I’m sure you’ve heard of butter chicken, right? Well, this instant pot butter chickpea curry recipe has all the butter chicken flavor minus the actual chicken!
I almost don’t want to tell you that this recipe for instant pot butter chickpeas is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free because I am sure that if you didn’t know – you wouldn’t know! You know? 😉
This dish is just as decadent as butter chicken – it’s rich, creamy, and hearty. A celebratory plant-based meal, perfect for the vegans and vegetarians in your life.
It’s also a great option for meat-eaters looking to switch things up. Make this on a meatless Monday or really any day of the week.
I mean look at these chickpeas swimming in a spiced, creamy tomato sauce – everyone is going to love this.
“This recipe is AMAZING!!! I tried it this morning and just tried a sample and went back for more. Cant wait to try more of Ashley`s recipes. Thank you for sharing.”
Peni
Do I Need to Soak Dried Chickpeas Overnight?
My recipe calls for dried chickpeas, making this dish extremely economical. With an Instant Pot, this dish takes a fraction of the time it’d take to make this on the stovetop, and cooking this dish in an electric pressure cooker really infuses the chickpeas with a ton of flavor.
I know there’s always a lot of disagreement over whether or not to soak legumes, but I think a lot of Indian families soak beans/legumes prior to cooking. That’s what I do because that’s what my mom taught me, and that’s what my grandmother taught her. I think it makes them easier to digest. You do you – but know that if you’re not using pre-soaked beans, then you will likely need to cook the chickpeas for longer than the recipe calls for. My method results in perfectly soft and tender chickpeas.
What if I Forgot to Soak the Chickpeas? How Can I Do a Quick Soak?
You need to soak the dried chickpeas overnight OR do a quick soak. The amount of water listed in my recipe is what’s needed for soaked chickpeas. Dried chickpeas absorb a lot of water, so if you don’t soak them in advance, the proportion of chickpeas to water will not be correct. Also, I believe that soaking legumes helps them to be more easily digested.
Did you forget to soak the dried chickpeas overnight? You can easily do a quick soak by covering the dried chickpeas with an inch of water and pressure-cooking them for 10 minutes with a natural release. Then dump out the water, rinse the chickpeas well and follow the directions for butter chickpeas from there.
If you’ve tried my Butter Chicken before, then you will love this recipe. And if you haven’t tried it because you don’t eat meat, now you can enjoy this vegan version which is honestly just as good!
Instant Pot Butter Chickpeas (Vegan Butter Chicken)
Instant Pot Butter Chickpeas (Vegan Butter Chicken)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 onion diced
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
Spices
- 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 ½ cups water
Add later:
- 1 green bell pepper chopped into large pieces
- ½ cup unsweetened cream from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk
- Pinch of dried fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas in cold water overnight. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Press the sauté button. Add the oil and allow it to heat it up for a minute. Add the onion and stir-fry for 6-7 minutes, or until the onion begins to brown.
- Add the garlic, ginger and spices stir, then add the chickpeas, tomato sauce and water.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 35 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- Add the bell pepper, cream and fenugreek leaves to the pot and mix well.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Video
Notes
- If you are not vegan, then feel free to use ghee instead of oil and heavy cream instead of coconut milk!
- Did you forget to soak the dried chickpeas overnight? You can easily do a quick soak by covering the dried chickpeas with an inch of water and pressure cooking them for 10 minutes with a natural release. Then dump out the water, rinse the chickpeas well and follow the directions for butter chickpeas from there.
Nutrition
Like this recipe? You can find all of my Indian Instant Pot Recipes right here on the blog!
Rob says
Can you make this recipe using onion masala?
Penny says
I have been making this regularly for a couple years now, thanks to this lovely website. It’s a sure thing. People ask me for the recipe and I forward the link but sometimes they don’t have a pressure cooker, is there a stovetop version available?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Penny, I’m so glad to hear that 🙂 I don’t have a stovetop version but it shouldn’t be too hard to adapt if they cook the chickpeas separately or use canned chickpeas.
J. N. says
I wanted to love this but it was so bland. I will make it again but double the spices.
MeMee says
Sometimes if spices are older, they loose their potency. Check to see that your spices aren’t expired : )
Tom says
Amazing recipe. I used heavy cream instead of coconut milk and it turned out great. Heads up to those that have never soaked chickpeas overnight, they will still be hard after a 24 hour soak and soften in the pressure cooker. Thank you!!
Helen J says
Delicious recipe with clear instructions. Now on our regular meal rotation. Have made it both with presoaked chickpeas as well as cooked ones (10 minutes). Unable to source Fenugreek leaves, so use small quantity of yellow mustard seeds and maple syrup, as suggested by another reader
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Glad you like it! You can find those leaves at your local Indian store, or on amazon.
Rachel Resets says
Just made this for our game group tonight (about 10 people, so doubled the recipe). Serving with rice and homemade naan. Didn’t have the fenugreek leaves so just left them out and still turned out amazing! Added potatoes to further bulk the meal up cheaply and forgot the peppers but it is amazing! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Tami says
Hi! Do these freeze well?
Gina says
Yes! 😊
Gaye Riebau says
Love this recipe! The combination of spices are just right. It is easy to make. Thank you.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
Elisa says
I could not find Fenugreek, so I looked up substitutes. The most recommended was maple syrup combined with mustard seed (start w/ smaller about half what is called for with the fenugreek and increase to taste. It was amazing!
Toby says
I made the jeera rice earlier and the butter chickpeas later in the day and had them together for supper. I did not have tomato sauce but I had canned diced tomatoes which I used instead, the same volume more or less. I found the resulting butter chick peas gravy not as thick as I wanted so I turned the saute on and thickened it that way. Just like the rice, I found I would have preferred a little less salt. Even so, the chick peas [which I had soaked overnight] were beautifully tender without being mushy and the seasoning lifted my spirits.
It is just me so I made 2/3 of the recipe but the next time I will make the full amount because this will freeze beautifully. Thank you so much! You have opened up a new world to me for ways to prepare Indian dishes that I love.