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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.
I’ve found so many great recipes on your blog, and sent them to lots of friends–this one is so good, I made the stovetop version using all chickpeas for dinner with my boyfriend and his son last night, and made a batch again today to have it for a few meals all to myself! So good! I used a little more cashew cream because the heat in serranos where I shop tends to be pretty wild. Thanks so much for all these amazing feasts!
Awesome!!
Hello! I love your recipes. I was hoping to make this, but we are nut free due to allergies, and I don’t have any coconut cream to sub. Any suggestions for other things to make it creamy? Or might it be okay without? (I’ve never had “real” butter chicken anyway!)
Thanks!
you can use just non dairy milk, or blend 2-3 tbsp tofu withthe non dairy milk for creamier
I made this yesterday and took it (with some cooked long-grain rice) to a dinner where I was the only vegan. Everybody who tasted it loved it, including the host who is a diehard carnivore. He insisted that I leave some for him. The only complaint I heard was that a couple of people found it too hot.. I made a double batch and used 2-1/2 Serranos — 2 for the puree and 1/2 at the end. I thought that was perfect but I guess when I make it again (which I certainly will!) I’ll have to tone down the peppers for the sake of guests.
I also added my secret ingredient for making almost anything taste more buttery. Believe it or not, it’s Trader Joe’s Vegan Mozzarella Shreds. I stirred a healthy pinch in right at the end. They immediately liquified and added a nice buttery note. Even without them, this is a really great recipe!!!
awesome! thats a great addition! green chilies have a range of heat. Sometimes the serranos are too mild and sometimes too hot. use lesser to being with and add more cayenne later to taste if needed.
I really look forward to making this, but I’m not sure what constitutes one cup of soy curls. Would it be possible to get this in grams? I’m doubling the recipe so I’ll probably just use a whole bag, but I’d feel more secure if I knew the weight of the ingredient (Some things just don’t lend themselves to very precise measurement by volume.)
i just went to the kitchen and measured it and its about 60 gm 🙂 some 10 gm here and there will work just ok
Absolutely delicious. We have been making this regularly for over a year now. Thank you!
yay!
I plan on doubling this recipe and although you said double everything, I found in the past the doubling the spices doesn’t always work. So I want to verify that I should also double the spices. I have all your books and have never found a recipe I do not like. Thank you
you can start with 1.5 times the spice and salt. esp the heat, you dont want to double theheat spices. you can always add more spices later when simmering
Omg, this is fabulous! Even my picky 12-year-old is eating it :). Thanks so much for a great recipe. And I love that it took advantage of my IP. I’m always looking for IP recipes. Next time, I’ll definitely double it to have lots of leftovers. I bet it freezes well. Thank you!
yay!! yes it does. youmight have to add some more non dairy milk when reheating as the sauce will thicken
Was about to make this, and I weighed out the soy curls because their shape makes volume measures tricky. But 8oz is the whole package! Seems like much more than a cup. Thought maybe you meant ounces as a volume equivalent but your ounces equivalent for 1 cup of soy curls and 1 cup of chickpeas differs. Am I misunderstanding your measurements?
yes that is incorrect.sometimes the widget picks up wrong ingredients for the conversion calculation. its 55 g of soycurls.
thanks for catching that
This is the first recipe I made in my IP! I made some changes because I dont cook with garlic and I didn’t have fenugreek leaves. Also I used real cream and a little butter. I wasnt sure what I was doing with the buttons and setting times (I have a duo mini, it doesn’t have a manual setting) but it came out absolutely delicious. I had just happened to have a bag of soy curls in the freezer! This is an awesome recipe and I cant wait to do a little kichadi. Thanks so much!
I would suggest replacing the water with coconut milk but this was a very yummy recipe!
Awesome thanks! coconut adds a flavor that isnt usually there in a butter sauce, but it would definitely add some more creamyness and richness. You can also add more cashews