Chana masala is one of my favorite Indian recipes to make at home when I want something hearty and comforting, but also don't want to spend a ton of time cooking. This recipe is vegan, comes together in 30 minutes and is a perfect hearty meal!
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💭 Why this recipe works
- Vegan, gluten-free, one pot, 30 minutes - I cannot stress how convenient this recipe is (and perhaps counter to how most folks think of Indian food)
- Authentic but easy - this is the North Indian version of the recipe, so the delicious sour note is a must-have. I use a simple trick to replicate that flavor.
- Uses common ingredients - this recipe uses simple ingredients that you can find in almost any grocery store, so there's no need to hit up a specialty store!
- Protein-packed and hearty - chickpeas are packed full of nutrients and make the perfect base for a wholesome, hearty meal that's super filling
- Fridge and freezer friendly - this is a great make-ahead meal because it freezes so easily. Make a big batch and eat it different ways through the week!
📋 Ingredients & Variations
This recipe needs tomatoes, onions, green chili peppers for the base (jalapenos, Thai green chili peppers, or Serrano all work great). But the secret to my authentic chana masala recipe is the spice mix (check the next section for details on the spice mix).
👩🏽🍳 How to make chana masala
Start with the spice mix - the heart of the dish!
For the spice mix, I grind coriander and cumin seeds, ginger and garlic, some green chili peppers (Thai green chili peppers, jalapeno or Serrano) and red onions into a coarse paste.
If you can't find the fresh spices, or want something flavorful but less intense, you can substitute coriander and cumin seeds with ground powders. Or, if you have garam masala, feel free to replace the coriander and cumin with a spoon of that instead.
Make the tomato base
Start by sauteing the onions in a skillet, over medium heat, until brown. Then, add coarse spice paste and saute for a few minutes until raw smell dissipates.
Then, add the can of tomatoes along with spices, tamarind paste and salt. Saute this for a few minutes until the base starts thickening (typically around 3 to 4 minutes).
Finally, add the canned chickpeas with half to a full cup of water (depending on your desired consistency).
Cover the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes. When cooked perfectly, the chickpeas will be soft but not mushy. The base will be fluid, but not watery. Perfect for scooping up with some rice or flatbread.
Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve hot, with either flatbread or rice.
👩🏽🍳 FAQs and Top Tips
The main secret behind this recipe are the sour notes of tamarind paste. If you don't have tamarind paste, there's an easy substitute! Use lime juice (or white wine vinegar) mixed with equal amounts of brown sugar instead.
You can use either canned or fresh chickpeas for this recipe. If you use dry chickpeas, soak them overnight. Then, place them in a pot, add boiling hot water, a pinch of salt and cover for an hour.
I use fresh or canned tomatoes, depending on the season. If you use fresh tomatoes, use about 2 cups, chopped. If you use canned tomatoes, use one 14.5 oz can. You have to mash the tomatoes to make the chana masala base. So either option will work.
🍴 Serving and storing suggestions
You can serve chana masala with so many things!
- The best way of eating chana masala is with a bhatura (deep fried Indian bread).
- Another creative dish - Trinidad Doubles (open faced fried sandwich with chana masala and hot sauce).
- More traditionally, you can eat this with any flat bread (like a naan) or with rice. Working on a yeast-free homemade naan recipe - stay tuned!
- My favorite way to eat this is with samosas, as samosa chaat (i.e. an Indian street food). I made some delicious baked samosas and air fryer samosas recently. In a bowl, I broke those samosas into small pieces, added this chana masala, and topped it with some yogurt, diced red onions, jalapenos, and mint. The result was indescribable. Try it out and let me know how it goes for you!
Storing & freezing
Store the chana masala in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can also easily freeze it for up to 2 months, again in airtight containers. I recommend dividing it into individual size portions, and freezing them in separate containers. This way, you can just grab one without thawing everything at once. When you're ready to eat, thaw the masala, then pop in the microwave for a minute to two minutes. Good to go!
If you liked this recipe, don't forget to check out my Indian Cooking 101 Pantry Checklist (aka, everything you need for making delicious Indian food year-round) and then, these other Indian recipes:
Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much
📖 Recipe
Chana Masala
Ingredients
Spice Base
- ½ red onion, medium size, chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers, medium, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, substitute with 1-2 teaspoon of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste, 3-4 small slices of ginger, 1" each
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, substitute with 2 teaspoon of coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, substitute with 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
Chana Masala
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ onion, medium size, chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz - use a basic version
- 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili is strong; use paprika or cayenne for a milder spice kick
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, substitute with a tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1 can chickpeas, 14.5 oz, low sodium version if possible - drained and rised
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped finely
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend ingredients for spice base (onion, jalapenos, ginger, garlic, coriander, and cumin) until they form a paste (the spices will still be somewhat coarse, this is okay)
- Heat oil on a medium pan, and when hot, saute onions until they're fragrant (about 2-3 minutes)
- Now, add the spice blend from the food processor and saute until they're brown
- Add the tomatoes, red chili powder, turmeric, and salt, then use your spatula to mash down the tomatoes a bit to release some of their juices - this will help deglaze the pan
- Add chickpeas, tamarind paste and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Then, lower the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes
- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot - with flatbread or rice
Notes
- For a spicier version of this dish, keep the seeds in the peppers!
- Using the raw spices and grinding them makes the end product more fragrant. But if you want something just as delicious but less intense, use the powdered versions listed. Also, if you live near an Indian grocery store, you can buy 'chole masala' and substitute the dry spices with 2 teaspoon of that powder!
- For a slightly more sour and sharp flavor, you can add a few pods of green cardamom and cloves to the food processor
- Please check out the detailed post above for step-by-step pictures of the recipe
Nutrition
Note: This recipe was originally published on March 23, 2020. It was modified on August 2, 2020 to include more process shots and clarifications.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag #urbanfarmie on Instagram, @urbanfarmie on Pinterest! For step-by-step instructions with pictures, check the post.
This recipe is awesome! Every other time I’ve made chana masala, it’s either been super complex or lacking in flavor. However, this recipe was really simple, made of kitchen staples, and (most importantly) absolutely delicious. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes, thanks for putting this together!
Hey, this recipe very concise and easy to follow! For someone not used to cooking 'Indian style' dishes, (or following any recipes), it was a great starting point, especially coz you split it into the different components. Looking forward to trying other recipes as well!
Thanks
Thank you for the comment! Excited for you to try other recipes!
This recipe was SO good! It’s the first time I have ever made Indian food and it was such a great beginner recipe. Although it has only inspired me to attempt more Indian dishes! I added mushrooms that needed to be used up and it was a really tasty addition. This recipe is a keeper and is going in my recipe box.
This recipe was amazing. I used the substitutes for tamarind paste and couldn’t have been happier with the outcome. My husband loved it too and this is going in our regular recipe rotation. I added chicken and ate the mixture over rice and it was the perfect filling meal.
What a wonderful recipe, this Chana Masala is absolutely heart warming. I am novice to cooking Indian food but this recipe is really simple and it is easy to make while abundant in flavor - I used all the fresh spices and friended everything. The texture is great, not watery, not dense but just perfect.
And, the fun part is that once you build a base, you can play with adding other vegetables. So grateful for this treat.
Omg, so I was making this dish, got to the end where I did a little taste test and it was perfect, just enough spice, warm flavors to go well with the basmati rice I prepared and I went ahead and dug in. It wasn't until I finished my first helping and going back for a second that I noticed I had chickpeas sitting in the corner of my counter.......I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO PUT IN THE CHICKPEAS. I had completely forgotten the star of the show but the supporting characters were so good on their own!! (I still added in the chickpeas afterwards and that made it perfect)
Oh, what an adventure! I'm so glad this worked out for you (even though the chickpeas ended up being a latecomer to the show!)
I've never heard of Chana Masal, but this recipe looks incredible! Such a colorful and vibrant meal.
Chana Masala with rice is like the best combo! Thanks for the tips. Will try your recipe
Reading through your post, I feel intrigued to try this Indian recipe. It sounds easy enough to make and delicious to eat.
This is my favourite budget comfort food. Yours looks delicious.
I love chana masala and make it often. Really like your detailed recipe.
Such a perfect blend of flavors! I served it with your jeera rice and it was a big hit. It had a good a degree of spice with no one spice overpowering the others.