This Chana Dopiaza recipe is loaded with chickpeas, sweet onions, and warm Indian spices! A simple vegan Indian recipe to make at home. Serve over heaps of basmati rice, lemon biryani, or with a warm side of garlic naan bread.
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A homemade Indian chana dopiaza curry recipe to rival the restaurants! Chicken Dopiaza is one of Brett’s go-to dishes when we go out for Indian food. I decided to make a plant-based version at home, which stood up pretty well to our favorite Indian restaurant. Chickpeas, or chana, are simmered in a warm mix of tomatoes, vegetables, and spices, and served with a creamy coconut sauce.
Dopiaza translates to double onion – which is fitting for this dish as onions are added twice during cooking. The base of this chickpea dopiaza recipe is sautéed caramelized onions which the chickpeas cooks over in the pot. Another round of onion is added towards the end which gives the dish a bright fresh finish.
This Chana Dopiaza Recipe Is:
- Bright
- Fresh
- Warmly Spiced
- Loaded with flavor
- Versatile
- Creamy
- A great recipe for Indian takeout!
- Vegan, Gluten free, and Dairy Free
A Great Clean-Out-The-Fridge Curry Recipe!
This chickpea dopiaza recipe is the perfect vehicle to use up any older produce or veggies you have on hand. Add your favorite ingredients and enjoy! A great recipe to throw extra bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes into before they expire. This recipe is great if you have a few cans of chickpeas hanging around in the pantry. It makes a great simple meal the whole family will love.
One of the BEST Pantry Staple Indian Recipes
This chana dopiaza curry recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal! It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards – most of which you probably have on hand. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious and healthy meals using a few staples you can rotate. I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep stocked. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple ingredients in my Amazon shop here. By stocking up on healthy whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!
What’s In This Vegan Indian Chickpea Curry Recipe?
- No Salt Added Chickpeas: the most used legume in our household! You can use canned chickpeas (I’d highly recommend a low sodium or no salt version), or you can make your own chickpeas from scratch in the Instant Pot.
- Onions: I used about 3lbs for this dish! Vidalia onions or sweet yellow onions are perfect. I like adding red onions for an extra kick.
- Garlic: I use fresh garlic when I have it, and this great jarred organic garlic when I don’t have fresh. It’s actually super convenient to have pre-chopped garlic on hand for quick and easy meal prep.
- Diced Tomatoes: I only use no salt added diced tomatoes, these boxed tomatoes are really great to stock up on! I like boxed tomatoes better because they are BPA free and more eco-friendly than aluminum cans.
- Reduced Sodium Vegetable Stock or Bouillon: I love this Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base for my recipes because it has a great flavor and is lower in sodium. I only develop my recipes with low sodium ingredients so the ingredients shine. You can always add salt to a recipe if it needs it, but it’s almost impossible to take it out! Start with a low sodium broth or bouillon, and add more salt later if needed.
- Bell Peppers: for a bright crunchy texture
- Zucchini: I added one from our garden.
- Coconut Oil: I love keeping a few jars of this organic coconut oil on hand, it’s great for cooking and also a really nice skin moisturizer outside the kitchen.
- Coconut Milk: I use unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, which I’d definitely recommend over lite coconut milk. The flavor makes this dish super rich and creamy without any dairy.
- Garam Masala: I love this amazing garam masala spice blend, which gives this dish an incredible depth of flavor!
- Red Chili Pepper Flakes: for a little heat! if you don’t like spice, you can absolutely skip them in this recipe.
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt: I like to use a pink Himalayan Sea Salt in my kitchen, which has more natural minerals than plain processed table salt. It’s fairly inexpensive, so I’d recommend this salt if you’re looking for an easy way to level up your spice pantry.
- Tellicherry Black Pepper: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper. This pepper is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor! I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend.
- Cilantro: fresh chopped cilantro makes a fantastic garnish.
How Do I Make This Chana Do Pyaza Recipe?
- In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, heat the coconut oil over low heat. Add the garlic and 2/3 of the chopped onions, cover pot with lid, and sautee on low for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Onions should become soft and tender.
- Add the chickpeas to the dutch oven, along with the garam masala, turmeric, coriander, and garlic salt. Stir well to combine and allow the chickpeas to get coated in the spices. Sautee chickpeas for 3-4 minutes in the onions and spices.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, Vegetable stock, bell pepper, zucchini, and the remaining 1/3 of the chopped onions. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low so the chickpeas are simmering. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Remove pot from heat and stir in the coconut milk to make a thick and creamy sauce. Add fresh pepper, and cilantro for garnish. Serve over rice with garlic naan bread.
Other Easy Chickpea Dinner Recipes You’ll Love:
Chickpea Noodle Soup Recipe (High Protein, Gluten Free, Vegan)
Chickpea Shawarma Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
BBQ Chickpea Tacos Recipe (Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Vegan)
Smashed Chickpea and Olive Sandwich Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Chickpea Lemon Rice Soup Recipe (Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free)
Get the Same Ingredients I Use For My Gluten Free and Dairy Free Chana Do Pyaza Recipe!
I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market – they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every month and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery. You can get $10 off your first box by clicking here! If you think organic produce is too expensive… think again, and give Misfits Market a look!
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Chana Dopiaza
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 large sweet onion sliced, I used a combination of red onions and sweet onions
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 13.5 ounce cans No-Salt-Added Chickpeas no salt added
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups No-Salt-Added Vegetable Stock
- 2 bell pepper chopped
- 1 Small zucchini cubed
- 1 cup coconut milk unsweetened
- freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, heat the coconut oil over low heat. Add the garlic and 2/3 of the chopped onions, cover pot with lid, and sautee on low for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Onions should become soft and tender.
- Add the chickpeas to the dutch oven, along with the garam masala, turmeric, coriander, and garlic salt. Stir well to combine and allow the chickpeas to get coated in the spices. Sautee chickpeas for 3-4 minutes in the onions and spices.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, Vegetable stock, bell pepper, zucchini, and the remaining 1/3 of the chopped onions. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low so the chickpeas are simmering. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Remove pot from heat and stir in the coconut milk to make a thick and creamy sauce. Add fresh pepper, and cilantro for garnish. Serve over rice with garlic naan bread.
Notes
Save Money on Fresh Produce
I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market - they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every month and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery. You can get $10 off your first box by clicking here! If you think organic produce is too expensive... think again, and give Misfits Market a look!Nutrition
Or tag me @theherbeevore in your photo on Instagram!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support us!