• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Browse Recipes
    • Latest
    • By Category
  • Indian Vegan Recipes
  • SUBSCRIBE
Holy Cow Vegan
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Latest recipes
  • Browse by category
  • Indian Vegan Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ร—

    Home > Indian Vegan Recipes

    Chana Makhani with Greens

    Posted: Sep 19, 2014 ยท Updated: Aug 16, 2021

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    A velvet-smooth, nourishing and creamy curry, this Chana Makhani with Greens will make you lick your fingers and ask for more. Vegan, soy-free and gluten-free recipe.

    Photo of Chana Makhani in a bowl with cashew nuts behind.

    This Chana Makhani, I promise, is going to become your favorite way to eat greens. And chickpeas. Or greens and chickpeas. Because it's quite simply, in a word, awesome.

    My Chana Makhani with Greens is a smooth, velvety curry of leafy greens with the perfect hint of spice and the luxurious creaminess of cashews. And into all this goodness I added some green chickpeas. Sprouted green chickpeas, and if you are wondering, go read my last post. I told you, I'm really into sprouts right now.

    Chana Makhani in a bowl with cashews and spices.

    Green chickpeas are chickpeas that are picked younger, and while you can actually buy fresh green chickpeas in India, where they are called lobhia, and even here, in the United States, the ones I used for this curry are the dry kind that I bought at the Indian grocery store.

    If you're a bean enthusiast like me, and you've never been to an Indian grocery store, you must. It's like wading into a legume wonderland. There are brown chickpeas and green chickpeas and the regular beige ones that you see everywhere. There are red kidney beans and dark red kidney beans, tiny red mung beans and tiny green mung beans, lentils in every shade of yellow and every shade of green. Pink lentils and white lentils and black lentils.

    Anyway, getting back to the green chickpeas, you could use regular chickpeas or brown chickpeas in this recipe, if you'd rather. In fact, the green chickpeas cook up brown too. The green and brown chickpeas have a sturdier, nuttier texture than regular chickpeas, which can be really nice if you're craving for something with a bit of a chew.

    And you don't have to sprout the chickpeas, but if you do, good for you! Your body and your tastebuds will be thanking you even more.

    Now enjoy the recipe.

    More vegan Indian curries

    • Palak Paneer with Tofu
    • Methi Chaman
    • Chana Masala
    • Tofu Makhani
    • Vegan Dal Makhani
    Photo of Chana Makhani in white bowl.
    Chana Makhani

    Chana Makhani with Greens

    A velvet-smooth, nourishing and creamy curry, this Chana Makhani with Greens will make you lick your fingers and ask for more. Vegan, soy-free and gluten-free recipe.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Curry
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Chana Makhani
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Total Time: 20 mins
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 167kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 1 cup green or regular chickpeas. Soak overnight and cook until tender. You can also substitute with canned chickpeas.
    • 3 cups of frozen spinach. Place the greens in a microwave-safe bowl, add a couple of tablespoons of water, and microwave for five minutes. Set aside.
    • 2 teaspoons oil
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
    • 1- inch knob of ginger, julienned
    • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
    • 1 tablespoon coriander powder
    • 2 teaspoon garam masala
    • ยผ teaspoon turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    • 2 green chillies, chopped
    • ยฝ cup cashews, soaked in water for 30 minutes, then blended into a smooth paste with ยฝ cup water
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Heat the oil.
    • Add the mustard seeds and fennel seeds. When the mustard sputters, add the ginger and garlic, saute for a few seconds, then add the onions and the bay leaves.
    • Add a generous pinch of salt and saute on a medium-low flame until the onion turns translucent.
    • Add the cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, green chillies, and turmeric. Stir well.
    • Add the cooked greens. mix well, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook for five minutes. Let it cool a little and then transfer to a blender and blend into a smooth paste. Be very careful handling the hot mixture. If you have an immersion blender, this is good time to break it out.
    • Add the greens paste back to the pan with the cooked chickpeas. Turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Add water if it's too dry. Add the cashew cream, the lemon juice, and salt to taste.
    • Serve hot with rice or phulkas.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 167kcal | Protein: 6.9g | Fiber: 5.6g
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
    Follow Holy Cow Vegan on Instagram
    Photo of Chana Makhani in a white bowl.
    « Sprouted Bean Brown Rice Dosa
    Vegan Semiya Payasam, a vermicelli pudding »
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly

    About Vaishali


    I cook and eat simple, tasty and nutritious plant-based food in my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. Read more about me here.

    Try these recipes next

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Noa

      May 22, 2016 at 3:30 pm

      Ugh, this turned out soooo gooood. I thought I had enough frozen chickpeas from a previous batch I made, but eventually it wasn't enough so I added cooked bulgur to the sauce. It looks awful but it tastes amazing, I could not stop eating. Thanks Vaishali, you never let me down!

      Reply
    2. Anonymous

      October 18, 2015 at 6:03 am

      We had this dish yesterday. I used swiss chard instead of spinach and ordinary chick peas, but it was absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for all those incredible recipies!!!

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        October 23, 2015 at 2:26 pm

        Glad you enjoyed it! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    3. sage

      February 21, 2015 at 3:19 pm

      5 stars
      thank you again! for another incredibly delicious vegan recipe that will become a weekly staple! you are my go-to godess of vegan deliciousness. I used chard, spinach , parsley and cilantro for greens, but i had no cashews in the house so i subbed in a can of light coconut milk. it came out so delicious we had not a scrap of leftovers, and i woke up craving more. can't wait to try it as written! i really appreciate how you give us authentic, creative, delicious taste -that is also healthy food i can count on. thank you! thank you and i bow to your brilliance!

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        April 13, 2015 at 7:55 pm

        Hi Sage, you are too kind. What a great idea to use mixed greens, and coconut milk. Thanks for sharing those ideas, and for letting me know! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Anusha

      December 21, 2014 at 7:11 pm

      Tasty recipe ! I used fresh spinach, so I did not cook the spinach in the microwave but just sautรฉed the onions and everything else and then put the spinach on top of it and sautรฉed it too. I did not have green chillies, so I used half tsp chilli powder. Was lipsmackingly delicious ! My kids loved it too.

      Thank you,
      Anusha

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        April 13, 2015 at 7:54 pm

        Hi Anusha, so glad you tried it. Thanks for letting me know! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    5. Lori

      October 04, 2014 at 7:16 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is amazing! It also got me on a roll for sprouting EVERYTHING. Your Tofu Palek Paneer is up next on my list. I LOVE Palek Paneer. Thanks for all the great recipes. I did use fresh spinach in this and it was awesome.

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        October 06, 2014 at 11:41 am

        Hi Lori, so thrilled you tried it. Thanks for letting me know, and yes-- sprouting is rather addictive, isn't it, although with the onset of cooler weather here I must admit I've slowed down a bit. Now your message has inspired me to go home and get those suckers soaking again. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    6. Ambica

      September 24, 2014 at 2:40 pm

      Your posts have inspired me to sprout. Your technique of using a colander actually works! Do you think this recipe will work with Rajma?

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        September 24, 2014 at 10:37 pm

        Hi Ambica, yes, you could try rajma in this. Should be delicious.

        Reply
    7. Sheela

      September 24, 2014 at 10:20 am

      5 stars
      Hey Vaishali,

      Such a yummy recipe!
      You are so good in combining simple ingredients to a recipe that looks appetizing.

      Thanks for sharing!

      Happy Navratri!

      Sheela

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        September 24, 2014 at 10:40 pm

        Thanks, dear Sheela, and a very happy Navratri to you! Used to be one of my favorite times of year growing up.

        Reply
    8. Ellen Lederman

      September 22, 2014 at 8:29 am

      This sounds fabulous. This may just get me to try to sprout chickpeas (it will be good to get outside my comfort level of just sprouting mung beans). Just out of curiosity: why did you choose to use frozen spinach rather than fresh?

      Also---I'm having difficulty finding your recipe for "yogurt." All I can find are the one under the Keema Wrap, which is more for a raita (but of course I could just omit the chile and tomato) and the one under your Substitution list. Are there any others? And it looks like one recipe calls for silken tofu---the other for extra-firm...can you help clarify?

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        September 23, 2014 at 10:12 pm

        Hi Ellen, I used frozen spinach for convenience, more than anything else. Fresh would be perfect too.
        You can find a yogurt recipe in my Curd-Rice recipe, the link's here. https://holycowvegan.net/vegan-curd-rice-dahi-annam/
        I find that in a good blender, nearly any texture of tofu-- soft, firm, extra-firm -- blends into a smooth texture, so I often just use whatever I have on hand. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    9. East Meets West Veg

      September 21, 2014 at 4:37 pm

      Chana combined with greens is one of my favorite foods! Yum! I like how you use green chickpeas in this recipe. I'm pretty sure I have bought them frozen from Whole Foods before.

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        September 23, 2014 at 10:17 pm

        Hi EMWV, I need to check Whole Foods to see if I can get the fresh green chana. It's delicious.

        Reply
    10. Priya

      September 19, 2014 at 9:38 am

      Healthy and very colourful channa makhani, can have it happily without any fuss.

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        September 23, 2014 at 10:16 pm

        Thanks, Priya. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply

    Leave a comment: Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

    Trending recipes

    • Vegan Picadillo Tacos
    • Vegan Zucchini Pasta
    • Chickpea Rice
    • Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
    • Mexican Tofu with Apricots, Chipotle and Tamarind
    • Vegan Swedish Meatballs

    How to make

    • Dosa Recipe | How to Make Perfect Dosai at Home
    • Easy Mushroom Stock
    • Sambar Powder (Sambar Masala)
    • Roti recipe. How to make the softest Roti/Chapati (step by step with video)
    • Healthy Whole Wheat Vegan Puff Pastry (1/2 the fat)
    • Easy Indian Curry Paste for Restaurant-Style Dishes
    • Vegan Mayo
    • How to Make Curry Powder
    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

    Trending recipes

    • Vegan Muffaletta Casserole
    • Cheezy Vegan Mexican Black Bean Casserole
    • Vegan Indian-Spiced Tofu Casserole
    • Lentil Soup
    • Cauliflower Rice Biryani (Keto + Vegan)
    • Easy Vegetable Curry (One-pot, 30 minutes)

    How to make

    • Vegan Instant Pot Yogurt
    • Air Fryer Tofu
    • Ginger Garlic Paste for Indian Recipes | How to make and store it
    • Garam Masala Recipe
    • How to Make a Sourdough Starter (Easy Step by Step Guide)
    • How to make sauerkraut
    • Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
    • Homemade Biryani Masala Spice Mix

    Footer


    ABOUT HOLYCOWVEGAN

    All Recipes
    Recipe Videos
    About Vaishali
    Privacy Policy

    VEGAN INDIAN RECIPES

    Vegan Dal or Dahl Recipes
    Vegan Curry Recipes
    Indian Vegan Desserts

    VEGAN BAKING RECIPES

    Vegan Bread Recipes
    Vegan Sourdough Recipes
    Vegan Cake Recipes
    Vegan Pie Recipes
    Vegan Cookie Recipes


    As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my full disclosure here.

    ยฉ 2022 Holy Cow Vegan