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
Hello,
Thank-you for the recipe, I’m excited to try it! It calls for one cup of chickpeas, is this 1 cup of dried chickpeas or chickpeas that have been sitting in water overnight. How many cups of chickpeas would it be if they have been soaking in water already?
Thanks,
Hi Kim – The measure is for dry chickpeas. I did not measure after the soaking time was done, but I would guess it would be double the quantity. Hope you enjoy the Chana Masala.
Hi there, thanks for the recipe. It introduced me to amchur, great flavor! I’m writing from Seattle in the US and found chana or split chickpeas at the store, like you have for your chana dal recipe. Are the split chickpeas and whole split peas (garbonzos) interchangeable in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Tom – Glad you enjoyed the amchur flavor and the Chana Masala. The cooking time for split chickpeas is much lower about 12-15 minutes on high pressure. Otherwise if you like the flavors in this recipe, you can use it in this recipe or make the Chana Dal recipe.
Wow, I thought I was back in the Punjab after making and eating this dish! Kudos to you for finding the right balance of flavors in this. I was too lazy to go out and buy amchur so I added some lemon juice. I also love the taste of cloves, so I added four when it was time to add the whole spices.
In addition to the coriander, I added some chopped red onion as garnish.
Hello! Thank you for a great recipe. If using canned chickpeas, do you do the sauté and then add the canned chickpeas (after rinsing) to the pot with 1 cup water and pressure cook for 10 minutes? Or do you first pressure cook the canned rinsed chickpeas in 1 cup water, remove the chickpeas and drain water, then sauté, add the chickpeas back in with 1 cup water, and pressure cook for 35 mins?
The modification for the canned chickpeas is unclear – really appreciate your help!
Hi Sonia РStart with saut̩ing onions, tomatoes, etc as in the recipe. In place of soaked chickpeas, add the canned rinsed chickpeas along with 1 cup water and pressure cook for 10 minutes. The reason for lesser cooking time is that canned chickpeas are almost cooked, and just need some time to mix well with the spices.
Simple and delicious, thanks for providing this recipe. I used 20 minutes under pressure and natural release, it turned out fine.
I love your website and use the recipes often. I never learned to cook Indian food with my mother BUT am finally learning. Your recipes makes it very easy and approachable. I think my mother would be proud!
Love your recipes! Can I substitute green cardamom for the black cardamom when making the Chole Masala spice mix?
Hi Wendy – you can substitute green cardamom. It is not exactly a direct substitute and will be a bit different flavor, but it is okay if you do not have access to get black cardamom.
I wanted to keep it simple and I don’t have whole spices so I did everything except for the whole spices and it came out so good! I used canned chick peas and followed instructions by you which worked great. I did blend my onions and tomatoes which made my gravy super delicious. I think fenugreek and mango powder add delicious flavor to the dish.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the Chana Masala!
I tried your Rajma recipe and came out perfect. I am about to try the Chole today, like the non-soaking idea since I never know what I am going to eat tomorrow 🙂 Plan to check out more of your recipes.
Hi Arora! Though I am not a food blogger (I am other kind of blogger), but I do have high interest in gym focused diets. I love the design of your site however if you added few categories in to the site, and then included them in sidebar or header I think your blog could appeal to new, huge audience groups! The categories I have in mind are diets, gym foods, e.g. for muscle gain or fat loss, foods for productivity, ketogenic foods, and so on. Of course you dont have to do any of that if you dont want (well, its a lot of work) but I think it could help you increase your visitors!
I love Indian food, at least the one I was lucky enough to eat. The one thing i remember about it is: Spicy.
I’m not sure though if I can get chole masala powder here where I live. So when my partner comes we will probably buy some other powder or sauce in local shop.
Last time she was here, we used one of articles on your blog to make a meal, and although not only we didnt have few ingredients, but we also did few mistakes, however it still was yummy. Since that I’ve been lurking on your website more! Though I am not Indian, but I do have few Indian friends, and I already shared your site with one of them. I hope you will keep growing your site!