Instant Pot Chana Masala | Punjabi Chole

These Instant Pot Chana Masala or Chole are a delightful Indian chickpea curry. Tasty and nutritious, this recipe is gluten free and vegan. Pairs very well with boiled basmati rice and onion slices.

Chole or Chickpea curry is an Indian curry that is super flavourful and is almost an emotion for Indians.

Many Sundays in my childhood home are redolent with the memory of chole chawal (chickpea curry with steamy hot basmati rice) for lunch. It was bliss!

Now, everyone in my family loves it. I love dark coloured chole with loads of fresh spice powders in a lovely curry.

You can make this recipe in instant pot or regular pressure cooker especially when using raw chickpeas.

For canned chickpeas, the recipe gets easier and quicker.

You may also like: Instant Pot veg pulao, Instant Pot Kheer, Instant Pot Dal, Instant Pot Broccoli.

Tips for Making Perfect Instant Pot Chole

1. Chickpeas must be boiled so that they are well cooked but not mushy. They must retain their shape.
2. I love dark coloured chole curry hence I add some tea leaves in a mesh container that I remove later. You can totally eliminate these. Some people also use dried amla for the same effect. In which case you have to use very little tomato paste.
3. Whole spices add a fragrance to the curry, but I put them in wire mesh container so that they can picked out after cooking.
4. Onion, ginger, garlic and tomato form the basic base for this curry. The flavour comes from chole masala. It is different from garam masala. But if you really don’t have it at hand, use garam masala.
5. Adjust the heat as per your taste. I like spicy.
6. These chole or chickpea curry taste even better after storing. This is wonderful if you make a large batch. Refrigerate for 2 days in the fridge and have leftovers. You can freeze them too.
7. Serve hot with sliced onion and lemon wedges. It is delicious.
8. If using canned chickpeas, just follow the same recipe, only there is no need for pressure cooking. Just cover and cook on low saute setting for about 8 minutes to assimilate all spices.

Ingredients

1. Chole or chickpeas: When using raw chickpeas, it is important to soak them overnight in water, as that facilitates cooking them. You can also use canned chickpeas. Drain and use in the prepared curry to save time.
2. Curry base: Indian curry base is typically made with onions, ginger-garlic and tomatoes along with spices. Here’s how you can make a large curry base batch and store.
3. Spices: We use whole bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon here. Spice powders used are chole masala, red Chile powder or cayenne, ground cumin, ground coriander, dried mango powder and whole cumin.
4. Oil: Mustard oil can be used for authentic taste. Ghee for non-vegan and richer taste or any vegetable oil of choice can be used.
5. Tea leaves: These are for a rich dark colour to the chole curry. This is optional.

Stepwise Pictures

Instant Pot Instructions

Wash and soak 1 cup chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight or for 8 hours. After soaking, they will double in size. Drain and set aside for cooking.

Plug in the Instant Pot and chose Sauté mode. When the pan gets hot, add 2 tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. cumin seeds and 1 bay leaf.

Allow to sputter for about 30 seconds.

Add one large finely chopped onion or minced onion along with 2 tbsp. minced ginger and garlic or ginger garlic paste.

Sauté on hight for about 6-8 minutes till browned and the raw smell goes away.

Now add ½ cup tomato paste or thick tomato puree. Sauté for another 3 minutes till it looks cooked and thick.

Add 2 tbsp. chole masala (Everest or MDH brands are good), 1 tsp. cayenne or Kashmiri chilli powder or paprika, ground coriander and ground cumin along with salt.

Add drained chickpeas along with whole spices and tea leaves in a mesh container.

Add 1.5 cups of water. Close instant pot lid and set Pressure cook mode on high for 35 minutes.

After cooking, let the pressure release naturally. This takes about 22-25 minutes.

Open the instant pot and remove the mesh container. Taste and season for salt and spices.

Also add 1 tsp. dried mango powder or amchur at the end and mix well. You could use 1 tsp. of lemon juice in its place.

If you want a thicker curry, just mash some chickpeas in the curry with the back of a ladle. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Your Instant Pot chana masala is ready to serve. Enjoy with boiled basmati rice and chopped onion and lemon slices on the side.

Manual Pressure Cooker

Traditional Indian pressure cooker is the manual pressure cooker.

Follow the same instructions except you will need about 6-7 whistles for the chole to cook in this pressure cooker.

Rest all the instructions remain the same.

Stove top

You can easily cook this recipe on stove top especially if you are using canned chickpeas. Just drain the chickpeas and set aside.

Follow the recipe as given for instant pot. Only there is no need for pressure cooking. Just cook covered on low flame for 8-10 minutes to assimilate the spices in the chickpeas.

Here's the recipe card:

📖 Recipe Card

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