Baked Vegan Chana Pulao is a simple and easy, baked chickpea rice pilaf casserole that comes together quickly but is loaded with flavors. Serve with my quick raita. 1 Pan Gluten-free Soyfree Nutfree.
Chana pulao is a popular Indian one-pot chickpea rice dish that is made with fragrant basmati rice, protein-rich chickpeas, onions, fresh tomatoes, veggies, and bold warming Indian spices. You could also call it Chickpea pulao, chickpea pilaf, or simply chickpea rice. This easy meal is traditionally served with a side dish of raita or plain yogurt.
This recipe for Indian vegan chickpea rice casserole is not made on stovetop but in the oven! So simple, so genius. The roasting method concentrates the flavors and natural sweetness of the veggies added. We start with roasting the vegetables, then add in the rice, chickpeas and spinach and bake everything until the rice is cooked and fluffy.
This is a One Pan casserole dish! No standing around sautéing needed!
Before adding the rice to the casserole dish, we soak it in water. This cuts down the cooking time and also ensures we get evenly fluffy rice. For the baked chana pulao obviously, you can either cook the chickpeas from dried chickpeas (pressure cook 40 mins) or use canned chickpeas.
This baked chickpea rice casserole makes for a filling, comforting and satisfying meal that is best accompanied with some homemade raita, or a side salad.
Why will you love this a chickpea rice casserole
- It’s a 1 Pan meal casserole
- No standing around sautéing the onion and spices or cooking the veggies needed
- Rice, chickpeas, veggies and Indian spices make a fabulous combination
- its a versatile casserole. Change up the beans and use white beans, kidney beans or other beans. Use quinoa or other grains!
- Change up the Indian spices and use chipotle chili powder blend or Ethiopian Berbere, Jamaican curry powder or Creole seasoning for variation
- the casserole is by default Glutenfree, Soyfree and Nutfree!
More rice dishes from the blog:
- Indo Chinese Fried Rice
- Pumpkin Chipotle Fried Rice
- Turmeric Lemon Rice
- Vegetable Carrot Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Rice Pulao
- Masala Fried Rice with Turmeric Onion Raita
- Peanut Sauce Fried Rice
Chana Pulao Casserole or Baked Spiced Chickpea Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 cup (80 g) chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or use paprika for less heat
- 1 - 2 teaspoon garam masala or curry powder or biryani masala
- 1 cup (149 g) vegetables such as chopped peppers, carrots, peas, green beans, or other vegetables of choice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 cup (74.5 g) chopped tomato
- 1 cup (156 g) frozen spinach, thawed or 2 cips chopped or baby fresh spinach
- 15 ounce (425.24 g) can chickpeas drained or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup (185 g) white basmati rice washed and soaked for at least 15 minutes
- 2 cups (475 ml) water
- cilantro and lime juice for garnish
Instructions
- To a 9x12 or similar size casserole dish, add the oil and spread. On one half of the dish, Add the onion, garlic, and toss to coat with the oil. Then add in all of the spices, generous pinch of salt and bay leaves and mix well.
- To the other half of the dish, add the vegetables and a generous pinch of salt and toss well.
- Bake at a preheated 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 C) oven for 14-16 minutes or until the onion is golden.
- In the meanwhile, wash your rice if you haven't already and soak and set aside.
- Once the onion is golden, take the casserole dish out of the oven. Add in chopped tomato and mix well.
- Add in spinach, chickpeas, rest of the salt, drained rice, and water and mix well. Then even it out. Cover with a foil or a clean baking sheet and put it in to bake for 35-45 minutes.
- Check at 35 minute mark if the rice is done. Also stir at that point. Depending on your oven, the rice and the baking dish, the rice will get done in the 35-45 minute range.
- Then take the dish out. Let it sit covered for another 5 minutes then fluff it up. Taste and adjust flavor if needed. garnish with some cilantro and lime juice.
- For the raita, in a bowl mix 1/2 cup non dairy yogurt, 1/4 cup of more water, add in finely chopped 1/4 cup onion or cucumber, some chopped cilantro, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cumin and some cayenne as needed. Mix and serve on the side.
Video
Notes
- Change up the beans and use white beans, kidney beans or other beans. Use quinoa or other grains instead of rice!
- Change up the Indian spices and use chipotle chili powder blend or Ethiopian Berbere, Jamaican curry powder or Creole seasoning for variation. I love berbere or Jamaican curry in this pilaf!
- No onion garlic: omit the onion and garlic, use julienned zucchini instead., add 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves with the spices. The zucchini will cook faster than the onion so check at 12 mins.
- No Oil: use a glass or smooth finish ceramic baking dish. Use 2-4 tablespoons broth or water instead of oil. The onions will cook faster without the oil. Check earlier, stir 2-3 times in between. Then continue as the recipe. Or sauté the onion mixture on a skillet until translucent and then just combine everything in the casserole dish to bake.
- Brown rice: brown rice takes much longer to cook and will need an hour or so bake time and that will overcook the veggies. - Add hot boiling broth and bake, check at 50 minutes. - Or parboil the brown rice for 20 minutes, then add to the casserole dish, use 1 cup hot water/broth instead of 2 cups and continue recipe as written.
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- white basmati rice, washed and soaked for at least 15 minutes. Or use quinoa or couscous
- onion and garlic are minced, then tossed with spices and baked along with the veg
- chickpea pulao spices: bay leaves, coriander, turmeric, ground cardamom, black pepper and cayenne or use paprika for less heat. Garam masala or curry powder or biryani masala
- vegetables: I like chopped peppers, carrots, peas, green beans, small chopped cauliflower, spinach and tomatoes but you can use any vegetables you like
- you can use canned chickpeas or cook them from drained chickpeas. Use other beans for variation such as black eyed peas, kidney beans, white beans etc
- cilantro and lime juice for garnish
Tips:
- Basmati rice is my top choice but you can also go for Jasmine rice which has a delicate and light floral aroma.
- Yes, you got to soak the rice! Rice generally tastes better and has a better texture when it has been soaked. For this recipe, the Basmati Rice is soaked at room temperature before cooking to release and enhance the natural flavor of the rice.
- Feel free to up the amount of spices or add some more curry powder or garam masala or a bit of chili powder
What to serve with Chana Pulao
- Pulao are usually served with non dairy yogurt or yogurt dip (raita)
- you can also serve with Indian curries or dal.
How to make vegan chana pulao:
To a 9×12 or similar size casserole dish, add the oil and spread. On one half of the dish, Add the onion, garlic, and toss to coat with the oil. Then add in all of the spices, pinch of salt and bay leaves and mix well.
To the other half of the dish, add the vegetables and a good pinch of salt and toss well.
Bake at a preheated 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 C) oven for 14-16 minutes or until the onion is golden.
In the meanwhile, wash your rice if you haven’t already and soak and set aside.
Once the onion is golden, take the casserole dish out of the oven. Add in chopped tomato and mix well.
Add in spinach, chickpeas, veggies, rest of the salt, drained rice, and water and mix well. Then even it out. Cover with a foil and put it in to bake for 35-45 minutes.
Check at 35 minute mark if the rice is done. Also stir at that point. Depending on your oven, the rice and the baking dish, it will get done in the 35-45 minute range.
Then take the dish out. Let it sit covered for another 5 minutes.
Fluff the rice and then garnish with some cilantro and lime juice. I like to serve this vegan pulao with a simple Raita (Indian yogurt dip) or any curry or dal.
Store refrigerated in a closed container for upto 4 days.
For the raita, you can use about 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup of more water, add in finely chopped 1/4 cup onion or cucumber, some chopped cilantro, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cumin and cayenne as needed.
Hollie
Absolutely loved this one! I used cubed delicata squash as the veg and it turned out excellent. I brought it to work for lunch a few days and everyone was jealous!
Vegan Richa Support
yum!
Wendy Williams
Thank you for sharing your recipes. Yum
Vegan Richa Support
thank you for trying them! don’t forget to rate! 🙂
Jena
Long time lurker, first time commenter! Love your recipes, thank you! This one is a keeper- my whole family gobbled it up & wanted more. I doubled the recipe & my choice of veggies were peppers, carrots, peas & cauliflower. Delish!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you! glad everyone loved it!
Vicky Sjol
I made this last night for dinner and it was really good… but it was even better for breakfast this morning! LOL Thank you for another delicious recipe.
Vegan Richa Support
Haha I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed!
Christina
Yum! I made it with brown rice and parboiled the rice as suggested. The rsita was perfect. I think I might add raisins to the pulao next time. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Christina
Yum! I made it with brown rice and par oiled the rice
Vegan Richa Support
Thanks Christina.
JAVERI Christine
Hello, the receipe looks very tempting. Could it be possible to get the ingredients in metric mesures for European followers please ?
Thank you. Have a great day!
Richa
All recipes have metric measures. See the gm and ml in brackets beside cups etc.
Javeri
Thank you for taking time to reply. I don’t see the metric for everything (size of the dish, ingrédients for raita )so I was wondering if you had it all in metrics. Never mind, I will look for it on Internet.
Richa
Ah the size , yea please google it. I try to add wherever possible but widget doesn’t have options for within instructions thanks
julie
so yummy and easy !
Vegan Richa Support
perfect
Louise
Could this be made in an instant pot?
Vegan Richa Support
i Haven’t tried yet but I believe it would be just fine
Yael Aldrich
Other than the casserole taking 55 minutes for the rice to be cooked this was a hit with my family.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you. yes, ovens car vary
Terri
Hands down, the best rice dish I have ever made. I was very generous with the vegies (1 whole bell pepper and one zucchini) and the spinach. I was afraid it might overwhelm the 1 cup of rice but it’s delicious!!!
Richa
Yay
Nikki
This was so delicious! We loved the spices, and the rice was so fluffy! Thank you for another great recipe.
Richa
Yay
Nancy
I replaced the chickpeas by canned corn because that’s what I had in my closet but this dish turned out so delicious! I’ll gladly be making it again because it reminds me of the biryani of my mom ^^ I would love to try more of your casserole recipes !
Richa
Awesome! There are several casserole dishes!
AmyS
Made this as written and it was delicious! My rice took a bit longer than 45 minutes to cook though, not sure if it was because the pan I used. It was so good and not dry at all. Love that this is a one pan meal that cooks in the oven. Will definitely be making this again.
Vegan Richa Support
love those one pan meals too, thanks Amy
Colleen
This was so easy and tasty! The raita is a must to give it a little moisture. This will definitely go into our regular rotation.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you Colleen 👏
Aroma of my kitchen
Hello , i really like your recipe , and the ingrredients you used are fantastic . you may also visit our website -https://aromaofmykitchen.com/
s
it was easy and nice and sticky. I doubled the spices, soaked the rice longer and didnt have spinach but it wall worked out! i would even triple the spices if i do it again.
Richa
Yes adjust the spices to preference!
Rita
Another winner! We all loved this tonight. What I loved most is this bakes in the oven in one pan. I love, love one pan meals.
Used mushrooms, carrots and red peppers for the veggies. Will make again and again. So good, so easy and ONE DISH!
Thank you Richa for this great dish.
Richa
Yay!
Kristi
Rotation worthy! You sent me the perfect recipe at the perfect time. Easy? Check. No need to run to the store? Check. One pot? Check. Cook in oven because it’s cold outside? Check. All members of my family eat and enjoy? Double check! Absolutely perfect. Thank you! Husband loved it. Teenagers loved it. You made my night easy.
Richa
Yay! Thanks for the fab review!
Ava Nadel
I have three cups of cooked rice and want to make this dish. How can I modify with pre cooked rice?
Richa
Don’t add the rice in the beginning. Add everything as written and just 3/4 cup water/broth. bake for 25 mins. Then open and mix in the rice really well, taste and adjust flavor(you might need more spice as the rice was cooked without it) , cover and bake for 10 mins. Fluff and serve
Katherine
This was fantastic! An easy to assemble, filling meal packed with color and flavor!
Richa
Yay!!
Cheryl Walker
This was delicious! It is going into my rotation of favorite recipes! Thank you!
I have one question –
The recipe calls for the 1 cup of vegetables to be cooked with the onions, but later in the recipe it says, “Add in spinach, chickpeas, veggies, rest of the salt, drained rice, and water and mix well.” What “veggies” do you add here if the 1 cup of veggies was already added with the onions in the first step?
I wasn’t sure what you meant, so I just added a cup of frozen peas, since
we always like a lot of veggies anyway.
Richa
Oops. Yes no veggies at that point. Updated recipe. Adding epas then is perfect!
Emily Cooke
Made this last night and it was great! I made the dumplings from your lentil rice casserole to put on top and everyone loved it! Thanks!!!
Richa
Awesome!!
Johanna Zalneraitis
Richa, this looks amazing! How do you think brown rice would fare in this? I’m thinking that soaking wouldn’t be enough. Using already cooked rice might not get all the flavor development. Partially cooked brown rice might be the solution, although the water ratio might be difficult.
Vegan Richa Support
thanks, see notes section for brown rice
Stacey
Is it at all possible to use long grain brown rice?
Richa
Just updated notes for brown rice.
Add hot boiling broth and bake, check at 50 minutes. – Or parboil the brown rice for 20 minutes on stove, then add to the casserole dish, use 1 cup hot water/broth instead of 2 cups and continue recipe as written.
arj
I can’t wait to try this casserole! I love one-pot type recipes. Thanks for posting!
Semi-related question, when you soak rice to cook in a rice cooker, do you drain and add fresh water, or cook in the soaking water (assuming of course the rice had been thoroughly washed prior to soaking)? And generally how long do you soak rice before cooking/steaming? I know for this recipe you drain the water off, but just wondering about cooking rice as you mentioned in your notes that rice is better if first soaked.
Richa
You can use the same. I usually drain because I usually wouldn’t have measure that water.
Liyaan
Ideally, you are supposed to soak rice overnight and drain before you cook to reduce levels of arsenic found in rice. However, this isn’t always possible so I just drain and rinse after a 15 minute soak.
Colleen
Would work with brown rice?
Richa
Updated the notes for brown rice
PamelaB
Any adjustments if using brown rice/brown jasmine rice? Longer soak time/cook time maybe?
I’m not a white rice person & always just substitute, but haven’t with baking from scratch.
Looking forward to trying this!
Thank you. 🙂
Richa
Soak in hot water. For baking, Add hot boiling broth and bake, check at 50 minutes. – Or parboil the brown rice for 20 minutes, then add to the casserole dish, use 1 cup hot water/broth instead of 2 cups and continue recipe as written. I prefer precooking it a bit so that the bake time is not too long and veggies don’t get too mushy.,
PamelaB
Thank you so much!✨
Vegan Richa Support
thank you Pamela 🌟
Lani S
Richa,
I want to make this for this weekend but I don’t use oil. I line the casseroles with parchment paper. Does it make a big difference to the taste if you don’t toss the onion and garlic mixture with oil?
Richa
If you are using a smooth finish ceramic dish or glass dish, you don’t need parchment. Use 2-3 tablespoons broth instead of oil. Keep an eye on the onion mixture and stir once or twice in between and as soon as it’s somewhat golden, remove from the oven and continue.
Neil Porteous
Would this work with couscous?
Richa
Yes check at 25-30 mins