This super easy, ultra creamy, and heavily spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala is my new favorite dinner! 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 going right into my weekly rotation. :)
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
How to Serve the Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala
I’ve been eating my Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala with a piece of naan bread 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!
Make it Spicy or Mild
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.
Make it 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.
Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala
Servings 4 About 1.25 cups eachIngredients
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)
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
How to Make Cauliflower Chickpea Masala – Step by Step Photos
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.
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).
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.
Add 12oz. frozen cauliflower florets to the skillet and continue to sauté until the cauliflower is thawed through and coated in spices.
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.
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).
I garnished here with fresh cilantro, but didn’t find that it added a lot to the flavor, so that’s entirely optional!
Dig in!
Any recommendations on making this low carb?
I’d probably just make it with cauliflower alone. The chickpeas are responsible for most of the carbs here. :)
I am excited to make this next week (from the vegan meal plan). But my wife has an intolerance to chickpeas and I can’t quite figure out what make sense to substitute here…any suggestions? Thanks so much!
Diced up tempeh might be nice! Or maybe a cannellini bean.
This was so good! Great flavors and textures. Will definitely make again! Might add a little less Cayenne next time as it was pretty spicy for the kiddos.
My husband and I LOVE this recipe. I have made it many times now. Always with coconut milk. One day I forgot I didn’t have frozen cauliflower so I made it with potatoes instead. It took significantly longer but the flavor profile was still spot on. I make this about every 2 weeks and always share it as one of my favorite vegan recipes. Oh- and we aren’t vegan!
Would fat free half and half work in this? I also have a can of coconut milk- wondering what the better option is if what’s currently in my fridge.
The coconut milk will definitely be better. You need the fat to balance the flavors.
Are there any recommendations for a heavy cream alternative that don’t have dairy or coconut in them?
Not that I know of, unfortunately.
Cashew cream might work? 1/2 cup cashews and 1 cup water I think is the ratio. Blend very well in a high power blender and it makes a super creamy liquid.
I’ve made this recipe a few times now. Usually I double all the ingredients, 3x the cauliflower and use a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk instead of heavy cream. Takes a bit longer but just as good! The cayenne is value added but not overpowering. I generally cook alone and I find the naan recipe pairs nicely along with some basmati rice. I start the naan and leave the dough to rise and usually by the time its ready to cook the sauce is simmering.
A tasty meal and plenty of leftovers! Thanks for all the great recipes!
One of the best curries I’ve made. I’m almost always disappointed in my indian-inspired homecooked meals, but this one was excellent.
I used fresh cauliflower instead of frozen, and I used coconut milk instead of heavy cream (scooped the solid part from a can and left behind the watery liquid). My only issue was, after adding the spices at the beginning, they started to stick and burn so I needed to add more water to prevent that. I also added some peas just because!
Will be a repeat recipe for sure! I can see it being good with other veggies also.
Couldn’t find garam masala anywhere so I had to use curry powder. SCRUMPTIOUS either way. Can’t wait to taste it with some garam masala once I find some 💋💋💋
Inexpensive, easy and tasty! This one is a keeper. I was going to go to KFC tonight but realized I had all the ingredients to make this. So glad I did.
My husband had never tried curry before prior to me making this recipe. This recipe is now one of his most requested meals. It is simply delicious! We reduce the cayenne a little since we don’t love spicy food, and it is perfect. We usually serve it with Naan bread from the store, but it is also great with rice. I rotate which vegetable goes in it depending on what we have in the fridge. We’ve used peas, cauliflower, broccoli and green beans and all have been great!
I just made this and it was DELICIOUS!! Will definitely be making this on a regular basis.
This one of the only recipes I’ve ever made over and over that I haven’t altered at all. It is so good! Definitely a great staple, especially for chilly nights. I love the heat from the cayenne – spicy hit but doesn’t linger. If you really don’t like spice, leave it out or decrease it. But dang, this is so good and even better the next day. I eat it with the Trader Joe’s frozen naan. Highly recommend!
Have you tried freezing Cauliflower Chickpea Masala?
I have not tried it, but I suspect, based on the ingredients, that it would probably do pretty well!
Has anyone tried this in a slow cooker?
Yes! I have made this in the slow cooker several times and have not altered it. Turns out lovely!
Thank You! Planning for Thanksgiving for a vegan side dish!