• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Watch What U Eat logo

  • About us
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
    • Main Course
    • Breakfast
    • Snacks or Appetizer
    • Dessert and Sweets
    • Non Alcoholic Drink Recipes
    • Indian Recipes
  • Guide to Healthy Eating
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Contact us
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Father’s Day Brunch
  • Recipe Index
  • Indian Recipes
  • About us
  • Contact us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Watch What U Eat > Indian Recipes > Healthy Chickpea Tikka Masala

    Healthy Chickpea Tikka Masala

    Published: Feb 21, 2019 · Modified: Jun 2, 2022 by Watch What U Eat · This post may contain affiliate links · 39 Comments

    Recipe Video Print
    Enjoy authentic Indian flavors in this Healthy Chickpea Tikka Masala. Simple and easy vegetarian tikka masala recipe for a weeknight meal or to serve in a party. | #watchwhatueat #tikkamasala #chickpea #chickpeacurry #Indiancooking

    Enjoy authentic Indian flavors in this Healthy Chickpea Tikka Masala. Perfect vegetarian tikka masala for a weeknight meal or to serve in the party.

    Enjoy authentic Indian flavors in this Healthy Chickpea Tikka Masala. Simple and easy vegetarian tikka masala recipe for a weeknight meal or to serve in a party. | #watchwhatueat #tikkamasala #chickpea #chickpeacurry #Indiancooking

    Have you ever tried tikka masala dishes in any Indian restaurant and wonder how they make it? Then you have come to the right place.

    Yes, here I am sharing with you our all-time favorite healthy tikka masala recipe. Usually, you will find chicken tikka masala or paneer tikka masala in Indian restaurants. However, going out of the box I make this healthy tikka masala recipe using chickpeas.

    Toasted chickpeas dunked in creamy tomato authentic tikka sauce to make this easy restaurant-style healthy chickpea tikka masala.

    Why chickpeas?

    Because chickpeas are among some of the perfect options for making a protein-rich vegetarian and meatless dish. And you still get all the authentic flavors in this tikka masala recipe.

    I am sure you won’t miss chicken or paneer in this dish. I have made it several times for potluck dinners in the last few months. And every time I got a request to share the recipe from our friends and family.

    Let’s get started.

    How to make Restaurant Style Chickpea Tikka Masala

    This recipe involves a two-step process.

    1. Making chickpea tikka

    In a medium mixing bowl add cooked chickpeas. Mix them with little oil, finely minced fresh garlic and ginger, garam masala, some chili powder, and lemon juice. Also, add salt to taste. Bake these spiced chickpeas in a preheated oven to develop the roasted taste.

    Chickpeas marinated with authentic Indian spices and then toasted in the oven for making Chickpea Tikka Masala.

    2. Preparing authentic tikka masala sauce

    To prepare the sauce cook onion, garlic, ginger, tomato and raw cashews in little oil. At the end add cumin powder and coriander powder. Blend this masala base with water in a blender until smooth. Fry some chili powder in little oil in the frying pan and then add prepared masala. Finally, add some garam masala and salt according to taste. Once the sauce is ready, add toasted chickpeas. Mix well and serve warm.

    Find instructions in detail below.

    Chickpeas marinated with authentic Indian spices and then toasted in the oven for making Chickpea Tikka Masala.

    What goes with tikka masala?

    Serve this chickpea tikka masala with homemade naan bread, vegetarian biryani or chicken biryani, rice pulao, homemade mango lassi etc. It will be a perfect party menu. For the weeknight meal, you can serve it with plain rice or pulao or simple wheat flatbread (chapati).

    Toasted chickpeas dunked in creamy tomato authentic tikka sauce to make this easy restaurant-style healthy chickpea tikka masala.

    Vegetarian Tikka Masala – Helpful Tips!

    • Do not use overcooked chickpeas in this recipe. Preferably cook chickpeas at home. Just soak them for few hours and cook until tender, yet firm. You can use canned chickpeas too–just make sure they are not too soft to break easily. I use my Instant Pot to cook raw chickpeas. It takes 5-6 min to cook if chickpeas are soaked and around 30 min otherwise (without soaking).
    • Use fresh tomatoes for making the tikka masala sauce. It gives a nice fresh taste to the dish.
    • This dish is dairy-free or vegan. However, you can cheat and add a little cream at the end of cooking if you want.

    Enjoy authentic Indian flavors in this Healthy Chickpea Tikka Masala. Simple and easy vegetarian tikka masala recipe for a weeknight meal or to serve in a party. | #watchwhatueat #tikkamasala #chickpea #chickpeacurry #Indiancooking

    MORE UNIQUE INDIAN RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE TO TRY

    • Chicken Tikka Masala
    • Grilled Tandoori Chicken Wings
    • One Pot Palak Paneer Rice
    • Grilled Tofu Tikka Skewers
    • Coconut Shrimp Curry
    Toasted chickpeas dunked in creamy tomato authentic tikka sauce to make this easy restaurant-style healthy chickpea tikka masala.
    Print Pin
    4.61 from 23 votes

    Restaurant Style Chickpea Tikka Masala | Vegetarian Tikka Masala

    Toasted chickpeas dunked in creamy tomato authentic tikka sauce to make this restaurant-style healthy chickpea tikka masala.
    Course: Lunch / Dinner,Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian,Indian Inspired
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes
    Servings :4
    Calories :268kcal
    Author:Swati Kadam Gulati

    Ingredients

    For Chickpea Tikka

    • 2 cup chickpeas cooked
    • 2-3 garlic cloves finely minced
    • ½" ginger finely minced
    • ¾ teaspoon garam masala
    • ½ tsp  chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ½ tablespoon oil
    • salt to taste

    For Tikka Masala Sauce

    • 1 small onion cut in 8 pieces
    • 4 medium tomatoes cut in quarters
    • 2-3 garlic whole cloves
    • ½" ginger peeled and cut into 2-3 pieces
    • ¼ cup raw cashews
    • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoon coriander powder
    • 2 teaspoon oil divided
    • ½ teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • salt to taste

    Instructions

    Chickpea Tikka

    • Preheat oven to 400 F.
    • In a medium mixing bowl add and mix all the ingredients listed under Chickpea Tikka above. Spread it evenly on a nonstick baking tray.
    • Bake the chickpeas in preheated oven for 10 min. Using a spatula stir them and again continue baking for 10 more min.

    Tikka Masala Sauce

    • Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large frying pan or skillet. Add whole garlic cloves, ginger, and onion. Cook the onion until translucent for 2-3 min.
    • Then add tomatoes and raw cashews. Cook them until tomato softens and gives sauce like consistency for about 4-5 min. 
    • Now add cumin powder and coriander powder. Mix well and transfer this mixture to the blender jar, add 1 cup water and blend until smooth and creamy.
    • Heat remaining oil in the frying pan on low heat. Add chili powder and cook it slightly until fragrant.
    • Add blended tomato mixture and bring it to boil.
    • Now add garam masala and salt to taste. Mix well and simmer (cover with lid) on low heat for 5 min.
    • Finally, add roasted chickpeas, garnish with cilantro and serve warm.

    Video

    Notes

    1. You can add little more water if you do not want the sauce to be too thick for your liking.
    2. Use freshly ground roasted cumin and coriander seeds powder whenever possible. It really adds an amazing aroma and flavor to the dish. I usually roast around 1 teaspoon cumin and 2 teaspoon coriander seeds (for this recipe) together in a frying pan. And using a stone molcajete I crush the roasted seeds into powder.
    3. For more useful tips see the Helpful Tips section above.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 268kcal
    Tried this recipe?Tag us on Instagram @watchwhatueat or tag #watchwhatueat! OR leave us a comment & rating below. Your feedback is very important to us.

    This page may include affiliate links that help us to deliver free recipes and maintain this blog.

    « Healthy Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower Soup
    Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings »
    • 654

    About Watch What U Eat

    We are Swati and Tushar, our passion for food and cooking has now led us to share some healthy, tasty recipes and the benefits of eating certain ingredients with the goal of inspiring you to eat well and live well.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katie says

      August 07, 2021 at 8:56 pm

      I am super excited to try this recipe! One question though: I have some tikka masala spice in my cabinet. Could I use that instead of the garam masala in this recipe? My knowledge of these spices is currently almost zero 😅

      Reply
      • Watch What U Eat says

        August 10, 2021 at 9:44 am

        Hi Katie, Tikka masala spice should also work in this recipe.

        Reply
    2. Dave G says

      July 29, 2021 at 9:46 am

      5 stars
      I added about 1/8 tsp. of chilli powder to both the chickpeas and the sauce which brought some nice heat to the dish. Also had to sub in a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes for the tomato portion since I didn’t have any fresh. My kids who can be fairly picky eaters loved it. Three of us had no problems polishing it off, need to possibly double next time to have leftovers.

      Reply
    3. Debra Cochran says

      July 10, 2021 at 8:56 pm

      5 stars
      This was absolutely delicious! I will put this in my favorite recipe folder. Great comfort food. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    4. Laurie says

      March 18, 2021 at 1:15 pm

      4 stars
      Made this tonight for dinner and it was really good! Served it with some naan bread. I did only 4 stars because it didn’t make much for a family of 4. I was hoping for some leftovers.

      Reply
    5. Megan Gleeson says

      February 24, 2021 at 5:24 am

      5 stars
      Love the sound of this recipe! Going to make it tonight. However, I have a nut allergy and don’t like coconut milk, is there anything I can use as an alternative? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Watch What U Eat says

        February 24, 2021 at 11:13 am

        Hi Megan, you can use dairy cream instead.

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, we are Swati and Tushar! Our passion for food and cooking has led us to write this blog focusing on healthy recipes to eat well and live well!

    More about me →

    Summer Drinks

    • Healthy Cranberry Sangria
    • Watermelon Slush Recipe
    • Pineapple Strawberry Sangria
    • Fresh Strawberry Lemonade
    • Healthy And Festive Cranberry Mimosa Recipe
    • Summer Cooling Watermelon Detox Water

    Popular Recipes

    • Healthy Roasted Fajita Vegetables
    • One-Pot Healthy Potato Soup
    • Chicken Taco Rice Casserole Skillet
    • Air Fryer Cauliflower BBQ Wings

    Footer

    As Featured On featured on logos

    • Thank you
    • Contact us
    • Homepage
    • Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2022 | Watch What U Eat

    • 654