Quick Chana Masala
Easy and quick chana masala recipe served over basmati rice. This spicy, hearty Indian dish is vegan and gluten free. It makes great leftovers, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 9, 2024
Chana masala is one of my favorite menu items at Indian restaurants. It’s a hearty, saucy chickpea and tomato dish with warming spices. I bet you have the ingredients to make this easy homemade version in your pantry already!
I shared this recipe back in 2014, and wanted to revisit it as we’re all spending more time at home. I thoroughly enjoyed the fragrant 20 minutes I spent over the stove for this recipe.
To make this chana masala, you’ll need onion, ginger, garlic, and several good-for-you spices, including coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Garam masala is the traditional spice blend for chana masala, but if you don’t have that on hand, you’ll find alternatives below.
I’d like to start cooking Indian recipes more often. Which one would you like to see next? For more pantry-friendly recipes, check my healthy pantry recipes roundup.
Authentic Chana Masala vs. This Quick & Easy Method
I was happy when I found a recipe for quick and easy chana masala in the pages of Angela Liddon’s cookbook, The Oh She Glows Cookbook (affiliate link). I’ve modified Angela’s ingredients and cooking method a bit. Let me be the first to point out that this recipe is somewhat unconventional!
Authentic chana masala is typically made with whole spices, plus some dried mango powder (amchur). This recipe makes use of ground spices, which we’ll cook in some oil to bring out their best. Instead of dried mango powder, we’ll garnish the dish with a wedge of lemon for tart flavor.
Watch How to Make Chana Masala
Canned Tomato Options
I love using crushed fire-roasted tomatoes in this recipe, which offer a shortcut to rich, long-simmered flavor. If you don’t have them, don’t worry.
You can also use canned whole tomatoes (with their juices), and crush them against the side of the pot with a sturdy spoon as they simmer. Or substitute diced tomatoes, which will produce a more chunky result (you could blitz them a few times in a food processor or blender beforehand, to achieve crushed tomatoes).
Spice Options
Garam masala is traditionally used in chana masalas. Garam masala roughly translates to “hot spice mix” in English. It’s made from a blend of coriander, cumin, cardamom (green and black), cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, and other spices that vary by region and preference. No two masalas are exactly alike.
If you don’t have garam masala and don’t want to make another trip to the store, here are a few unconventional options. I know for certain that tikka masala is nice (tikka masala has brighter notes of chili powder and paprika).
Or, you could use a teaspoon of yellow curry powder—it won’t taste the same, but it will be good! If you don’t have either of those, you could likely just omit the spice blend, and add a pinch of ground clove and cardamom to the pot if you have them.
Craving more Indian recipes?
I’m working on my expanding my collection of Indian recipes, but here are a few favorite recipes inspired by Indian cuisine.
- Creamy Golden Milk (Hot or Iced)
- Quick Dal Makhani
- Masala Lentil Salad with Cumin Roasted Carrots
- Turmeric-Spiced Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Cauliflower: See the Indian-inspired version.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out in the comments.
Quick Chana Masala
Quick and easy chana masala recipe served over basmati rice. This spicy, hearty, chickpea-based Indian dish is vegan and gluten free. It makes great leftovers, too! Be sure to prep the ingredients in advance, as the recipe moves quickly. Recipe yields 4 bowls.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice, for serving (rice is optional, I like to cook extra to have on hand for other meals)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium serrano or jalapeño pepper*, minced (remove ribs and seeds to tame the spice level)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- 5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger (about a 1-inch piece)
- 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala**
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional!*)
- 1 large can (28 ounces) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices
- 2 cans (14 ounces each) chickpeas (or 3 cups cooked chickpeas), rinsed and drained
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the rice (if you want to serve the chana masala on rice): Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove and rinse the rice in a fine-mesh colander. Once boiling, pour in the rice and give it a stir. Boil the rice for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and drain the rice. Return the rice to the pot and cover the pot. Let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and season with sea salt to taste.
- Cook the chana masala: In a medium Dutch oven or large saucepan, warm the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, serrano and salt. Cook until the onion is tender and turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the garam masala, coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt and cayenne (if using), and cook for another minute, while stirring constantly.
- Add the tomatoes and their juices. If using whole tomatoes, use the back of a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes apart (you can leave some chunks of tomato for texture).
- Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chickpeas. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, for 10 minutes or longer to allow the flavors to develop. Season to taste with additional salt, if desired. If it’s not spicy enough for your liking, add another pinch of cayenne.
- Serve over basmati rice, if desired, and garnish with a lemon wedge or two and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro leaves.
Notes
Recipe adapted with permission from The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon.
*Tame the heat: While chana masala is inherently full of spice, the serrano (or jalapeño) and cayenne pepper are what bring the heat. If you’re sensitive, reduce or omit them both. You can always stir in a pinch of cayenne pepper at the end of cooking if you want more.
**Spice blend note: Garam masala is traditional. If you don’t have it and want to get by without making another trip to the store, you could use tikka masala instead, or perhaps even 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder. Don’t have any of those? I suspect this dish would be nicely flavorful with an added pinch of clove and cardamom, or even nothing at all.
Storage suggestions: This recipe makes for great leftovers! Store the rice, chana masala and garnishes separately for best results. Warm the rice and chana masala together, then garnish with fresh lemon wedges and cilantro. Leftovers should keep well for up to 5 days. I believe you could also successfully freeze the chana masala and rice components for later.
Change it up: Though untraditional, I think this would taste great with a generous splash of coconut milk for some creaminess (it would also mellow the spices somewhat).
Update 3/18/20: The recipe originally called for cumin seeds (1 ½ teaspoons) instead of ground cumin. I made the switch because ground cumin is easier to find. The recipe called for cooking the cumin seeds in the oil before adding the onion, etc. (Cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently, until the seeds are golden and fragrant. Watch carefully to avoid burning the seeds.)
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I made this tonight and it turned out great.
yum! was so good and easy! didn’t have garam masala so used a bit of yellow curry powder, cardamom and cloves — so good!
Thank you, Sonia! I’m glad you loved it.
This was delicious! I doubled the recipe because another commenter said they made it again 2 days later. I’m too lazy to make it 2 days later! :) Thanks for the yummy recipe.
You’re welcome, Wendy!
How many calories would 1/2 cup equal, do you think?
Anyways, loved how this turned out! It will definitely be replacing the microwavable pouches I usually get.
Hi Alyssa! My nutritional information is below the notes section. I would suggest cutting the values in half. I’m happy you loved it!
Hi Kate I have been following you for years and just want to say thanks for all the recipes and the joy you bring to food. It’s so nice especially now to flip through the recipes on your blog :)
This is a keeper! I didn’t have ginger or a Serrano pepper. I substituted a chopped rib of celery for the texture of those ingredients. For flavor, I substituted 1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg, and added a good shake of crushed red pepper for the heat. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written. It was delicious!
Very hearty and delicious! It’s so easy to make that I already made it twice in the past week. The first time, I followed the recipe as is — loved it. The second time, I didn’t add the serrano pepper, and it was still excellent. We roasted some carrots and zucchini separately, which paired well with this chana masala. Thank you so much!!
I cannot wait to make this tonight! I have a jar of Tikka Masala, would the sauce version still make an equal substitution and if so, still 1.5 teaspoons?
Hi Jaqueline! What did you decide to do? I assume you would want to add more than dried. What did you go with and how did it turn out?
I really loved this recipe for chana masala. I did a couple of things differently based on the advice of someone who has cooked Indian food her whole life. She said never to use olive oil, so I use grape seed oil or canola when cooking Indian food. The other thing she said was to emphasize the coriander, so know I always double that. But I have garam masala on hand and I think that is always better and I added 50% more whole canned tomatoes, but this is just because I love sauce. It’s a great recipe and I have tried many versions of this recipe online and have not liked any other as much as this one. Thanks so much.
I just made this for breakfast. I only had one can of chickpeas so I subbed a can of butter beans. I also added a large chilli and a glug of lemon juice at the end for some citrussy tartness. Healthy, full of flavour and delicious. Thank you, Kathryne!
This was so good!! Didn’t think We’d be this impressed!
Seeing this, I really got water in my mouth. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us.
This recipe is so delicious. I add cauliflower also. Thanks for such a flavourful recipe
This was delicious. Being Indian-American, and not knowing how to cook Indian food, this brought back a lot of memories. Thank You!
This recipe was so delicious and i did cut down on the tomatoes (not by choice) but there was still plenty of tomato sauce.
I loved this!!! Used a whole red chilli as well as the cayenne and added a few tbsps of mango chutney before simmering. Served it with flatbreads and the suggested coriander and lemon wedges. It was a total hit. Spicy, flavoursome and quick! Thank you for sharing your recipe x
I added a can of cooked brown lentils. You can cook your own dry lentils but give them a thorough washing and boil until tender. They swell up quite a lot so experiment with the quantity.
Thank you for sharing, David!
Delicious and easy to make.
I’m happy you think so, Bernadette!
Love your recipes! I made it mild, blended the tomatoes and onions to make my kids happy before adding the chick peas. Flavor is great! Going to eat it with roasted cauliflower.
Very good easy cooking recipe.
Everyone loved it. Going to cook chana Marsala again.
love your cooking, Kate! I limit oil which is really easy to do. But I am a big fan!
Hi
I have been making so many of your delish veggie dishes, so many go to recipes of i have of yours for my week night dinners. The chana masala I’ve made at least 6 plus its. WW friendly. The other go to recipies kale, farro cranberry goat cheesesalad…that is so wonderful, love the dressing. Then there is the best lentil soup, stuffed shells I just love making your delish recipies. Thank you so much for sharing your recipies.
Wonderful to hear you have been enjoying so many and you love this one, Andrea! Thanks so much for sharing.
This was an excellent channa recipe. I skipped the oil (I saute everything in a bit of water) and threw in some cooked baby red potatoes too. I really like the addition of the fresh ginger and garlic. Recommend for sure.
I’ve been using your recipes for years to feed my sometimes picky children (age 5,7) and veggie loving husband. Everyone ate this recipe without complaint which is a HUGE win. Next time, I’ll go wild and blend the onions, ginger, spice mixture with the tomatoes with a splash of coconut milk (as suggested) for a creamy adaptation. SO YUMMY – thank you!
Love this recipe.
Just made this recipe tonight as I browsing the site to see something quick and easy I could whip up for dinner with what I had in my pantry. It’s so delicious! I only had one can of chickpeas on hand so I subbed in a can of pinto beans and it’s still tasted delcious. I would say the best part was that I made this AND some rice in 30 minutes. This was the perfect meal for this rainy evening! Thanks Kate!
A Delicious go-to over and over. Have extra veggies? Add them. Want to add some bulk? Shred cabbage and add to the bowl. It is a easy and delicious recipe.
I love your creativity, Stu! Thank you for sharing.
Very nice recipe, I riffed a bit because I wanted more veggies in a tomato-y sauce, so I threw in kale and peas, the tomato taste was pretty strong but I used a bit more garam masala and it balanced out nicely. Definitely bookmarking this.
I have been vegetarian for 3 years and am currently making the transition to vegan! This was one of the first vegan dinners I made for my family and everyone loved it! Sure to be one of my go-to dinners. Thank you, Kate!
Flavorful and delicious, definitely a new go to. I forgot I used my last cans of chickpeas so last minute subbed with white kidney beans and it still turned out great. Love all your recipes, they never fail : )
This was delicious, quick, and easy. My friend is getting me some amchur powder from the Indian market. If I was going to add that in, where would I use it? Would I add it in with the rest of the spices or as a finishing touch?
Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Sera! I have not used that myself, I would cross reference a recipe that does for guidance. Sorry to not be of more help!
would love to see a pad thai or a pad kee mao recipe!!
This looks delicious. I strangely often crave chick peas-even eat them
fresh and warm for breakfast sometimes. I have all the ingredients so will try this one tonight! Thank you for the great variety of recipes you offer!
This is the best chickpea curry I’ve made and I have made quite a few! Quick and easy, it ticked all the boxes for a Monday night meal!
Hey! Long time reader of your recipes, first time commenting. Have made this many times now for my family (with almost no spice due to my mom and sister not handling it well), and have it often as leftovers for lunch. Wonderful recipe, and I really appreciate the notes at the bottom for substitutions, as my household is mildly lactose and strictly gluten intolerant. Thanks!
Thank you, Billie! It’s great to hear from you. I’m happy you love the recipe and can appreciate my notes. I do my best to provide alternatives when I can.
Made this tonight. So easy and delicious. Thank you!
Way too much tomato for my taste. It was like eating chickpeas in a pool of marinara sauce.
Made this last night. So easy and soooo tasty! I will definitely be making this regularly!
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Kathleen.
This has become my go to channa masala recipe! I have made it twice and will be making it again tonight. There’s something about the combination of spices plus the ginger, garlic and jalapeño that works really well. You almost develop a craving for it! This is the first time I have ever commented on a recipe but this one is so terrific, I was moved to write something.
Thank you, Betty! I’m excited you did. I appreciate your sharing your love for this recipe.
If using raw chickpeas, how does the recipe varies?
Hi Ava, I would cook them first and then add them to the recipe, since canned chickpeas are already cooked.
Love this recipe! I substituted 1tsp of dried ginger because I was out of fresh and threw in some spinach that was going to go to waste (not traditional but healthy and tasty). Now I have leftovers to freeze for my vegetarian sister’s visit this weekend.
I have been wanting to make this recipe for years, And for one reason or another have not been able to find a good recipe. I made this one tonight, it still needs to simmer for a bit but the flavor is right there. So far I am absolutely loving this. Thank you so very much
Delicious without complicated steps!
This was INCREDIBLE! Looking at the recipe it looks super simple, nothing too special, but it was such an amazing combination of flavors. We did use dried chickpeas that we had soaked overnight and cooked with garlic and bay leaves. Had with rice and some steamed greens. Don’t underestimate this recipe it was so delightful!
This was delicious!! I used the Instant Pot to make it and had to add a can of coconut milk as I got a burn error but am really glad I did – it added some lovely creaminess. SO good. I sautéed the veggies and then added everything else (used canned chickpeas) and set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Served over short grain brown rice with naan. Excellent!!
I really want to make this tonight, but I’m out of Coriander! Think I could just use extra garam masala?
Hi Christine! Sorry for my delay. What did you end up doing? It may be too much with extra, but interested to hear what you thought.
I ended up finding a chickpea tikka masala recipe to make instead (didn’t require coriander). I felt like coriander would have been too important to omit!
Since that, I did get my coriander in the mail so I’ll be making this soon :)
Delicious, but very tomato-ey. I let simmer it for longer than 30 minutes to let the spices meld. Next time I’ll make it with a 14 oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes and see if it’s less aggressive.
i just got some desi chana beans from rancho gordo – can i substitute the desi chana beans for garbanzos? do you have any recipes with desi chana?
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but the beans could be flexible here just wouldn’t be the same consistency. I hope you enjoy it!
The family liked this but it was a bit too tomato-y, but next time I would reduce the amount of tomato and up the spices. Overall though, very good and hearty!
Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry you didn’t love it, but glad you were still able to enjoy it.
Just finished a bowl of this and oh my gosh YUM. Made a couple of little adjustments here and there but this was heavenly I’ll definitely be referring back to this recipe again! Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow when you just know it’s going to taste even better :P
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for your review, Mhairi.