What Is Chana Masala?

Chana translates to chickpeas and masala meaning a Punjabi gravy made from onion, tomato and spices. This is a classic Punjabi, North Indian dish that is served with bhatura, paratha, puri or simply pair with plain rice or jeera rice. Chana masala is also known as chole. Traditionally, chole recipe is made in two steps. First, soak and boil the chickpeas. Second, make gravy and mix in with cooked chickpeas. But today, we are cooking everything together in instant pot. Here onion, and tomato is sauteed with spices first, soaked chickpeas are added and pressure cooked.

❤️ You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chana Masala

Taste & texture: Even though  this is instant pot chana masala, we are not compromising on taste at all. It tastes delicious with medium spicy, tangy, flavorful thick gravy. And yes, chole is cooked to perfection, super soft and melt-in-your-mouth kind. Easy to make: Yes, this chana masala is a one-pot dish unlike the traditional method. Just add the ingredients one-by-one (in the right order) and let the instant pot do its job. No need to count whistles (like we do in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker) and no need to worry about stirring to avoid sticking to the pan.  Is it quick to make? NO. It takes about the same time as it is made on the stovetop. The only difference is when made on the stovetop all the time is active and you have to stay there. Vs in instant pot chana masala, you set the timer on and rest time is passive (you can do other stuff)

🧾 Ingredient Notes

Here is the pic of the ingredients used in making  instant pot chana masala. All the ingredients are easily available and very basic. Please read a few notes mentioned below about some of these.

👩‍🍳 How To Make Instant Pot Chana Masala? 

Soaking Chickpeas:

  1. Take dried chickpeas in a colander and wash under running cold water until water runs clear. Soak in enough water (2-3 inches above the chickpeas) for at least 8 hours or overnight.
  2. After the soaking time, they get doubled in the size. Drain and discard the soaking water. Making Instant Pot Chole:
  3. Turn on the instant pot with sauté mode. Once hot add oil and whole spices (bay leaf, black cardamoms and cloves). Saute for 30-40 seconds or until you get a nice aroma of the spices.
  4. Add chopped onions, sprinkle a little salt to speed up the cooking process.
  5. Saute until onions become light pink or translucent and soft. It takes about 2-3 minutes.
  6. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and chopped green chilies. Mix and saute for a minute or until the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes away.
  7. Add pureed tomatoes and mix. 
  8. Cook until all the moisture evaporates and becomes a thick paste. It takes around 5-7 minutes.
  9. Add remaining salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and anardana powder.
  10. Mix well and saute for 30 seconds.
  11. Add soaked chickpeas.
  12. Add water and stir in to mix everything.
  13. Cover the instant pot with lid, keep the vent to sealing. Cancel the saute mode and cook on manual (high pressure) for 35 minutes.
  14. Once it beeps, let it NPR (natural pressure release). Once the pin drops, open the lid. Add amchur and chole masala powder.
  15. Mix well, garnish with cilantro (optional) and it is ready to serve.

💭 Expert Tips

Forgot to soak the beans? Quick soaking method: Take beans and plenty of water in a pan. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Then turn off the stove and cover tightly with a lid. Let it sit for 1 hour. Voila, after 1 hour your beans are at the same stage where you have after overnight soaking. Thicken the gravy: If the gravy looks watery, you can turn the saute mode on and let the gravy simmer for few minutes or until you get the desired consistency. You can mash few chickpeas with the back of the spatula to thicken the gravy. But if you have followed the water ratio as mentioned, you won’t have a watery gravy issue. Add chana masala powder after pressure cooking. It is important when you add the chana masala powder. If added before then it loses its flavor and aroma while pressure cooking. So always add after cooking.

How to make instant pot chana masala with canned chickpeas? 

Reduce the amount of water to ½ cup, add drained canned chickpeas. Cook on manual (LOW Pressure) for 5 minutes only. Do QPR after 5 minutes.  Every brand of canned chickpeas has different softness. Check yours by pressing between thumb and finger. And adjust the pressure cooking time accordingly.  If the chickpeas are really soft to begin with then no need to pressure cook. Just simmer for 5 minutes and you’re done.

🍽 Serving Ideas For Chana Masala

Meal idea 1: This can be served with Indian bread like paratha, poori or bhatura. Serve Indian onion salad or pickle on the side. Meal idea 2: This can be served with steamed plain rice or jeera rice. Serve roasted papad and kachumber salad on the side for some crunch. 

Did you try this chana masala recipe in instant pot? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.

Discard the seeds and veins of the green chilies before chopping. If you don’t want to bite into chilies then slit the chili into half and add. Discard at the time of serving. Red chili powder: Reduce the amount of it. Or use the Kashmiri red chili powder which adds nice color but doesn’t add heat.

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