Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (2024)

Created by Laura Wright

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5 from 19 votes

Spiced vegan “butter” chickpeas is a totally plant-based take on butter chicken/murgh makhani, a spiced, rich, tomato-based curry. Simple and quick to prepare. Rich, creamy, and flavourful.

Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (1)
Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (2)
Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (3)
Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (4)

Is this vegan “butter” chickpeas the ideal summer-to-fall bridge meal? I’m thinking so. This is my extremely plant-based take on the classic Indian dish butter chicken or murgh makhani, a spiced tomato-based curry. We keep all the spices, the tomatoes, and the richness too (with coconut oil and cashew cream)! But we sub in chickpeas as our protein and I’m telling you: it’s really good! Vegan Richa has a recipe for a vegan murgh makhani with soy curls and chickpeas that sounds meaty and amazing!

I’ve used the last of my garden tomatoes for the sauce in this vegan butter chickpeas dish. You could definitely use canned crushed tomatoes if yours are all gone already (or they’re out of season where you live). I just simply boiled mine so that I could slip the skins off, and then I crushed them by hand in a big bowl. It gives this saucy stew a bright and fresh note.

This hearty main is super weeknight friendly too. It’s a basic sauté that you add spices, chickpeas, the tomatoes, and a quickly blended cashew cream to. Let it simmer for a tiny bit, adjust the seasonings to your needs, and then heat up some flatbread or put on a pot of rice. This recipe freezes well too.

Hope that you’re all enjoying this special transition season! We’ve been getting some cooler days and its making me so happy. Soup and stew weather is when I’m at my happiest :). I find this season is really potent in terms of creative energy and just motivation in general. Almost like a fresh start.

Among other things that I’m working on lately, I’ve decided to get with the times and up my email newsletter game! If you’ve signed up for my email list already, you know that you basically get a very boring notice in your inbox when a post comes up on the site with a tiny preview of the text and the recipe title. I’m hoping to share a little simple recipe every week along with an update on all of my work online, an article or two that I’m into, some things/products that are lighting me up etc! Basically a slightly condensed, more easily digestible version of my old happy hour posts. Sound good? I’m so excited for this!

Hope that everyone has a great week! Make these spiced vegan “butter” chickpeas! It’s guaranteed to get you in the cozy (and spooky) spirit of Fall ;)

Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (5)
Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (6)
Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (7)
Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (8)
Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (9)

Vegan “Butter” Chickpeas

Spiced vegan "butter" chickpeas is a totally whole food-based take on butter chicken. Simple and quick to prepare. Rich, creamy, and perfectly spiced.

5 from 19 votes

Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (10)

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

  • cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
  • cup filtered water
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 2 large ripe tomatoes (mine weighed 550 grams)
  • 3 tablespoons unscented coconut oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, fine dice (about 1 ½ cups diced onion)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (from approximately 2 15-oz cans)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • chopped cilantro, for serving

Equipment

Notes

  • Yes, 3 tablespoons of coconut oil is a lot! We’re trying to replicate the mega creamy texture of a typical butter chicken recipe, so we need to go ALL in. Feel free to reduce the oil if you need to.
  • I used unscented coconut oil because I find it to be the most “buttery” of all plant-based oils. If you don’t mind a strong coconut flavour (it would taste great!), you could certainly use virgin coconut oil.
  • Maybe the maple syrup seems like a “HUH?” ingredient, but we add it to the cashew cream to evoke that natural sweetness of real dairy cream. Again, it would be fine to leave out if added sugar is a concern.
  • If you’re using canned crushed tomatoes, you will need exactly 2 cups (16 ounces) for this recipe.

Instructions

  • In an upright, high speed blender, combine the drained cashews, water, and maple syrup. Blend on high until you have a heavy cream-like consistency, about 1 minute. Set aside.

  • Set a saucepan full of water over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, cut an “X” into the bottom of the tomatoes and gently place them into the water. Once the skin starts peeling, remove the tomatoes from the water and set aside to cool. Once cool, cut the tomatoes in half and remove the core. Then, place the tomato halves in a medium bowl and crush them with your hands. You can leave this pretty rustic as you’ll be blending the sauce later on. Set aside.

  • Place a large, deep skillet (or braiser) over medium heat. Add the coconut oil to the skillet and swirl it around. Add the onions to the skillet and saute until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the skillet, and cook, stirring often, for about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Season liberally with salt and pepper and stir. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Then, add the cashew cream and stir.

  • Carefully transfer the sauce to an upright, high speed blender. Carefully blend the mixture on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return the pureed sauce to the skillet on the stove. Add the chickpeas and stir. Bring the vegan “butter” chickpeas to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened and clinging to the chickpeas.

  • Stir in the lemon juice and check the dish for seasoning. Adjust salt/pepper/spice/acidity if necessary. Top the vegan “butter” chickpeas with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with rice or flatbread of choice.

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Dairy-free, Gluten-Free, Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: cardamom, cashews, chickpeas, cilantro, cinnamon, coconut oil, coriander, cumin, curry, lemon, nutmeg, smoked paprika, tomatoes

11/09/2019 (Last Updated 25/10/2022)

Posted in: autumn, cashews, chickpeas, creamy, earthy, gluten free, main course, quick, salty, side dish, spicy, spring, summer, tomatoes, umami, vegan, winter

34 comments

  • Indra

    Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (11)
    Favorite curry recipe, thanks a lot!

    Reply

  • Veronica

    Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (12)
    I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious wow! I added crushed red pepper for a bit of spiciness!

    Reply

  • Eva

    Could I use olive oil in place of coconut oil (we cannot have), and if so can I compensate with some additional cashew cream? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Laura Wright

      Hi Eva,
      Yes, you can definitely use an equal amount of olive oil instead! No need to make further adjustments as olive oil has a nice rich mouthfeel as well. Hope you enjoy! Do let me know if you have further questions.
      -L

      Reply

  • Debbie

    This looks amazing – making it tonight for dinner! Do you know how many calories it is per serving?

    Reply

  • B

    Not bashing but genuinely curious as to the lack of garam masala or turmeric in this recipe as they wouldn’t affect the vegan aspect and have been in any butter chicken recipe I have ever seen?

    • Laura

      Hi Brian,
      In this recipe, I took inspiration from the spices found in widely available garam masala blends and applied that to the spice blend that I used. When I was experimenting with this recipe, most recipes that incorporated turmeric used it as part of a marinade that was directly applied to the chicken before cooking. This step did not seem appropriate with my use of chickpeas.
      -L

      Reply

  • Adam Simmons

    Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (13)
    Awesome

    Reply

  • Nivedita Chatterjee

    The gravy was amazing…but I would have loved if the chickpeas were softer.. if you can suggest me how to do that..

    Reply

  • Robert

    This is an extremely unpleasant reading experience. Too many pictures.

    Reply

    • Sid

      Chill out, Robert. Look at the pretty pictures.

      Reply

  • Ashley MacKirdy

    made this the other night and it was perfection! used canned tomatoes. the sauce is so, so good. thank you!

    Reply

  • Allie

    I made these and they are SO delicious!

    Reply

  • Laurel

    Made this tonight and it was very good! We served it over wild rice, which made it much more filling. We liked ours with a bit more lemon and lots of salt to give it some extra tanginess. I used canned tomatoes and with our Vitamix, I didn’t have to soak the cashews very long. Came together super easy. Thank you!

    Reply

  • Laurnie

    Made this for a weekend lunch and it was delicious!!! I had a moment of pause when I realized the sauce was going to be moved from the blender to the pot back to the blender, back to the pot, haha but it was super easy. In fact, everything came together so easily, I made some chapati to go along with it. Thank you for this simple, budget-friendly and delicious recipe!

    Reply

  • April

    Made this tonight, it was delicious!!!!!!!

    Reply

  • Sarah Millman

    Just made this and it was absolutely delicious! I didn’t have cashews, so I used the suggested alternative cup of coconut milk (I had coconut cream on hand, super rich & creamy). I also didn’t have fresh tomatoes on hand, so used an open jar of Rao’s sauce (was nervous about this, but it’s a nice sauce & I wanted to use it up. tastes great!). Finally, I had a Cha’s organic blend of Curry Masala, so I used that plus some paprika & the pinch of nutmeg – and honestly it’s so delicious! Thank you for solving my weeknight dilemma!

    Reply

  • J3

    Very interested in receiving your news letter as I find your recipes to be delicious

    Reply

  • Kim H

    Just ate this for dinner — DELICIOUS and so easy! Thank you, Laura, for reliable recipes that turn out as good as your photos. I did add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes onto my portion. Next time I will likely add at the same time as the rest of the spices. Thank you!

    Reply

  • Handpan les workshop

    OMG, I loved butter chicken when I still ate meat, but never found a real substitute for it. This might be it! Thanks :D

    Reply

  • Dana

    I made this and it is absolutely wonderful!

    Reply

    • Elijah

      I Made this last night and its really good.I used a wooden salad bowl to present to our guest and they like it the taste also the presentation.

      Reply

  • Caroline

    I made this for a class at the Buddhist Center today. It was a big hit! Scaling up for 40, I’m not sure I kept the proportions well, but I’ll make it again soon for just the family and use the amounts as written. People asked for the recipe, and I sent them the link, so you may have more fans, soon.

    Reply

  • Melissa

    Made this for dinner last night! It turned out soo well.

    I was low on time so I used canned tomatoes and 1 cup of full-fat canned coconut milk in place of the cashew cream. I used 2 tsp of garam masala, 1 tsp curry powder and 1 tsp of chilli powder in place of the cardamon and the coriander because I was out of both.

    It was still amazing!!!! Fast and delicious. I will be making it again soon and maybe adding cauliflower for some extra vegetables.

    Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

  • Lynn Haslam

    Made this for dinner. It was pretty darned good!! Don’t add extra tomatoes – perfect as written. Next time I will double the batch to freeze. Thanks

    Reply

  • Tania

    Just made this for dinner and it was delicious! I added some veg that needed to be used up, namely butternut, spinach and cauliflower and it all came together beautifully. Thanks, Laura, for your inspiring and tasty dishes!

    Reply

  • jenny

    How many ounces of a can of crushed tomatoes do you suggest if you don’t have fresh tomatoes?

    Reply

    • Laura

      2 cups or 16 ounces of crushed tomatoes will substitute for fresh.
      -L

      Reply

  • M

    This looks amazing. Are there any decent, relatively quick subs for the cashew cream? Tree nut allergies over here.

    Reply

    • Laura

      You could use 1 cup of full fat coconut milk if you don’t mind a more overt coconut flavour. I think it would be great here! You could also use 1 cup of plain, unsweetened soy creamer.
      -L

      Reply

      • M

        I love coconut, so that sounds perfect! Thank you! :-)

        Reply

  • Jill

    Yum! So perfect as we move toward fall. Looking forward to the “new” newsletter. I always click on what you send and appreciate your thoughtfulness and effort. :)

    Reply

  • Tracey

    Ditto for me, i enjoy reading your newsletters.

    Reply

  • Misty Pittman

    YASSSS! I’m so on board with this newsletter upgrade. Anyone who says “newsletters are dead” is wrong. I love a good note in my inbox from my favorite peeps.

    Also, this recipe is getting made.

    Reply

Vegan "Butter" Chickpeas Recipe (dairy-free) | The First Mess (2024)

FAQs

Can you use butter beans instead of chickpeas? ›

Perhaps the best substitute for chickpeas across the board is white beans. They have both a similar taste and look to chickpeas. Any white bean will do, including cannellini beans (white kidney beans), lima beans (butter beans), great northern beans, and navy beans.

What is a substitute for chickpeas in hummus? ›

I recommend using black beans instead of chickpeas. They are similar to chickpeas in having a mild flavor, and you can prepare the hummus in exactly the same way. You can also make hummus with Cannellini beans or green peas. And if you want more flavor just add garlic and tahini sauce to the mix.

What is a good substitute for chickpeas in falafel? ›

Anywhoo, let's make some Homemade Baked Falafel WITHOUT Chickpeas. First, place the almonds, hemp hearts, garlic, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and sea salt in your food processor. Process for 10 seconds until chopped up and mealy. Add the egg, coconut oil, and parsley.

What bean is closest to butter beans? ›

Navy beans also make a pretty good alternative to butter beans. Despite their name, the legumes are white. Though they're a little smaller than butter beans, the two share a similar buttery, creamy taste and texture. They have a slight earthiness to them and make a great swap for butter beans in stews and soups.

Are chickpeas healthier than other beans? ›

Answer: All three beans, like other legumes, are great choices,supplying protein and dietary fiber as well as a variety ofvitamins and minerals. Black beans are slightly higher in fiberthan the other two choices and provide some extra magnesium, butgarbanzo beans (chickpeas) are a little higher in the B vitaminfolate.

Why add baking soda to chickpeas for hummus? ›

Baking soda: Adding baking soda to the chickpeas helps make the legume easier to digest, softer, and makes them easy to peel. Don't skip this ingredient! Lemon juice: I never suggest using pre-bottled lemon juice, but I especially urge you not to in homemade hummus.

Is hummus or chickpeas healthier? ›

Traditional hummus has a fat content 4-5 times that of chickpeas alone (Table 1), which may account for the improved blood glucose and insulin response, since dietary fat delays gastric emptying and therefore slows carbohydrate absorption [32,33].

What is a substitute for eggs in chickpeas? ›

The Formula. Three tablespoons of aquafaba is equivalent to about one whole egg, while two tablespoons of aquafaba is equivalent to about one egg white. Keep in mind that a can of chickpeas yields about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of this liquid, so about eight to 12 tablespoons.

Why can't you use canned chickpeas for falafel? ›

Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They're far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you'll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.

What bean is closest to chickpeas? ›

A great place to look for chickpea substitutes is in the bean aisle, since beans are legumes just like chickpeas. Beans that are very similar to chickpeas include cannellini beans, fava beans, and lima beans. These beans are similar in taste, texture, and appearance to chickpeas.

What is better than chickpeas? ›

Since lentils have more fiber, lentils win this round. Lentils contain more protein than Chickpeas. Both chickpeas and lentils are great sources of vegetable protein. However, since lentils have more of this healthy nutrient, lentils win this round.

How to make chickpeas from a can taste good? ›

(I typically go with garlic powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, but anything will work.) Then, I'll spread them on a baking sheet and bake them in a 400-degree oven, shaking the chickpeas around occasionally, until they're golden-brown and crispy. Recipes To Try: The Best Dry-Roasted Chickpea Recipe.

Can you eat chickpeas out of the can? ›

Canned chickpeas are pre-cooked chickpeas. You can eat canned chickpeas straight out of the can! (Just be sure to rinse them off before chowing down to wash out excess sodium) Otherwise, you can roast them or turn them into any number of delicious dishes, like these here.

What is the best way to eat chickpeas? ›

How to Use Canned Chickpeas:
  1. Make a quick but better-than-store-bought hummus.
  2. Roast canned chickpeas.
  3. Pan fry chickpeas.
  4. Mash chickpeas for a sandwich.
  5. Mash 'em in a quesadilla.
  6. Make chana masala.
  7. Or another chickpea curry!
  8. Bulk up your soups or stews.
Feb 13, 2021

What beans can you substitute for chickpeas? ›

Best Substitutes for Chickpeas Based on Flavor and Texture
  • Cannellini Beans. It doesn't get any better than cannellini beans. ...
  • Black Beans. Black beans, also known as turtle beans, are another ideal substitute for chickpeas. ...
  • Lima Beans. ...
  • Pinto Beans. ...
  • Great Northern Beans. ...
  • Navy Beans. ...
  • Red Kidney Beans. ...
  • Soya Beans.
Jun 16, 2023

What are butter beans good for? ›

Butter beans are rich in vitamins and minerals, which are important for overall health. A source of potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, and zinc, they also contain calcium and protein. Both plant-based foodies and meat-lovers can really benefit from adding butter beans to their diet.

What bean is the same as a butter bean? ›

You'll see them labeled in different ways in the store, after all: frozen lima beans, canned butter beans, dried large limas—or is it dried large butter beans? Turns out, lima beans and butter beans are the same thing. Both terms refer to the same species, Phaseolus lunatus.

Can I use butter beans instead of cannellini beans? ›

These beans are small, oval, cream in colour and one of the haricot bean family. Available canned or dried, if purchased dried, they must be soaked and cooked prior to use. Butter beans can be used instead of cannellini beans. Uses: Slow-cooked casseroles, especially pork recipes, salads.

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