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.
Watch How to Make Chana Masala
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-bought 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)
- 1/2 inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 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
- 3/4 cup Tomatoes, chopped or 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi)
- Cilantro, to garnish
Spices
- 1/2 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)
- 1/2 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
- 1/2 inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne or Red Chili powder
Hi there- I’ve got cooked Chana already (made some a while back and froze it..) how much shall I use for this serving size(4 servings)?
Also – would the manual time be the same as using canned channa? 10 mins? Making this tonight I’m excited to try it!
Hey Purvi – I would say about 3-4 cups cooked chana will work in this recipe. Yes, I believe 10 minutes high pressure will work well. Hope you enjoy it!
Can I just blend the whole spices together with the tomatoes to make a gravy?
Hey Tiana – After the cooking, the tomatoes will almost be blended in the curry already. If you want, you can blend the tomatoes and then add to the instant pot for cooking. I would not recommend blending the whole spices as the taste could become too strong. Hope you enjoy it!
This looks delicious. I’m going to double this recipe. Should I double all ingredients or 1 1/2 x? Appreciate your feedback.
Hey Shari – yes, just increase the quantity proportionally. The cooking time will remain the same. Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for posting this recipe it was so easy to make and turned out delicious.. my 2 yr old fussy eater loved it too.. from now on this will be my go to recipe !!!
Hey Namrata – It is wonderful when kids enjoy food, especially indian food. My daughter loves the chana pieces, but leaves the gravy most of the times. Thank you for sharing back your review.
This was so easy to make, the recipe was simple and concise and it tasted amazing!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the Chana Masala. Thank you SB for sharing back your review 🙂
Hi Meeta, thanks for posting this recipe. If I do not soak my Chana do I need to do 50 min high pressure followed by natural or quick release? Worried it might get too mushy…
thanks!
Hey Sonika – I do 35 minutes at high pressure after soaking chana for 4+ hours, so about 50 minutes will be needed for unsoaked chana. You can do a quick release. I would love to hear how it turns out.
Meeta it was absolutely delicious! I made it for a large group of people today to use with samosa chaat. It was such a hit! I did end up soaking them overnight just because I didn’t want to mess it up since we were having so much company. I will definitely try again without soaking! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hey Sonika – So happy to hear everyone enjoyed the samosa chaat (sounds yum!). I personally prefer soaking chickpeas and beans. When I forget to soak beforehand, I soak them in warm water for 1-2 hours and then use them (again, if possible). Thank you for sharing back your experience 🙂
Can I use split chickpeas instead of whole ones in this recipe? And if so, do I need to make any adjustments to soaking/water/cook time? I find I don’t really like texture of whole chickpeas for some reason. TIA!
Hey Summer – Split Chickpeas won’t directly work as a substitute in this recipe. Here is a great recipe for split chickpeas (called Chana Dal in hindi) – https://pipingpotcurry.com/instant-pot-chana-dal/
Thank you for replying, I will give the other suggestion you provided a try ?
I plan on making a double batch of this recipe (which was fantastic as a single batch) to serve to company. Should I make any change to the time it spends at pressure?
Hey Andy – Glad to hear you want to make the Chana Masala again. The pressure cooking time will remain the same even if you double the recipe. Hope you all enjoy it!
Hi, some versions of chana masala that I’ve had before incorporated a bit of coconut. Do you have any ideas how I could modify your recipe to include that taste? Maybe add a bit of coconut milk at the end?
Hey Michael – Yes, that is exactly right. You can add some coconut milk at the end to this Chana Masala. The typical North Indian version does not have any coconut milk, but please adjust the recipe to your taste.
I love this dish! It tastes so good 🙂
I was looking at the Nutrition facts because I was curious. What typically constitutes a serving (in grams or any other unit) in your recipes?
Hey Kiara – Glad you enjoyed the Chole. Thank you for sharing your review. In this recipe, I believe one serving would be about 1 cup of cooked chole curry. Hope that helps!