Chana Masala or chhole masala is an easy and incredibly tasty Indian curry made with chickpeas and potatoes. This is a super quick recipe that can be easily made in an instant pot, pressure cooker or on the stovetop. Oh, this recipe is healthy, vegan and gluten-free!
Love Chickpeas? Try my Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, Hummus, Pindi Chole (No Onion Garlic) or Chickpea Flour Brownies!
Chana masala is one of those authentic Indian curries that spell comfort and joy every time you have it. Made with chhole, potatoes, aromatics and spices, this curry is rich in flavour and texture. I have made this curry in an Instant Pot, but you can easily make it in a pressure cooker as well as on the stove. In fact, this chana masala recipe is a close cousin of the stovetop chana aloo masala that I've shared earlier.
Quick Walk Through: Chana Masala
Reasons you'll love this recipe
- A comforting and easy one-pot recipe that requires minimal prep and clean-up.
- A dump-and-run kind of recipe which comes together in an under an hour.
- A nutrient-rich protein-packed meal that's perfect for weeknight dinners or weekend lunches.
- Makes for the perfect vegetarian main course dish at parties or get-togethers.
- Is 100% vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free.
Ingredients You'll Need for Chana masala
- Chickpeas: I have used dry chickpeas, which I soaked overnight (about 6-8 hours) for this recipe. You can even use canned chickpeas, but the cooking time for that will vary.
- Potatoes: Helps thicken the gravy and add lots of texture.
- Spices: This recipe uses a mix of whole spices like bayleaf, cardamom, and cumin seeds, along with ground spices like turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala for maximum flavor.
- Tomatoes: Finely chopped to form the base of the gravy. You can replace it with tomato puree if you prefer.
- Aromatics: Finely chopped onions and fresh ginger garlic paste for flavor and aroma.
- Green chillies: Finely chopped for heat. You can skip this one if you're making it for kids or have a low spice tolerance.
- Kasuri methi: A must-have in Indian curries. Adds a lovely smokiness to the dish and brings out the flavors of the masala. A little goes a long way.
- Salt: For flavor and seasoning.
- Ghee: Added to towards the end to enhance the flavor and add a hint of richness to the curry.
- Oil: To cook the masalas. I have used vegetable oil, but you can use any neutral-flavored oil like canola, peanut, sunflower, or rice bran for this recipe.
- Coriander: Finely chopped and used as a garnish for a dash of earthiness.
How to make chana masala
1. Soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight. Or you can follow my tip to soak chickpeas in an hour in the notes below. Turn on the saute mode and heat oil in the instant pot. Add cumin seeds, bayleaf and cardamom pods.
2. Once the seeds start spluttering, add the onions, ginger and garlic and cook on high till they are brown (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder to the pot. Cook till the tomatoes break down and start becoming mushy (4-5 minutes).
4. Add the chickpeas, potatoes, green chillies 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.
5. Turn on the saute function again and add garam masala, ghee and kasuri methi (if using). If the gravy is too thin, simmer it for a few minutes to thicken it. Adjust salt to taste and simmer for 5 minutes before turning off the flame.
6. Top with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice, poori, bhature or roti!
Richa's top tips to make the best chana masala
- If you're using canned chickpeas for this recipe, make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly. 5 minutes in an Instant Pot or 2 whistles in a pressure cooker should be more than enough to soften them further.
- To thicken a watery gravy (a problem that can come up when cooking in a pressure cooker), slightly smash the chickpeas and potatoes and allow it cook for a few minutes.
- If you want the curry to be extra flavorful, you can a tablespoon of store-bought chole masala for that restaurant style flavor. I generally prefer to skip this step though.
FAQs
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.
Ideally, chickpeas should be soaked overnight to help them absorb water and make them easier and faster to cook. But if you're anything like me, then you often 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.
This pressure cooker chana masala or chhole masala is a delicious, versatile dish that tastes good with so many different things. I usually serve this with steamed or jeera rice for weeknight dinners, with bhaturas for an indulgent weekend breakfasts, and with pulao or parathas when making for a group. You can serve it with rotis, naan, or kulcha as well.
Watch Chana Masala Recipe Video
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
- 1 teaspoon Anardana Powder dried Pomegranate Powder, optional
- 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, ginger and garlic and cook on high till they are brown (about 3-4 minutes), stirring continuously or on low for 8-10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and anardana powder to the pot. Cook till the tomatoes break down and start becoming mushy (4-5 minutes). Add the chickpeas, potatoes, green chillies 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, ginger and garlic and cook on high till they are brown (about 3-4 minutes), stirring continuously or on low for 8-10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and anardana powder to the pot. Cook till the tomatoes break down and start becoming mushy (4-5 minutes). Add the chickpeas, potatoes, green chillies 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.
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:Â Kasuri methi 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
Spatika says
Came out really well, though I used 2tbsp oil instead and omitted bay leaf, ginger & potato since I didn't have those.
indiandesitadka.com says
Indian food in Calgary
James says
Your instant pot directions say "coriander pod" but I think you meant to say cardamom.
Richa says
Ooops, thats right. Fixing it
Karima says
Well I’m in the middle of cooking and got confused ingredients list you wrote 2 cardamom pods and down instruction coriander pods now I’m not sure which one to use ?!
Richa says
Hey Karima, sorry that was a mistake. Its meant to be cardamom. I've fixed it
Mahesh says
ooops
ignore my question....
I see it is there...
Mahesh says
Chana Masala Recipe is for the Instant Pot. Do you have a Slow cooker or stove top recipe ?
Leslie Coffield says
Do you have a slow cooker version?
Richa says
Sorry I don't, but I think this can be easily made in the slow cooker
Samantha Monis says
Simple recipe yet the tastiest chana masala I’ve ever had. Literally had the whole portion over four meals all by myself!
Richa says
Wohooo! Soooo glad you liked it Samantha
Jay says
Made this came out yum. Thxs
Richa Gupta says
Awesome, Jay! Glad your chana masala turned out well!
Julie says
Great recipe. I used canned chickpeas & it was quick and easy. Once I also added frozen peas after pressure release which added good flavor
Richa says
Thank you for leaving a comment! Sooo glad you liked it Julie
madqueen123 says
Looks delicious!
Some of my family members are allergic to tomatoes, any alternative i can use for the same or at least a similar taste?
Thanks~
Richa says
Umm so sorry but in this case, there is no substitute for tomatoes
cassidy says
Does this freeze well?
Richa says
Yes it does!
Kay says
Hiya I've been making this in an instant pot (love the flavor) but think I'm missing something on the instant pot settings. I pressure cook it for 30 minutes then let it vent and it is always watery (which makes sense because the liquid is not being let off in the cooking process) So, I always have to use the sauté function to cook off the excess liquid and thicken it up; this causes my potatoes to be overcooked and adds ~15 minutes to the process. Should I pressure cook it for less time or am I doing something wrong with my instant pot that's resulting in it being too watery?
Thanks 🙂
Richa says
Hey Kay, I'm sorry that's happening. Next time you try this, please try reducing the amount of water to 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 cups. Different brands of chickpeas can behave slightly differently when cooked and that could be why there's so much liquid in the recipe. I hope that helps!
Hannah says
My chickpeas were undercooked but it turned out pretty good. I cook for one so next time, I'll halve the measurements because I made too much.
Richa says
Yea that could be the reason. With dry beans, the cooking time can vary slightly from brand to brand. If you are cooking from the same batch of chickpeas, I recommend you add a few more minutes to the cooking time.
clem says
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
What spices does the curry powder replace exactly? thanks!
Richa says
Thanks! So glad you liked it!