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Chole recipe | How to make chole (Stovetop & Instant pot)

By swasthi , on June 10, 2020, 110 Comments, Jump to Recipe

Chole recipe with stovetop & instant pot instructions – Chickpeas cooked in a delicious, flavorful & spicy gravy. Punjabi chole served with bhatura is a favorite among many Indians and is very popular in Dhabas and North Indian restaurants. The combo of chole chawal & chole bhatura are simply irresistible & delicious.

chole recipe

This post will help you make a very flavorful & delicious chole masala that you can serve with plain basmati rice, jeera rice, bhatura, poori, naan, phulka or even with plain paratha.

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About the recipe

My recipe to make chole is pretty simple. With minimal effort you will be able to make a pot of good chole at home. There is a bit of preparation as it requires soaking and preboiling the chickpeas unless you opt to use the canned ones.

You don’t need a lot of ingredients but you will need a good spice powder or whole spices. Here is how to make this

Preparing chole: Firstly chole is soaked overnight or at least for 8 hours. Then pressure cooked until soft. They can also be cooked in a pot adding more water as needed. But they do take a long time in the pot.

If using canned chickpeas, these steps are skipped. However canned chickpeas sometimes are not as soft as the soaked and pressure cooked ones. So if they are not soft enough it is good to boil them for a while before adding to the gravy.

Choosing spice powder: A special flavorful spice powder known as chole masala is very essential to make this dish. It infuses exceptionally good flavors. You can either use readymade chole masala from any popular brands or make your own as mentioned in the recipe below.

Make onion tomato masala: Like most other Indian curries, chole is also cooked in onion tomato gravy which forms the base of this dish. So first the onion tomato masala is prepared. Then boiled chickpeas are added to it.

Simmering chole in the prepared spicy onion tomato masala is the important step which makes the dish flavorful and delicious.

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Aloo Gobi
Palak Paneer

Preparation

1. Rinse 1 cup chickpeas (chole) very well in a pot. Then soak them in ample amount of water overnight or at least for 8 hours.

Optional

To get darker chole, I simmer half tsp tea powder or 1 black tea bag in 3 cups water for a while. Cool and filter the tea decoction to the pot and soak the chole in tea. Soaking for longer helps in better digestion and chole turns out to be soft.

soaking chole in tea decoction

2. After soaking chole will absorb much of this tea and turn darker in color. Discard the tea and give a good rinse with fresh water.

soaked chole

3. Add 1½ cups water. Also add dried amla or one tea bag. As I didn’t have tea bag I boiled some tea powder in the 1½ cups water and poured it.

4. This step is optional. Add a generous pinch of soda-bi-carbonate. Using soda helps to cook them soft and they turn mouth melting.

5. Cook the chole till soft but not mushy. On a medium flame, I pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles (without soda) or for 2 whistles with soda.

pressure cooking

6. Once done, open the pressure cooker and check. The chole must be soft cooked and not remain al dente. If they are al dente or even slightly hard, cook them again for 1 to 2 whistles.

Pressure cooked chole

Make chole masala

7. You can also skip this step and use ready made chole masala. While the chole cooks, on a medium to low flame dry roast

  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 to 3 red chili
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 1 small black cardamom
  • 3 green cardamom
  • 8 pepper corn. When they turn aromatic, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds. Deep roast them until slightly dark in color without burning.
spice powders for chole recipe
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8. Cool them and add them to a blender. If using anardana add half teaspoon of it now. Make a fine powder. Set this aside.

chole masala powder

How to make punjabi chole

9. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a hot pan. When the oil turns hot, add

  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • a small piece of bay leaf
  • 1 to 2 cloves
frying spices in oil

10. Add 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. Saute until the raw smell has gone completely.

frying ginger garlic paste
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11. Add 1½ cups finely chopped onions & 1 chopped green chili. I prefer to fine process the onions in my processor and use. You can also grate or blanch and puree, then use.

frying onions for chole recipe

12. Fry until the onions turn light brown and the raw smell has gone completely.

golden fried onions

13. Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/8 teaspoon turmeric and ¾ teaspoon salt. You can also add pureed or grated tomatoes.

frying tomatoes

14. Saute the entire mixture until the tomatoes turn fully mushy and the raw smell has gone.

15. Add the masala powder we made earlier for this chole recipe, and then ½ to 1 teaspoon more red chili powder & ¾ teaspoon garam masala. An addition of red chili powder is just to adjust the heat levels and color. so you may skip it as well.

adding masala powders for chole recipe

16. Mix everything well and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure the raw smell of the onion & tomatoes has gone by now. By then the masala begins to leave the sides of the pan.

onion tomato masala for chole recipe
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17. Add cooked chickpeas, fresh water as needed. I added 1 cup fresh water plus more. Note that If you have used tea to soak & as well to pressure cook then using the entire tea decoction for the gravy may alter the taste. You can use 2 tbsps of the chole cooked stock if you like the dark color & then use fresh water.

You will need to adjust the quantity of water as desired to make the gravy.

18. Once it comes to a boil, cover and simmer on a low flame for 18 to 20 minutes or until the gravy thickens & reaches a desired consistency. Add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi and amchur powder (optional).

Taste the chole and then add more salt if needed.

cooking chole in black pan

Remove to a serving bowl. Garnish chole with coriander leaves and ginger juliennes. Serve chole bhatura or rice with lemon & sliced onions.

chole

Tips:

Amla or tea bags: Punjabi chole recipe makes use of dried amla which gives the dark color to the chickpeas apart from adding a slight sour taste.

Since I am not accessible to dried amla sometimes I make use of tea decoction which works fairly well without altering the taste of the dish.

However feel free to skip if you do not have. I have made this several times without the use of tea as I have young kids at home.

Using tea for dark chole

If you fancy the dark color chole and do not have access to dried amla, then add a tea bag while you boil the chickpeas. You can also make tea decoction with half tsp tea powder and then use that to boil the chole.

While making the decoction do not over boil the tea to the extent it turns bitter. Do not use tea powder that has leaves.

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Punjabi chole recipe

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chole

Chole recipe

Chole masala is a spicy & flavorful Indian dish made with chole aka chickpeas, spices and herbs. Serve Punjabi chole with rice, poori, naan or bhatura. Instructions for Stovetop and Instant pot included.
Pin Recipe Print Recipe

For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Servings4
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

For cooking chole

  • 1 cup chickpeas or chole (uncooked dried)
  • 1 tea bag (optional) or 2 dried amla pieces or half tsp tea powder

Whole spices (optional)

  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • 2 green cardamon

For gravy

  • 2 tablespoons oil or as needed
  • 1½ cup onions finely chopped or 1¼ cup processed or 1 cup pureed (2 no)
  • 1 green chilli slit (optional)
  • ¾ to 1 tablespoon ginger garlic fine chopped or paste
  • 1 cup tomatoes fine chopped or pureed (3 no)
  • salt as needed (I used ¾ tsp pink salt)

Spice powders

  • ½ to 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon chole masala (refer notes)
  • ¾ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)

For garnish (optional)

  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • ½ inch ginger julienne (for garnishing)
  • 1 green chilli slit
  • 2 tablespoon coriander leaves (fine chopped for garnishing)
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Instructions

Preparation (skip this if using canned chickpeas)

  • Rinse chickpeas in lot of water. Soak them overnight to 8 hours in water.
  • Next morning, drain the water and rinse them well.
  • Add to a pressure cooker along with 1½ cup water.
  • optional – Add a tea bag or dried amla or tea decoction.
  • Pressure cook until soft for 5 to 6 whistles on a medium heat. Chole must be soft cooked and not al dente.
  • If the chickpeas are aldente or hard, then pressure cook for 2 more whistles.

How to make punjabi chole (stovetop)

  • Add oil to a hot pan, add cinnamon, clove, cardamom and bay leaf.
  • When they begin to crackle, add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes off.
  • Add finely chopped onions and green chilli. Saute until the onions lose the raw smell and get golden to light brown.
  • Next add tomatoes, turmeric & salt. Cook until the mixture turns mushy and soft.
  • Add chole masala powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, turmeric & red chili powder .
  • Stir and fry again for 1 to 2 minutes till the masala flavours come out.
  • You will also see the oil separating.
  • Add the pressure cooked chole along with the stock and 1 cup water.
  • Mix together and add more water as needed to bring it to a consistency.
  • Cover and simmer on a low flame for about 18 to 20 minutes until the chole absorb the flavors of masala.
  • When the gravy thickens, add ginger juliennes & kasuri methi if using. Turn off. Keep covered for a while.

Garnish (optional)

  • Heat ghee in a small tadka pan. Fry ginger and green chilies until fragrant. Pour this over the chole.
  • Sprinkle coriander leaves. Serve chole with rice, poori or bhatura.

Instant pot chole

  • Press saute button on the IP and pour oil.
  • When the Ip displays hot, add the spices. Then the onions and green chili.
  • Saute the onions until golden to light brown.
  • Then add in ginger garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
  • Next add the tomatoes and salt.
  • Saute well until they break down a bit.
  • Add garam masala, chole masala, coriander powder, red chilli powder and turmeric.
  • Saute well until the raw smell of the onion and tomatoes reduces.
  • Pour 2 cups water and deglaze the pot. Then add soaked chickpeas.
  • Mix well and secure the IP with the lid.
  • Position the steam release handle to sealing.
  • Press cancel. Then press pressure cook (high pressure) and set the timer for 35 mins. If using canned chickpeas, then set the timer to 10 mins.
  • When the IP is done cooking wait for 18 to 20 mins for the pressure to release naturally.
  • Then open the lid. Add ghee, ginger julienne and kasuri methi.
  • Press saute button and cook for a few minutes.
  • To thicken the curry you can take 3 to 4 tbsps chole to a bowl and mash them well. Add to the curry.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves.
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Notes

If you prefer to use onion puree, boil the cubed onions in hot water for 3 mins until transparent. Cool and make a fine puree.
CHOLE MASALA powder is the key to this recipe. If you do not have it you can also substitute it with 2 tsp garam masala and 2 tsp coriander powder. However the flavor would be different with chole masala powder.
To make chole masala powder you can also make your own by dry roasting the whole spices and then make a fine powder.
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds or saunf
  • 1 tsp cumin or jeera
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 3 green cardamoms
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 8 pepper corn
While making the powder add half tsp anardana – dried pomegranate seeds to the blender.
Later at the last step add half tsp amchur – dry mango powder along with kasuri methi to the simmering chole.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Chole recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 229 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Sodium 123mg5%
Potassium 597mg17%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 8g33%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 455IU9%
Vitamin C 55.4mg67%
Calcium 92mg9%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

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Chole recipe | How to make chole (Stovetop & Instant pot)
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About swasthi

I’m Swasthi shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthis recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Comments

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  2. nandini murali says

    January 5, 2021

    5 stars
    My kitchen was so fragrant while making this recipe ad it was really yummy too

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      January 5, 2021

      Glad to know Nandini
      Thanks for leaving a comment

      Reply
  3. Lora says

    December 23, 2020

    5 stars
    Thank you! Turned out great. Also made your naan with good outcome.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      December 23, 2020

      Welcome Lora
      Glad they turned out good. Thank you so much for leaving a comment.

      Reply
  4. Jehanne says

    September 2, 2020

    5 stars
    My family really liked this curry! However, one thing I find confusing in the recipe is that it calls for “red chili powder.” What sort of red chili powder is this–cayenne, sweet paprika, half sharp paprika, kashmiri, aleppo, heaven-facing, or something else? I used a mix of sweet paprika (for color) and cayenne (for heat), but I’m unsure if this is actually a good approximation.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 2, 2020

      Hi Jehanne
      Glad you all liked it. It’s kashmiri red chilli powder. I will update the details. The combination you used is also fine if it goes well for you. Thanks for leaving a comment

      Reply
  5. Prethum says

    August 18, 2020

    Excellent recipe tried it today, it came out very well. Thanks for giving us such a wonderful recipe. Want to try some more of your recipes.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      August 19, 2020

      Welcome Prethum
      Thank you

      Reply
  6. Anjali says

    July 23, 2020

    5 stars
    Fabulous. Total Dilli style. Couple of points – i added salt while cooking the chole, and used one moti elaichi and 2 small, instead of 3 small.Followed everything else to a T. Outstanding. I doubled the quantities and froze half. Swasthi, the hard work and time you put into perfecting and detailing each recipe, ensures we get a great result, every time. Thanks much.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      July 23, 2020

      Hello Anjali
      You are welcome!
      So happy to know! Thank you so much!

      Reply
  7. Smitha says

    July 16, 2020

    5 stars
    I love all your recipes! I might have followed close to a dozen recipes already and they all turned out better than expected when followed your instructions and tips exactly how you posted them. Keep up the good work. You are a true inspiration to fellow foodies!

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      July 16, 2020

      Thank you so much Smitha
      Glad you like them!
      🙂

      Reply
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  9. Hitesh Oza says

    July 11, 2020

    4 stars
    Thank you for sharing such a lovely recipe god blees, I am planning to make it tomorrow will see what is the result, all the food blooger are the biggest help during this lockdown

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      July 11, 2020

      Welcome!
      Hope you enjoy it

      Reply
  10. Linda says

    June 19, 2020

    5 stars
    Wow! Amazing recipe thank you all the way from Australia. Made this dish as part of my partners 50th birthday dinner and everyone LOVED it and said how authentic it was. Thank you so much for posting it.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      July 11, 2020

      Welcome Linda
      Glad to know it turned out good!
      Thanks for the comment

      Reply
  11. Ritu says

    June 13, 2020

    Hello Swathi,

    Which version of your chole do you find best – the instapot one or the stovetop version?

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      June 13, 2020

      Hi Ritu,
      I am making only the instant pot version these days. Both taste the same.

      Reply
  12. Kate says

    June 11, 2020

    5 stars
    Made chickpea curry for the first time in my Insta pot. Turned out great with your garam masala. Thank you.

    Reply
  13. Mitali says

    May 24, 2020

    Hello Swathi,
    Instead of this home made masala, can I use ready made chole masala to make this recipe?

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 24, 2020

      Hi Mitali,
      Yes can use 1 tablespoon ready made chole masala.

      Reply
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  15. Kalyani says

    May 14, 2020

    5 stars
    Hi Swasthi,
    I want to make 20 servings of this recipe. I tried canned chickpeas, but found them al dante. How can I soften them without pressure cooker? And can I used canned diced tomatoes as it is? Also I am planning to finely chop onions and freeze them till I make for a final day. Will this help?

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 14, 2020

      Hi Kalyani,
      You can try cooking the chickpeas with some soda-bi-carbonate for a few minutes. For 2 1/4 cups 1 large pinch of soda works well. But you have to careful as they may get overcooked and turn mushy quickly. Discard the stock you cooked them in.Rinse them well and then add to the curry. You can use diced tomatoes. After cooking the onions and tomatoes, you may mash the onion tomato masala with a potato masher for a better texture.
      Cooking the frozen or refrigerated onions often take too long to cook well. Also I feel the flavor is not good. Instead you prepare the onion tomato masala ahead and then freeze or refrigerate. This is easier.
      Hope this helps.

      Reply
      • Kalyani says

        May 14, 2020

        Thanks for a quick reply! That is really helpful. I want to ask a question about veg biryani, can I assemble and refrigerate biryani previous night and dum it the next morning? Or should I dum it completely and then refrigerate the previous night? I don’t want to ruin it while reheating before serving.

        Reply
        • swasthi says

          May 14, 2020

          I haven’t tried it. Not sure how the texture of the refrigerated rice would be. Instead you can also make the gravy ahead and refrigerate. The next day make the rice,layer and dum cook it.

          Reply
  16. Radhika says

    May 5, 2020

    5 stars
    I follow your version of most recipes I am looking for. Love the format of the instructions followed by step by step with photos. Thank you!!

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 7, 2020

      Hi Radhika
      You are welcome! Glad to know! Thanks for following
      🙂

      Reply
  17. Kausar says

    March 28, 2020

    When do we add amchur powder it’s not mentioned only anardana is mentioned in the method to make cholay masal

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      March 28, 2020

      Hi Kausar
      Add it with kasuri methi.

      Reply
    • Stutee Mishra says

      May 1, 2020

      5 stars
      I follow almost all your recipes. I tried this Chole recipe & it turned out to be delicious. Loved it.

      Reply
      • swasthi says

        May 2, 2020

        Thanks a lot Stutee
        So glad to know you loved it!

        Reply
  18. Deepika says

    March 17, 2020

    It was awesome!and also do you use fresh ginger garlic paste or readymade paste?

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      March 17, 2020

      Hi Deepika,
      Thank you! I use fresh homemade one

      Reply
  19. Neha says

    March 5, 2020

    5 stars
    Tried your recipe, replaced tomatoes with tomato puree, it tasted great! Thank you

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      March 5, 2020

      Hi Neha,
      You are welcome! Glad it turned out good. Thank you!

      Reply
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  21. Priya says

    February 10, 2020

    4 stars
    Thanks for sharing. My chole turned out lipsmacking.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      February 12, 2020

      Welcome Priya

      Reply
  22. Neha sahoo says

    November 29, 2019

    We made this chole today for dinner. It turned out to be an awesome recipe. Thank you.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      November 29, 2019

      Hi Neha
      You are welcome!

      Reply
  23. Ruchi says

    November 7, 2019

    5 stars
    Hi swasthi,
    Thanks for the recipe. My chole masala turned out great 👍.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      November 7, 2019

      You are welcome Ruchi,
      Glad your chole turned out good. Thank you!

      Reply
  24. Rom says

    November 2, 2019

    Hi Swasthi
    I am a bit confused here. When you say chickpeas for ‘Chole” preparation, what are you referring to? The large cream color variety or small brownish color variety (commonly found in South India). In those pictures, I saw both – the large off white colored chickpeas and in some pictures they look more like brown skinned small variety chickpeas. Please clarify what type of chick peas are recommended(best) for making chole?
    Keep up the great work you are doing.
    Thanks
    Rom

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      November 2, 2019

      Hi Rom,
      This recipe uses large white chickpeas. In the pictures, I used white ones and then soaked them in tea decoction. This makes them dark brown in color after soaking and cooking. This step is optional and does not enhance the taste. This recipe works with both the types white & brown chickpeas. White ones taste better. Thank you! Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  25. Sk says

    October 2, 2019

    5 stars
    Yummy chole masala… I made this a day ahead and refrigerated. The next morning made bhatura (ur recipe). Both came out fab and delicious. My kids were very happy seeing mommy make such awesome bhaturas and chole. All thanks to you.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      October 2, 2019

      Hi Sk,
      You are welcome. Glad your kids enjoyed!

      Reply
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