This 20-minute Chana Chaat is tangy, spicy, and so easy to make!
When I was growing up, this Chaat was a staple at tea parties, birthday celebrations, and our Ramadan Iftar table. Using canned chickpeas is a secret hack that helped me put this together in just minutes, perfect for any get-together or celebration I’m hosting.
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Chana chaat is the quintessential Pakistani/Indian street food made up of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) coated with tamarind Chutney, onions, tomatoes, chaat masala, and crunchy wheat-based wafers. It's spicy, tangy, and crave-worthy!
This family recipe is the only way we ate chickpeas growing up. I realized, as I was researching this recipe, that we refer to Channa Chaat as Cholay in my home. Typically, Cholay refers to a tomato-based, hot chickpea curry, but for me, Cholay has always been a drier, tamarind-coated snack. There are a lot of variations of the classic Chana Chaat- with yogurt, without it, with potato, without it. Today, I want to share my version of Chana Chaat with you!
Check out another South Asian snack I’ve tweaked – baked aloo pakoras!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️Ready In: 20 minutes.
👪Serves: 6.
🍽 Calories and Protein: 42 kcal + 1g protein.
📋 Main Ingredients: Chickpeas, potatoes, onion, tomato, yogurt, spices, and chutneys.
📖 Dietary Notes: Gluten-free and low-calorie.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Just like my mango corn salsa, it’s an excellent quick snack to put together when you’re craving something light and flavorful.
Summarize & Save This Content With AI
“I had this once at a Pakistani iftar party last year and have genuinely craved it since. I was able to find a tamarind block in the Thai section of my local Asian grocery store in Germany to make your Tamarind Chutney (which is sooooo good!). This came together in about 10 minutes with cooked chickpeas I keep in the freezer. I love it and I am so excited to be able to make it and keep it in my college kitchen rotation! Ramadan Mubarak! x” Kat
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Ingredient Notes
Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas here to make it quickly. You can use dry chickpeas, too. More on how to do this in the FAQ section below! My recipe is based on 14 oz. cans, so make sure you adjust the ingredients accordingly if you’re using a different size.
Tamarind chutney: I used my homemade imli chutney here. If you don't have time to make it from scratch, you can get tamarind concentrate, which is widely available at Desi/Indian stores.
Vegetables: Cilantro, onions, green chilies, and tomatoes. Diced fine and sprinkled on top. Of course, you can control the spiciness by controlling the number of chiles you add. You can also deseed the chiles to reduce the heat.
Sev: These are tiny crunchy noodles made of gram flour. Traditionally, crushed Papri (deep-fried, wheat-based crackers) are used to top the Chana Chaat. But because I don't eat gluten, I find Sev satisfies that need for crunch! If I have it on hand, I add my homemade Nimco.
Variations
- Lend the Chana Chaat some richness and creaminess by drizzling a mixture of yogurt and a little water (seasoned with salt and red chili powder) into it right before serving. I had some leftover after making my mint lassi, so I did.
- You can also add green Chutney if you want to make the Chaat spicy. Many Pakistani and Indian restaurants add green Chutney to theirs.
How to Make Chana Chaat
Step 1: Add cubed potatoes to a pot with enough water to cover them fully, and boil for about 10 minutes. Now add the drained chickpeas and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl.
Step 2: Add the tamarind chutney and the chopped veggies, saving some cilantro for garnish. Mix the chaat well, then garnish with the reserved cilantro, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, and more chutney, if desired.
Pro Tips
- You can bulk up the Chana Chaat by adding other chopped veggies of your choice. I like to add cucumbers sometimes- inspired by the combination of onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers from my Kachumbar recipe.
- To make the Chaat ahead of time, you can store the chickpeas, potatoes, veggies, and chutney in separate containers. Then all you have to do is assemble everything when you’re ready to serve.
- You can also experiment with other seasonings if you want to. Sometimes I also like to add a bit of paprika to the Chaat, as I do when I make my Mango Chaat.
Chana Chaat FAQs
For sure! Adjust the cooking time, as black chickpeas (kala chana) tend to take longer to cook.
If you’re storing already assembled chaat, refresh it by adding additional chutney, as chickpeas tend to absorb moisture and will soak up the chutney. Also note that the veggies will soften and release moisture as the chaat sits overnight.
More Easy Snack Recipes
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Chana Chaat
Ingredients
Chana ingredients
- 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas See note 5
- 1 small white potato diced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- water enough to cover
- 1/2-3/4 cup tamarind chutney or to taste. See note 1
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 onion
- 1 small tomato I use Roma
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/2 green chili I use Serrano
Garnish
- chaat masala optional
- roasted cumin powder
- yogurt if using. See note 3
- tamarind cutney optional
- sev See note 2
- chopped cilantro, tomato and onion
Instructions
- Peel and cube the potato, rinse well and add that to a medium pot. Add enough water to cover the potato, add salt and boil for about 20 minutes. Around the 10- minute mark, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas to the same pot.
- Meanwhile, chop the veggies and set them aside. Once the chickpea and potato is ready, drain and add them to a medium-sized bowl. Add the roasted cumin powder, red chili powder, and the chopped veggies, saving some of the cilantro, onions and tomato for garnish.
- Add the tamarind chutney and mix everything well. drizzle with yogurt (if using). And finally top with the reserved veggies, chaat masala, and a handful of sev. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- You can play with the amount of imli chutney. Start with 1/2 cup and increase the amount as needed. I usually end up using 3/4 cup.
- If you don’t have time to make tamarind chutney, you can get tamarind concentrate widely available at Desi grocery stores. I’ve tried Tamicon tamarind paste, and I usually take 1 tablespoon of the paste, add 2 tablespoons of water, 2 teaspoons of cane sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt, roasted cumin powder, and salt.
- You can get sev at most ethnic grocery stores. I like the Nimco brand, or make my Homemade Nimco recipe. If nothing else, there are days I’ve even sprinkled some sliced almonds and or pumpkin seeds for crunch.
- If using yogurt, add 1/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt and 1 tablespoon of water, along with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt, roasted cumin powder, and red chili powder. Whisk to combine, then pour onto the chaat and garnish with cilantro, onions, chaat masala, and more roasted cumin powder.
Kat says
I had this once at a Pakistani iftar party last year and have genuinely craved it since. I was able to find a tamarind block in the Thai section of my local asian grocery store in Germany to make your Tamarind Chutney (which is sooooo good!). This came together in about 10 minutes with cooked chickpeas I keep in the freezer. I love it and I am so excited to be able to make it and keep it in my college kitchen rotation! Ramadan Mubarak! x
Zeeshan says
Aww this makes me so so happy Kat! Thank you for your lovely review! Ramadan Mubarak!