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    Make It Skinny Please » Recipes » Instant Pot » Instant Pot Chana Masala

    Published: May 1, 2022 · Modified: Oct 5, 2022 by Toni Dash · 7 Comments

    Instant Pot Chana Masala

    Weight Watchers Points1
    Calories: 254kcal
    Carbs: 36g
    Protein: 12g
    Fats: 8g
    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    instant pot chana masala on white plate with rice

    If you love Indian food, Instant Pot Chana Masala recipe is a must make! This vegetarian chickpea stew is a classic; packed with low calorie plant-protein and soul-warming earthy spices. Only 4 minutes cooking time!

    instant pot chana masala on white plate with rice
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    instant pot chana masala on white plate with rice

    This staple of Northern India cuisine is nutritious, delicious, as well as fast and easy to make. Great for a satisfying main dish and for meal prepping too. The simple ingredients are inexpensive as well.

    This easy recipe is a favorite of Instant Pot recipes for it's vibrant flavors and healthy satisfying ingredients.

    Serve with cauliflower rice or brown rice for a fulfilling main dish or make it for meal prepping! Chana Masala reheats wonderfully.

    Jump to:
    • What is Chana Masala?
    • What makes this skinny?
    • Recipe Ingredients Notes
    • How to make Instant Pot Chana Masala - Step-by-Step
    • Stovetop version
    • Variations
    • How to Store
    • More recipes you'll love!
    • Recipe

    What is Chana Masala?

    Chana Masala is a vegetarian chickpea stew flavored by garam masala, onion, garlic, ginger and other spices.

    'Chana' means chickpeas and ‘masala’ is a an Indian term meaning to mix together multiple ground spices. Like many traditional recipes Chana Masala varies family to family, most often using a homemade Chana Masala spice blend. You might find turmeric, chile peppers or chili powder for a spicy flavor.

    An authentic recipe for Chana Masala uses spices like fenugreek and dry mango powder (amchur powder) are hard to find at many grocery stores. Our shortcut version is full of earthy spices that you will easily find at your local grocery store.

    instant pot chana masala with rice on plate

    What makes this skinny?

    Chickpeas are known as a 'complete protein' meaning they have all the 9 amino acids to make up a full protein (many plant protein sources are not a complete protein).

    This makes them a great alternative to animal protein with fewer calories and fat. Protein keeps you full longer too.

    Chickpeas are high in fiber containing almost half the daily recommended fiber amount for adults (this will help keep you full and 'regular'). They are also low on the glycemic index meaning they will not spike blood sugar in the way other food can.

    The other ingredients are lower calorie spices, vegetables and one 1 tablespoon of oil is used (which is less than 1 teaspoon per serving).

    Recipe Ingredients Notes

    instant pot chana masala labelled ingredients

    Olive oil. Used for sautéing the onions and garlic.

    Yellow onion. Use 1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped. Red onion could also be substituted.

    Ginger. You'll use fresh ginger root peeled and grated (easy with a box grater or microplane).

    Spices. The spices are the main event in a dish like chana masala. In the traditional version there are additional spices making up the full chana masala spice blend. This is a shortcut version using garam masala, ground cumin (instead of cumin seeds) and coriander. These distinct flavors are a subset of the traditional blend and make this dish delicious! They can all be found at regular grocery stores.

    Chickpeas. Also called garbanzo beans. Instead of soaked chickpeas or dry chickpeas, you'll use 1 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed. Using canned chickpeas speeds up the process by not requiring soaking time for dry chickpeas.

    Diced tomatoes. You'll use 1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes (instead of fresh tomatoes). They can be regular or petite diced (my favorite if you prefer smaller tomato pieces). Do not choose a version with spices included (e.g. Italian). We use this instead of tomato puree.

    Vegetable broth. Instead of water we used vegetable broth which adds more flavor.

    How to make Instant Pot Chana Masala - Step-by-Step

    STEP 1. Sauté

    Select the SAUTE mode and add the oil to the Instant Pot. When it's hot add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened (photo 1).

    Add the garlic and ginger and sauté 1 additional minute.

    instant pot chana masala recipe steps 1-4

    STEP 2. Deglaze

    Add the vegetable broth and scrape off any browned bits of food sticking to the bottom. Turn off the SAUTE function.

    NOTE: deglazing (removing any stuck food bits with liquid and scraping) is critical especially with newer Instant Pot models which will register a burn warning during the pressure cooker cycle when any food is sticking to the insert.

    STEP 3. Pressure cook

    Stir in the garam masala, cumin powder and coriander, and salt (photo 2). Add the chickpeas and diced tomatoes; stir to mix in (photo 3).

    Secure the lid and place pressure valve in the SEALING position. Cook on Pressure Cook-Manual (normal) for 15 minutes.

    When cooking cycle has completed perform a QUICK RELEASE to release the pressure (photo 4).

    STEP 4. Serve

    Serve with cauliflower rice or regular rice. Garnish with torn cilantro.

    Stovetop version

    1. Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté 3-4 minutes until beginning to soften.
    2. Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté 30-60 seconds.
    3. Add the spices, tomatoes and chickpeas. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a low boil.
    4. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes until the chickpeas have softened.
    instant pot chana masala from overhead

    Variations

    Add some turmeric powder. Bon Appeit describes turmeric's flavor as "overwhelmingly earthy and bitter, almost musky, with a bit of peppery spice". You'd know it from its vibrant yellow color. Add a teaspoon with the other spices for an authentic flavor.

    Make it spicy. Add 1 serrano pepper (seeds removed), diced, when sautéing the garlic and ginger to add some spice. You can also add ¼-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. If you can find Indian red chili powder that can also be used.

    Crushed tomatoes. You can substitute these instead of diced tomatoes for a smoother consistency.

    How to Store

    Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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    Recipe

    instant pot chana masala with rice overhead

    Instant Pot Chana Masala (Indian chickpea stew)

    Weight Watchers Points1
    Click to track Weight Watchers Points
    This Northern Indian classic chickpea stew is full of earthy spices and plant-protein. It's a satisfying main dish served with cauliflower rice or regular rice. Fast and easy in the Instant Pot too!
    5 from 62 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 4 minutes minutes
    Estimated time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 29 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 1-cup servings (total yield: 4 cups)
    Calories: 254kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    6-quart Instant Pot

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 small onion peeled and diced
    • 2 large garlic cloves minced
    • 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
    • ½ cup vegetable broth
    • 2 teaspoons garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
    • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

    Instructions

    • Heat the olive oil using the Instant Pot Saute function. When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until softened.
    • Add the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional 30-60 seconds.
    • Add the vegetable broth and deglaze the inside of the Instant Pot by scraping off any sticking browned bits of food from the bottom. Turn off the SAUTE function.
      NOTE: this is important especially for newer Instant Pot models which will have a BURN warning during the pressure cooker cycle if food bits are stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot insert.
    • Stir in the garam masala, ground cumin, coriander and salt.
    • Add the chickpeas and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
    • Secure the Instant Pot lid and set pressure release valve to SEALING. Cook Pressure Cook-Normal for 4 minutes followed by a QUICK RELEASE of the pressure.
    • Remove the lid and stir the chana masala. Serve with rice (cauliflower or regular brown rice) and fresh cilantro.

    Notes

    Storing leftovers
    Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1439mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 222IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 4mg
    instant pot chana masala on white plate with rice
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutritional Coach and certified Weight Loss Specialist, writer/blogger, photographer, chief recipe developer and creator of Make It Skinny Please. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her slimmed down recipes using real food ingredients bring excitement to the dining table and never taste like 'diet food'. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 62 votes (55 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Joy Smith says

      May 04, 2022 at 8:29 am

      5 stars
      I've been looking for yummy vegan recipes and am so glad I found this one! Loved it.

      Reply
    2. Lauren Michael Harris says

      May 02, 2022 at 8:56 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is SO quick and easy! I have been on quite a kick of chickpea recipes lately - this chana masala one did not disappoint!

      Reply
    3. Tayler Ross says

      May 02, 2022 at 7:35 am

      5 stars
      We had this chana masala for dinner last night and it was amazing! Packed with flavor and we will definitely be making again soon.

      Reply
    4. Jerri says

      May 02, 2022 at 7:21 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is so full of flavor AND so healthy. Chickpeas are the best!

      Reply
    5. Paula T says

      May 02, 2022 at 6:58 am

      5 stars
      Huge hit with the family- even my picky son! Great recipe, thank you!

      Reply
    6. Iryna says

      May 02, 2022 at 5:59 am

      5 stars
      Easy to follow recipe. Satisfying and delicious main dish. Perfect for a family dinner. Thank you!

      Reply
    7. Danielle says

      May 02, 2022 at 5:04 am

      5 stars
      Loved how easy this was! The flavors were really great and it was perfect for easy weeknight meals.

      Reply

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I'm a Certified Nutrition Coach and NASM certified Weight Loss Specialist. I'm excited to share Classic Recipes made more calorie friendly using real food!

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