Authentic Chana Masala (Indian Chickpea Curry)
Chana Masala, or Indian Chickpea Curry, is undoubtedly one of the most popular vegetarian curries in and out of South Asia. This easy and authentic recipe makes tender, flavorful chickpeas in a perfectly spiced curry.
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“Made this dish for the first time and am so in love with the flavors. It is the best Chana Masala I have ever had.”
Gwen
If there’s one dinner recipe I’ve turned to for years when I have no time, creativity, or motivation to cook, it’s Chana Masala. There’s no planning, thawing, or (thanks to canned chickpeas) soaking required. It’s a straightforward, one-pot, vegan curry recipe that captures the essence of South Asian cooking.
Chana Masala – the best of weeknight dinners
Chana Masala is a North Indian and Pakistani curry made by cooking chickpeas (chana) in a onion and tomato base (masala). Like Palak Paneer or Aloo Gobi, Chana Masala is one of the most restaurant-famous vegetarian curries.
Chana masala reminds me of my time spent living in Midland, TX. Midland was a small town in West Texas where healthy and delicious dining options were scarce, and halal options almost nonexistent. At the time, my food-related frustrations (don’t we all have them?) were at their peak. I longed for quality, nutritious, flavorful food, and – with due respect to Tex-Mex – I quickly ran out of options.
Looking back, that deprivation also brought about resilience in me. It instilled the habit of cooking and planning and making do with what I had. Instead of opting for restaurant food that I wouldn’t find tasty or feel good eating, I opened a couple of cans of chickpeas and got to work. Chana Masala became my takeout, delivery, and drive-thru.
Over the years, I’ve tried many variations of Chana Masala to see what gives the best flavor and consistency. This Chana Masala recipe is vibrant, with just the right amount of tanginess, and rich in spicy flavor.
Why this Chana Masala Recipe?
This recipe is authentic in that it’s cooked in the traditional South Asian style. But it’s also unfussy – a pantry meal you’d make on a whim. This recipe:
- Uses canned chickpeas. (See FAQ if you’d rather use dried.)
- Yields extra tender chickpeas for a restaurant-like finish (thanks to a pantry ingredient).
- Is precise and easy-to-follow.
- Requires simple ingredients that are commonly used in South Asian cooking.
How to Make Authentic Chana Masala
Most traditional Chana Masala recipes more or less follow this method of cooking. Here’s what we’re trying to achieve at each step:
- Sauté onion: Sauté the chopped onions along with cumin seeds to form the base (or masala) of the curry. You want to sauté until golden, but not fully brown, because they’ll deepen even more in color once you add the garlic and ginger. If at any point the onions start to stick to the pan or brown unevenly, deglaze with 1-2 tablespoons water.
- Add garlic, ginger, and green chili pepper: Adding the garlic and ginger at this stage cooks out the raw flavor and allows them to become fragrant. The green chili infuses the curry with a subtle warmth. It would be more fiery if added later in cooking.
- Bloom the spices: Chana Masala is quite heavy on spices, which is why you’ll add them early on to extract their flavor into the base of the curry. Again, at any point if they start to stick, deglaze with water.
- Sauté the tomatoes: Cook the tomatoes for a few minutes to evaporate their water content and help them disintegrate into the curry.
- Add water, cover, and cook: Even though the canned chickpeas are technically cooked, they need to simmer in the curry to soften and absorb the flavors.
- Sauté down: Sauté for another 2-3 minutes to desired consistency. Use a wooden spoon to slightly crush chickpeas to thicken and enhance their texture. Keep in mind the curry will thicken even more as it cools.
- Garnish: Brighten the flavors with a sprinkling of garam masala, a squeeze of lemon juice, and crunchy julienned ginger if you’d like.
Tips for making Chana Masala:
- Adding a small amount of baking powder (or even baking soda) makes the chickpeas extra tender. You can either marinate the chickpeas in it or add it directly to the curry as I have.
- The recipe moves quickly once the onions are brown, so make sure to have all the ingredients (especially the spices) near the stovetop and ready to use.
- Keep water on hand and deglaze the pan at any point the onions, spices, or tomatoes stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Use a wooden spoon or spatula to slightly crush the chickpeas to thicken the curry and give it a restaurant-like finish.
FAQ & Variations:
To make the similar curry Aloo Chana (potatoes and chickpea curry), peel and cube 2-3 small russet potatoes. Add the potatoes alongside the chickpeas, then cover and cook as directed. The potatoes will take around the same time to cook through. Taste and adjust salt and spices as needed.
If you’d like to use dried chickpeas, use about 3/4 heaped cup (6-7 oz). (Here’s a great, detailed guide on cooking chickpeas from the lovely Ali at Alexandra Cooks.) First, soak them in water overnight (Ali also adds salt). Bring the drained chickpeas, 4 cups of water, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking soda to a boil. Then lower the heat and cook for around 45 minutes, until soft. Discard any scum that rises to the surface.
Chana Masala is the general term for Chickpea Curry cooked in an onion and tomato masala base. Chole (the Punjabi term for chickpeas) refers to a type of chickpea curry typically eaten for breakfast with poori or bhature. Chole are often made with extra spices, tangy flavors, and even tea bags which give it the signature darker hue. That said, I do think this recipe could work just fine alongside poori.
What To Serve With Chana Masala
This is such a versatile curry that you can serve it with just about anything: basmati rice, any bread, and even poori (as mentioned above). If you keep it on the drier side, it goes wonderfully with naan, roti, or paratha. For some crunch, top it with red onions. Yogurt or raita makes a nice, cooling side.
More Vegetarian Curry Recipes:
Zucchini Curry – Pakistani-style Toriyan
Easy Spinach and Potato Curry (Aloo Palak)
Easy Mixed Vegetable Curry
Baingan ka Bharta (Smoked Eggplant Curry)
Tried this recipe? If you have a minute, please consider leaving a comment telling me how it was! If you have a photo of your dish, please feel free to upload it and share with others. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I truly love hearing from you. Thank you!
Authentic Chana Masala (Indian Chickpea Curry)
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as avocado or grapeseed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 medium (~220-260 g) yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 (~1 tbsp) garlic cloves , crushed
- 1-inch (~1 tbsp) piece ginger, crushed
- 1 small green chili pepper (such as Serrano or Thai chili), sliced
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp paprika powder, or Kashmiri chili powder if you have it
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
- 2 medium (~300 g) tomatoes, finely chopped or puréed in a food processor
- 2 cans (around 15-oz each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained (See Note 1)
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt or table salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp baking powder (or sub baking soda), (optional – for extra tender chickpeas) (See Note 2)
Garnish
- 1/2 tsp garam masala or chaat masala
- 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2-3 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
- julienned ginger, optional, for garnish
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, optional, for garnish
Equipment
- Saucepan
Instructions
- Heat a medium, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and onion. Sauté for 7-8 minutes, until golden. If the mixture gets dry, deglaze with 1-2 tablespoons of water.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and green chili pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of water (if needed), and add all the spice powders. Give it a few stirs to roast the spices, and then add the tomatoes. Continue to sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Mix in the chickpeas, baking powder (if using), salt, and 2 cups of water.
- Raise the heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover and let cook for 25-30 minutes, until the chickpeas are very tender.
- Uncover and raise the heat to high. Use a wooden spatula to slightly crush the chickpeas. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes to desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and seasoning. Turn off the heat and add the garam masala or chaat masala, lemon juice, and cilantro leaves. Sprinkle with julienned ginger and black pepper, if desired.
237 Comments on “Authentic Chana Masala (Indian Chickpea Curry)”
I can’t emphasize enough how much I love all of your recipes! I’ve tried making 6 of your vegetarian curries so far and they have erased the need for take aways. Your instructions are so simple to follow as well and the ingredients easy to find. Finding your website is the best thing to have happened to our family culinary-wise this year!
Ahh I’m delighted to see this, Kevin! Truly means so much to me. Thank you for sharing! I hope you try many more.
This is so simple to make and tastes amazing. I had all the ingredients on hand the first time making it. My husband loved it so much he requested it for dinner again 2 days later. Thank you!
Wow! So happy that you guys enjoyed it enough to repeat. 🙂 Thank you for sharing, Bobbie!
My Indian co-worker tried the leftovers I had packed for lunch the next day. She told me that it tasted better than her home cooked chana masala. I showed her your recipe. 🙂
So wonderful to hear that. Thank you for sharing, Bobbie!
Hi,
I like the way you are showing ingredients and putting the pictures, explaining step by step what to do but
You don’t give the amount of each ingredients example: spices. I really miss that.
I want to learn how to cook Chana Masala , but if I will not put the right amount of the ingredients so the final result will not give the right taste.
Could you add list of ingredients with the amount of it??
Kind regards
Kate
Sorry,
I see all the list of ingredients with their amounts.
Let me try it
Kind regards
Kate
No problem, Kate. Hope you enjoy it!
I usually use box spices for that authentic tasting channa to eat with puri. This recipe will now br my go to to get a really good tasting channa
That’s so wonderful to hear, Saima!! Thank you so much for trying and sharing such a nice review!
Found your website about 2 weeks ago and since then have cooked almost only your recipes. They are all great, especially since they are also made only from fresh ingredients.
This one and Chicken Korma are my favorites so far.
You did a great job with this website and enriched my mealtime keep up the good work.
greetings from Germany.
I’m truly delighted to hear that, Daniel. Thank you for trying my recipes and coming back to share your experience! Makes my day!
Made it tonight and was delighted! I didn’t have green chilis on hand but swapped in a teaspoon or so of green chili chutney. It worked. I also added some dried methi leaves about halfway through cooking — I found this recipe worked great!
How innovative! methi seems like a nice touch. Will try it sometime. Thank you for writing, Jim!
Making this tonight. I cannot WAIT!
Yay! I hope you enjoy it!
Dear Izzah,
I’m looking forward to trying your recipe!
I’m wandering why Ghee isn’t used in place of the oil and if it’s ok to do so?
Then secondly, the Garam Marsala powder I have contains cumin and corriander – should I still add the additional? And lastly, I’m wondering why the Garam marasla is added at the end instead of being added with the ghee (or oil) at the start, as the rest of the spices are?
Thank you in advance!
Thank you! Great questions:
1 – You could use ghee, but I typically find the taste a bit strong in the final dish if I use just ghee. That’s why I generally use a blend of ghee and oil or just oil.
2 – Yes, even if the garam masala contains coriander and cumin (which most do), you’d still add them to the recipe.
3 – The garam masala is more of a finishing spice that’s often pre-toasted and doesn’t need to be ‘bloomed’ like the other spices would.
I hope that helps and I hope you get a chance to try it!
Absolutely wonderful. The flavour is outstanding. I adore this curry! Thanks so much Izzah for yet another amazing recipe.
Aww yay!! I’m so delighted to hear you liked it, Jo! Thanks so much 🙂
Delicious and quick enough for a weeknight dinner. My 12 year old went back for seconds!
That’s wonderful, Hannah! Thank you for sharing!