Love Indian food? Chana Masala or chhole masala is an easy and incredibly tasty chickpeas and potato curry. Its got a punch of flavour from the spices, and this recipe has instructions for instant pot, traditional pressure cooker and stovetop. The best part is that apart from being healthy, its vegan and gluten free.
If you've never tried chana masala before, this is the best time to start. Because I ate one bite of this curry and it brought me so much joy. I mean comforting joy. The kinds where you get all warm and fuzzy coz you tasted something so comforting.
This pressure cooker chana masala is a close cousin of this stovetop chana aloo masala that I've shared earlier. And its even easier to make now. I always use my Instant Pot now for any recipe that I want to try in a pressure cooker, but I have instructions below for a traditional pressure cooker too. Because I tested it in both with umm similar results. The traditional pressure cooker version was way thicker and I had to add more water in the end. But the instant pot version was perfect. Because the water stays locked in, in the Instant pot so you lose much less liquid when you use one.
Too technical, too fast? But I really wanted to put this out there and tell you why you need an Instant Pot so badly (affiliate link)! Sneaky, I know!
I've eaten chana masala hundreds of times now and I know what I like in a good chana masala. The chana or chickpeas need to be cooked well enough that I can easily smash them, and they should break down slightly so that the gravy is more chunky. Plus potatoes are a much. A lot of curries that I've eaten outside tend to be extremely oily, but ugh! I hate that. It makes me feel weirdly greasy and bloaty later. And you don't need so much oil to make something delicious like this pressure cooker chana masala. And you'll see how!
I have a few tips before we start the recipe to help you along the way.
Can I use canned chickpeas to make chana masala?
Absolutely! Canned chickpeas work really well in the recipe and there is no difference in flavour whatsoever. In fact, canned chickpeas make this recipe much faster. But I believe, dried chickpeas are better. Because they are healthier, there is nothing else added them, and they are cheaper.
How to soak dried chickpeas for this chana masala recipe?
Ideally, chickpeas should be soaked overnight to help them absorb water and make them easier and faster to cook. But I get you - I almost always forget to soak chickpeas and other dried beans the night before. A super easy trick is to place dried chickpeas in a casserole or hot pot that can be sealed properly; cover them with enough boiling hot water and add a teaspoon of salt to it before sealing it shut for an hour. The combination of hot water and salt helps in better absorption of liquid and speeds the process of soaking.
Of course, before we get to the recipe, lets talk about sides for a minute. The possibilities are endless. You can enjoy this with:
- steamed or jeera rice,
- pulao,
- rotis or parathas and bhaturas of course! Or just have all three. Indulge.
I hope you have fun making this chana masala. I've provided substitutes in the recipe where I could, but if you can get your hands on the real stuff - nothing like it!
Watch Chana Masala Recipe Video
This post was first published on June 27, 2018 and updated on 23 October, 2020 to include a step by step video with no changes to the original recipe
Pressure Cooker Chana Masala (Instant Pot and Stovetop recipes)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Dry Chickpeas chana
- 3 tablespoons Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 Bayleaves
- 2 Cardamom Pods
- ¾ cup Onion finely chopped (medium )
- 1 ½ cups Tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Ginger finely minced
- 2 Green Chillies finely chopped (Serrano Peppers will work)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder or Paprika Powder
- 2 Potatoes cut into quarters
- ¾ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri Methi optional
- 1-2 tablespoons Ghee
- Chopped coriander for topping
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight. Or you can follow my tip to soak chickpeas in an hour in the notes below.
Instant Pot Chana Masala
- Turn on the saute mode and heat oil in the instant pot. Add cumin seeds, bayleaf and cardamom pods. Once the seeds start spluttering, add the onions and cook till they are soft (about 3-4 minutes).
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, green chillies, salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder to the pot. Cook till the tomatoes break down and start becoming mushy (4-5 minutes). Add the chickpeas, potatoes and 2 cups water to the pot. Set manual pressure for 30 minutes and let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure.
- Turn on the saute function again and add garam masala, ghee and kasuri methi (if using). If the gravy is too thick, add ¼ to ½ cup water. Adjust salt to taste and simmer for 5 minutes before turning off the flame. Top with chopped coriander and serve hot.
Traditional Pressure Cooker Chana Masala
- Heat oil in the pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds, bayleaf and cardamom pods. Once the seeds start spluttering, add the onions and cook till they are soft (about 3-4 minutes).
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, green chillies, salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder to the pot. Cook till the tomatoes break down and start becoming mushy (4-5 minutes). Add the chickpeas, potatoes and 2 ½ cups water to the pot. Pressure cook for 6-7 whistles or till the chana can be easily broken between two fingers.
- Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and add garam masala, ghee and kasuri methi (if using). If the gravy is too thick, add ¼ to ½ cup water. Adjust salt to taste and simmer for 5 minutes before turning off the flame. Top with chopped coriander and serve hot.
- Stovetop Version: The instructions for the stovetop chana masala are here.
Video
Notes
- Canned Chickpeas: If you are using canned chickpeas, drain them well before adding and reduce the time in the Instant Pot to 10 minutes; and the traditional stovetop cooker to 1 whistle. You will also have to reduce the amount of water to 1 cup
- Canned tomatoes: Canned tomatoes can be used to replace fresh tomatoes. Use 1.5 cups canned tomatoes to replace fresh tomatoes
- Spices: If you don't have the ground spices listed below, replace them with 1.5 tablespoons Curry Powder. This will change the flavour, but it'll be close
- Kasuri Methi: Kasuri methi (affiliate link) helps round the flavour in Indian dishes and really adds to them. A little goes a long way, and a pack will last you a while. If you make Indian food often, this is something I would seriously consider buying and keeping
- Garam Masala: I use homemade garam masala, but you can substitute it with any store bought garam masala. Please note that garam masala is different from curry powder
Nutrition
More Indian Curries for you to try
Paneer Butter Masala
Baingan Bharta
Mughlai Chicken
Goan Prawn Curry
Surekha says
Hi! I made this once and it turned out amazing. I used green cardamoms then, but which would you recommend? Black or green?
Richa says
I use green cardamoms usually but black also works. You can really use either!
sapna chauhan says
wow! chana masala such a mouthwatering recipe. The way you share your recipes with step by step along with such great images is simply awesome. keep it up.
Katie says
Fantastic!!! My meat loving husband had thirds and said he didn’t miss meat at all!
Richa says
Wow!! Glad you and your husband liked it!
jenny says
My family loves this recipe! We are making it together for the second time. Easy and very tasty. Thanks!
Richa says
Yay! A crowd favourite!! Thanks for leaving your feedback Jenny
Mary beth says
This is an amazing recipe! Don’t skip the optional spice. It totally makes the dish. I planned to eat it for lunches all week but it’s already all gone!
Richa says
Love the sound of that! So glad you liked it!
Amy says
For the calories, is that just the total for the chana marsala or does that include the rice?
Richa says
The nutritional info is just for the chana masala.
Clarke says
Can anyone tell me if I would have to make changes if I substituted cauliflower for potatoes?
Richa says
Hey Clarke, you don't have to make any changes to the recipe. Though cauliflower does cook faster than potatoes, so they'll be slightly mushy if you cook them for the same amount of time.
Jenn says
I cannot find the instructions to soak the chickpeas in an hour
Richa says
Hey Jenn, its mentioned in the post. Just read the whole thing and you'll find it.
Leo Tracy says
So easy and delicious. Worked perfectly in the instant pot. The addition of the Fenugreek gave the stew such an amazing Indian aroma and vibe that my wife was just stunned by it. Can't wait to try some of your other Indian Instant Pot recipes! Thanks for sharing!!
Richa says
Fenugreek is really the star that brings everything together. I'm so glad you and your wife enjoyed this!
Kiran says
Hi I used a spoon of amchur powder ( dry mango powder) to it and the taste is amazing!
Richa says
So glad you liked it Kiran
Viji Senthil says
Hi, Instead of cardamom pods, it's typed as coriander pods in traditional pressure cooker method
Richa says
Thanks for pointing that out Viji. I'll fix that.
Dawn says
Is it suppose to be coriander or cardamom pods??
Richa says
Its cardamom pods like the recipe says.
Shabna Aboo says
still says coriander pods
Richa says
Its fixed now 🙂
Tushar Patel says
Nice Article... Keep posting like this
MALLESH PAI says
Came out amazing! Thanks for this, it's going into my staples list 🙂
Richa says
Thank you!
RADHA says
Looks easy and actually tasty. Thanks for sharing
Richa says
Glad you liked it!
Chhavi says
This looks really good!I have never added potatoes or Kasoori Methi in my channa..but I cant wait to try it!
Richa says
We love potatoes in chana and kasoori methi really helps round the flavour. I hope you like it when you give this chana masala a try!