Craving some Indian food? Let me show you how to make authentic Indian-style Chana Masala! Below, you'll find a detailed guide complete with helpful photos, plus useful tips and tricks to help you create flavorful, satisfying chana masala right in your own kitchen.
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"I've made many versions of chana masala and this definitely one of the best! Absolutely delicious and easy to follow instructions. I substituted garam masala as you suggested in the notes. I can't wait to try your other recipes, thank you!"
-Eliana
This Authentic chana masala recipe is among the most requested in my Indian cooking classes due to its simplicity and delicious, satisfying results. The class especially enjoys roasting whole spices and grinding them to create the most aromatic and flavorful chana masala spice blend at home.
Chana Masala has been a staple in my kitchen over the years, becoming a family favorite served with homemade parathas. It’s also my go-to dish for entertaining and potlucks, consistently pleasing crowds and easily adaptable to different spice levels and dietary needs. For example, if you are Vegan, simply substitute oil in place of ghee.
This curry is also naturally gluten-free, making it a great option for those with gluten restrictions. Serve it with rice for a complete meal or with gluten-free Indian bread like Jowar Roti or Bajra Roti. Love Indian food?
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What is Chana Masala
Chana Masala, a popular North Indian curry, is also known as Chickpea Curry or Chole. This staple dish in many Indian households uses pantry-friendly ingredients like dried or canned chickpeas and a few basic spices and aromatics. Besides this traditional stovetop version, I also have a Time-Saving Instant Pot Chana Masala recipe that's super simple to make!
Love Indian food? Check out my Indian recipe collection, featuring delicious dishes like Curried Chickpeas with Spinach. You'll find a variety of flavorful recipes to satisfy your cravings!
Ingredients For Chana Masala
- Chickpeas - I use dry chickpeas also known as Kabuli Chana for this recipe that has been soaked in water and pressure cooked. When short on time, canned chickpeas work equally well too. Substitute 1 cup dry chickpeas with 1 can of chickpeas.
- Aromatics - finely diced yellow onion, combined with fresh ginger and garlic paste, creates an aromatic base for this curry.
- Tomatoes - fresh plum or Roma tomatoes add a tangy flavor and vibrant red color to the curry. You can also use canned tomatoes if you do not have fresh tomatoes.
- Chana Masala Spice Blend - homemade chana masala spice mix adds earthy flavors and perfect heat to this dish. While it is easy to make at home, you can also use your favorite store-bought chana masala powder.
- Other spices - bay leaf and Kasoori methi add depth of flavor and make the curry taste just like the one served at Indian restaurants that we all love!
How to Make Chana Masala
- Soak dry chickpeas in water for 8-10 hours or overnight and pressure cook them until soft. I sometimes pressure cook them with a tea bag to give the dish a rich smoky flavor and deep color. Teabag can be discarded once the chickpeas are cooked. You can also use rinsed and drained canned chickpeas.
- Heat ghee in a medium skillet. Add bay leaf and onions and sauté on medium-high heat until golden brown. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, and green chili. Mix well and cook for another minute.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes stirring a few times until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
- Mix well with chana masala spice blend, salt, turmeric, and red chili powder.
- Add boiled chickpeas and salt to taste. Add one cup of water(more or less) to bring the curry to your desired consistency. Occasionally I also add cubed boiled potato to this dish.
- You can add more spice blend if you want a spicier chana masala.
- Simmer for 5 minutes and garnish with Kasoori methi and cilantro.
Serving
I love serving chana masala with parathas or rice, along with a side of cucumber raita and pickled onions. Another delicious option is to wrap this flavorful curry in buttery Kawan Parathas, adding some green chutney and onions, and enjoy it as a Kathi Roll.
Storing
Chana masala makes for a great meal prep. Make a big batch and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can also freeze for 2 to 3 months, simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then heat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Tips & Variations
- Use two 15 oz cans of chickpeas in place of dry chickpeas if you are short on time. Make sure to rinse and drain them well.
- 1 cup of canned diced tomatoes can be used in place of fresh tomatoes
- Add 1 medium-sized boiled, peeled, and cubed red, russet, or sweet potato along with the chickpeas
- Add two big handfuls of chopped spinach just before adding the garnish
More Indian Chickpea Recipes
Recipe
Traditional Chana Masala Recipe (Chole)
Ingredients
Pressure cooking dry chickpeas
- 1 cup dry chickpeas See notes for canned chickpeas
- 4 cups water divided
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 black tea bag optional
Other Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste
- 2 teaspoons garlic paste
- 1 green chilli slit in the middle, optional
- 2 plum tomatoes finely diced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chana masala spice blend add more to taste (see notes)
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspooon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 cup water
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Soak white chickpeas in 2 cups of water overnight or for 8-10 hours. Drain out all the water.
- Add chickpeas along with 2 cups of water and salt. Pressure cook for 35 minutes followed by natural pressure release. (Note: Optionally, add a tea bag to give the dish a rich smoky flavor and deep color. Discard once the chickpeas are cooked)
- Heat ghee in a medium skillet. Add bay leaf and onions. Sauté on medium heat until the onions turn light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Use a lid to speed up cooking while mixing in the onions frequently. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, and green chili. Mix well and cook for another minute.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes stirring a few times until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
- Mix well with chana masala spice blend, salt, turmeric, and red chili powder. Add boiled chickpeas along with the water from pressure cooking. Add one cup of water(more or less) to bring the curry to your desired consistency.
- Simmer for 5 minutes and garnish with Kasoori methi and cilantro. Serve with steamed basmati rice or paratha.
Video
Notes
- Skip steps 1 and 2 if using canned chickpeas. Simply add two (15 oz) cans of rinsed and drained chickpeas in step #5
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon amchur powder
- Optionally you can add 1 medium-sized boiled, peeled, and cubed red, russet, or sweet potato along with the chickpeas
- Add two big handfuls of chopped spinach just before adding the garnish
Nutrition
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Freda @ Aromatic essence says
So delicious !
Archana says
Thank you!
Love Served Daily says
Yummy
Archana says
Thank you!
Vasantha Vivek says
Mouth watering ..... Yummy ..... !!!
Archana says
Thank you Vasantha!
Vasantha Vivek says
<3 <3 <3
eat2healthblog says
This looks and sounds phenomenal and we can see why it's your go-to entertaining dish! We'll have to try it out using your spice blend. 🙂
Archana says
Thank you for your kind words!
Linda says
Hi Archana, can you give Instant Pot directions for this (similar to the butter chicken recipe which is amazing!) please?
Archana says
Thank Linda, I will post it soon. Trying to catch up with many IP recipes. Glad that you enjoyed the butter chicken.
Linda says
I've made the palak paneer now too 🙂 both delicious. How long do you pressure cook your chickpeas for after soaking? Do you add baking soda or salt to it (or just water?) Thanks for making the time to answer
Archana says
Hi Linda, So glad you are enjoying my IP recipes. I recently posted aloo gobhi and dum aloo too. In this recipeI pressure cooked soaked chickpeas for about 20 mins in a traditional pressure cooker. If you are making this recipe in IP, I would saute all the onions, tomatoes spices etc and then cook on Manual(Hi) for 20-25 mins with NPR.
Archana says
Also I never add baking soda, just salt.
Din says
So I'm a little too lazy to make the chana masala spice blend - plus the last time i ground spices i had a very long coughing spell. Any chance I could use garam masala instead or unground spices listed in your chana masala spice blend? I believe I have most of them. Also, if i were to make this in the instant pot, do I have to pressure cook the chickpeas first or can I cook them according to your instructions above (in one of your comments) after soaking them overnight? Sorry for all the questions and thank you!
Archana says
Absolutely. Garam masala will work well. You will need 1 teaspoon red chili powder and 1 teaspoon coriander powder in addition to garam masala Add some lemon juice with garnish for the tangy flavor. You can cook soaked chickpeas just increase the cook time. Can't wait to hear how you like it!
Din says
Thanks! I also have tamarind. Should I use it instead of the lemon juice?
Archana says
Yes! stir in some tamarind in the end for tanginess.
Natarajan Iyer says
I am a great fan of your recipes and was wondering if you can incorporate the IP method.
Archana says
Will do!
Ruchita says
This is a crowd pleaser! Love this.
Rich says
I don't have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Is it OK to just simmer the chickpeas for an hour or so after soaking them?
Archana says
Yes! Make sure to cover the pot when simmering for soft-cooked chickpeas.
Shalini says
Came out very tasty and it is quite easy to prepare. I did use pre cooked store brought chickpeas. Thanks Archana for this recipe.
Archana says
Love the idea of using canned chickpeas for a quick and hearty meal.
Clarence says
I made this with and without the black tea bag. Did not add extra water.
Amazing both ways. It was nice and spicy, for me anyway 🙂 Much different than the instant pot Chana Masal recipe. Like the variation of flavors.
Thanks for sharing!
Leigh says
Good recipe! I used the Rani chana masala spice blend, and extra tomatoes instead of adding water.
Eliana says
I've made many versions of chana masala and this definitely one of the best! Absolutely delicious and easy to follow instructions. I substituted garam masala as you suggested in the notes. I can't wait to try your other recipes, thank you!
Eliana says
I've made many versions of chana masala and this is definitely one of the best! Absolutely delicious and easy to follow instructions. I substituted garam masala as you suggested in the notes. I can't wait to try your other recipes, thank you!
Vanessa Lynch says
Tastes like the dish from my favourite Indian restaurant.