Chana Masala Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipe (Chole)

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A typical North Indian vegetarian dish that incorporates traditional Indian spices with garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in a tomato, onion gravy

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Chana Masala, also called Chole, is a traditional North Indian vegetarian meal that combines hearty garbanzo beans with a savory tomato onion gravy.  It is typically served in many Indian restaurants with rice and naan.  It’s definitely one of the most requested dinners in my home!  This vegetarian recipe for Indian Chana Masala is based on the stovetop cooking method using my beloved Hexclad wok, but check out my recipe notes for the Instant Pot adaptation!

Ingredients

Chana Masala consists of two main groups of ingredients, fresh ingredients and authentic Indian spices.  The fresh ingredients in this recipe include garbanzo beans, garlic, ginger, onions and tomatoes.  You can use the canned garbanzo beans or dry garbanzo beans cooked in a pressure cooker or the Instant Pot.  Personally I like the latter option as the garbanzo beans have a softer, richer consistency.

As with many traditional Indian vegetarian recipes, having the correct spices on hand is key to making a tasty chana masala!  Most Indian households store an Indian spice container in a drawer or cabinet near their stove for easy access.  I keep my ‘masala dabba‘ in the drawer immediately to the right of my stove.  It contains most of the traditional spices I would need to cook almost any Indian meal.  In this recipe, we’ll use paprika, turmeric and red chili powder.  We’ll also add a pop of flavor to our Chana Masala with a chana masala spice mix.

The Method

The first step to making Chana Masala, whether in a wok or in the Instant Pot, is to temper whole Indian spices.  We do this by heating some oil. I personally like avocado oil because it is a clean oil and has a low smoke point.  In the heated oil, we’ll add whole spices like cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, whole dry chili peppers, and cumin seeds.

We’ll then add our chopped onions, tomatoes, garlic, and ginger and saute well.  Once the onions have become translucent and the tomatoes have softened, we’ll add Indian spices like paprika, turmeric, red chili powder, and chana masala spice mix.  The key at this point is to let all the spices infuse with the sauteed tomato/onion gravy for a few minutes, mixing occasionally, before you add the chickpeas.

The Instant Pot Version

The Instant Pot version of the Chana Masala recipe is great if you don’t have pre-cooked garbanzo beans on hand.  You would simply use ‘Saute’ mode to temper the oil with whole spices and saute the remainder of the ingredients.  Once the gravy is ready, you can switch from ‘Saute’ mode to ‘Bean/Chili’ mode, add the uncooked garbanzo beans, and set the time to 40 minutes with the valve to ‘Sealing’ position.

Authentic Indian Chana Masala

A typical North Indian vegetarian dish that incorporates traditional Indian spices with garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in a tomato, onion gravy

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: authentic indian, chana masala, chana masala recipe, chickpeas, chole, clean eating, garbanzo beans, gluten-free, indian recipe, indian spices, instant pot recipes, plant based, protein, south asian cooking, south asian recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Servings: 6

Calories: 238kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot (optional)

Ingredients

 

Fresh Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups chickpeas ((See Note 1))
• ▢ 1 medium onion, finely diced
• ▢ ½ cup crushed tomatoes (or 2 fresh roma tomatoes, diced)
• ▢ 2 tbsp grated ginger
• ▢ 3-4 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1 cup water (adjust as needed)

Other Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tbsp avocado oil
• ▢ 2 whole bay leaves
• ▢ 2 whole dry chili peppers
• ▢ cinnamon stick pieces
• ▢ ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp turmeric
• ▢ 2 tsp paprika
• ▢ red chili powder (optional to add spice)
• ▢ 2 tsp chana masala powder

Instructions

• Heat avocado oil in pan
• Add bay leaves, dry chili pepper, cinnamon sticks and whole cumin seeds.
• Once cumin seeds start to sizzle, add diced onion and cook until slightly brown and translucent.
• Lower the heat and add the crushed or fresh tomatoes, ginger and garlic and mix well.
• Add salt, turmeric, paprika, red chili powder, chana masala mix and water. Mix well.
• Let simmer for about 5 minutes with lid on.
• Add cooked chickpeas, mix well and let cook for 7-10 minutes.

Notes

1. In the Instant Pot version of this recipe, you can perform steps 1-6 on the 'Saute' setting.  Then, switch to 'Bean/Chili' mode and add uncooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas) with water, close the lid, set the time to 40 minutes and move the valve to 'Sealing position'.

Nutrition Facts

Authentic Indian Chana Masala

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 238 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 4g

Cholesterol 0mg0%

Sodium 399mg17%

Potassium 381mg11%

Carbohydrates 33g11%

Fiber 9g38%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 10g20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Nutrition Disclaimer: All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on this site should be used as a general guideline.

SHOP THIS RECIPE!

Click on the links below to purchase the items used in this recipe. (Note:  I may make a small commission if you purchase a product through one of these links at no additional cost to you. See full affiliate link disclosure.)

Instant Pot
Authentic Indian Spice Container
Chana Masala Spice mix

As always, I would love to hear your feedback or questions about this recipe.  Comment below!

I love seeing pictures of my recipes in action! Take a picture and tag me on Instagram {@awarriorinthekitchen} or Facebook {Warrior In The Kitchen}.

For more clean, healthy Indian meals, check out my recipe for Instant Pot Pav Bhaji, which can be served as a lettuce wrap for the gluten-free and low carb peeps out there!

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