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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!
Hi there,
Super quick recipe; fun to cook it! I pretty much followed the recipe exactly. Very tasty! Thank you.
Thanks so much for dropping back in to leave such a thoughtful review, David. Thrilled to hear you loved the recipe. Happy eating!
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
Thanks Christine. So glad it turned out so well!
Yes i made this! I added baby spinach, cauliflower and broccoli. I also added a bit more coconut milk.
Made this recipe as w
Really easy and full of flavor.
Thanks Betty, so glad it turned out well!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was both easy and delicious! Highly reccomend
Love hearing that, thanks for trying it Morgan!
Incredible flavour! The 30-min Indian Butter Chickpeas is tasty!!! Quick and easy to make. I did add chopped spinach and red peppers. This will be on rotation for sure.
Thanks so much for your kind words Mag
FINALLY – I have been trying to make this and never hit the mark but this is PERFECT! Thank you for this delicious recipe, we loved it
So happy you enjoyed it Tiffany, thanks for cooking with us!
Wow! Absolutely amazing! I love your recipes. They’ve been such a help and blessing to me as I’ve been exploring more plant based recipes. Thank you and please don’t stop sharing! 5 stars ++++
Nothing better than hearing this, thank you Heather!
I made this for the first time earlier this week and I believe I ate it four nights in a row for dinner. It’s so delicious! It is flavorful and came together quickly and easily. I have tried a couple Indian recipes that were over-seasoned (the only way I can think to explain it—not too spicy, just too much), but this recipe is perfect! I’m looking forward to making it again soon. Thanks so much for sharing it!
So pumped you loved it Theresa!