Punjabi Chole Masala / Chana Masala / Chickpeas Curry is a favorite Indian dish. This one-pot recipe for the authentic Chana Masala can be made in the Instant Pot or stovetop Pressure Cooker. A healthy protein-rich vegan and gluten free chickpea recipe.
Chole with bhatura or naan was a favorite weekend meal growing up. This restaurant style Chana Masala is such a delicious and healthy dish. Chickpeas take very long to cook, hence they are perfect for pressure cooking.
Usually chole is pressure cooked separately and then mixed in the onion-tomato gravy. However to make this a true one-pot one-shot recipe, I first made the onion-tomato gravy in the pot and then added soaked chickpeas and cooked them along with the gravy. They come out perfectly. With the instant pot, the best part is that you can set it on a timer to pressure cook and forget. This is one of the most popular Instant Pot Indian Recipe.
If you like indian food, check out this amazing list of 29 Instant Pot Indian Vegetarian Recipes. If you are new to the instant pot, check out my Instant Pot Beginners Manual.
Chole Masala Powder
One of the most important ingredients is Chole Masala powder. I have used simple ingredients easily available. Traditionally amla or dried Indian gooseberry is added to get the color and tangy flavor. People also use teabags to get the dark color. However I have skipped both of them and just added dry mango powder to get the tangy flavor. I use the Everest brand Chole Masala to prepare chole. If using store-brought chole masala, I recommend to always use "Chole Masala" and not chana masala. They taste very different. In a crunch, you could still use the chana masala you have at hand. If you don't have chole masala, you can also replace it with a blend of the below ingredients. Just grind them in a spice grinder to a powder and use in this recipe.
- 2 black cardamom
- 5 cloves (or Laung)
- ½ inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Cayenne or Red Chili powder
Curious about Indian Spices? Check out my detailed guide for Indian Spices & Herbs.
How to make Chana Masala in Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot?
Let's go through the step-by-step recipe to make Chole in pressure cooker. It is important to start with soaking the chickpeas overnight or at least for 4+ hours. After the soaking time is complete, drain the water from the chickpeas and set them aside. (see frequently asked questions if you forgot to soak chickpeas)
- When you are ready to cook the chole, start the instant pot in sauté mode. Add in the whole spices - cumin seeds, bay leaves, black peppercorn - and ginger, garlic and green chili.
- When the ginger garlic turns golden brown, add chopped onions and sauté for about 3 minutes. Then add the tomato and spices. Stir in the chickpeas and add 1.5 cups of water.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual mode for 35 minutes with vent in sealing position. When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. If the pressure does not release in 20 minutes, you can manually release the pressure.
- If you like a thicker gravy, use a hand masher to mash the chole a bit. Now add the dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) and dry mango powder (amchur). If you dont have dry mango powder, replace with lemon juice.
- Garnish with cilantro. Serve this delicious Punjabi chole with naan, bhatura or parathas. They also taste great with plain or jeera rice.
How to make set-and-forget Chana Masala?
Lately, I have been trying making Chana Masala my just adding all the ingredients to the pot and pressure cooking (often called dump-and-go method). You will be surprised, that works like a charm. The chole are cooked really well and have almost the same taste as when onions and tomatoes are sautéed to make the curry.
If you are short on time and want to skip the effort to saute, give this method a try!
This method works great for Rajma, Chickpea Spinach Curry and Coconut Chickpea Curry too.
Frequently Asked Questions for Pressure Cooker Chana Masala
In an ideal world, you want to soak chickpeas for 4+ hours or overnight, which makes them absorb water and easy to cook. However if you forget, the first option is to cook them in the pressure cooker for longer, about 50 minutes at high pressure.
Another trick is to soak the chickpeas in hot water for about an hour. Then use them in the recipe.
Yes, canned chickpeas can work well in this recipe. The only changes would be to pressure cook for only 10 minutes in the instant pot and for 2 whistles in a stovetop pressure cooker. Drain the canned chickpeas and rinse them before using. Reduce the amount of water you add while cooking to one cup.
No, the same cooking time works even if you half or double the quantity.
You can skip the green chili pepper and cayenne. To reduce heat further, you can reduce the quantity of chole masala blend.
Yes! Brown rice take about 25-35 minutes to cook pot-in-p0t, so they would work perfectly when cooking Chana Masala in a pressure cooker. See my Dal Makhani with Rice recipe for detailed instructions.
Other recipes for you to try in your Instant Pot:
Instant Pot Chana Masala / Punjabi Chole Masala Recipe in Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chickpeas (Chole/Garbanzo beans) washed (250 ml)
- 3 cups Water for soaking
- 1.5 cups Water for cooking
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1 Green Chili Pepper chopped (optional)
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
- 1" inch Ginger grated
- 1.5 cups Onion diced
- ¾ cup Tomatoes chopped or 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi)
- Cilantro to garnish
Spices
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne or Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1 tablespoon Chole Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Dry Mango powder (Amchur)
Whole Spices
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 2 leaves Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
- ½ teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 1 inch Cinnamon (Dalchini)
Instructions
- Wash and soak chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight or at least for 4+ hours.
For Instant Pot Chana Masala:
- Start instant pot in sauté mode. Add oil, whole spices (cumin seeds, bay leaves, black peppercorn, cinnamon), ginger, garlic and green chili.
- When the ginger and garlic turn golden brown, add onions and sauté for 3 minutes
- Add tomato and all spices except dry mango powder. Drain the chickpeas soaking water. Add chickpeas and water for cooking. Stir well.
- Change the instant pot setting to bean/chili mode for 35 minutes with vent in sealing position. (This is the same as pressure cook on high pressure for 35 minutes)
- When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. If the pin does not drop in 20 minutes, you can release the pressure and open the instant pot.
- If you like a thicker gravy, use a hand masher or the back of your ladle to mash the chole a bit. Add the dried fenugreek leaves and dry mango powder. Change the instant pot setting to sauté mode and let it boil for 2 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro. Chole Masala is ready to be served with naan or bhatura.
For Stovetop Pressure Cooker Chana Masala
- Heat oil in the pressure cooker on medium-high heat. Add whole spices (cumin seeds, bay leaves, black peppercorn, cinnamon), ginger, garlic and green chili.
- When the ginger and garlic turn golden brown, add onions and sauté for 3 minutes
- Add tomato and all spices except dry mango powder. Drain the chickpeas soaking water. Add chickpeas and water for cooking. Stir well.
- Pressure cook for 6-7 whistles or till the chana can be broken easily between two fingers. Let the pressure release naturally.
- If you like a thicker gravy, use a hand masher or the back of your ladle to mash the chole a bit. Add the dried fenugreek leaves and dry mango powder.
- Adjust water if chole are too thick. Adjust salt to taste. Bring to a quick boil if you add more water.
- Garnish with cilantro. Chole Masala is ready to be served with naan or bhatura.
Video
Notes
- 2 black cardamom
- 5 cloves
- ½ inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Cayenne or Red Chili powder
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Abha says
I want to triple your recipe. Do you think a 6 quart instant pot can handle it?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Abha - Yes, I think tripling the recipe will work in a 6 qt instant pot.
Savannah says
It's been a goal of mine to learn to cook good Indian food for a while and I'm learning so much on your blog as I whip through the recipes! Thanks for sharing the amount of detail with us. Yet another great recipe! Thanks 🙂
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi - So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing back 🙂
Joanne says
Can I substitute Chana pulses for Chole beans in this recipe? I have everything except the dried chole/garbarzo beans?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Joanne - Use this recipe for Chana Dal - https://pipingpotcurry.com/instant-pot-chana-dal/. Hope you enjoy it!
Ravleen says
Amazing recipe! Thank you for all the variations you gave. If you forget to presoak the beans do you still only add 1.5 cups of water to the Instant Pot before cooking longer? Thank you again!
Meeta Arora says
Hi Ravleen - Yes, add the same amount of water initially. After cooking if you want to adjust consistency, add some hot water to the Chana Masala. Hope you enjoy it!
Spencer says
Looking forward to cooking this. I was curious why you don't explain which way to prep the ginger or garlic? Sliced, diced, grated, chiffonade. It would be helpful but I just do what I think is best.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Spencer - I mention in the ingredients section, that I mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Hope you enjoy the curry!
Todd says
A full stick of cinnamon overwhelmed the other spices for me. Could you add a mass or volume amount of cinnamon to help?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Todd - Thanks for sharing your feedback. I clarified that about an inch stick would be good for this recipe. I hope you give it another go!
Kavitha says
Truly a wonderful recipe, thanks much for sharing, already made it more than three times. It is a keeper, I am also enjoying your other recipes, thank you again!
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Kavitha - SO good to hear that. Thank for sharing it 🙂
Shruti says
This recipe is always life saver for me for a killer weekday and always comes out awesome!!! Thank you every time
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Shruti - So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂
Gordon says
Really irritating the number of ads, icons, buttons, and pop-up garbage.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Gordon - Sorry to hear you thought there were lots of ads. I try to balance and keep the ads to a lower number as much as possible. That said, ads is the main way I get compensated for all the time, effort and cost of creating these free recipes. I hope you support creators!
Lauren says
I made this last night for my husband and I and we both really enjoyed it! First time finding and making a recipe from you, I think. Did not disappoint. Keep up the great work, and thanks for all the additional tips you give.
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Lauren - So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂