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
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Cooked
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegan
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.)
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Anaise
This is a tasty chickpea tomato stew but didn’t quite feel like chana masala to me. I reduced the tomatoes by half like other readers had said because I didn’t want it to be too soupy. I simmered it for an extra half hour because I wanted it to thicken up and while it did cook off some liquid it never got to that thick, almost gravy like consistency I’m used to with chana masala. Also the chickpeas didn’t absorb enough of the flavor from the spices, next time I’ll cook the chickpeas in the spices before adding the tomatoes so the flavors really meld.
★★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, but appreciate you taking the time to review.
Alyssa
Love the flavor in this recipe. I also love your Chickpea Tikka Masala in your cookbook!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Alyssa!
Linda
Made this on the weekend. Love it!!!
I’ve added it to my favourites too! Well done!
★★★★★
Sam
Really like this recipe, we make it with jasmine rice, and poblanos instead of serranoes so it still has a potential for some spice, but I can eat it without pausing every bite to drink something. We just grab a large can of whatever tomatoes we see at the supermarket, and “saucier” ones work much better than more chunked ones.
Casey Shirhall
This recipe is not good. I cooked exactly as given – for an additional 20minutes, AND adding 1 tablespoon of premixed chana masala seasoning – and it was STILL too saucy and very bland compared to take out.
Not familiar enough with this cuisine to know exactly what is missing, but this recipe as written was bland, and cant possibly have proper inredients and intended cook times.
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe. What brand seasoning did you use?
Casey
Thanks for the reply!
For the individual spices as written in the recipe, just whatever was in my spice cabinet (which is a mix of brand names & assorted store brands). The only deviation was I used ginger paste not fresh ginger. If you mean the premixed seasoning I added after taste testing, that was MDH brand Chana Masala mix. First time using that specific blend, but I’ve used their other spice blends with happy results.
I think the bigger issue is the tomato, since spices can be subjective and are easy to adjust to personal taste. I see some other reviews suggested halving the tomato amount. After cooking 28oz for 45min or so to thicken the sauce up and soften the chickpeas enough, the tomato flavor kind of overpowers everything else. If I decide to try again, that would be the main adjustment I’d start with. Maybe the extra tomato works better when eaten over rice, which I didn’t try.
Anyway, thanks for giving me a starting point for this dish! Now I can try ‘tweaking’ to my own preference :)
Chloe
I made a modified version of this for lunch with ingredients I had in the house, using a can of rotel tomatoes instead of pepper + fire roasted tomatoes. That turned out to be a great spice level for me, and I loved how quick and easy it was to make!
★★★★
Kate
I’m delighted you enjoyed it, Chloe! Thank you for your review.
Ker Ber
I think the spice was a little too heavy on the coriander (very floral tasting), but I like it enough to use it again, just will probably reduce the amount of coriander. I added potatoes and peppers, and will probably add peas next time too! Yummy and looking forward to tweaking it to my taste. Thanks for the recipe! Haven’t made Chana masala since I had kids because it is so time consuming and complex, but this recipe simplified it all and still didn’t disappoint. Bravo!
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. I appreciate your feedback, Ker!
Natalie
I’ll preface this by saying I don’t particularly like chana masala, and I don’t really like chickpeas either. But I needed more recipes that didn’t require a ton of produce or chopping, so I finally tried this one. And I like it! I agree with some other comments that it doesn’t really taste like a restaurant’s chana masala, but it’s yummy, and it’s easy and quick to make. I’d probably cut the tomatoes down by 25% if I made it again (which I probably will because… yummy and quick and cheap).
You could probably make this without the jalapeno and, if you usually have onions on hand, it would be a complete pantry meal.
★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you finally tried this one and liked it! Thank you for sharing, Natalie.
Karen
This was absolutely delicious and the first Indian inspired recipe that I cook, thank you so much Kate!!!!
Kate
You’re welcome, Karen. Thank you for your comment!
Julie
How can I adapt this for a crock pot?
Kate
Hi Julie, sorry to disappoint but I prefer this stove top and don’t feel like you will save much time in a crockpot. It does make great leftovers!
Jess
This was so good! It really wasn’t at all soupy for me, and my young sons enjoyed as well! I think we add this into our rotation :-)
★★★★★
Debbi
Another fabulous recipe! I only had cans of chopped tomatoes so I ran them through the food processor with about 1/2 cup of the chickpeas. I think processing some of the chickpeas solves the consistency issue of the final product some reviewers mentioned. Also used red onion, personal preference. Thanks for all of your creativity, making cooking so easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Debbie! I’m glad you found something that worked well for you.
Eve
This was a good “quick” recipe, and a few tweaks make it really good; 1: reduce the coriander to 1tsp 2: Trader Joe’s sells the perfect can of fire roasted tomatoes w/chiles 3: For everyone looking for the creamy gravy-like consistency, add 1/2 can of coconut cream or full fat coconut milk.
★★★★
Sana
It was my first time making channa masala. I was cooking for myself and my husband. I followed the recipe exactly, and I feel there was way too much salt. I will definitely reduce the salt by half next time. Also, it did not taste spicy at all to us. I will add more than a pinch of cayenne pepper next time, maybe half a tsp and see how it goes. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe, Sana.
Sydney Collins
Love, love, love this recipe. I always like a little bit of sweet with my curry flavor so I throw in a handful of golden raisins! Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!!
Peteris
Very nice!
Recipe number four from your collection this week already, and they have all been great! For me as a life-long carnivore, your site is starting to feel firmly like a game-changer for my diet. :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Peteris! I’m happy you have been enjoying the recipes.
Josh
I made this last night and loved it! I added paneer, used crushed tomatoes, which was perfect, and increased the spices. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for letting me know what you thought, Josh!
Allison
Kate this is so good and easy to pull together with pantry items. I added a sprinkle of feta for extra tang and flavor. Lots of cilantro! Yum.
ERIK MILLER
This is a great recipe. We make this at least once a month. We make no changes. It is delicious.
★★★★★
Marisa
Super good. My husband said “did you pressure cook this? How is it so flavorful in just 20 min?”. If you’re finding yours bland- try adding more salt- some canned tomatoes and chick peas have more added salt than others. It’s definitely more tomatoey than Chana masala from the restaurant but we loved it. Everyone in my house gobbled it up, including the seven year old.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you both loved it! Thank you for sharing, Marisa.
Jodie Tanino
On a rainy Hawaii day, this was delicious! I followed the recipe but just didn’t have a pepper but the cayenne was a perfect amount of spice. Also since it’s just me I used one can of garbanzos and a small can of diced tomatoes. I have those little cans of coconut milk and I do like the creaminess so added maybe 1/2 a can to finish. I loved the depth of flavors, shared it with my neighbor and she claimed perfection! Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you were able to adapt so easily, Jodie! I appreciate your review.
Brita
Just made this – quick prep and super flavorful!
★★★★★
Karen Kc
This is one of my go-to recipes. It’s fast enough for weeknights, but fancy enough for guests. My husband is Nepali and he loves it, which tells me it must be good. I’ve made my own variations, but as written it is perfect.
★★★★★
Kate
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Karen.
Amy
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it tonight and it was delicious and easy to put together! I used jalapeno instead of serrano chile, added extra cayenne pepper and extra cumin and cut back on the Garam Masala, just my personal taste. I served it with rice and also roasted zucchini on the side.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Loretta
You asked for other suggestions, I’d love to see one for saag paneer. Thanks!
★★★★★
Diana
I typically don’t like tomatoes, but I chose this recipe because it is quick. I absolutely adore every single one of Kate’s recipes, and this one didn’t disappoint. I was very surprised to see myself liking the tomato sauce. Having it over rice is the way to go. Thank you for yet another delicious meal! :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Diana! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe and others from my blog.
Dave
First try at this..what an INCREDIBLE and FLAVORFUL dish..!
I read the reviews first and some people posted that it was too soupy, so I took one reviewer’s advice and added 1/2 cup of chickpeas into the food processor with fire roasted diced tomatoes (since that is all I had) and it came out great…but I did add a bit of water at the end because I am serving it over rice. Spices are perfect but I added little more cayenne and garlic for extra zing.
I love this so much. I will definitely make it again.
Oh! I used cooked chickpeas instead of canned. They didn’t take long to cook after soaking overnight…like 45 minutes…SUPER easy!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Dave! I’m delighted you loved it. Thank you for sharing your experience and modifications.
Ana
Delicious!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you!
Tammy L Ashurst
My daughter was visiting and made this recipe and I loved it! I made it today and followed except added an extra serrano ( I love heat!) So so yummy!! I used white Basmati rice and this meal felt like a warm hug :) Thank you
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad it was such a hit, Tammy.
Morgan
I loved this recipe. For anyone worried about it being too thin, here was my little hack: I dumped in all the veg except the tomatoes along with the seasonings. Once they were cooked, add the tomatoes and blend it with an immersion blender or bop in in your regular blender. Nice and thick, perfect over rice.