Vegan Slow Cooker Chana Masala
Vegan Slow Cooker Chana Masala. Chickpeas cooked in a fragrant, spiced tomato sauce. Make in the morning for dinner at night! Vegan and Gluten-Free.
Your favorite Indian take-out, made in the slow-cooker. Which, I’m convinced was invented by a woman. An incredible device that makes dinner happen while you are literally doing anything else? My busy-day-dream-come-true. While I work from home, I love the ability to assemble dinner in the morning so it’s ready the moment BL walks in the door.
Plus, I rely on my slow-cooker butter chickpeas recipe to get me through the cold months and it was only a matter of time before I created a masala version. As vegetarians, we rely on Indian (and Thai) take-out all. the. time. The truth is, we have two Indian restaurants within walking distance of our house, which makes it all too easy to pick up the phone on a night I’m feeling less-than-inspired to cook.
After years of forcing it, I’m so thankful that BL has finally embraced the cuisine. Now, we can bond over a love of chickpeas, ginger, and garam masala.
Ingredients for this slow cooker chana masala
As easy and delicious as take-out is, I wanted to create an at-home version. Mostly for leftovers, which I could eat for days on end of this stuff.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Aromatics, like fresh ginger, onion, and garlic cloves.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper. Typically, I recommend 1/2 teaspoon of each to start, then adjust where desired.
- 2 Thai chilis; you can sub in serrano pepper or jalapeno pepper instead
- Spices, like turmeric, chana masala (or garam masala if you can’t find chana)
- Tomato paste (roughly half a 6 ounce can)
- Canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- Vegetable broth
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Basmati Rice and naan, for serving
How to Make this Vegan Slow Cooker Chana Masala Recipe
Even though this recipe is made for the slow cooker, I recommend first sautéing the onion, ginger, and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat before adding to the slow cooker. And, while this might not make the dinner entirely effortless, it adds another layer of flavor that can’t be achieved in the slow-cooker alone. After all, that magical caramelizing of onions and garlic has to happen on the stove.
Then, stir in the chickpeas, tomato paste, and your favorite vegetable broth and let the entire thing simmer for hours in the slow cooker until you are ready to eat.
Honestly, I really love basmati rice and think it’s the perfect pairing for this masala. While I usually recommend brown rice for extra fiber and nutrients, I’m OK with using the white version in this dish.
Finally, the chickpeas. In my opinion, these provide enough protein and fiber. I know I’m a dietitian, but I really prefer the flavor of white rice to brown. Especially when mixed with a handful of cilantro, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
So, I hope you love this slow cooker chana masala as much as our family does!
More Slow Cooker Recipes:
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
- Pumpkin Maple Overnight Oatmeal
- Slow Cooker Tomato Soup
- Easy Slow Cooker Vegan Tikka Masala
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Meatballs
Remember, if you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
Video
Slow Cooker Chana Masala
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- Large onion, very finely chopped (you can use a food processor to finely chop it, if needed)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced into a paste (mince garlic cloves with a microplane, then use the back of your knife to press into a paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 Thai chilis, red or green, diced (omit or reduce for mild version)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons chana masala seasoning, or garam masala if you can’t find chana
- 3 ounces tomato paste, roughly half a 6 ounce can
- 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Basmati Rice, for serving
- Naan, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil, ginger and onions over medium heat. Then, cook until onion is very browned and reduced, about 15 minutes. Next, stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, chilis, turmeric and chana masala seasoning. After that, cook another 2-3 minutes until chilis are soft and mixture is fragrant.
- Pour the mixture into the base of a slow cooker along with the tomato paste, chickpeas and vegetable broth. Then, cook over low heat for 4-6 hours until thickened.
- If you'd like a thinner sauce, thin with more vegetable broth.
- Serve with rice and naan, garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition
This slow cooker chana masala recipe was first published in 2016 and updated in 2021.
Any recommendation if I am using a 1.5 qt crockpot? Cooking time? Amounts to be used?
This is one of the best recipes I’ve found on Pinterest! Tastes exactly like our local Indian restaurant and now I can make it at home (and probably much healthier too!). Big thumbs up for me!
Prep time 10 minutes? To wash, peel, chop , mince, and fry onions, garlic, and ginger with an instrument I’ve never even heard of? Us truly lazy cooks need more time than that! Sounds good but too much prep for frazzled mornings.
Hi Sheri, if you are looking for faster prep, you can prep the ingredients ahead of time and place in the fridge or use pre-chopped onions and garlic. The microplane is a tool that easily grates garlic (and other items) but you don’t have to use it if you don’t have one. Minced is fine. You can also buy garlic paste for ease!
What first steps should take place if I’d like to use dried chickpeas instead of canned?
Hi Kim- if you’ve already soaked the chickpeas, then you might try cooking them directly in the crockpot with the seasonings, knowing that you’ll need to increase the time by at least a few hours. I haven’t made this one with dried chickpeas, so I can’t guarantee that it will come out, but I have made dried beans in the slowcooker and it works.
I made this last night and it is sooo good! (And easy!) Do you know the calories per serving?
I tried this a few weeks ago and LOVED it! I am making it again tonight–do you think adding cauliflower would work? I’m worried it might get too soggy.
Hi Colby- glad you liked it! It might not get soggy, but it will likely break down as it cooks. Why don’t you add it the last hour or so of cooking? Let us know how it turns out!
I made this last week and it was amazing! I followed the recipe exactly! I’m making it again tonight! My significant other and I love this so much! I’m going to make it in my instant pot this time and see how it comes out. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Awesome! So glad you liked it! I’m currently working on updating my slow-cooker recipe instructions to include Instant Pot directions; let me know how it works using it!
I love Indian food but don’t make it nearly enough – this looks like a delicious recipe to try very soon!!
Yum! I love Indian food but always feel like I can’t get the spices just right when I make it at home. I’m definitely pinning to give this one a shot!
I LOVE Indian food, but never make it at home. This would be such a comforting meal to make 🙂
Thanks Tara, it’s surprisingly easy to make once you get a few of the required spices! And a quarter of the price.
Hi. Can you freeze leftovers ready for reheating once cooked? I’m the only one in my household who can eat chickpeas so it would be too much for one. Many thanks
Excellent! I need more meat free slow cooker recipes- pinning! Hope to see you at FNCE 🙂
Yes! Can’t wait to see you and say hello!