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.
I made this last night and it tasted amazing. I cooked it on high heat tho and it came out kinda watery. Is it because I used high heat ? I cooked it 4 hours.
I don’t think you can say that the prep time is 10 minutes when you have to cook the onions for at least 15 minutes in step 1. Other than that, absolutely delicious!
This is my second time making this recipe and i LOVE IT!!!! This time around i have fresh ginger and im using purple onion instead of white, i think its going to taste even better then the last time! thank you for this recipe , taste very authentic
So glad to hear!
Hey Alex,
How long should I cook this on the stovetop and in an instant pot? I don’t have a slow-cooker and my instant pot acts up sometimes so it would be nice to know how to cook this dish using both. Thanks!
Hi! Getting ready to make this dish…was wondering if you had an idea for substitute on tomato paste? Pretty sure my toddler is allergic and need it to be friendly for him to eat. Thanks!
Hi Maria, shoot- I don’t know what would mimic the tomato pasta with the same purpose and flavor. What about a pumpkin puree? I’d start with just a little and add from there to taste. The paste helps to thicken the sauce, so the puree might help with that.
The Slow cooker was invented by Irving Naxon, a Jewish man who wanted to recreate the bean dish his grandma used to make that took several hours to cook.
Hi there – I cook with canned chickpeas quite a lot but on the stovetop. So, I was quite surprised to see that this slow cooker recipe used canned chickpeas instead of dried chickpeas. Isn’t there a risk that the whole dish will just be too mushy? And couldn’t this dish just be cooked on a stovetop instead of in a slow cooker especially as the canned chickpeas are so soft?
Cheers Joanne
Hi Joanne, you can make this in either the slow cooker or on the stove top. I’ve made this several times and canned chickpeas won’t be mushy overtime.
Can you cook on high, I put it on low and went to check it 4 hours later and my slow cooker was cold.
Hi Christine,
You can cook on high. If it’s still cold after 4 hours, is the slow cooker working properly?
2 cans of chickpeas…what size cans?
Hi Laura- the 14.5 ounce cans. Thanks!
Do the thai chili’s make a big impact? I can’t find them in my grocery stores!
They add heat, but if you can’t find them, it should be OK.
Thank you!
What do you think if I add potatoes to this recipe? should I add them in the last hour perhaps?
and how different does this taste to the butter chickpeas recipe? https://www.delishknowledge.com/slow-cooker-butter-chickpeas/
I just want to decide which one to make.
thanks! 🙂
Hi Jasmine, I think both are great- but they are different recipes! Personally, I think they are both great. The chana masala has a bit more spice, and then butter chickpeas are a little creamier. If you were going to add potatoes, I’d add them in the last hour on high, and 2 hours on low. Let me know how it turns out and what you think!