This easy vegan butter 'chicken' alternative is made with chickpeas and peanut butter for an incredibly creamy, satisfying result that's ideal for a weeknight dinner. Savory and rich, this plant based meal is also ready in 15 minutes. Gluten-free and oil-free.
It's cool that nowadays we know how to vegan-ize anything. AND keep it healthy. That does not exclude recipes that have both 'butter' and 'chicken' in the title.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, today I'm proud to present my alternative to butter chicken. Given the popularity of butter chicken, butter chickpeas is exactly what you need to impress fans of the former.
So, keep reading to find out everything about these delicious butter chickpeas and how to make them! This is definitely one you want to have on your dinner rotation.
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Vegan butter chicken made easy.
I'm always happy when I manage to recreate a popular non-vegan dish without fancy ingredients.
Sure, it may not be exactly the same, but the flavors are very similar and the use of plant based ingredients gives dishes their own uniqueness.
That's certainly true about this vegan butter chicken. The main ingredient is chickpeas. In the world of beans and pulses, these are probably my favorite.
They're super versatile and have a great flavor that works in sweet and savory dishes alike.
As for the sauce? It is well-flavored with a mixture of spices that you most likely have in your cupboard already, and lots of tomatoes.
The secret ingredient, however, is peanut butter.
It adds that distinctive creaminess and richness that makes butter chicken famous and will keep everyone coming back for seconds.
And that is also the ingredient that makes this dish totally different than this otherwise similar Indian Butter Chickpeas recipe.
I made this dish while visiting my friends in Russia. They're all life-long omnivores, but my butter chickpeas disappeared in minutes nonetheless!
You will love this vegan butter chicken!
This vegan butter chicken is...
- Super easy, even with no prior cooking experience.
- Full of flavor and richness.
- Savoury, with just the right amount of spice.
- Ready in 15 minutes.
- Perfect as a weeknight dinner.
- Made with simple ingredients.
- Crowd-pleasing.
- Freezer-friendly.
- Gluten-free.
- Oil-free.
- A great alternative to takeaway.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make vegan butter chicken, you will need ...
Fresh onions, either white or red.
Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half. These help add an incredible flavor naturally.
Chickpeas. A key ingredient! However, if you want to switch things up, replace them with another bean variety, such as butter beans, tofu, or even a vegan meat alternative.
Canned tomatoes. Will help enhance the flavor. I prefer these fire roasted tomatoes for extra flavor.
Turmeric.
Onion granules.
Paprika.
Curry powder (select spice level based on your personal preference). Or, use a vegan curry paste. I'm a fan of this curry powder.
Coconut milk. Use the canned variety, either full fat or reduced fat, based on your preference.
Tomato paste.
Peanut butter. Once again, this is a key ingredient, but other nut butter varieties will work too. Go for a smooth variety, where the only ingredients are nuts and salt at most.
Tamari, or coconut aminos to make this dish soy-free.
How to make vegan butter chickpeas
Add the onion to a non-stick frying pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the cherry tomatoes and stir for a further 2 minutes, until the tomatoes cook down.
Add the chickpeas, canned tomatoes, turmeric, onion granules, paprika and curry powder. Stir for 2 minutes to coat the chickpeas and allow the spices to become fragrant.
Pour in the coconut milk together with the tomato paste and peanut butter. Simmer on a medium heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more coconut milk if it starts to get too thick or dry.
At the last minute, stir in the tamari and serve immediately.
Other vegan chickpea recipes
If you love this vegan butter "chicken", be sure to check out these other delicious ideas:
- 22+ Best Vegan Indian Recipes (plus these vegetarian Indian recipes!)
- Sweet and sour chickpeas and green beans
- Noodle soup with roasted chickpeas
- Peanut chickpea curry
- One pot chickpea pasta
Let me know in the comments: what's your current comfort food favorite? If you give this easy vegan butter chicken a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@ohmyveggies) so I can see your creations, and leave your feedback in the comments below!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Deep Frying Pan or saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 7 oz canned diced tomatoes, about half a can
- 2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon onion granules
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, or vegan curry paste
- 1 can coconut milk
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon tamari
Instructions
- Add the onion to a non-stick frying pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the cherry tomatoes and stir for a further 2 minutes, until the tomatoes cook down.
- Add the chickpeas, canned tomatoes, turmeric, onion granules, paprika and curry powder. Stir for 2 minutes to coat the chickpeas and allow the spices to become fragrant.
- Pour in the coconut milk together with the tomato paste and peanut butter. Simmer on a medium heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more coconut milk if it starts to get too thick or dry.
- At the last minute, stir in the tamari and serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition (estimated per serving)
Stephanie says
This was amazing!! I can’t believe how good this turned out. We wanted to try this with chickpeas however we will also try this sauce with chicken as it honestly tastes so much like butter chicken!! I never even comment on recipes but this deserves a 5 star and want to emphasize that it’s a must try recipe even if you’re not vegan..
Juliette B says
Tasty! Make sure to blend your can tomatoes or else buy them as puree, otherwise the texture isn't as great. With the onions I threw in diced carrots and zucchini, to add some veggies. Left out tamari and added salt. I also added some roasted cashews at the end, game changer!
Debbie Nokes says
What a fantastic recipe! So delicious with the curry paste option (Thai kitchen red curry paste) And the peanut butter rounds out the flavor and texture. Oh, this is perfect! Thank you so much!
👏🙏😊
RA says
Amazing recipe! Don’t leave out the peanut butter! What a game changer! Best flavour ever! I doubled the recipe for our big family and added 5 clovers of garlic and boom! magic in your mouth! This is now family favourite that we will make over and over again! Thank you so so much for sharing! ❤️😊
Dan R says
I added cauliflower rice, some baby carrots,and a bag of frozen cauliflower. I thought the sauce flavor was excellent with the curry and peanut butter. it made 7 servings at just 240 calories
laurel says
I really enjoyed this. subbed out the cherry tomatoes to regular diced tomatoes. had no onion powder, so popped in vegie stock powder instead no tamari, but soy sauce instead. For those playing at home, I used the metric converter & it doesn't specify how much of the coconut milk is in the can. I made double the recipie & used an entire 400g can. turned out beautifully. thank you. loved this.
Haylee says
So delicious!! I added some diced mushrooms with the onions to use what I had, added 3 cloves of garlic, and I didn’t have any canned tomatoes so I only used the cherry tomatoes. Still turned out phenomenal! Will be making this again!!
Haylee says
This was absolutely fantastic!! I added mushrooms along with the onions and didn’t have diced tomatoes so I only used cherry. I added some garlic cloves as well! Turned out so amazing. Will be making this on repeat.
Rich B says
This is one of the best "how great it is" compared to "how easy it is" recipes I can remember ever coming across. Made it several times, with both curry powder and curry paste, and it never fails.
Kathy says
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe except that I added garlic (I just love garlic). Pecans are in the photos, but not in the recipe. Nice touch to add pecans or cashews. Toasted cashews, as someone else pointed out, is a good addition.