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Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken with Soycurls and Chickpeas. 15 minute Active time! 1 Pot Creamy Indian Butter Soy Curls, Vegan Murgh Makhani. Use all chickpeas for soy-free. Vegetarian Gluten-free Recipe. Oil-free Nut-free option. Skillet option Jump to Recipe
Its no Butter No Chicken you all. Then why call it that? Well search! Most people search for vegan butter chicken for some reason and not vegan soycurls in no butter butter sauce or other variations ;). So here goes.
This recipe adapted from my popular Butter Tofu recipe. To make a skillet version, use the butter tofu recipe with soy curls. Just simmer the soy curls in the sauce with a up of water for 15 minutes. I use a combination of soy curls and chickpeas in this version and don’t use any oil. You can add some oil or vegan butter with the cashew cream to make it even more like restaurant flavor profile. Don’t have soy curls ? use all chickpeas, beans or veggies.
Its a super simple recipe. Blend up the tomato, garlic, ginger, chile. Add to the IP along with spices, soy curls and chickpeas, close and cook. Add some cashew cream and simmer for a few minutes to thicken, garnish and done! The garnish of fresh minced ginger and chile and some dried fenugreek takes this dish to an amazing flavor level. Make it!
Soy curls are a meat sub made with whole non gmo soy beans. You can find them in some stores or online on amazon. You can also use other bean curls! Look for “Wadi” in Indian stores made of moong dal, black eyed peas and other lentils/beans. The texture is different but they work equally well. You can also use seitan, tvp, soy chunks, beyond meat strips other chickin subs.
More IP recipes.
- Lentil Veggie Dhansak – Lentil Veggie Stew in IP. GF
- Kohlapuri Veggies – Veggies in sesame coconut sauce GF
- Mushroom Matar Masala GF
- Bombay Potato and Peas GF
- Aloo Palak Dal- Potato Spinach Lentils in IP. GF
- Eggplant Sambhar – Eggplant Split pea soup
- Aloo Gobi – Spiced potato and cauliflower
This recipe is adapted from my Butter Tofu “Paneer” recipe and the IP method is adapted from twosleevers’s butter chicken. Urvashi has some great tips on cooking indian food under pressure. This recipe benefits from a good fresh garam masala blend. I usually keep my garam masala in whole spice form and then grind it about a 1/4 cup at a time for a potent spice blend. Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) can be bought online or from an Indian store. If you cant find them, omit and add 1/4 tsp ground mustard instead. Indian restaurants generally add fenugreek for the flavor and of course a ton of cream and butter.
If you make the recipe, please do rate it. I also love to see your creations, so do tag me #veganricha on Instagram.
Vegan Butter Chicken Video:
Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken with Soy Curls and Chickpeas - oil-free
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe tomatoes , or 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 inch cube of ginger
- 1 hot or mild green chile, , I use serrano
- 3/4 cup water, , use 1 cup if the tomatoes arent very juicy
- ½ to 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp paprika or kashmiri chili powder
- ¼ to ½ tsp cayenne
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup soy curls, (dry, not rehydrated)
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/4 cup soaked cashews blended with ½ cup water, , or 1/2 cup cashew cream or other non Dairy cream
- 1 tsp or more garam masala
- 1/2 tsp or more sugar or sweetener
- 1 tsp kasoori methi - dried fenugreek leaves, or add a 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 moderately hot green chile, finely chopped, or use 2 tbsp finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1/2 tsp minced or finely chopped ginger
- 1/4 cup cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Blend the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chile with water until smooth.
- Add pureed tomato mixture to the Instant pot or pressure cooker. Add soy curls, chickpeas, spices and salt. Close the lid and press manual/pressure cook at high pressure, for 8 to 10 minutes. (6 minutes for stove top pressure cooker). Quick release after 10 minutes. (See notes for Stove top instructions)
- Start the IP on saute (medium heat for stove top pressure cooker). Add the cashew cream, garam masala, sweetener and fenugreek leaves and mix in. Bring to a boil, taste and adjust salt, heat, sweet. Add more cayenne and salt if needed. Fold in the chopped green chile, ginger and cilantro and press cancel(take off heat).
- At this point you can add some vegan butter or oil for additional buttery flavor. Serve hot over rice or with flatbread or Naan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks amazing! Would it work in a slow cooker?
Yes
This looks very tasty, however I can only get soy chunks, not curls. Do you think it would work?
Yes pressure cook a minute longer
I have not made this recipe with soy chunks but do know they tend to take longer to cook and have a different consistency than curls.
This was amazing!! I ate it with some rice, red onions, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, dollop of yogurt, cilantro. Definitely part of my meal rotation. Thank you so much!
Yummy.
First time user of soy curls. It was so yummy! A great comfort food. Loved that didn’t have to pre-soak. Didn’t add vegan butter or oil and I think it was absolutely creamy enough. Question – does this freeze well? Do soy curls in general? TIA!!
Yay! You can – it will change the texture slightly.
I don’t have soy curls but I do have soya wadi. Would I need to soak and squeeze it first or just add dry to the instapot as you have with the soy curls?
No just put it in fry and cook 2-3 mins more
I do not like soy but this is AMAZING. Only change I made was coconut cream instead of cashew cream. Will be making this regularly.
Yay
Hi Richa! I am looking forward to making this recipe, but would like to use canned tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes. How much would you recommend using?
Also, will this recipe work in an 8 quart IP? I have read that you need at least 2 cups of liquid for this size IP. Can I just increase the water amount from 1 cup to 2 or would it be better to double the recipe?
Thanks!
Double it
Hey! I can tell you that I make this with canned tomatoes and depending on the tomatoes you get, I omit the water all together. The juices in the canned tomatoes definitely make up for it.
Absolutely delicious and easy as well. Will make again and often!
Yay
Simple prep & great taste! What I love the most is the texture & consistency. Have been trying many Indian recipes that seem too watery when fresh. Maybe the blending is the secret?
This recipe reads similar to your Tikka Masala sauce. How would you describe the difference in flavor? Thanks!
Tikka masala is slightly tangier or tomatoy-er. It often also has yogurt in the sauce for enhancing the tang. Butter chicken is creamier. Tikka also can have chopped pieces of tomatoes and sometimes bell pepper. Restaurants often make the same base sauce and add more cream for butter sauce and add some fire roasted tomatoes, some yogurt and a touch of tomato paste for tikka masala.
Fantastic!!! Also not complicated and easy to construct. I am vegan..family no so much…No one even knew it was vegan until I mentioned so later. Really tasty..great seasonings!
THANK YOU!!! I SO appreciate your hard work. These recipes are AMAZING!
Perfect – thank you