This Indian chickpea and rice (chana pulao) is a delicious rice dish packed with aromatics and flavors. An easy one-pot meal ready in 30 minutes and freezer-friendly. Instant Pot instructions included.
This seasoned rice is a popular side dish in our household. We love serving it with tofu curry, sweet potato chickpea curry, Instant Pot dal, or simply have it on its own.
As a dietitian, I am always looking for creative ways to incorporate the highly nutritious beans into my diet. They are not only high in fiber and protein but may also reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Some of our favorite recipes with beans include my roasted black beans, Mexican rice and black beans, and Chinese mung bean soup. This chickpea rice is our latest addition and is quickly becoming a favorite!
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💚Why you will love Indian chickpea and rice
- A fragrant and delicious recipe packed with flavors
- Budget-friendly and made with simple ingredients
- One-pot and only requires 10-15 minutes of active cook time
- Freezer-friendly, making them perfect for meal prep
🍚What you will need
- Rice - Go with basmati rice for the most authentic version. For a whole-grain version, use brown basmati rice, but increase the water by ½ cup and increase the cook time to 45-50 minutes.
- Chickpeas - Either canned or cooked chickpeas from dried will work, and you can check out this post on how to cook chickpeas.
✨Customize your chickpea rice
- Spices - I use a blend of cardamom, cumin, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon. Feel free to adjust the mix based on what you have on hand and your taste preferences.
- Vegetables - You can mix in veggies for added color and nutrients, such as diced tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and cauliflower.
🔪How to make
Step 1: Heat some oil in a Dutch oven. Add onion, sauteing until translucent.
Step 2: Add garlic and the remaining dried spices. Fry for a minute until fragrant.
Step 3: Add rice, chickpeas, and water. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer (on medium to medium-low heat). Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the rice absorbs the water.
Step 4: Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Fluff it with a rice paddle or fork and serve chickpea rice with dishes of your choice.
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⏲️Make it in the Instant Pot
- Use saute mode to cook onion, garlic, and spices.
- Cancel saute, and chickpeas, rice, and water.
- Cover and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally and fluff the chickpeas and rice before serving.
✅Helpful tips
- Avoid stirring when cooking - Heat and steam that escape the pot result in undercooked rice, and stirring also risks breaking the rice kernels.
- Fix undercooked rice - Add 2-3 tablespoons of hot water and cook for another 5 minutes. Repeat until rice is soft.
- Allow rice to rest after cooking - This step ensures that rice has fully absorbed all the liquid.
- Serving chana pulao - Chickpea rice is commonly topped off with chopped fresh herbs, raita, or plain yogurt. To make it a meal, we love serving it with curry dishes, including cabbage curry, vegan Madras curry, and soya chunks Manchurian.
❄️Meal prep and storing suggestions
Double the recipe - Simply double the ingredients, then allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes longer. You will also need a larger Dutch oven (around 8-10 qt).
Storing - Leftover chickpea and rice can be refrigerated for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Or you can freeze them using zip-top bags or souper cubes for 3 months.
Reheating - Allow frozen rice to thaw completely overnight in the fridge, then heat it on the stove, adding a splash of water to loosen. Or you can reheat straight from frozen in the microwave.
🍽More vegan rice dishes
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📖 Recipe
Indian Chickpea and Rice (Chana Pulao)
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ inch ginger peeled and minced
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 cup basmati rice uncooked *
- ½ teaspoon chili powder (optional, for heat)
- ½ 15 oz can chickpeas rinsed (or 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Spices
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 pod black cardamom
- 3 pods green cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 whole black peppercorn
Instructions
Stovetop instructions
- Heat some oil in a pan. Add onion, and saute until translucent and lightly browned for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to deglaze the pot, then stir in garlic, ginger, and the rest of the spices. Fry for a minute until fragrant.
- Add water, rice, chickpeas, and salt to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, covered, over medium-low to low heat for 10-15 minutes, until rice has absorbed all water.
- Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes, then fluff the rice with a rice paddle or fork.
- Serve your chickpea and rice while warm!
Instant Pot instructions
- Switch the Instant Pot on to "Saute" mode. Heat up some oil, then add onion, sauteing until translucent.
- Add garlic, ginger, and the rest of the spices. Saute for 1 minute until aromatic.
- Cancel saute, and chickpeas, rice, and water.
- Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally, and let it sit for 10 minutes before fluffing the rice with a fork. Your chickpea rice is ready to be served.
Notes
- Spices - I use a blend of cardamom, cumin, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon. Feel free to adjust the mix based on what you have on hand and your taste preferences.
- Avoid stirring when cooking - Heat and steam that escape the pot result in undercooked rice, and stirring also risks breaking the rice kernels.
- Fix undercooked rice - Add 2-3 tablespoons of hot water and cook for another 5 minutes. Repeat until rice is soft.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Tempe Peterson says
This is absolutely an AMAZING, delicious recipe! The recipe is perfect as it is written and we enjoyed it immensely and will add it to our list of favorites.
Thank you!
Stacy says
Are the stove top measurements accurate? One cup rice and only 1-1/4 cup water? I know the instant pot uses less water but I would think you’d need at least 2 cups of water on stove top.
Meesha says
I had forgot to mention that you will need 11/2 cups of water if cooking on stovetop!😅
Shellie says
Fantastic recipe. I used brown basmati and I substituted a teaspoon of Chinese five spice for the star anise I don't have. I do have anise seed but wasn't sure how to substitute that. I look forward to having this again very soon with star anise. Delicious! Thanks, Meesha.
Meesha says
I am so happy to hear that! 😊