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Looking for the supreme Vegan Spinach Chickpea Curry? This chana palak is a well-tested, nourishing weeknight meal that my recipe testers and I keep making all year round when we need a healthy, flavorful, and satisfying meal that comes together in no time! No hard-to-find ingredients, no elaborate techniques-just a straightforward, delicious curry that hits all the right notes and isn't too spicy for the picky eaters in your crew.
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I've been perfecting this Chana Palak recipe for ages! You might think it's easy to nail because it's a classic, but trust me, getting the balance right took some work, especially because I held myself to the challenge of writing this without relying on some of the kinda obscure Indian spices I normally cook with. Because my #1 goal in life is helping people eat veggies instead of animals, this curry HAD to be:
- Packed with enough flavor to get non-vegetarians excited about eating a vegan dish
- Easy enough for inexperienced cooks to make flawlessly
- Fast as heck to make
- Accessible with simple, everyday ingredients, and no fancy cooking gear required
And what's happened, you ask? ALL of the recipe testers who made this for me confirmed it perfectly-checked all of those boxes. If you've been searching for the right thing to serve over veg biryani, or to partner up with your vegan butter chicken or tofu tikka masala, you are verrrrry much in luck.
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🥰Why you'll adore this chana palak recipe
✊ Vegan AF SF & GF: Like all my Indian vegan recipes, this recipe is a cruelty-free choice. Are you a sensitive eater? This chana palak has no soy in it. And it's one of my gluten-free vegan recipes too!
🌶️ Perfect Spice Balance: Without relying on anything that you'd have to get at a specialty Indian grocery store, I still nailed the flavors of this curry with easy-to-find spices such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, and curry powder. These spices are known for their anti-inflammatory properties and ability to enhance digestion, making the curry as healthy as it is practical.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all the vegan recipes I share, after tweaking and perfecting it, I shared this one with a massive team of recipe testers of all skill levels who replicated it successfully in kitchens all around the world.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🤷♀️ What is Chana Palak?
Chana Palak, also known as Saag Chole, is a staple in Indian cuisine. The combination of protein-rich chickpeas and nutrient-dense spinach simmered in a spiced tomato gravy is great-for-you comfort food at its best.
Not only is this dish incredibly satisfying, but it's also a breeze to prepare. You can whip it up in under thirty minutes, and it comes together in one pot, making cleanup a snap. Plus, it's versatile-serve it over turmeric rice, with potato-stuffed Kulcha, or on its own with a little mango pickle.
Ready to smash some chickpeas that you are gonna have a tough time not eating in one sitting? Follow this tried-and-true recipe!
🌶️ Ingredients for this chickpea spinach curry recipe
Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
Cumin seeds provide a warm, earthy flavor and are known for aiding digestion. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you already know I am about to recommend the extraordinary wild mountain cumin seeds from Burlap and Barrel. I use these slender, fragrant seeds in everything from arbi sabji, and toor dal tadka to condiments like imli chutney, red curry paste and bumbu Bali. Use regular hum-drum cumin seeds or ground cumin in place of the seeds if that's what you have on hand.
Curry Powder
Homemade Madras curry powder is my go-to for recipes that need a ready-to-use curry blend. Of course, if you don't have any, my achar masala or some chana masala (I like MDH for that) can work in this spinach chickpea curry recipe.
Spinach
I firmly believe dark leafy greens should be considered "the meat of a vegetarian diet". They promote healthy digestion, strengthen the immune system, and contribute to overall well-being.
For recipes where spinach is cooked, such as dishes like saag aloo and ginataang kalabasa, I always opt for mature, bunched spinach. Pre-washed baby spinach is convenient, and is great for salads, but it gets mushy and limp when cooked. If mature bunched spinach is not readily available, frozen spinach (which is generally frozen in the mature state) can be a suitable substitute as long as you thaw and drain it first.
Chickpeas
While I wrote this recipe using canned chickpeas to be as fast and convenient for home cooks as possible, of course, you can make it with cooked dried chickpeas. If you overshoot and end up with way too many cooked chickpeas for this recipe, don't dismay! You can use 'em in my vegan chana masala, toss them in baharat, roast them, and add them to my vegan shawarma, or seitan kofta!
Green Chilies (Optional for garnishing)
Slender green hari mirch chilies, bring a fresh, crisp heat essential for authentic Indian cooking. Got some leftovers from making this? Hari Mirch Achar is a staple at my house, and so are lauki, daliya khichdi, and street food chaats like bhel puri and aloo papri chaat that feature these hot little bad boys. Otherwise, if you don't see them at your local Indian grocery store, you can use minced jalapeños in their place. It's just for a fresh garnish, right?
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
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🤯Variations
Punjabi Chana Saag
Whereas palak specifically means spinach, saag can refer to any dark leafy green vegetable. So feel free to swap the spinach out with kale, Swiss chard, Malabar spinach etc.
Then, if you are serving this chana saag recipe alongside other Punjabi dishes like bhindi dry, add garam masala powder to taste, or some warming spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, or cloves to give the dish a warm, aromatic complexity, making it more reminiscent of traditional Punjabi flavors
South Indian Spinach Chickpea Curry
Top the finished dish with a tadka (tempering) of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and dried red chilies in the hot oil before adding the onions. If you want a tadka recipe to follow, the one on my soya chaap sabji or peerkangai sabji will work great for topping this recipe.
📖 How to make chana palak
Follow these step-by-step photos with helpful tips and no one will guess it's your first time making this banger. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Bloomin' Onion:
Warm the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. After about two minutes, when the oil is hot, toss in the diced onion and sauté for around four minutes until it turns translucent and slightly golden.
Step Two
Garlic the plate clean:
Add the minced garlic, cumin seeds, and grated ginger to the skillet. Keep stirring for about one minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.
✅ If you have it on hand, you can use ginger garlic paste from a jar instead of the freshly grated stuff.
Step Three
Spice Girls:
Stir in the ground coriander, turmeric, and Madras curry powder. Let the spices cook for another minute to release their flavors, then add the diced tomatoes. Cook for four to five minutes, letting the chopped tomatoes start to break down.
Step Four
Where have you green all my life?
Add the chopped fresh spinach leaves (or thawed, drained frozen spinach), salt, and lemon juice. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes over medium heat until the spinach wilts and is heated through.
Step Five
Chickpea Time:
Stir in the drained chickpeas, minced cilantro, and water, cooking for just a few more minutes until the cilantro wilts and the chickpeas are hot.
Step Six
Serve and love it up!
Serve the spinach chickpea curry hot over Indonesian coconut rice, nasi minyak, basmati rice, or your favorite grain recipe (heck, I know this is maybe a little controversial, but even vegan Mexican rice is great with this), garnished with a drizzle of full-fat coconut milk, sliced green chilies, and cilantro leaves if desired.
💡Serving Ideas
Scoop this glorious vegan curry up with some flaky Keralan Parotta. A little Indian pickle on the side, like gajar ka achar, or amla pickle is great both for intensifying the flavors and aiding in digestion.
If you are serving this over plain rice, you can instantly jazz up the rice a little with a healthy drizzle of green dhaniya chutney or tamarind date chutney on the side.
Want more veggies with your meal? Some nice options are turai, parval sabji, aviyal, and lauki sabji. See? When people complain that vegetarian Indian food is all carbs, there are SO many veggie-centered dishes they have no idea about!
👉Top tips
- Perfect Your Tomato Base: First off- don't use a cast iron pan for this project, as the acidity of the tomatoes can draw out a metallic taste from the pan. Then, be patient and make sure to cook the tomatoes until they break down and start to release their oils. This creates a rich, flavorful base and prevents a watery curry.
- Optimize Spinach Texture: If using frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out excess water before adding it to the curry. This prevents the dish from becoming too watery and ensures a thick, luscious consistency.
- Garnish for Life: The "optional" garnishes here are super-highly recommended. If you're garnishing with coconut milk, do it just before serving to retain its creamy texture and subtle sweetness. Go heavy on the herbs and chilies to balance the heavily cooked flavors of the curry with freshness, and raw, uncooked enzymes that make the curry easier to digest.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
You can use frozen spinach in Chana Palak. Thaw and squeeze out excess water before adding it to the curry to prevent it from becoming too watery.
You can kinda get away with baby spinach, but bunched mature spinach has a better consistency when cooked. If using baby spinach, go a bit heavier with it, as it wilts and breaks down considerably when cooked.
Soak dried chickpeas overnight and cook them in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker until tender.
Here are directions for cooking them on the stovetop:
-Soak the chickpeas in a large bowl of water overnight, ensuring they are completely submerged with a few inches of water above them to allow for expansion.
-Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas, then place them in a large pot and cover them with fresh water, about two inches above the chickpeas.
-Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for one to two hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.
-Drain the cooked chickpeas and they will be ready to use in your recipe as a substitute for canned chickpeas.
This recipe really isn't too spicy at all, but if you can't tolerate any heat, use fewer green chilies or omit them entirely. You can also stir in a spoonful of unsweetened vegan yogurt or coconut milk to make the dish creamier and to mellow the heat.
Want to spice it up more? Certainly a hot red chili powder is an easy option, as is adding minced green chilies to the sauce. A spoonful of shatta or red chili sauce is a great way to add more nuanced heat to the chana palak masala.
If this is too thick for you, simply adding a little water or unsalted vegetable stock is all you have to do to loosen it up.
❄️ Refrigerating:
Store your Chana Palak in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to five days. Make sure to cool the curry to room temperature before sealing it to prevent condensation from affecting the texture.
🧊 Freezing:
For longer storage, transfer the cooled Chana Palak into a labeled (with the name and date) freezer-safe container. It can be frozen for up to two to three months. When ready to use, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or place the container in a bowl of warm water for a faster thaw.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Reheat the thawed or refrigerated Chana Palak in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally to ensure even heating and prevent sticking. Heat for 8-10 minutes until the curry is hot throughout.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Transfer the desired amount of Chana Palak to a microwave-safe dish. Cover with a lid or plate and heat on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through. Continue heating in one-minute intervals until the curry is thoroughly heated.
Add fresh garnishes to the reheated chickpea spinach curry to bring it back to life.
✌️My faves to serve with chana palak:
Learn to make your fave pure veg. Punjabi classics in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Chana Palak (Vegan Spinach Chickpea Curry)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons canola oil sunflower oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon madras curry powder
- 1 ½ cups tomatoes diced
- 2 cups chopped spinach (packed) fresh or frozen
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 15 oz. canned chickpeas drained
- ½ cup cilantro minced
- ¼ cup water
Optional Garnishes:
- Full-fat coconut milk
- Sliced green chilies
- Cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. After 2 minutes, when the oil is hot, add the diced onion and sauté for about 4 minutes until it becomes translucent and slightly golden.
- Add the minced garlic, cumin seeds, and grated ginger to the skillet. Stir continuously and cook for about one minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Mix in the ground coriander, turmeric, and Madras curry powder. Cook for another minute to let the spices release their flavors. Then add the diced tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes, allowing the tomatoes to begin to break down.
- Add the chopped spinach, salt and lemon juice. Continue to cook over medium heat until the spinach is wilted and heated through, about five minutes.
- Sir in the drained chickpeas, minced cilantro, and water, and cook for just another few minutes until the cilantro is wilted and the chickpeas are hot.
- Serve hot, garnished with a drizzle of full-fat coconut milk, sliced green chilies, and cilantro leaves if desired.
Notes
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Amanda says
Super easy to make and flavorful. I used canned tomatoes and frozen spinach to make it even easier. Served with rice, it was a very satisfying meal. Will be adding this to my regular rotation.
Ann says
Great recipe. I doubled the recipe so that I would have leftovers. I only had bby spinach on hand, so I used chard, so it was Chana Saag. Delicious!
Jeff sushko says
Very very very good. . One of those meals where you don’t feel overly full. You feel just right.
hg says
Quick and easy to make. One of those recipes where you usually have everything in the house to make it. Tastes great the next dat too!