Indian Butter Chickpeas

This super delicious Indian Butter Chickpeas is a one-pot favorite that features tender chickpeas simmered in a creamy, rich, spicy and aromatic makhani sauce. It makes for a cozy weeknight dinner that gets ready under 30 mins. Butter Chickpeas is packed with protein, fiber and keeps you full longer, so this dish is great even for a weekend brunch or a office lunch.

A vegetarian spin on the classic butter chicken, this butter chickpeas is equally delicious, rich and everything you want in a bowl of comfort. With a melt-in-the-mouth tender chickpeas, this is a comfort food at its best. Hot tandoori Butter Naan are great to mop up the sauce but if you are a rice lover serve it with plain Basmati rice or Saffron rice.

This recipe needs only a handful of ingredients which are easily available in Indian stores. Chickpeas are the star ingredient and you can either use canned/boiled (for a quick dish under 30 mins) or start with dried (takes overnight). I always start with dried because they taste better and are economical.

If you want to do the same like me, you may refer the expert tips section below. Here is what you need to make these delicious Indian Butter Chickpeas.

Ingredients & Substitutes

• Tomatoes: Traditionally makhani sauce is made with high quality fresh tomatoes, which are pureed and simmered with spices for quite long to let the flavors develop. However to keep this recipe simple and fast, I use tomato paste. But you can also substitute it with canned tomatoes, passata/ tomato puree or even fresh roma tomatoes. More details in the expert tips and recipe notes.
• Spices: You only need a handful of spices like garam masala, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder and Kashmiri red chili powder. You may substitute red chili powder with cayenne or paprika.
• Herbs: Kasuri methi are dried fenugreek leaves & they are an essential herb used in North Indian cooking. I highly recommend it and you can use them in a lot of Indian dishes like Dal makhani, Aloo Gobi and many more. Coriander leaves / cilantro is another herb that adds a refreshing touch to this dish and it is used to garnish.
• Butter & Cream: As the name says, makhani means a dish cooked with butter. So butter is the key ingredient in this dish. Fresh cream/ heavy cream is used to impart a creamy texture and richness. Both these ingredients balance the tang from tomatoes.
• Cashews: The secret to the most luxurious velvety butter chicken sauce is cashews. So like the classic version, this recipe uses raw unsalted cashews to impart a silky, smooth and luxurious sauce. Smooth cashew or almond butter, pureed almond flour or soaked almonds are some substitutes. However raw cashews are best here.

How to make this nut-free?

For a nut-free butter chickpeas, double the heavy cream and omit water. You won’t get the same exact taste and richness as the cashew version but it still tastes good.

Photo Guide

How to make Butter Chickpeas (Stepwise photos)

1. You will need the following ingredients:

• 2 – 15 oz cans chickpeas (drained or 3 cups boiled chickpeas from 1 cup dried)
• ⅓ cup (50 grams) raw cashews (or 2½ to 3 tbsps. cashew/almond butter or ¼ cup heavy cream)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
• 1 tablespoon ginger & garlic paste (or ¾ tablespoon each grated ginger & garlic)
• 1½ teaspoon garam masala (If using store bought I highly recommend adjusting the quantity to taste/preference)
• 1½ to 2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (adjust to heat tolerance, I use 2 tsps home ground)
• 1½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ¾ teaspoon cumin powder
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt (+ more to adjust, use less if using table salt)
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda (you may omit if you don’t like)
• 4.5 oz (130 grams, ½ cup) double concentrate tomato paste (or use 1¼ cup passata/ canned tomato puree, read expert tips section below to use fresh tomatoes)
• 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves, crushed with fingers)
• ¼ to ⅓ cup heavy cream (whipping cream or low fat cream, adjust to preference)

2. Omit this step if you are using nut butter or heavy cream as a cashew substitute. Soak cashews in ¼ cup hot water for 15 mins. Grind with the same water, in a small grinder to a smooth thick puree. Stir in another half cup water and reserve aside for later. (While they soak, proceed with the next step.)

3. Begin to melt 2 tablespoons butter on a low flame. Before it melts completely, add ginger and garlic. Sauté for 1 to 2 mins without burning.

4. Stir in the ground spices – red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt.

5. Add the tomato paste, baking soda (optional), 1 cup water (or chickpea cooked liquid), salt & chickpeas. (Or Add 1¼ cup passata/tomato puree and omit water)

6. Mix well and bring to a gentle boil on a medium heat.

7. Cover and cook for 10 mins, until your sauce is really thick and the chickpeas are tender. (While this cooks, grind the soaked cashews.)

8. Stir in the cashew puree/nut butter and heavy cream (start with lower amount of cream and adjust as per taste & consistency). If you want, you may temper the cream by mixing 3 to 4 tbsps of cooked sauce with the heavy cream. This way you will make sure the cream is not split after adding to the sauce.

9. Continue to simmer for another 4 to 5 mins, or a little longer until slightly thick, yet runny.

10. If you have used cashew cream, the sauce will thicken after cooling down, so make sure you turn off when the sauce is slightly runny/ flowy. The sauce won’t taste good if it is too thick.

11. Crush kasuri methi and add it along with the reserved butter and more salt or garam masala if required. Taste test first before making the adjustments. (I erred in adding these ingredients early before adding the cream and nut puree, but add them when you are done with the cooking)

Let the butter chickpeas cool down a bit. Squeeze lemon juice. Garnish with cream and coriander leaves. Serve it hot over rice, quinoa, millets or flatbreads like Naan or kulcha. (If you have used baking soda, I highly recommend adding lemon juice before serving)

Expert Tips

• To start with dried chickpeas, soak 1 cup chickpeas overnight in 4 cups of water and cook with fresh water and a pinch of baking soda, until tender. Takes about 40 mins. You can also pressure cook them in the instant pot with 1 cup water for 15 mins or in the stovetop (whistling) cooker for 4 to 5 whistles. You will be left with 3/4 cup stock/ liquid after cooking which you will use in the recipe along with a quarter cup water.
• You may substitute double concentrate tomato paste with 10 oz – 1¼ cup passata which is canned tomato puree. Alternately you may use 450 g  – 1 lb fresh roma tomatoes. If roma is not available, use red vine ripe or high quality tomatoes. Bad quality tomatoes can make your sauce taste bitter.
• To use fresh tomatoes, grind them to a smooth puree in a blender. Cook down the puree along with the spices until it reduces to a thick paste like consistency. Then add ½ to ¾ cup water to simmer the chickpeas.
• I like to cook my chickpeas in the spicy tomato sauce first before adding the cashew or cream. This way my chickpeas are full-flavored. Adding the cashew or cream early prevents your chickpeas from soaking up the flavors well.

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