This vegan rajma masala takes kidney beans and gives them the curry treatment. Healthy, filling, and gluten-free, it's a tasty dish that uses spices and simple ingredients from the store cupboard.
Tempered cumin seeds meet the aromatic notes of onion, garlic, and ginger, before the ground spices go in to create various levels of curry magic. Mashing towards the end of cooking then helps to thicken it up and bring it all together.
This rajma is delicious with boiled rice, naan bread, or homemade pilau rice. For a similar mild curry, check out this vegan biryani, vegan chana masala, or aloo palak, or turn up the heat with a tofu jalfrezi.
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What is rajma masala?
Rajma or rajma masala – literally 'kidney beans with mixed spices' – is a curry dish that is particularly popular in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It is often served with boiled rice to form the meal known as rajma chawal.
I used to think that kidney beans were only found in chilli or rice and pea dishes, so I was happy to discover this curry. If it's your first time learning about it, I'm honoured to be the one introducing you.
Tinned v dried beans
Out of convenience, this recipe calls for tinned kidney beans. But I’d highly recommend cooking dried beans from scratch if you get the chance:
- They taste better
- They're creamier inside but also have more of a bite
- You have control over additional flavours and textures
- They usually work out cheaper than tinned
- They’re easier to store in bulk
- They don’t contain additives, preservatives, or firming agents
You can cook dried beans in bulk and then use them in various recipes. If you want to learn more, check out my Beginner’s Guide to Pulses.
Are kidney beans good for you?
Like most legumes, kidney beans are a great ingredient to include in your diet. Packed full of plant-based protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals, they're also cheap and widely available. Win, win, win.
For another delicious kidney bean recipe, check out this spicy kidney bean dip.
How to make vegan rajma masala
Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and fry these for around 30-60 seconds, being careful not to burn them. Next, add the onion and stir occasionally for 6-8 minutes (or until soft and starting to turn golden).
Once the onions have softened, stir in the finely chopped garlic, ginger, and chilli. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the ground coriander, garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric, fenugreek, and salt. Stir well and cook for a minute or so.
Next, stir in the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes to allow the ingredients to blend together.
Stir in the drained kidney beans along with the vegan stock or water. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat and cook for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 20 minutes, use a potato masher to mash some of the kidney beans. This will help to thicken the curry, so do it as much or as little as you like. If it seems too thick, you can always add more stock/water until you're happy with the consistency.
Stir in the freshly chopped coriander, adjust the seasoning, and serve.
Serving suggestions
- Boiled basmati/white rice
- Homemade pilau rice
- Vegan cucumber raita
- Naan bread / puri / chapati
- Roasted cauliflower
- Poppadoms
- Ultimate vegan mashed potatoes
- Baked potato
- Crispy baked potato wedges
- Plant-based yoghurt or crème fraiche
- Homemade cashew cream
- Fresh coriander
- Fresh chilli
Recipe FAQ
While rajma traditionally uses kidney beans, I don't see why you couldn't try this same recipe with any other tinned (pre-cooked) beans you have lying around. You could also try it out with other tinned (pre-cooked) pulses such as lentils or chickpeas (see this similar recipe for vegan chana masala), or vegetables (like this aubergine curry).
This recipe will be completely gluten-free provided you use a vegan stock that is certified or labelled as such. If you're unsure, you can simply use water.
Refrigerate this kidney bean curry for up to four days. Like many curries, it'll get even better after a day or two in the fridge.
You can freeze rajma masala in sealed containers or resealable bags for up to six months, making this a great meal to prepare in advance.
Variations and tips
- Add more veg: Feel free to add any other ingredients such as spinach, mixed peppers, or cooked potato cubes.
- Tomatoes: If you don't have tinned tomatoes, you could replace these with approx. 5 whole fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped.
- Quantity: If you want to make this recipe stretch further, simply add an extra tin of tomatoes and/or kidney beans and adjust the spices and seasoning to taste.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Spicy Tofu Jalfrezi
- Easy Vegan Chana Masala
- Black Bean Curry with Cashew Cream
- Creamy Jackfruit Curry
- Chickpea & Cauliflower Coconut Curry
- Sweet Potato Dal
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chilli
- Ultimate Vegan Haggis
You can also check out my full list of vegan mains.
Full recipe
Vegan Rajma Masala (Kidney Bean Curry)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1½ inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
- 1-2 fresh chillies, finely sliced (more or less depending on how you like your heat)
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1x 14 oz (400 g) tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- 2x 14 oz (400 g) tins kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 3½ cups (800 ml) vegan stock or water
- Small bunch fresh coriander (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and fry these for around 30-60 seconds, being careful not to burn them.
- Next, add the onion and stir occasionally for 6-8 minutes (or until soft and starting to turn golden).
- Once the onions have softened, stir in the finely chopped garlic, ginger, and chilli. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the ground coriander, garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric, fenugreek, and salt. Stir well and cook for a minute or so.
- Next, stir in the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes to allow the ingredients to blend together.
- After 5 minutes, stir in the drained kidney beans along with the vegan stock or water. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat and cook for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 20 minutes, use a potato masher to mash some of the kidney beans. This will help to thicken the curry, so do it as much or as little as you like. If it seems too thick, you can always add more stock/water until you're happy with the consistency.
- Stir in the freshly chopped coriander, adjust the seasoning, and serve with boiled rice or pilau rice and vegan raita (see notes for more suggestions).
Notes
- Vegan Biryani with Chickpeas
- Spicy Tofu Jalfrezi
- Easy Vegan Chana Masala
- Black Bean Curry with Cashew Cream
- Creamy Jackfruit Curry
- Vegan Lentil Dal
- Aloo Palak
- Ultimate Vegan Haggis
Nutrition
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Gwen McMullen
I made this last week. It was really tasty and delicious. I added 5 x fresh green chillis. At the end, I added some tinned Jamaican brown lentils. I froze it in portions and it’s making me some lovely dinners, eg with potatoes. I’ll try it with dried kidney beans next time.
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers Gwen, great to hear you enjoyed this one and are getting multiple meals out of it!
Diane
Absolutely delicious and very easy. We adjusted the chilli to make it a little spicier. Thank you
The Pesky Vegan
Good stuff, thanks for the review!
Karen
A real surprise, this - I've never thought about kidney beans in a curry. I can't think why: its a real 'comfort food' - could cause obsession!! One tip: don't drain and rinse tinned beans, it's the water the beans were cooked in and is steeped in taste and nutrition. Thank you for yet another hit!
The Pesky Vegan
Glad you enjoyed, thanks!
Chris
The family really enjoyed this meal. It will be on regular rotation in our house. Thanks. Your website is really good.
Greetings from Australia,
Chris G.
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers Chris, great to hear you all enjoyed it!
Chris Roberts
Wonderful! I'm not a big fan of garam masala, so substituted ras el hanout and also threw in a half cup of red lentils. Next time, I'm tempted to add a little of your fabulous cashew cream. Anyway, it was fabulous with basmati rice and home made chapatis for dinner, and possibly even better when microwaved for lunch the next day. Tonight: haggis!
The Pesky Vegan
Sounds great and good effort with the homemade chapatis!
Susanna
I enjoyed making and eating this recipe, & love that it mostly used ingredients I had on hand. I substituted one cup of oat milk for one cup of the broth to make it a little creamier. I’ll keep this one around to make again!
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, thanks very much for the review!
Deeksha
This Rajma looks so tempting. This is one of my favorite recipes.Thank you so much for the recipe.
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks for the review!
Annie
Make last night excellent flavours, Quick and simple to do. Thank you
The Pesky Vegan
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks very much for the message!
Amber
This is amazing! Made it last night and made another batch today! It's so simple, cheap and yet so so tasty!
The Pesky Vegan
Glad you enjoyed, thanks very much for leaving a review!
Billy
Made this and loved it. Enjoyed it even more using dried beans. Definitely a keeper, thanks.
The Pesky Vegan
Glad you enjoyed, thanks very much for leaving a review!
Chris
Very straightforward to make but lovely and hearty curry. I made it using tinned beans and the taste and texture were great. Both as it's made and I did it with peppers and mushrooms added. Definitely going in my make again file
The Pesky Vegan
Hi Chris, great to hear you enjoyed this recipe and tweaked it. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Julie
The flavors in this curry are outstanding! A sultry combination of spices makes this a warm and comforting curry. Thank you for posting this recipe!
The Pesky Vegan
Hi Julie, thanks so much for the great review - glad you enjoyed!