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 to a lot of Indian dishes and by preparing it in advance, you can significantly reduce the cook time for many Indian recipes.
Indian Onion Masala, also known as onion tomato gravy, is nothing new to those of us who cook Indian food on a daily basis. I have been watching my parents make onion masala 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 everyday.
MY LATEST VIDEOSOnions, 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 a lot of 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 will likely need to boil off some of the water at the end.
If tomatoes are not in season where you live, then go for canned (or jarred). Yes, I realize fresh tomatoes are always preferable BUT canned tomatoes are packed 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? Then check out my Indian Onion Masala Blog Series 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!
I’ll be sharing plenty of recipes during the month of February so get your masala ready!
By clicking on this graphic below, you’ll get to what I’m calling the
Indian Onion Masala Headquarters:
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!
Having this masala ready to go is the best way to meal prep when it comes to Indian Cuisine. In fact, I’d say it’s basically essential if you want to enjoy Indian food everyday. So go on and make this masala!
Then be sure to read this post to learn how I freeze it: How to Store and Use Indian Onion Masala
Indian Onion Masala (Instant Pot)
Yield: approx. 6 cups
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 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
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 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.
- Read this blog post to learn how to store and use this masala then go check out all of my onion masala recipes!
Notes
- There is no need to add additional water to this recipe as the onions and tomatoes release enough water.
- Getting a burn error? Some of you have mentioned having this issue and my suggestion is to make sure you are using enough oil so that the onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pot! Also, if there is anything stuck to the bottom, you can add a bit of 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. I have made this masala many times and have never had this happen but 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 compared to other tomatoes. This results in a thicker masala. If using different tomatoes, you will likely need to boil off 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, 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!
Ashley – how do you freeze your onion masala? in ice cube trays (so a specific size)? Or some other way?
Hi Julie! I actually link to a post on how to store/freeze onion masala: https://myheartbeets.com/how-to-store-and-use-indian-onion-masala-in-recipes/ 🙂
Hi Ashley,
I made your Instant Pot Butter chicken yesterday and it was yummy! I also use pre-made Onion masala except that I have not yet figured out how much to use in a dish. I went to your Onion Masala Blog series but cannot find a link to recipes that use this pre cooked Masala to understand the quantity needed. Could you please guide me.
Thanks!
Hi Madhavi, I’m so glad you liked the butter chicken! 🙂 And I’m so glad you’re interested in this series! This is a series that I am working on during the month of February, so I will update the blog with recipes that call for onion masala throughout the next several weeks. You’ll be able to find the recipes that call for Indian Onion Masala here: https://myheartbeets.com/indian-onion-masala-recipes/ Right now it just says coming soon but stay tuned!
Yes, but butter chicken was not used as one of the recipes that you can use with the onion masala. So if it can be used for butter chicken, what is the amount and do the spices listed in the butter chick need to me added still?
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You can use it with butter chicken! My guess is 1 cup of masala – if you try it out, let me know how it goes! You can also reduce or remove the same spices that are in the masala.
Can this be made without oil? I don’t use any oil, butter, or fat at all because it does so much damage to the arteries. Thank you.
JEM – I made it without oil this morning. It took a lot longer for the onions to brown – a good 30-35 mins before I was close to the colour in Ashley’s picture, but other than that no problems. I used a little bit of water in the beginning to saute the onions and then when I deglazed after about 20 mins and again a couple of mins before I added the garlic/ginger. Just a splash each time, which surprised me. I thought I’d need more. I was worried about scorching once I went to pressure but no issues. The other thing to bear in mind is that for the recipes where you use the masala, you’ll want to keep a closer eye as you’re cooking just to make sure you don’t need to adjust for the residual oil from the original recipe. I have to tell you, my kitchen smells AMAZING right now so I’d say definitely give it a go!
Donna, thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Ashley. Kindly advise adjusted cooking time / method if making this on a stove top..
thank you
Hi, you can definitely make this on the stovetop – just sauté the onions until browned then cook the tomatoes until they fully break down. This takes a long time to do on the stovetop. If you have an electric pressure cooker, I highly recommend using that as it’s a huge time saver!
Hi! Can you tell me how much onion masala this yields? Thanks so much!
Jalpa, this makes about six cups of masala 🙂
I just finished my first batch of onion masala and I’m moving on to toor dal. We’ve been wanting to make it for ages! Fun fact, I have a Duo Mini and this recipe fit perfectly. I’m hoping the same is true for the dal!
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Kavia, that’s so great to hear! Let me know what you think of the toor dal! 🙂
I am wondering how many 1/2 cup servings (or 1/4 cup) your batches usually make? I made this yesterday and I think mine might be a bit thin and I’ll just adjust portion size that way. Thanks in advance. Looking forward to trying it out.
Hi Emily! Sorry for the late reply – I think you posted this in my FB group as well – hopefully more folks will be able to help. I can’t believe I haven’t measured as I’ve made this so many times… I want to say 4-5 cups. This is a good question and I’ll be sure to update the recipe and share it with the FB group when I do!
Emily, update: it came out to about 6 cups for me! 🙂
I made this yesterday and got approximately 22 quarter cup servings. I froze the mixture in silicone muffin cups and they were easy to pop out into a large ziploc for freezer storage. I love this idea of making a flavour base in advance to make tasty easy meals!
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Carey, that’s so great to hear! And thanks for sharing the number of servings you got! Happy to hear that you like the masala 🙂
My question from yesterday is whether onion masala may be substituted for the spice ingredients in the butter chicken. If so, what would the substitution amount ge and should I still add the spices in the recipe as with the Aloo and peas?
You can sub it in any recipe calling for the same ingredients (tomatoes, onions, spices). I suggest following the recipes in my series to get the hang of using the masala, then hopefully you’ll feel confident using it in any recipe! 🙂 My guess for the butter chicken would be 1 cup.
Hi, Ashley! If using canned tomatoes, do I drain it first or use the liquid in the can as well? Thanks & can’t wait to make this!
Hi Fenny, use the whole thing so liquid and tomatoes. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
I was having a lot of fun making this until the Instant Pot gave me the dreaded “burn” indication and wouldn’t pressurize. That seems to be the risk of not having additional liquid in the recipe. after a bit of deglazing I’m putting the bowl through a wash cycle before scraping the saved masala back in and trying again. Wish me luck!
Other than ramping up my stirring, any suggestions on how to avoid this? I used canned diced tomatoes – and yes, I included the juice. Thanks for any ideas, I’m still new to pressure cooking.
Hi Ken, just now seeing this comment but I replied to your comment in the facebook group earlier today. I’ll share my reply here too incase you see it sooner: the burn sign comes on sometimes if the IP detects that something on the bottom has burned but it sounds like you removed any burnt bits before starting. Does this happen with other recipes too? I’ve made this many times without adding water and haven’t had this happen so something is up… Knowing that it eventually turned out well for you makes me think the sign came on because the mixture was thick. I *think* the burn sign is only an issue if the pot doesn’t come to pressure due to something scorched on the bottom.
Can we do this with red onions? If so, do we use the same proportions?
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Michelle, yes, you can definitely use red onions! I just suggest yellow because I feel it gives the masala a slightly sweet flavor. Let me know what you think of the masala and any recipes that you try!
Nice article. Thanks for sharing.
In this recipe, when you say npr , do you release pressure after 10 mins, or do you wait till valve comes down?
I wait until the valve drops on its own but you can probably release pressure after 10 mins with this recipe if you’d like.
Hi Ashley, I love this idea! I was wondering if maybe this way of caramelising the onions by J. Kenji López-Alt might work well in your recipe. No stirring involved!!! What do you think? Here is his recipe. I have his book too, he is a genius 🙂
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/01/pressure-cooker-caramelized-onion-recipe.html
Thanks Sue! You can certainly try! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi Ashley. I know your recipes that call for onion masala explain wether or not we can use the cubes still frozen but could you explain how to determine this ? I’m experimenting with using the onion masala in other recipes… thanks!
Hi Michelle! If the recipe calls for some liquid (like dal or chicken curry) then you can add it in frozen. If it’s a dry dish or a stir-fry on the stovetop, then I would suggest thawing it first. Hope that helps!
Thanks! Also, can we double this recipe or will this cause problems w the onion browning? I have an 8qt ip.
You can double it! It’ll take longer to brown the onions but that should be the only thing!
Should the tomatoes be skinned first or just chopped?
Just chopped 🙂
Hi Ashley,
Thank you for such an amazing idea to store masala!
I made my first batch of masala today. However, my IP showed “burn” error after the pressure was achieved so I had to release the pressure immediately(before 5 mins).
What might have went wrong? I used 3 medium size onions and 4 normal size roma tomatoes.
Did I put less number of tomatoes? Or did I saute for a long time?
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Thanks, Karuna! I have heard from others that as long as the pot reaches pressure the contents of the pot are fine. Sometimes the burn sign comes up if there’s a bit of something stuck at the bottom. You can try adding a few tablespoons of water, deglaze the bottom then try again. Let me know if it works out 🙂
This is such a great idea and makes cooking Indian food so much easier but still full of flavor!! Thank you so much!
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Thanks, Ann! I’m so happy to hear how much you like the masala series! 🙂
I’m making this right now, but after 20 minutes of sauteing, my onions are still as white as when I put them in the pot. I wonder why?
* The onions were quite soft, so I went ahead and followed the rest of the recipe; the masala came out quite well! I may have over-blended a bit, as yours looks a little chunkier. That’s fine–the flavor is great! Thank you for your recipes. I’ve made several and have enjoyed all of them.
Bobbie, so glad it came out well! It’ll work well regardless of whether it’s smooth or a bit chunky! Happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
I do not have an immersion blender, can I pulse it in my regular blender till it because crushed like?
Yes, you can make it smooth too if you’d like 🙂 It’ll be great either way!
Hi, I am new to IP way of cooking and want to start with making a small batch of this masala before making a big batch as your recipe says. How should I vary the onion/ tomato/ ginger garlic quality if I want to make 1 cup of the paste? Also, after closing the lid do you change the IP settings to pressure cook or cook it in the sauté mode itself? Thank you
What about not adding the spices until you cook your final dish and just cook and freeze the onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes adding spices later? Perhaps this cook give the dishes some variation. Also gives the chance to do try south vs. northern India?
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Atma, yes definitely – please see the recipe notes! Feel free to adapt this to your taste 🙂
Hi,
Thanks so much for sharing this! Quick question, if I were to make this fresh every time I made a recipe that required it, can I just divide all the ingredients by 6 to get one cup? Since this makes about 6 cups of onion masala, would that be a good approximation?
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I haven’t tried it this way but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Quick question: why the spices? Seems like it’s better to add them fresh when you use the masala, and also it’s hard to adjust a recipe when there are spices already added. Thanks!
Charles, totally up to you as to whether you want to add them in or not 🙂 I find it easier as I have less work to do when I make recipes – I just add additional spices as needed. If you make any of my recipes that call for onion masala then just add extra spices when making a dish. Hope that helps answer your question!
Thank you for the recipe! I made this today and I also had the burning notification display on the instant pot. There was not too much burning on the bottom, however, I had to scrape the bottom and add some water for the instant pot to pressurize. When it was done, it wasn’t very liquidity (so maybe the water didn’t do too much damage) but I feel like the masala needs salt? Any reason why not to add salt to cut into some of the tomatoe paste taste? (I used canned tomatoes)
Inna, you can definitely add salt if you’d like! I usually just add it directly to the dishes I am making (I have a toddler so I try to be mindful of salt for his portion, then add extra to ours). But feel free to adapt the masala to your taste!
Have you by any chance tried this using a good tomato puree?
I am making this right now and am so excited about all the recipes that i can make with it!! I’m having issues with burning soon after i started pressure cooking. I added water a couple of times and it still burned.
(This happened with the saag recipe as well). Does anyone have this problem, and any potential explanations and solution? Thanks!
Agnes, I have heard that the burn sign can come on if the IP detects that something on the bottom has burned – were there any burnt bits once it was done? If the pot reaches pressure then the dish should turn out fine… let me know!
Wonderful recipes. Thank you! However, this recipe caused my first major Instant Pot fail. Like some others who’ve commented above, I got the “overheating” error. I poured the contents into a bowl, saw that there were onions burned to the bottom of the Instant Pot. I cleaned it completely, poured everything back in, and tried again thinking I had solved the problem. To my surprise, I got the same error again. When I again poured out the contents, I found that again onions were burned to the bottom. So, I put everything in a pot and cooked on the stove (doubling the 5-minute pressure cooker time, which from a comment from you above, probably was not enough.) FYI, I used fresh Roma tomatoes, not canned. They had relatively little liquid. It seems like the amount of liquid in this recipe is key. It’d be great if you could comment on how to evaluate when there’s enough liquid and what to do if there’s not. Thanks!
Thanks Michael! I’m sorry to hear you got the burn error too – I’ve never had this happen but it seems like if there’s anything stuck to the bottom then the error can come on. I’ll include a note in the recipe – but if you are getting a burn error the best thing to do is to deglaze the pot with a bit of water to make sure there’s nothing stuck at the bottom.
I can not thank you enough for how much you have put into these recipes that you have shared!! I love authentic Indian food and making it in such little time seems like a miracle to me. I recently shared this with my mother who finished her first batch of Onion Masala today. The IP and these recipes have changed my life!! Thank you so much.
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Evan, this just made my day! I really appreciate the kind words 🙂 I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes!
Hi, Ashley! Love your recipes and looking forward to making this onion masala. Can I make it in a slow cooker instead of an IP?
Thanks, Sybil! I’m sure it can be done but I haven’t tested it out myself to know the times or anything. If I were going to use a slow cooker, I’d first add the onions and slow cook them until caramelized, then I’d add the tomatoes and cook longer. Please let us know how it goes if you try it this way!
Hi, Ashley, I just wanted to say that I made your onion masala very successfully. To prevent the “burn”, I did the preliminary frying on the stove, and then transferred it all to the Instant Pot, and did the rest as you suggest. Came out perfect. I didn’t mind washing one more pot :). Also, since I didn’t have the silicone trays that you use, I used ice-cube trays and it came out perfect as well :). Each cube holds 1/8 cup, so 2 cubes will make 1/4 cup… Can’t wait to use it! 🙂
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Irene, I’m so glad you made the masala! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipes you make with it!
For people getting the burn indicator on the instant pot, I’ve had this MANY times and I’ve found how to avoid it. What happens is that the spices collect on the bottom of the pot and burn. So to avoid this, I add spices at the end and DO NOT STIR. I know this means the flavors won’t meld as well but better than the burn! Also, never try this in an 8 quart instant pot. 8 quarts can’t handle the thicker sauces that are tomato-based. Hope this helps! I made this yesterday but I forgot to blend with an immersion blender at the end! DOH! Next time! 🙂
I made masala in my new Instant Pot Ultra. I’m at 2500 ft elevation, so I set the Pot accordingly. I used 4 Roma tomatoes and one can of diced tomatoes (I failed to buy enough Romas). I sauteed the onions for 20 minutes, and they still had a lot of moisture. After starting pressure cooking, I got a BURN error in a few minutes. I emptied and cleaned the inner pot, added more oil and water, and started it again. Got another BURN message! Cleaned the pot, and added even more oil and water. This time it worked. Thankfully, the BURN message and shutdown happens before any flavor-spoiling major burning takes place! Next, I’ll try some recipes that use this masala, after which I’ll rate it.
Do you have any guidance on making this in a regular pot? (Nickel allergy = no IP for me!) I’m guessing that most of the steps would be the same, but it’s more a question of how long to let it cook down for/when to add the spices in.
Hi Ashley, I am excited to try this. I have an “mini” instant Pot though. Should I cut the recipe in half?
Thank you!
Lena
Hi Lena! I believe some people in my facebook group (instant pot for indian food) have made the recipe as written in their mini IPs but you can definitely halve the recipe to be safe! Let me know how it goes 🙂