In this alluring Moroccan chickpea tagine recipe a base of onions and tomatoes is layered with the contrasting flavors and textures of sweet raisins and carrots, nutty chickpeas and salty olives. Aromatic saffron and a homemade ras el hanout spice blend tie together all of these luscious tastes.
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What is a tagine?
A tagine (pronounced tuh-jean) is a clay pot with a conical lid that's used by North African and especially Moroccan cooks. It is also a descriptive suffix for Moroccan stews, often meat stews, that are slow-cooked in the clay pot.
The deep, heavy lid of a tagine allows steam to circulate as the food cooks, keeping the food moist and effectively trapping all of the flavors within. The unglazed clay of the lid also enhances the dish by adding deep, smoky richness.
You don't need a tagine, however, to make a delicious tagine; a Dutch oven or any pot with a tight-fitting lid will do just as well. That's what I use to make all of my tagines, including jackfruit "lamb" tagine, lentil sweet potato tagine, and this scrumptious chickpea tagine.
This is a ridiculously simple recipe. You layer all the ingredients and let the heat do the rest of the work. It's a wonderful recipe to make in the slow cooker or Instant Pot (check the FAQs below for more on how to do this). The tagine has so many contrasting flavors and textures from the olives, raisins, saffron, carrots, onions, garlic and chickpeas. And the ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice mix, packs a finishing wallop, tying all of these wonderful flavors together and adding even more appetizing aroma and deliciousness.
The tagine is soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. You can make it as spicy as your tastebuds will allow, and the sweet raisins and carrots make the stew appealing to children as well.
Recipe card
Chickpea Tagine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large red onion (thinly sliced)
- 6-8 cloves garlic (crushed into a paste)
- 2 medium carrots (cut into slices or chunks)
- ½ cup raisins (or chopped dates)
- 14 oz whole plum tomatoes (canned, with juices. Crush the whole tomatoes with your fingers before adding to the pot)
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas (approximately two 15 oz cans)
- 2 tablespoons ras el hanout (add more if needed)
- ¼ teaspoon saffron (optional. Use the same quantity of turmeric if you don't have saffron)
- 1 heaping tsp paprika (or cayenne for more heat)
- ¼ cup cilantro or parsley, or a mix
- ¼ cup kalamata olives (roughly chopped)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions with half a teaspoon salt and saute until the onions are soft and begin to caramelize.
- Add crushed garlic to the pot and continue to saute for another minute.
- Stir in the carrots and saute for a couple of minutes, followed by the raisins.
- Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot and mix well, then stir in the chickpeas.
- Add ras el hanout, paprika and saffron to the pot and mix well. Stir in the cilantro and/or parsley.
- Add a cup of water and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, cover the tagine with a tight lid, lower heat, and let the tagine simmer for 30-45 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed. The tagine should be thick but if you want more sauce you can add more water or vegetable stock.
- Finally stir in the olives and mix well. Check salt and add more as needed. Turn off heat.
Notes
- To make the tagine in a slow cooker add the oil followed by all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Mix well, add two cups of water, and cook for three hours on the high setting. Stir a few times during cooking. You can also make the tagine oil-free by skipping the oil.
- To make an Instant Pot chickpea tagine sauté all ingredients on the "sauté" setting. Once you've added the water to the tagine, place the lid on the IP and cook on manual pressure for 10 minutes. Let the IP stand 10 minutes, then force-release and stir in the cilantro and olives. Add salt as needed.
- If you don't have ras el hanout, in a bowl mix ½ teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground cloves, ground allspice, ground black pepper, cinnamon and cayenne with a tablespoon of ground coriander and ¼ teaspoon each of ground fennel or star anise, nutmeg, turmeric, ginger and paprika. Add to the recipe the same time as you would add the ras el hanout.
- You can add veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, cauliflower, eggplant and mushrooms to the tagine. Add more seasoning if you add more veggies.
- Refrigerate: Place leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days. The stew tastes even better the next day, when the flavors have had time to meld, so this is a great recipe to make ahead.
- Freeze: Freeze the chickpea tagine in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat in the microwave on the stovetop.
Nutrition Information
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How to make chickpea tagine
Add olive oil to a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions with half a teaspoon salt and saute until the onions are soft and begin to caramelize.
Add crushed garlic to the pot and continue to saute for another minute.
Stir in the carrots and saute for a couple of minutes.
Stir in the raisins and mix them in.
Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot and mix well.
Then stir in the chickpeas.
Add ras el hanout, paprika and saffron to the pot and mix well.
Stir in the cilantro or parsley.
Add a cup of water and mix well. Bring to a boil, cover the tagine with a tight lid and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes over low heat. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed. The tagine should be thick but if you want more sauce you can add more water or vegetable stock.
Finally stir in the olives and mix well. Check salt and add more as needed. Turn off heat.
Chickpea tagine FAQs
To make the tagine in a slow cooker add the oil followed by all the ingredients to the slow cooker. Mix well, add two cups of water, and cook for three hours on the high setting. Stir a few times during cooking. You can also make the tagine oil-free by skipping the oil.
To make an Instant Pot chickpea tagine saute all ingredients on the "saute" setting. Once you've added the water to the tagine, place the lid on the IP and cook on manual pressure for 10 minutes. Let the IP stand 10 minutes, then force-release and stir in the cilantro and olives. Add salt as needed.
In a bowl mix ½ teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground cloves, ground allspice, ground black pepper, cinnamon and cayenne with a tablespoon of ground coriander and ¼ teaspoon each of ground fennel or star anise, nutmeg, turmeric, ginger and paprika. Add to the recipe the same time as you would add the ras el hanout.
A tagine is usually served with a variety of salads and vegetable dishes. Serve chickpea tagine with a tomato salad like this kachumber and a carrot salad or beet salad. Serve the tagine over a bed of couscous or basmati rice, or with a simple Moroccan bread or with any flatbread, including vegan naan or roti. You can also serve the tagine with crusty French bread.
Julie A says
This is Holy Cow no doubt about it! I just made it and if it is supposed to improve by tomorrow it may blow my head off with yumminess.
I added finely chopped kale and one sweet potato plus I used chopped dates instead of raisins because that is what I had inhouse. I can't wait to have it for dinner tomorrow with my dinner guests. I will look at your other recipes now
Thank you
Vaishali says
Yay!! So happy you loved the tagine, Julie. I love that you subbed dates for the raisins - great idea. Hope your guests love it too.
Michele Martin says
Your recipes never disappoint. This was extra delicious. I made a couple of changes because I had different ingredients on hand. I added twice as much canned whole tomatoes, used currants and prunes instead of raisins, left out the olives and used my own recipe for ras el hanout made without cloves. I'm not a fan of cloves at all. I used parsley and saffron (was out of cilantro). We all loved it. The leftovers were definitely even better the next day like you said. I will make it ahead next time. Thanks for another great recipe! Love your blog!
Vaishali says
Hi Michelle, so awesome you loved the tagine! Thanks for the feedback and love how you made the recipe your own. 💕