Chana Chaat: Sweet, Spicy, and Tangy Chickpea Snacks

What is Chana Chaat?

Literally, Chana means chickpeas/ garbanzo beans. Chaat refers to savory snacks. 

Chana Chaat was initially introduced during the time of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in northern India (Uttar Pradesh). However, it has become popular among South Asian regions such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, etc. 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please check our disclosure policy.

It is a spiced snack made with chickpeas/ garbanzo beans, boiled potatoes, onion, tomato, and chilies. Then it is mixed with chaat masala, tamarind chutney (imli), or lemon juice. So it is full of flavor, sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy. Simply delicious.

Is Chana Chaat healthy?

Yes, this tasty Chana Chaat is a healthy snack option, and it is also quite filling. Therefore, it is a good choice for an in-between-meal snack. 

And because of its refreshing taste, it makes a lovely starter among your food spread too. 

Serve it in a small glass or bowl as an appetizer, and I promise your guests will love it. 

And this delicious snack is also popular among Ramadan recipes for iftar.

Ingredients you need for a tasty chickpea snack

Do not be intimidated by the long list of its ingredients. Because almost all the items needed are our kitchen staples. You probably have most of them already in your pantry/ kitchen anyway. 

So you will need chickpeas/ garbanzo beans, potatoes, onion, tomato, green chili, cumin seeds, Kashmiri red chili powder, dried-mango powder (Amchoor), tamarind sauce, puffed chaat papri/ pani pooris/ poppadom, and thin Sev.

I used 1 x 14 ounces tinned chickpea for practical reasons for this recipe. However, you can use ½ cup of dried chickpeas if you want to. Soak them overnight, drain water, and boil them in fresh water until they are soft. 

If you can not get Kashmiri red chili powder, use cayenne pepper or any other dried red chili powder. And you can add more or less according to how spicy you like your chaat to be. 

When it comes to tamarind sauce, you can use the shop-bought one. Or, if you fancy making it yourself, I have a recipe in this blog for how to make imli sauce. It is pretty easy to make, and you can adjust the flavor according to your liking. 

As for the puffed chaat papri or thin Sev, you can use any Indian crispy snack. The ones I mention in this recipe are the most commonly used in Chana Chaat. You can even fry the papdi/ papri or poppadom yourself. 

Equipment needed

• Mixing bowl.
• Spatula.
• Small serving bowls.

How to make Chana Chaat

There is no hassle at all in making this chickpea snack. The only cooking involved is boiling the potatoes. Apart from that, it is all about cutting and mixing.

So, peel, cube, boil the potatoes, and let them cool as you get on with other ingredients.

If you use the tinned chickpeas, drain and discard the water. 

Peel and chop the onion, deseed the tomato, and chop it. Chop the green chili. 

Place the chickpeas, boiled potatoes, chopped onion, green chili, chili powder, dry mango powder, roasted cumin powder, ground black pepper, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir well.

Then add in the imli sauce and chopped tomato. Mix well.

Lastly, add the crispy thin Sev and crush some papdi/ poppadom before serving. Quickly stir and serve. 

You can drizzle more imli sauce over the top and sprinkle more chaat masala, thin Sev, and crushed papdi. Garnish with chopped green coriander/ cilantro. 

Storage matter

This snack tastes better when you enjoy it right after you make it. I do not recommend keeping the ready-made one to serve the following day. 

But you can prepare the Chana Chaat and keep it the night before. Make sure you do not add the crispy papdi and thin Sev. You can add them before serving, or else they will go soft. 

If you prepare all the items beforehand, you can mix them in just five minutes. 

Other easy Pakistani snack recipes

If you want more recipes for Pakistani snacks, try dahi baray, aloo tikki, aloo pakora – potato fritters, vegetable pakora,papdi chaat, or samosa chaat.

Thank you for reading this Chana Chaat recipe. I hope you now want to make it. If you do, please share your thoughts in the comments below. I really appreciate it.

Before you go, check out my other easy Pakistani snack recipes that you may like.

Lastly, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest. To sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen. 

Take care and all the best.