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Move over, chicken, it’s time for butter chickpeas! They are easy to make in one pot, packed with flavor and protein, and even freeze well. Serve over rice or enjoy with some crispy bread.
save this recipe!Indian food is a staple in my takeout orders. But once I developed my own garam masala recipe, Indian food became incredibly simple and quick to make at home.
I started with vegan butter “chicken” with tofu, and now these butter chickpeas are an even quicker Indian-inspired chickpea dish that we have on repeat in our house.
- Vegan and High Protein: Coconut milk keeps it vegan while chickpeas bring the protein. It’s the ultimate vegetarian butter chicken alternative!
- Versatile: This is a great weeknight veggie curry or one you can freeze to enjoy later.
Reader rating
“This was amazing. So easy and so delicious my son couldn’t stop eating! It’s the only non-meat meal he ever asks for. It’s now a staple in our home!” —Christine
Can I use another bean?
Sure can! This recipe works well with white beans, kidney beans, or even soy curls.
Freeze it!
This is a great dish for freezing. Once it’s cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe ziplock bag. Place this flat on a sheet tray to freeze. Once solid, store as desired for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, add the bag to boiling water to loosen it from the bag. Then pour out the contents into a pot and reheat.
30-Minute Indian Butter Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, or any oil you have on hand
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced, about 1 ½ cups
- 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander seed
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder, or use ¾ tsp sweet paprika and ¼ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp each salt and cumin
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained, 425 g cans
- 1 13-oz can full-fat coconut milk, 370 g
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste, 170 g
- To serve: basmati rice and naan
Instructions
- Rice: If you'll be serving this with rice, start that now, and cover to keep warm when finished.
- Onions: Heat 2 Tbsp coconut oil in a large saute pan or pot over medium heat. Add 1 medium yellow onion (finely diced) and cook, stirring often, until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Flavor Base: Stir in 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger and 4 cloves garlic (minced) and continue cooking for 1 minute. Stir in 1 Tbsp garam masala, 1 tsp ground coriander seed, 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder, and ½ tsp each salt and cumin.
- Sauce It: Stir in 2 15-oz cans chickpeas (drained), 1 13-oz can full-fat coconut milk, and 1 6-oz can tomato paste. Cover and gently simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to reduce the acidity from the tomato paste. It will be dark orange when done.
- Serve warm with naan and rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
This worked exactly as written, thanks! I added a little less cayenne pepper and my 3 year old loved it with Naan! Definitely a keeper!
Yay, so glad it was a hit Jess!
A wonderful flavor profile that doesn’t need a marination period. We will make this often!
Happy you enjoyed it Candi, thanks for cooking with us!
I loved this recipe! I had an extra bell pepper and pack of carrots so I diced and added them to the onions and it really added a nice additional texture. I absolutely will do this again. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the sweet review Thomas, happy cooking!
Ty
Hi,
I’m unable to have coconut and noticed that you could use an alternative for the coconut oil, I was wondering if you could do the same for the coconut milk? For example, cashew milk or would this be to different?
Thanks
Hi Jes! Yep, you could use another ingredient in place of the coconut milk such as cashew cream or heavy cream if you eat dairy.
Thank you for this simple AND delicious recipe!
So pumped you enjoyed it Michelle!
Your recipe looks so good! Is there a way to make it lower in sodium and still taste great? Also, any substitute for tomato paste? I have to be cautious of high potassium foods as well☹️ thanks so much!
Hi Kathy! You can just reduce the amount of added salt for sodium. The tomato paste is a little harder to substitute because it plays such an important role in the flavor of the tikka masala.
Hi, can organic unsweetened soy milk be used instead of the coconut milk? Idk what it is about the coconut milk but it doesn’t settle well with my stomach
Hi Gabrielle! Coconut milk is a lot thicker and richer than soy milk so I think a better substitute would be something like a vegan cream!
Beyond delicious! Definitely adding to my dinner rotation.
Thrilled you loved it, thanks for the review!
Made this for dinner last night and it was fantastic! I doubled it and froze a bunch in Souper Cubes. Looking forward to having it on hand when I get a craving for Indian food!
So glad it turned out so well, thanks Allison!