Published: · Modified: by Vaishali · This post may contain affiliate links · 28 Comments
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Total time: 6 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Chana masala makes an amazing dinner, and you can put it on autopilot with this recipe made in the slow cooker. All you need to do is dump everything in the crockpot and within a few hours you have a delicious, aromatic meal to sit down to. This recipe is free of any added oils, and it is also soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free. Serve the chana masala hot with rice or roti or naan.
Our weekends tend to be, perhaps not unlike yours, the busiest days of the week. Saturday mornings start with Jay's Saturday School, walking Opie, running errands, a trip to the Y for a workout, and then home for lunch. By the time we get home it's well past noon and I scramble to fix something real quick. But this time I was already a step ahead, with my Slow Cooker Chana Masala. And it's oil-free.
It took me just minutes to prep the ingredients for this classic Indian favorite and mix them all up in the slow cooker before running out the door. I peeked in on it a couple of times between errands, added a little more water once,and bythe time we got home about six hours later, the house was filled with the amazing fragrance of the Slow Cooker Chana Masala. Better still, lunch was served, and it was delicious.
I love slow cooking because not only is it convenient, it can be really healthy. For one, it's easy to omit the fat when you don't have to saute things first, the way you do with most foods cooked on the stovetop. I do try to saute with water occasionally, but I prefer the crockpotmethod any day. And then, the slow cooking infuses so much great flavor into the food. Perfect for rich-tasting foods like this Slow Cooker Chana Masala.
Unlike some slow cooker recipes, this curry requires no cooking on the stovetop first. You make a puree of the tomatoes and onions along with some garlic and ginger, but all that really needs is some rough chopping and a push of the blender button. Oh, and you do needto open acan or two of chickpeas. 🙂
One quick note-- you might wonder why you need a full six hours when the chickpeas are already cooked, but trust me, you do. The long cooking helps the spices cook and meld with the chickpeas and mellows the tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger, infusing them with a deep richness.
More chickpea recipes
- Chickpea Curry
- Instant Chana Masala (with tomato onion sauce)
- Chana Masala Burger
- Chickpea Rice
Slow Cooker Chana Masala
The best Slow Cooker Chana Masala recipe. Dump everything in the crockpot and within a few hours you have a delicious, fragrant meal to sit down to. This recipe is free of any added oils, and it is also soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free. Serve the chana masala hot with rice or rotis, phulkas or naans.
5 from 19 votes
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Course: Side
Cuisine: Fat-free, gluten-free, Indian, nut-free, Soy-free, Vegan
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 6 hours hrs
Total Time: 6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 263kcal
Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan
Ingredients
- 29 oz chickpeas
- 1 medium onion
- 2 large tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 large potatoes (cut in a small dice, optional. Chana masala doesn't usually have potatoes in it, and you can definitely leave them out).
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 inch knob ginger (finely chopped)
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (powdered)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds (powdered)
- 1 tablespoon chana masala powder (or garam masala)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (use more or less depending on your tolderance for heat)
- ¼ cup cilantro
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Puree the onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger
Place in the crockpot along with the rest of the ingredients, except the salt and the cilantro.
Add 3 cups water and set the slow cooker on high. (It is important to set this on high. Do not tweak to a low setting because the water won't cook off and you want the raw ingredients like the onions and tomatoes to cook thoroughly), I had originally suggested adding more water, but some readers say that's too much for them, so I suggest starting out with 3 cups and adding more if the mixture dries up. Six cups was just right in my cooker. Be sure to use drained chickpeas, and if you use the cooking water, factor that into the total amount of liquid used.
Let the chana masala cook for six hours. Check occasionally and add water if needed.
After six hours, add salt and cilantro and mix well.
Serve with rice or rotis.
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Chana Masala
Amount per Serving
Calories
263
% Daily Value*
Fat
3
g
5
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
5
%
Potassium
888
mg
Carbohydrates
49
g
16
%
Fiber
11
g
44
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
12
g
24
%
Vitamin A
734
IU
15
%
Vitamin C
29
mg
35
%
Calcium
81
mg
8
%
Iron
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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About Vaishali
Hi! I'm Vaishali, a journalist turned food blogger. At Holy Cow Vegan I share easy, tasty recipes made with clean, wholesome ingredients that the entire family can enjoy.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Mike
The instructions talk about Coriander leaves but Coriander leaves are not on the ingredients list.
Reply
Vaishali
Hi Mike, Coriander leaves and cilantro are one and the same thing. I use them interchangeably but have now changed to cilantro everywhere to clarify.
Reply
Joan
Do you happen to have directions on how to puree? I'm new to this.
Reply
Britt
Even with 3 cups of water it still was very soupy. I’ve never experienced a slow cooker reducing liquid while cooking, if anything the condensation adds to it. I wish I had only used two cups but I should have realized that myself. Otherwise the aroma is very good.
Reply
Rea
Hi, there, can I use tinned tomatoes instead of fresh? Also would be interested to know the answer to Ronnie's question about doubling/ tripling the amount of chickpeas & other ingredients.
Congratulations on a fantastic site. You are an inspiration!
Rea
Reply
Vaishali
Hi Rea, tinned tomatoes are fine! And yes, just double all ingredients proportionately if doubling the recipe.
Reply
Anonymous
Thanks, Vaishali! 🙂
RONNIE
Hi, if i wanted to make 3 cans of chick peas, would I have to triple ALL the ingredients? Are there any considerations I would have to make when making 3 cans all at once?
Also, I plan on using all 6 cans of water at once instead of having to add more.
Thanks,
Reply
Desert Panz
Vaishali,Absolutely delicious. This is a keeper. I soaked one pound of garbanzo beans overnight instead of using canned. Mixed in garam masala because that is what is in the spice rack. No bay leaf. All the ingredients were organic. Set the slow cooker for 8 hours . Opened the car door (in the garage) and bada-bing, the aroma was "delicious".
Reply
Vaishali
So glad you liked it!
Reply
Walter
Hi Vaishali your recipes are gorgeous, there are few that I would like to try next week end.
My daughter loves the chickpeas, last Saturday she taste something similar to this one in an Indian restaurante here in Milano. But was a bit to hot for here.
I will try reducing a bit the chilly.
Can you please tell me ho I can prepare the chaat masala ? I don't found in all the spices mix that you have in the blog.
I 'm crazy for the mango curry for sure I will do also this one on Saturday!
Namaste,
Walter.Reply
Vaishali
Hi Walter, I am going to add this recipe soon. Please keep an eye out.
Reply
cinemaneah
Hi Vaishali, I am so glad I found your site. The recipes look amazing and I can't wait to make many of them. I have two requests please, first the Indian Pantry link above is broken can you fix it? I really would love to know the basics.
Also, two of my favorite Indian foods are Saag Paneer or Saag Chole - the creamy spinach is my favorite part. However they are not vegan and I can't have any dairy (or gluten for that matter) due to health allergies. So clearly the paneer is out, but is there any chance you could do a recipe some day for Saag Chole?Reply
Vaishali
Hi, I have fixed the link. And absolutely yes on the Saag Chole -- I love it and will post a recipe soon. I do have a recipe for Saag Paneer-- also called Palak Paneer-- that you can see here: . The paneer is actually tofu which makes a great paneer substitute. 🙂
Reply
janet @ the taste space
Hi Vaishali, We really liked this. Thank you for sharing. My husband actually made this but left the slow cooker lid off (he is just learning), so it was a bit more soupy than he liked, but I loved it as is. I imagine if we kept the lid on it would have been perfect. Happy new year to you.
Reply
AA
I tried to post previously but it didn't go through, but my mother-in-law's post worked. She told me about this site and I was very excited to try it. However, this particular recipe did not quite work on the slow cooker. It was too much water and was just a bunch of brown water at the end of 6 hours, unfortunately. I did in fact turn the slow cooker on high as instructed. I am still not sure what happened.
Reply
Vaishali
Hi AA, I am not sure why this happened. Even in a covered slow cooker, the water does evaporate and reduce-- at least it does in mine. I have changed the suggestion to 3 cups to begin with and then add more, if needed. That should resolve the problem in case of slow cookers that appear to show a variance.
Reply
sree
Why are you using aslow cooker when you have cooked canned chana? Would it not be quicker to just do this in a pressure cookerer?
Reply
Vaishali
Sree, you could try this in a pressure cooker, but I doubt you'll get the same effect as a slow cooked recipe--letting the onions and tomatoes cook over slow heat really helps build the flavors.
Reply
Arti
Hi,
I don't have a slow cooker but was thinking of cooking this on my induction stove on a low-medium heat for six-eight hours. Any idea if this will work?Thanks
ArtiReply
Vaishali
Hi Arti, I've never used an induction stove before, so I can't answer that with any certainty. But if you can control the temperature to emulate the slow and steady heat of a slow cooker, it should work.
Reply
Arti
Thanks for your response.
I'm experimenting with this recipe on the induction stove as I type this. I will let you know how it goes! 🙂
Vicki
This was excellent and warming perfect at this time of year, my husband made it with Basmati rice for contrast, with raisins, almonds and saffron.Reply
Vicki
This was excellent and warming, my husband made it with basmati rice for a nice contrast.Reply
Vaishali
Vicki so glad you liked it!
Reply
Pavani
I was just thinking off dusting off my slow cooker and get it going, so I can get some retail therapy on weekends 🙂 Your Chana masala sounds like the perfect recipe to try, so flavorful and delicious.
Reply
Vaishali
Hi Pavani, thanks-- enjoy the retail therapy. I have promised myself not to go anywhere near a mall until Christmas is well in the past. 🙂
Reply
Anonymous
I was just thinking off dusting off my slow cooker and get it going, so I can get some retail therapy on weekends 🙂 Your Chana masala sounds like the perfect recipe to try, so flavorful and delicious.
Reply
