I am on a mission to help you simplify Indian cooking! Grab your onions and tomatoes and get ready to make some Indian onion masala!
What is Indian Onion Masala?
Indian onion masala is a flavorful sauce made up of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, and spices. It’s the base of many Indian dishes, and by preparing it in advance, you can significantly reduce the cook time for many Indian recipes.
(If you can’t eat tomatoes, I have a nomato onion masala you can use instead!)
I have been watching my parents make onion masala, also known as onion tomato gravy, for as long as I can remember. In the past, making this masala was a painstaking process, but it doesn’t have to be anymore – especially if you have an Instant Pot. Having this onion tomato masala handy is an incredible time-saver and makes it possible to eat authentic, healthy, and delicious Indian meals every day.
Onions, tomatoes, and ginger/garlic are what I like to consider the “trifecta” of Indian cooking (…er quadfecta?). But who has time to brown onions and cook down tomatoes every single day? No one. That’s why many Indian people spend one day a week or a month preparing Indian onion masala. It can take several hours to fry onions and cook down tomatoes, but I have a faster way: use the Instant Pot. You prepare a big batch, freeze it, then take it out whenever you need to make a quick meal.
I know everyone is all about “meal prep” these days. Well, this is how a lot of Indians meal prep. Once you’ve got this masala ready, you can literally prepare “dump and go” Indian recipes, and they’ll end up having a lot of flavor.
As magical as an Instant Pot is, it’ll still take time to make this masala – just not as much. Plus, you won’t have to babysit a pot on the stove for as long. It’s really up to you as to how brown you’d like to have your onions. I sometimes skip fully browning the onions, and the masala still turns out just fine. The browner the onions, the sweeter the masala, so if you can, be patient.
This is how brown your onions should look if you sauté them for 15-20 minutes first:
This masala lasts for months. When I first gave birth to Tony, my mom packed my freezer to the brim with this masala, and literally, one year later, I found some of it hiding in the back of the freezer… not gonna lie, I used it, and it was still perfect. I’d probably suggest using it up within six months though (it normally doesn’t last us that long).
So forget peeling, chopping, and cooking these basic ingredients every single day. That is exhausting, and what makes Indian cooking seem unapproachable. Instead, make this onion masala and see how easy it really is to cook fresh Indian food every day.
Fresh Tomatoes or Canned Tomatoes?
You can use either fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes to make this onion masala, and I’ll explain how to do that in the directions below.
When it comes to fresh tomatoes, I suggest using Roma tomatoes because they have less water content and so the masala will be thicker. If you use different tomatoes, then you may need to boil off some of the water at the end.
If ripe tomatoes are not in season where you live or you prefer convenience, then go for canned (or jarred) diced tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are picked at the peak of ripeness, and ripe tomatoes are what will make your masala tasty. Sometimes canned tomato masala turns out to taste a bit better for this reason.
(Just an FYI: the photos in this blog post are of tomato masala made using fresh tomatoes. Canned tomatoes will give the masala a darker color).
How to use Indian Onion Masala in Recipes:
Want to know how to use this onion masala in recipes? Check out my Indian Onion Masala Headquarters page, where you’ll learn all about onion masala: how to store it, how to use it in recipes, and recipes that call for exact amounts of this masala!
Here’s how this series works:
- Make the recipe below for Indian onion masala.
- Read this post about how to store onion masala.
- Check out this page for recipes. No need to guess how much masala to use – I’ll tell you the exact amount of masala needed.
- Take all of your onion masala knowledge and apply it to any Indian recipe calling for onions and tomatoes! Hooray!
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Having this masala ready to go is the best way to meal prep for Indian Cuisine. In fact, I’d say it’s basically essential if you want to enjoy Indian food every day. So go on and make this masala!
How to Store Onion Masala:
Here is a detailed post that you can read to learn how I freeze onion masala: How to Store and Use Indian Onion Masala
The short version: I store it in these silicone molds – each mold holds ¼ cup of onion masala.
Recipes to Make Using Onion Masala:
And that’s just a short list! For even more ideas, visit my Onion Masala Recipes page.
Suggested
I recommend using this silicone mold to store the onion masala. Each well holds ¼ cup of onion masala. So if a recipe calls for 1 cup of masala, you’ll know to use 4 cubes of masala.
Ingredients
- ½ cup oil neutral oil like avocado oil is great
- 2 pounds yellow onions approx. 6, diced
- 1 head of garlic approx. 12 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2- inch ginger chopped
- 2 pounds roma tomatoes approx. 9 tomatoes, chopped OR 2 (14.5 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup water
Spices (adjust to taste):
- 3 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
- Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot, adjust the heat to the highest setting, then add the oil to the pot. Wait for the oil to get hot, then add the onions.
- Cook the onions for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned (keep the stirring to a minimum in the beginning to brown the onions faster. As the onions brown, stir more frequently).
- Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the tomatoes cook down a bit. Stir the bottom of the pot to scrape off any brown bits. Add the water and mix well.
- Add the spices, give everything a good stir, then secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- Blend the masala using a blender or an immersion blender (it can be smooth or slightly chunky – up to you!). The sauce will continue to thicken a bit as it cools.
- Once the masala is cool, I store it using this silicone mold which holds ¼ cup of onion masala per mold. Then go check out all of my onion masala recipes!
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Notes
- Getting a burn error? Make sure you are using enough oil so that the onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pot! If there is anything stuck to the bottom, you can add ¼ cup water to help deglaze the pot. Make sure to remove any burnt bits before securing the lid! If there’s something stuck to the bottom, then you may get the burn error, but the chances are that if it comes to pressure, it’ll be fine once you open the pot. Some appliances/models may be more sensitive.
- If it’s not tomato season, use canned diced tomatoes (the whole contents of the can) for the best flavor.
- If using fresh tomatoes, I suggest using Roma tomatoes because they have less water content than other tomatoes. This results in a thicker masala. If using different fresh tomatoes, you will likely need to boil off the water at the end.
- Make sure to adjust the temperature to sauté at the highest setting when sautéing the onions. It is up to you as to how brown you would like the onions. I have skipped fully browning them before, and the masala still turns out well. The more caramelized the onions, the sweeter the masala will be.
- You can also make this masala without the ginger, garlic, and spices if you prefer. Just be sure to keep that in mind when preparing meals.
- Learn how to store this masala by reading this blog post. You will want to make sure the onion masala is cold before putting it in the freezer. I store it in the fridge first, and then once it’s cold, I put it in the freezer. This helps to reduce freezer burn.
- Check out my onion masala series to learn how to use this magical sauce!
Kate says
I make this during nap time on the weekend and then my 2.5 year old helps me cook dinner in the instant pot on weeknights (he measures spices and dumps other ingredients). Of course, I make all my food from recipes on this blog!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I love that your toddler helps you cook! Wow, amazing to let your kiddo into your spices… that’s one thing I have a really hard time with! I trust no one with my spices haha even my husband lol!
Lori says
Have you made this with red onions?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I think I’ve only used yellow because that’s what I typically have on hand – but red will work fine too!
Linda Taylor says
Hi Ashley!
So I converted this recipe for stovetop and made it yesterday, using onions and garlic from my garden. I had to buy organic roma tomatoes from store since mine are still very much green. I ended up sautéing onions for nearly one hour and simmering tomatoes for two hours, since you stated it normally takes several hours to cook. I used just a small pinch of cayenne and smoked paprika, since that it what I had. It came out a beautiful burnt orange color. Using what I have, I put it in 4 oz glad and restaurant condiment containers, I’ve collected, that I placed on a cookie sheet with wax paper over them. First in frig to cool and then into the freezer overnight. I removed them, running under hot water for a sec to easily release, and stored 1/2 cup “pucks” in a freezer ziplock bag. I got 4-1/2 cups total out of batch.
Tomorrow I’m making your Aloo Baingan Masala because I’ve got lots of eggplants from my garden that I need to use up.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Linda, I’m so glad you made onion masala! I hope you love everything you make with it – let me know what you think if you can 🙂
Renee says
Is there a stovetop version of this? My IP can’t do the pressure part of this until I can replace the little silicone ring that holds up the pin. (Don’t ever put one in the dishwasher cutlery basket thinking it will stay there. 😢)
Katherine P says
This is an awesome base! So flavourful!
I did something a bit non-conventional with it. I tend to be naughty and child-like and lick the spoon before I stick it into the sink to wash it. On tasting it, I knew immediately that there was something different I wanted to do with it. You see, it has such a delightful fresh taste to it that all that was coming from my mind was “spaghetti sauce!” So I cooked up some angel hair pasta, put a lump of ghee into the noodles followed by some of the still warm onion masala. Oh my was it good! That means that this is even good as an “in a hurry” sauce that you can use for an unusual twist on some pasta.
I am now super eager to try making other things with it. In particular, I can’t wait to to make rajma with it. My beans have been soaking overnight, and when it gets closer to lunch time, it’s a done deal!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Katherine, I’m so glad to hear that! Love that you made onion masala spaghetti!! Can’t wait to hear how else you experiment with this sauce!
Ratna says
How long do you think we can store this in the Refrigerator?
Thanks so much!
Your site is awesome. Thanks for taking the effort to measure everything out and create these recipes for us.
Ratna
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Ratna, I would say about 5 days. Hope that helps 🙂
Jenny says
Such a great base. Making my second batch after discovering your recipes last year. Have made quite a few with rave reviews.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Jenny, that’s so nice to hear, thank you! Glad you’re enjoying the onion masala recipes 🙂
Alan says
I made the masala and it is amazing!
I made exactly as your recipe called for and used fresh ginger and garlic.
( no shortcuts) 🙂
Newly retired and into cooking so this was super easy to follow for a newbie.
Freezing in the silicone molds and transferring to the freezer bags for storage is genius.
Thank you!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Alan, I’m so glad you made and liked the onion masala! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 Can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipes you try using the masala!
Bill Weinmann says
Outstanding flavor. Storing the onion masala in the silicone molds makes it really fast and convenient when preparing recipes that call for it.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Bill, so glad you made and liked this! Hope you enjoy everything you make using the masala 🙂
Rani Lohana says
Hello,
Can I use any tomato puree or crushed tomato can instead of diced tomato?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi, I’ve only tested this with diced tomato – I’d stick to that if you can!