Vegan, healthy, one-pot meal, and gluten-free — sign me up! This recipe for Instant Pot chana masala (chickpea curry or cholay) is simple, nutritious, and perfect for busy weeknights. Making chickpeas from scratch in a pressure cooker tastes better than canned beans and is surprisingly easy. With about 15 minutes of prep, this Indian-style chickpea curry becomes a satisfying one-pot dinner packed with protein, fiber, and essential nutrients.
I receive many requests for meal ideas that are quick to prepare, require minimal cleanup, and are still wholesome and flavorful. For this recipe I used my favorite kitchen helper, the Instant Pot, though you can also make it in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker if you prefer.
The Instant Pot is more than just a pressure cooker — it’s a multi-cooker with features that simplify home cooking, help save money on takeout, and encourage healthier meals. While this post focuses on the recipe itself, the Instant Pot deserves praise for making recipes like this effortless.
Don’t have an Instant Pot? You can follow the stovetop pressure cooker instructions later in the post.
What I love about chana masala in the Instant Pot
I love that you don’t need to boil the beans separately and then make the curry — everything cooks together in one pot. You can simply add the ingredients, set the cooker, and get on with your day while it works. It’s low-effort and produces reliably delicious results.
Chana masala (cholay) is a healthy, filling option for lunch or dinner, and leftovers keep well for the next day. This version is vegan and gluten-free. I also add baby spinach for extra nutrition, though you can omit it if you like.
This is my first Instant Pot recipe on the blog, and I plan to share many more.
Step-by-step photo tutorial and recipe
Instant Pot spinach chana masala – vegan & gluten-free
Chana masala cooked in the Instant Pot makes a healthy and hassle-free dinner option. It’s vegan and gluten-free.
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 233 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw chickpeas (chana/ cholay), to be soaked
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- ½ tablespoon grated ginger
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 cups fresh tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon roasted chickpea flour (besan) — optional (see notes)
- Spices:
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons cayenne or paprika (red mirch) — adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon chana masala spice blend
To be added later
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach
- Salt to taste
- Fistful of chopped fresh cilantro
- Lemon, for serving
Instructions
- Wash the chickpeas under cold running water for about 30 seconds.
- Soak the chickpeas in 2 cups of water. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let soak for 8–10 hours or overnight.
- The next day, drain any excess soaking water from the chickpeas.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. After 3 minutes, add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil.
- Add the chopped onions and cook for about 2 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the bay leaf, green chili, grated ginger, and grated garlic; cook for about 20 seconds.
- Add chana masala blend, turmeric, chili powder, and coriander powder along with 1 tablespoon of water to prevent the spices from burning. Sauté briefly (about 10 seconds).
- Add the roasted chickpea flour (besan) if using, and sauté for another 10 seconds.
- Add the tomato puree, drained chickpeas, and 1.5 cups of water. Mix well.
- Close the lid, set to Manual/High pressure for 15 minutes, and ensure the steam release valve is in the sealing position.
- When the timer ends, allow a natural pressure release for 15 minutes, then carefully vent any remaining steam and open the lid.
- Stir and check doneness by mashing a chickpea; it should break easily.
- Switch the Instant Pot to Sauté again, add chopped spinach and salt, and mash a few chickpeas with the back of a spoon to thicken the gravy.
- Cook on Sauté for about 3 minutes, then switch the Instant Pot off. The gravy will thicken further as it cools.
- Add chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lemon if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm as a soup, with roti, or over rice or quinoa.
Notes
I use roasted chickpea flour (besan) to thicken the gravy, but you can skip it and simply mash a few chickpeas after cooking; the gravy will thicken as it cools. If you don’t have chana masala spice blend, substitute garam masala. You can also omit the spinach entirely.
The spice level in this recipe is about 3 out of 5 (5 being the hottest) — adjust spices to your preference. Soaking the beans for 8–10 hours is important for best texture and to reduce cooking time.
If you forget to soak the beans, you can still cook them unsoaked in the Instant Pot: add enough water to cover the chickpeas plus about 3 inches above them, then cook on High pressure (Manual) for 35 minutes followed by a natural pressure release. Soaking saves time and yields a softer bean, so soak when possible.
If using store-bought tomato puree, use 1.5 cups of puree and increase the water by ½ cup. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and often taste even better the next day.
Stovetop pressure cooker method
Follow the Instant Pot steps through the addition of tomato puree and chickpeas. Pressure cook on medium until about 5 whistles, then lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the cooker cool and release pressure for 15–20 minutes before opening. Proceed with adding spinach and finishing as described above. Taste and adjust spices if needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 233 kcal | Carbohydrates: 30 g | Protein: 8 g | Fat: 9 g | Sodium: 70 mg | Potassium: 741 mg | Fiber: 8 g | Sugar: 8 g | Vitamin A: 1405 IU | Vitamin C: 14.9 mg | Calcium: 65 mg | Iron: 4 mg
Hope you enjoy this Instant Pot chickpea curry with spinach. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out — I’d love your feedback.
Happy cooking!