Can I just say that this is the easiest and tastiest Chickpea Curry or Chana Masala with Mushroom I have ever eaten? And bonus it being vegan and gluten-free. The spices, the coconut cream and all the veggies come together perfectly in this mild and creamy Indian dish. It is absolutely recommended for everyone especially for beginners who haven’t tried curries yet. They will fall in love with it I am sure.

We don’t do much Indian recipes as the spices and the ingredients can be overwhelming, but this one is a yummy exception. If we think of curry, we think of this dish. If you are interested in other hearty comfort food recipes apart from Indian, check out our Vegan 3 Bean Chili with Millet recipe or our Eggplant Meatballs and Spaghetti recipe or our cozy Vegan Beef Stew with Jackfruit.

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Table of Contents hide

1. Is it curry or masala?

2. Is our Chickpea Mushroom Curry authentic?

3. How to make a simple Chickpea Curry with Mushrooms?

4. FAQs and Substitutions

5. More vegan comfort food recipes

6. Easy Chickpea Mushroom Curry

Is it curry or masala?

It is actually both. I am pretty sure you don’t want a history lesson. However, in short, curry actually means sauce in which meat, tofu, legumes or veggies are cooked, while masala means dry mix of spices.

Making curry sauce varies from country to country, from region to region, even varies among different households depending on what is the masala aka spice mix they use and what liquid is the base of the sauce. I am pretty sure there are no two person cooking this dish the same. But that is the beauty of it!

It is the perfect comfort food! You can mix and match the veggies/legumes you have at hand. You can tweak the spices to fit to your taste.

What all recipes have in common is that they use a dry mix of spices (may they call it some kind of masala or curry powder) usually containing these 4 spices among others:

turmeric,
coriander seeds (ground),
cumin seeds (ground), and
ginger.

Is our Chickpea Mushroom Curry authentic?

Nope. But is it delicious? Hell, yes!

We call it beginners curry as you get a mild and creamy curry taste that you will fall in love with. The spice and the sauce will give you an easy and simple base to make your own curry at home with whatever veggies you like.

If you want to try a more authentic curry, check out these two recipes: Chana Masala or Kerala Kadala.

How to make a simple Chickpea Curry with Mushrooms?

This recipe is really just a simple, one-pot India curry sauce recipe with chickpeas and mushrooms you can quickly make for busy weekdays.

Prepare vegetables

Peel and chop onion and garlic.

Gently wash any dirt off of the mushrooms by using a colander* or a sieve*. Dry them with a paper towel or clean kitchen cloth. We never peel mushrooms, but sometimes cut out the stem if they feel too dry or too hard. Mushrooms release water, so they will shrink. Try not to slice them too thin or they disappear in front of your eyes. Okay, not quite, but you get the gist… We try to slice them not thinner than ¼ inch (0.5 cm).

Making curry sauce with mushroom and chickpeas

Heat your stockpot, sauce pan or frying pan to medium heat and add olive oil. Add chopped onion (photo #1), stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Add chopped garlic (photo #2), stir, and cook for a minute. Add sliced mushrooms, salt and black pepper (photo #3). Stir until combined. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the mushroom start to release some moisture. Add sweet paprika powder (photo #4) and stir again.

Now here comes the sauce. First add the tomato paste (photo #5) and stir again. Then, add veggie broth and the canned full-fat coconut milk (photo #6). Stir. You can see the beautiful creamy sauce now. Next, add the spices (garam masala or curry spice mix, turmeric, and bay leaves) (photo #7). Bring to boil and cook until mushrooms are soft. Finally, add the pre-cooked or canned chickpeas (photo #8).

FAQs and Substitutions

What to serve with curry?

I would say we eat it with Basmati rice or naan/flatbread. – I am meaning to write up my vegan gluten-free chickpea flour flatbread recipe, so stay tuned or subscribe to our newsletter to get notified! 🙂

What other veggies can I add it?

You can also try this recipe with broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, potato or pumpkin instead. Endless possibilities and combinations.

What can I substitute for full-fat coconut milk?

Any dairy-free heavy cream would do. If you use dairy-free milk, please note that it will compromise the thickness and the creaminess. To get the same consistency, you will need to thicken it with flour or starch. Moreover, you will not get as creamy sauce as with the full-fat coconut milk.

How long you can store it?

You can easily store it in the fridge for 3-4 days without any problem. We recommend storing the sauce and the side dish separately may it be rice or anything else.

Can you freeze it?

Yes you can. It is absolutely freezer-friendly. We recommend freezing it per serving for easy access.

This Chickpea Mushroom Curry recipe is meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. This recipe is WFPB-friendly if you cook the onions in water or in veggie broth. It will only be gluten-free if you make sure you use gluten-free or homemade spice mix.

⇒ Get our FREE 7-DAY VEGAN MEAL PLAN now! or check out all vegan meal plan recipes here! ⇐

More vegan comfort food recipes

You can browse through our Vegan and Gluten-free Mains or our Quick & Easy Vegan Meals collection or check out

UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in Sep 2018, but was rewritten and republished with new photos and tips in Sep 2020.

Chickpea Mushroom Curry

Is it curry or masala?

Is our Chickpea Mushroom Curry authentic?