce simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce starts to dry out as it simmers, add a couple more tablespoons of water.

Make it creamy: After the sauce has simmered and the tomato sauce has mellowed a bit, turn off the heat and stir in 1/3 cup heavy cream.

After stirring the cream into the sauce, give it a taste and add more salt to taste (I added about 1/4 tsp).

Garnish and serve: I garnished here with fresh cilantro, but didn’t find that it added a lot to the flavor, so that’s entirely optional!

What Else Can I Add?

I love this recipe as-is, but I’ve been influenced by some of our readers recently and have experimented with different mix-ins to change things up! Here are some fun additions to try:

• Diced and blanched potatoes (Yukon gold, Russet, or sweet potatoes will all work!)
• Broccoli (frozen or fresh and blanched)
• Peas
• Roasted butternut squash
• Sautéed mushrooms
• Baby spinach
• Diced up air fryer tofu, paneer, or tempeh
• Zucchini
• Grilled chicken cut into cubes or shredded rotisserie chicken

Serving Suggestions

I usually eat this chickpea masala recipe with a piece of naan to scoop up that delicious sauce, but this dish would be equally as good over a bed of hot rice. Either way it’s creamy, spicy, and oh so delish! Oh, and I’d never say no to some pickled red onions on top!

Storage and Reheating

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat, warm it in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. You can also microwave it in 30-second intervals and stir in between. Because of the cream-based sauce, freezing can be tricky as it may separate when thawed. If you do freeze it, stir well after reheating to help bring the sauce back together.

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