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!
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?
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.
Limezesty says
Very delicious and easy, thank you! Over coconut jasmine rice, it’s so decadent. I will definitely make this often!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
Natalie says
Can you use evaporated milk instead of cream/coconut milk?
Rabia says
can you please explain what a natural pressure release is? does my instant pot build up the pressure and then i do a natural release or do i do a natural release from the moment the lid is on? please help lol
Peni says
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
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this!
Ricky says
Followed the recipe exactly(except I couldn’t find dried fenugreek leaves at my local grocery stores) and it turned out delicious! I didn’t soak my chickpeas overnight but did what the recipe called for any they did great. Thank you!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Ricky, I’m so glad to hear that you liked this! Do try to get some dried fenugreek leaves when you get a chance – it has a big impact on flavor! You can get them at your local Indian grocery store or online 🙂
Keith Harvey says
Delish! One for the weekly rota. I always pre-soak chickpeas overnight, with a little ‘bicarb’—a tiny effort, and the alternative means longer cooking times and more power consumed (wasted), so is hard both on the purse and on the planet. I agree about digestibility, too, an issue possibly linked to the difficulty in getting totally soft centres in cooked chickpeas that weren’t pre-soaked.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Keith, so glad you like this recipe! Happy to hear that 🙂
Beca says
I found your recipe a couple years ago and have been making it on the regular ever since. It’s my favorite butter sauce recipe. Thank you so much!
I like to meal prep, so sometimes I have already made a really large batch of chickpeas for this dish and others for the week, so I just use the pressure cooker for the sauce. I rough chop all the veggies (onions, peppers, and sometimes I use fresh tomatoes if that’s what’s on hand) then sauté with the spices and pressure cook for a few minutes. When it is done, I throw it all into the blender with the coconut milk and fenugreek. After smooth, it goes into a jar in the fridge. Throughout the week, I quickly am able to layer my pre-cooked rice, chickpeas, and this delicious sauce. Doing it this way only changes the taste slightly (to me!) and saves me time. The sauce also freezes really well!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Kelsey says
Lovely dish! I used the method for unsoaked chickpeas and that plus the regular cook time turned out perfectly. Using ghee gave a nice flavour. Also i used yellow bell pepper, and yogurt instead of cream. Yum yum. Hoping the leftovers freeze well.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Kelsey! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Bridget Young says
Hello, can I use canned chickpeas for this recipe and if so, what amount?
Much thanks for your help. This recipe looks so delicious!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Bridget! Yes, you can use canned chickpeas – since the chickpeas are already cooked you can reduce the cook time. I’d go with 10 minutes. Let me know how it goes!
Kamila says
Thank you for another delicious recipe! I did a water sauté instead of oil and used a 5.4 oz. can of unsweetened coconut cream, but otherwise followed your instructions exactly and it came out perfect. I soaked my beans on Saturday night, for Sunday afternoon meal prep and 35 minutes in my Instant Pot was spot on. This will definitely be going in our regular rotation. Yum!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Kamila, that’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked this dish 🙂
Penny B says
This was outstanding. I made it exactly as directed. Yum!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Penny, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Penny Broening says
Love this website! I have used your excellent guidance to precook chickpeas. (And to make great food!) Can we use chickpeas we have already precooked in an instant pot and frozen for this particular recipe?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Penny, so glad to hear that! If I were to use cooked chickpeas, I’d make the sauce and cook it on sauté mode for a while longer, then add the chickpeas – no need to pressure cook since the chickpeas are already cooked.
rachel mikanagu says
THe recipe looks so delicious and so simple to make. I just soaked my chickpeas. I will make this tomorrow. I have a quick question. I only have fenugreek seeds, would it work if I use them? I can grind them. How much should I put in the IP? Thanks again.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Rachel, no I would not substitute fenugreek seeds for leaves – the seeds are bitter.
Kristine says
Does fenugreek go by another name? I can get cilantro, but I’m not finding fenugreek in my store
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
It’s also known as kasoori methi – all Indian grocery stores should carry this!
Kelly-anne says
I love this dish so much! I have made it multiple times now. Thank you for sharing.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like it 🙂
daisy g says
i make this recipe a lot ! i add chopped kale instead of green pepper at the end and its soo good. thank you!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Daisy, that’s so nice to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂 love the kale addition, yum!
Beth says
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I made it with heavy cream and ghee (non vegan), and it was amazing! Frozen garlic and ginger paste are huge time savers. This is the second chickpea recipe I’ve made from the blog and I honestly can never go back to canned chickpeas- these are sooooo much better and so easy!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Beth, that’s awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked this 🙂
max says
Really great
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Max! Glad you liked it 🙂
Rajinder Nagi says
Hi Ashley, made butter chickpeas today and they came out yum….used tinned chickpeas and added yogurt as didn’t have coconut milk…but still tasted very good.
Thank you
😊
.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
That’s great to hear! Glad you liked it 🙂
Amanda says
Love your recipes – would you mind including serving size information along with the recipe cards? It really helps with meal prep 🙂
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Amanda! I’ve just updated this post with that information and will continue to do so with other recipes where I can!
Johan says
Hi. I’m French, I love this recipe and I recently translated to French it for a cousin of mine. Would you be okay with me putting the translation on my website to point people to it? With due credit of course and like a few minor adjustments.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
That’s great, yes go ahead! Thanks for asking 🙂
Kiran says
The butter chickpeas turned out amazing. I used tinned chickpeas but accidentally didn’t adjust the water quantity so had to sauté it until it thickened up!! I added the green peppers in with the chickpeas when cooking as my husband doesn’t like crunchy peppers in curry. We will definitely be making this again!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Kiran, I’m so glad you liked the butter chickpeas! Thanks for sharing your experience with canned chickpeas – they don’t absorb water – I’m sure your comment will help others. I’m glad you still made it work! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you guys 🙂
Patricia Maani says
What should I do to adjust water if using canned? That is all I could find at the store.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I would try it with ½ cup water and see how that goes – if it’s too liquidy at the end then you can always press saute to reduce the sauce. Let me know how that goes 🙂
Upstairs Woman says
Great recipe! I subbed a dollop of sour cream and some ghee for the coconut milk since I didn’t have any on hand. Still came out delicious!
My Heart Beets says
That’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂
Arielle says
This sounds amazing! I love all your recipes I’ve tried! I have a question- I don’t love raw vegetables in dishes and I don’t usually like green peppers. Do they add a lot or can I just leave them out? Or would you substitute something else?
My Heart Beets says
Arielle, that’s great to hear 🙂 You can skip the green peppers, they don’t add much in terms of flavor – I mainly use them to provide a contrast in texture and also to include a veggie. Let me know how you like this!
Arielle says
Finally made this last night and it was amazing (not surprising- all your recipes are favorites).
I halved the pepper and cayenne and it was perfect amount of spice for my 3 year old (who prefers his food less hot than we do). I left out the green pepper but next time I’ll try cooking it with the chickpeas and see what we prefer.
We were out of rice (how does that happen?!) so we we just ate it by itself and it had the comfort of a bowl of creamy noodles without the gross feeling after. Definitely going into the rotation!
Thanks for creating this!! I’m so lucky I found your blog 🙂
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Arielle, that’s awesome! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Thank you for letting me know how much you liked it!
Oliver says
I don’t have any fenugreek leaves would it make. A huge difference if I didn’t include them?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Oliver, you can leave them out if you don’t have them – it’ll still be great! The fenugreek leaves do make this dish taste more restaurant-like so I would suggest getting them if you can in the future.
Tania benatar says
i have to say, after 35 min, my chickpeas were still crunchy. Very disappointing. i’m ‘trying 15 min more, but honestly, the crowd is getting rowdy. plus i had timed it to go out after. Now im’ delayed and nothing else to feed people. the timing should be increased a lot, or else, should be used with canned chickpeas. i’m afraid this will still not be done in another 15 min.
My Heart Beets says
Tania, and this is with soaked chickpeas? If so, that’s surprising… I wonder if perhaps the beans are very old? Typically old beans take longer to cook and sometimes don’t cook well at all. I hope it turned out okay!
Emily says
Family favorite, and friends often ask for the recipe. I always throw some potatoes in, because I love them in curries. If using canned garbanzos, you can adjust instant pot cook time to 7 mins or so. I like to add a splash of liquid aminos (like soy sauce) after cooking too. Thank you for the great recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Emily, that’s so awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this and also for sharing those tips!
Elaine says
Do I put the coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight so that the cream separates from the liquid?
Angie says
Do you have a suggestion of what to make with the remainder of the coconut milk in the can after using the full fat at the top for this recipe? I do own your cookbook as well if there is a recipe in there you can suggest. Trying to be thoughtful of waste
My Heart Beets says
Hi Angie, you can use it in any dal recipe or save it for a smoothie. If I don’t have use for the leftover milk right away, I freeze it in an ice cube tray and then just stir it into a cooked dal that has thickened up. Hope that helps! This is a great dal to try if you haven’t yet: https://myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-kerala-parippu-curry/
Anna says
Big hit with everyone! Delicious and very filling. Question: does this freeze ok?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Anna, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 I haven’t tried freezing this dish but don’t see why not – please let me know how it goes if you do. Hopefully another reader can help answer this as well.
Cynthia Parrish says
OMG!! I cooked this recipe tonight, and it is the BEST recipe for chickpeas I have ever made!!! I made it with canned chickpeas and eat it without rice. I highly recommend it as an alternative chickpea recipe.
My Heart Beets says
Cynthia, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked this recipe 🙂
Dave says
Made the non-vegan version, with butter and heavy cream, for the first time tonight. Instant Classic. I don’t want to oversell it but I will never forget the first time I opened my instant pot and tasted this. Seriously, this is life-changing stuff. My wife and I will be enjoying it for a long time to come. Thank you.
My Heart Beets says
Dave, feel free to oversell any of my recipes lol! Thank you for letting me know how this turned out for you and your wife 🙂
Nik says
So good! And very easy! Thanks so much for all of your amazing recipes 🙂
My Heart Beets says
Nik, so glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
pwoody says
I had to cook the chickpeas 10 minutes longer to get them buttery soft.
My own couple of hacks:
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
The fenugreek leaves really lend an authentic taste and aroma.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Anne says
My husband enjoyed this recipe so much that he asked that we cook it for his birthday dinner. Thank you for sharing these delicious recipes. You’re right; the kasoori methi makes the dish that much better.
My Heart Beets says
Anne, that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for letting me know how much your hubby liked this 🙂
Nicole says
Absolutely delicious!
My Heart Beets says
Nicole, so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out for you 🙂
Resh says
Hi Ashley, if I were to use heavy cream, which brand (US) would you recommend? I usually use half and half but not sure if there’s a better option that tastes more “Indian”?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Resh! Any brand is fine – I usually always go for organic heavy whipping cream. I currently have Organic Valley in my fridge 🙂
Natasha Pollard says
Do you happen to know how many this portion can serve?Thanks so much
My Heart Beets says
I’d say like 4-5
Sarah says
I write this as I just finished my second serving. WOW! Absolutely amazing dish that will now be one of our regular dinners. Butter chicken was one of our favorites before transitioning to a plant based diet. We won’t miss it now that we have this recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Sarah, I’m so happy to hear that you like this recipe so much! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Nan says
My vegan BFF and I made this together (she’s in Arizona and i’m in Georgia) on Facetime since she JUST got an instant pot. It was amazing!! She loved it, I loved it, i did not miss the chicken! – Thank You!
My Heart Beets says
Nan, that is so awesome!! I love that you guys did this over facetime!! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you both and for sharing that sweet story 🙂
Raquel says
This is just fantastic. I don’t have an Instant Pot, so I just cooked it on the stove top. (Didn’t have tomato sauce so I just pureed a can of stewed tomatoes.) Thank you for this, and all your wonderful recipes.
My Heart Beets says
Raquel, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how the butter chickpeas turned out for you 🙂
Sharon Teague says
Delicious! I substituted garam masala with curry powder cause that was all I had in pantry. I will definitely make again with the garam. My husband LOVED it! He said where did you get this?? hahaha. I made it! Thanks so much for a tasty, satisfying, and quick mid-week meal 🙂
My Heart Beets says
Sharon, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you and your hubby 🙂
Chuck says
Delicious! Instead of coconut cream I used a box of creamed coconut and it turned out very creamy.
My Heart Beets says
Chuck, that’s great to hear! I’m so glad you liked the butter chickpeas! 🙂
Natasha says
YUMMY!
My Heart Beets says
Glad you liked it!!
Shelly says
I don’t have fenugreek leaves, is it a huge deal in terms of taste if I don’t add the pinch required?
My Heart Beets says
Shelly, it’ll still be tasty without the leaves – if you can get them do add them next time. Even the extra pinch makes them taste more restaurant-like 🙂
Annie Smith says
My daughter needs to eat 2 oz of both chickpeas and lentils per day for an allergy desensitization program she is going through. It’s a very specific amount so I freeze things in small ball hard to defrost. I have been freezing your mango chicken and seperately adding chickpeas and lentils after defrosted. Do you think the chickpeas in this would freeze and defrost well? I could just stir in lentils once defrosted.
My Heart Beets says
Annie, good luck with this!! I hope it all works out 🙂 I think it would be okay – but I’d ask your program if freezing the legumes changes the protein or anything important about it?
Priti says
Would this taste just as good with regular cream?
My Heart Beets says
Yup 🙂
Samiksha Patel says
What is the minimum soak time for the chickpeas? Thanks!
Mary Hamer says
Hi there!
Can I add the bell pepper earlier, so that it gets cooked with the rest of the meal? I’m not a fan of raw or raw-ish bell pepper. (If not, I can saute them ahead of time, and then add them in later, but I’m wondering if they can be cooked with the rest) Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Hi, you definitely can add it sooner if you don’t mind really soft bell pepper 🙂
Misti-Dawn says
I just got my Instant Pot and so I’m staring off with easier recipes. I made this tonight. Doubled the recipe and it was excellent. The way that the spices all came together was superb. I didn’t have tomato sauce so I used crushed tomatoes and it made no difference in the taste (at least we didn’t though). Thanks so much for this recipe — this is definitely a keeper 🙂
My Heart Beets says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Anita says
I am from the UK so we don’t have tomato sauce. What exactly is this and what would be an equivalent. We commonly have canned chopped tomatoes, passata, tomato purée and of course fresh tomatoes
Mary says
Another winner! After a long, busy week I was craving something warm, comforting, easy and FAST…and this recipe fit the bill perfectly. I used 3 cans of cooked chickpeas and only about a half cup of water and it turned out perfectly.
My favorite thing about your recipes (besides how yummy they are) is that they are well-explained and can be made with things that I almost always have on-hand. My confidence in making Indian dishes has increased so much since I started following your recipes because they always turn out great. Keep them coming!
My Heart Beets says
Mary, I’m so happy to hear that you’re liking my recipes and feeling more confident when cooking Indian dishes! That makes my day 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how the butter chickpeas turned out for you 🙂
Lisa says
This looks lovely! Can I just ask, does it freeze well or might it go mushy when frozen and reheated?
My Heart Beets says
Lisa, thank you! It should freeze well – chickpeas usually hold up pretty well 🙂 Hope you enjoy the dish!
Ritika says
Hi,thank you for these delicious recipes. Have you tried making this with your onion masala recipe?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Ritika! I have not! If you try let us know how it goes! And when I do get around to trying I will be sure to update the post 🙂
Mary says
Can I use fresh fenugreek instead of dried? I’m not making it for a few days so I would have time to dry it. Also, I’d to add some additional vegetables- do you think green beans would be good?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Mary, fresh fenugreek isn’t as strong in flavor as kasoori methi (dried fenugreek) so it won’t give it the same flavor. As for green beans, I’m sure they’d be good 🙂 The only thing to keep in mind with adding veggies is that you may need to adjust the spices.
Swati says
Oh my this chickpeas recipe is unbelievably delicious. I followed this recipe word for word and the result was finger-licking good! I am new to the world of instant pot cooking and I have tried out only a handful of recipes in my IP, all from your website. All of them were easy to follow and delicious. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you so much, Ashley! <3
My Heart Beets says
Swati, I’m so happy to hear that you like the butter chickpeas so much – and that you’re enjoying my other recipe! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of other recipes that you try!
Ian says
Does the bell pepper get added raw at the end? Am I missing something?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Ian, yes I add it at the end – it’ll soften a bit from the heat but still have some crunch to it. You can also press the sauté button and cook it until it’s tender to your liking.
Ian says
Thanks! This was delicious. I liked the crunch from the bell pepper.
My Heart Beets says
Ian, I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!
Taylor says
I’ve never rated a recipe before but this was SO good, I had to!! We halved the tomato sauce and replaced it with water. We also didn’t have a bell pepper. Still absolutely amazing and 3-year-old approved. Yay! We will have to check out more of your recipes. Thanks for sharing!
My Heart Beets says
Taylor, I’m so happy to hear that you and especially your kiddo liked the recipe! I hope you’ll let me know what you think of anything else you make 🙂
Monique says
Oh man, this is delicious. The sauce really does taste like butter chicken sauce. I am about 80% paleo but I eat some smaller legumes sometimes like chickpeas and lentils, so as soon as I saw this I knew I had to make it. To bump up the veggie content I also stirred in 2 cups raw baby spinach and served over cauliflower rice. I will absolutely be making this again. Thank you!!
My Heart Beets says
Monique, so happy to hear that you liked it! And I love that you added baby spinach and ate it with cauli rice!
Sincy says
Thanks Ashley for your awesome recipes.Can I use tomatoes instead of canned tomato sauce.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sincy, thanks so much for the kind words! Yes, you can use fresh tomatoes just be sure to sauté them to cook them down (canned tomato sauce is cooked down). Let me know what you think!
Carrie says
This was so delicious! Highly recommend it!
Just a note: If you do not soak the chickpeas ahead of time, increase the water to 4 cups. I forgot to soak mine, and knowing that they would absorb extra water, I increased the amount. 4 cups turned out to be just about perfect.
Unsoaked chickpeas will also take longer to cook. (I think I got a particularly tough batch of chickpeas. At 40 minutes they were still crunchy — that’s the maximum suggested cook time for unsoaked chickpeas in the Instant Pot recipes booklet. Even after 60 minutes, they were just barely done. Again, I think that length of time was just my particular chickpeas — I’d start with 40 minutes and check them then.)
My Heart Beets says
Carrie, so happy to hear that you liked the butter chickpeas! And also thanks for sharing those tips! I’m sure they will help other readers 🙂
Tracy says
Do you think I could use the Onion Masala with this?
My Heart Beets says
Yes, I’m sure that will work though I haven’t tested it to know the amount needed. Let us know how it goes!
SHASHI JAIN says
I inaugurated my IP Ultra with this recipe. Very tasty all around and approved by all except, my pickiest teenager. Do you think buttermilk would hold up in place of heavy cream? My kids prefer a sour taste vs. sweeter taste of the heavy cream.
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that! And as for buttermilk, I’m sure that’d taste great too! If they prefer sour, you could also try adding a bit of tamarind paste? Just an idea!
Rebecca says
Can you use anything else in place of a pressure cooker?
canadian_sadie says
She’s got a fabulous recipe for regular stove-top butter chicken. I’d pre-cook the beans (boil them to your preferred texture or even slightly under-done) and then do everything else according to the chicken recipe. I have made that butter chicken recipe a dozen times now, and it’s one of the best internet finds I’ve ever discovered. Let us know how you made out, I want to make this for my vegetarian friend next week. 🙂
May says
I’m planning to try this in the instant pot and 35 minutes seems long for soaked chickpeas. Is it that the desired consistency is very soft? I see other cookbooks cook soaked chickpeas for only 12-15 minutes.
Also how would you modify this recipe to use your onion masala? Thanks.
My Heart Beets says
Hi May, yes, the desired consistency is very soft. You can try it for less time and see how you like it! As for onion masala with this recipe, I’m sure you can use it but I haven’t tested the amount. Let me know how this goes for you!
Pallavi Gupta says
Hi Ashley. Can I make this recipe with the onion masala. How much of that masala would I need to use?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Pallavi! I haven’t tested the right quantity for this but my guess would be 1 1/4 cup. The good thing about the masala is that you can always stir in more at the end if you think the dish needs it since it’s already cooked 🙂
Amy says
Delicious!! Do you think there’s an easy way to add potatoes or cauliflower to it?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Amy, due to the long cook time the only way to add potatoes and cauliflower would be once it’s done. I would cut the potatoes into very small pieces and leave the cauliflower in big chunks then try pressure cooking for 2 minutes (I normally do 4 minutes for 1-inch potato pieces but that would turn the cauliflower to mush). I hope that works – let me know!
Amy says
Thank you – I’ll give that a try!
Georgia says
While trying to eat healthier, I sometimes make this recipe for myself at the start of the week and make portions for myself for each lunch. I love it! How many servings would you say this makes?
My Heart Beets says
Georgia, that’s great to hear! It really depends on what else you serve it with but my guess is 4-6?
Fareen says
Hi! Thank you 🙂 I can’t wait to try this recipe. Do you think it will be ok to make this recipe oil free?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Fareen! I think you will need oil to sauté the onions – unless you have a nonstick pot. Let me know how this works out for you!
Marie says
We typically use a mix of veggie broth and water, by the teaspoon, to sauté onions. The dry spices won’t toast as well, but it’s a trade off. Or you could try aquafaba, which is the liquid from cooked or canned beans.
Vic says
Ashley, I made this recipe last week and loved it! I want to double it now. Do I need to adjust the pressure cooking time?
My Heart Beets says
Vic, that’s so great to hear! You can leave the cook time the same 🙂 Because the pot will have more in it, you’ll likely notice that it’ll take longer to build pressure and it will also take longer to release pressure. Hope that helps!
Raleigh says
Could you add rice into the IP? if so when?
My Heart Beets says
Raleigh, I’m not sure this will work as a good pot-in-pot dish because chickpeas take a lot longer to cook than rice does. If you were going to give it a try though then maybe try it with brown basmati rice – since it’ll be above the chickpeas it will take longer to cook and might actually work. If I give this a try I will update the post – let me know if you try as well!
Shoba says
Hi Ashley, can I use kala channa instead if garbanzo . Will the cook time change?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Shoba! I haven’t tried this using kala chana but I have a feeling it’ll be great in this – I would change the cook time to 45 minutes. Please let me know how this turns out for you!
Rebekah Yegenian says
This was delicious! Thank you for another great recipe!!
My Heart Beets says
Rebekah, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
joanna says
Hi! I’m trying to be more vegetarian this year and also cook more (now that I have an IP woo!).
How would this dish differ from chana masala?
Can’t wait to give this a try! looks delicious!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Joanna! Chana masala has a very different flavor – this dish tastes more like butter chicken but without the chicken. Do you have my cookbook? If so, I have an excellent recipe for chana masala (also known as chole) in there!
Amy says
Hi Ashley,
I absolutely ADORE Indian food. I’m really hoping there are ways to make these traditional and savory dishes like Butter Chicken and Butter Channa WITHOUT tomatoes…do you think it’s possible? I’m going to try the AIP (Auto-Immune Protocol) diet, which forbids Nightshades including potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, etc. Funnily enough, your blog was linked from a Paleo/AIP web site as a recommended source!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Amy! I’m not sure if it would be possible to make these dishes without tomatoes… are you in my Indian Instant Pot group on facebook? You may want to ask there – hopefully someone else following an AIP diet can help!
Faye says
Can you use coconut oil for the oil part? to saute
My Heart Beets says
Yes definitely – the coconut oil may add a slight coconut flavor to the dish as long as you’re okay with that!
Sandip Ray says
Just finished cooking our first IP dish…and it was surprisingly successful! Thanks Ashley for taking the time and sharing this recipe. It was right on the money. The Gorbanzo beans were surprisingly soft and next time I will possibly add a little more chilli to make it spicier. We didn’t have cream so replaced it with some whole milk and the result was almost equally good. Thanks again 😊
My Heart Beets says
Sandip, that’s great to hear! I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Stephanie says
I just made this last night. So delicious! My kids loved it too. I used heavy cream instead of coconut cream. Thank you for all of the wonderful recipes!
My Heart Beets says
Stephanie, I’m so happy to hear that you and your kids liked the recipe! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Maneesha says
This is such a great recipe! I love that it doesn’t use dairy, but you still have the creaminess from the coconut milk! So quick and easy to make!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Maneesha!! Glad to hear that you like it so much! 🙂
SR says
Could canned chick peas be used instead of dried?
My Heart Beets says
Hi SR, canned chickpeas are already cooked so if you use those you really only need to pressure cook for 1-2 minutes just to warm the chickpeas and infuse them with some flavor. Hope that helps 🙂
Smita says
Hi Ashley, planning to try this using canned chickpeas. With this modification, should we cook the tomato, onion and masalas for 5 – 6min under pressure in IP and then QR and add the canned chickpeas and pressure cook another 1 – 2 mins? Should we QR/NPR after the last step?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Smita, if you’re using canned chickpeas then I’d add them in step 3. A 5 minute cook time will work just fine since the canned chickpeas are already cooked. You will want to use less water too – dried chickpeas absorb water when cooking but since you’re using canned chickpeas that won’t be the case. You can also let it NPR to try and infuse more flavor (though QR will work too!). Let me know how it goes!
Bonney says
yummy- but you need 2x19oz cans of chickpeas.