Punjabi chole is a North Indian chickpea curry with a unique and delicious blend of flavors. In this Instant Pot Punjabi chole, the beans cook in the Instant Pot in the sauce until they melt in your mouth! Serve with rice, naan, or flatbread.
Table of Contents
Chole, is a traditional chickpea curry from different northern states of India. Punjabi chole comes from the state of Punjab and has this distinct flavor profile in the sauce. Caramelized onion, whole spices, melt in your mouth chickpeas, this chole feels like home. Once you make this restaurant style chickpea curry, you will make it again and again!
The sauce is made with lots of caramelized onions, black cardamom, ginger, garlic, and a chole masala blend that you can find in an Indian grocery store or online. If you can’t find chole masala, you can use garam masala instead.
The other feature of Punjabi chole is that you cook the chickpeas until they are super soft and melt in your mouth and the color of the chickpeas and the sauce becomes almost the same. That is why the pressure cooking time is much longer than what you would for chickpeas that are just about cooked for using in salads.
This is also applicable for a lot of other beans or legume-based Indian dishes. They are usually cooked for a longer time, like you’d cook a chili, so that everything caramelizes and becomes aromatic, and the beans almost begin to dissolve into the sauce, and all of the flavors of the sauce go into the beans. If you follow my recipe exactly, that’s the texture that you’ll get.
If you prefer a firmer chickpea texture, you can just cook it for about half the cooking time, and it will still work out well.
Instead of chickpeas, you can use other beans in this recipe, because the sauce is where all the flavor is at!
Chole is the original Chana masala. Chana masala is a simpler chickpea curry and everyone has their own version, not necessarily authentic indian. For the real deal, try this chickpea curry and fall in love with chickpeas all over again.
Why You’ll Love Punjabi Chole
- melt-in-your-mouth chickpeas in a creamy, caramelized sauce thats packed with Indian spices!
- easy to make in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free
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Punjabi Chole (Punjabi Chickpea Curry)
Punjabi chole is a North Indian chickpea curry with a unique and delicious blend of flavors. In this Instant Pot Punjabi chole, the beans cook in the Instant Pot in the sauce until they melt in your mouth! Serve with rice, naan, or flatbread.
Servings: 4
Calories: 353kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) dried chickpeas washed and soaked overnight or for at least five hours, then drained
For the Sauce
- 2-4 teaspoons oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 black cardamom pods opened slightly
- 2 green cardamom pods opened slightly
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 ½ cup (240 g) chopped or sliced onion
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste or use 8 cloves of garlic and 1” of ginger, minced
- 1 hot green chile such as serrano or Indian chili, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro stems reserve the leaves for garnish
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1-1.5 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
- 2 teaspoons chole masala or use garam masala
- ½ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, kasuri methi
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2.5-3 cups water
To Add Later
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) non-dairy yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt or more if needed
- 1 large tomato chopped into ¾ inch cubes
- lime juice to taste
- chopped cilantro leaves and chopped onion for garnish
Instructions
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Soak the chickpeas, if you haven’t already, then drain and set aside.
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Start the Instant Pot on sauté mode, then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds are very fragrant and change color. Depending on your Instant Pot, this can take anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes,
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Once the cumin seeds are fragrant, add in the black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, onion, and salt. Mix really well, and continue to cook for 3 minutes
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Add in the ginger garlic paste, green chili, cilantro stems, and all of the ground spices, and mix really well.
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Continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, adding splashes of water if the onion mixture is starting to scorch.(Alternatively, add ground spices after the whole spices, mix in then add onion and cook 4 mins, then add ginger garlic, cilantro stems, chili and mix and cook another 4 mins)
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Cancel sauté, and add in the drained chickpeas and 3 cups of water, and mix really well.
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Close the lid, and pressure cook on bean mode or regular mode on high pressure for 1 hour. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then do a quick release and open the lid.
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Mix in the non-dairy yogurt and salt, then start the sauté mode and let the mixture come to a good boil. Mash some of the chickpeas on the side of the Instant Pot while this is boiling, and continue to boil for another 2 to 3 minutes.
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Mix in the tomato, then taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add more salt, if needed, add a good dash of the lime juice, as well, then cancel the sauté and let the mixture sit for another few minutes for the flavors to meld more.
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Garnish with cilantro leaves, chopped onion, and some lime juice. Serve with flatbread, rice, or naan.
Notes
Variation: add ¼ teaspoon loose tea with the chickpeas.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free. It’s also nut-free and soy-free, as long as you use a nut-free and soy-free non-dairy yogurt.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Punjabi Chole (Punjabi Chickpea Curry)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 353
Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 519mg23%
Potassium 884mg25%
Carbohydrates 57g19%
Fiber 16g67%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 16g32%
Vitamin A 509IU10%
Vitamin C 18mg22%
Calcium 141mg14%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- dried chickpeas – Be sure to soak your chickpeas for at least 5 hours, but overnight is even better.
- oil – To toast the spices and sauté the onion.
- whole spices – Your first layer of flavor comes from toasted cumin seeds, bay leaves, black and green cardamom, and whole cloves. If you don’t have have a spice or 2, it is ok to omit. There’s plenty flavor going on here
- onion – Adds so much amazing umami to the sauce!
- ginger garlic paste – Adds a little heat and even more umami. You can use minced, fresh ginger and garlic instead, if needed.
- hot green chili – Use your chili of choice, like a Serrano or an Indian green chili.
- cilantro – You’re adding the stems to the Punjabi chole itself and the leaves are one of the garnishes. No waste!
- ground spices – Your next layer of flavors comes from ground coriander, Kashmiri chili or paprika, chole masala or garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, and black pepper.
- non-dairy yogurt – To make the chole creamy. Use cashew cream or vegan sour cream as substitute
- fresh tomato – Stirring in fresh tomato right at the end of cooking adds texture and even more umami flavor.
- lime juice – For tang.
💡 Tips
- When roasting the whole spices, be sure to stir frequently, so they don’t burn. Depending on your Instant Pot, this can take a few minutes, so just keep cooking until they turn fragrant.
- If the onions start to dry out during cooking, just add splashes of water. Not only does this add moisture, but it will help them brown evenly.
How to Make Punjabi Chole in the Instant Pot
See the recipe card or Frequently Asked Questions section for stovetop directions!
Soak the chickpeas, if you haven’t already, then drain and set aside.
Start the Instant Pot on sauté mode, then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds are very fragrant and change color. Depending on your Instant Pot, this can take anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes, because the Instant Pot doesn’t heat up that well sometimes and the model etc matters as well
Once the cumin seeds are fragrant, add in the black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, onion, and salt. Mix really well, and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes
Add in the ginger garlic paste, green chili, cilantro stems, and all of the ground spices, and mix really well.
Continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, adding splashes of water if the onion mixture is starting to scorch.
(Alternatively, add ground spices after the whole spices, mix in then add onion and cook 4 mins, then add ginger garlic, cilantro stems, chili and mix and cook another 4 mins)
Cancel sauté, and add in the drained chickpeas and 3 cups of water, and mix really well.
Close the lid, and pressure cook on bean mode or high pressure for 1 hour. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then do a quick release and open the lid.
Mix in the non-dairy yogurt and salt, then start the sauté mode and let the mixture come to a good boil. Mash some of the chickpeas on the side of the Instant Pot while this is boiling, and continue to boil for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Mix in the tomato, then taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add more salt, if needed, add a good dash of the lime juice, as well, then cancel the sauté and let the mixture sit for another few minutes for the flavors to meld more.
Garnish with cilantro leaves, chopped onion, and some more lime juice. Serve with flatbread, rice, or naan.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is naturally gluten-free. It’s also nut-free and soy-free, as long as you use a nut-free and soy-free non-dairy yogurt.
To cook this in a saucepan, follow all the instructions listed in the recipe, but cook the onion for another 5 minutes or so, until the onions are starting to get golden, before adding the chickpeas.
Also add in another 1 to 2 cups of water, and then cover and cook over medium heat for at least 2 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender to preference. You might have to add a bit more liquid, if it is evaporating in between. Check in and stir every 20 minutes or so.
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