Tender potatoes and chickpeas cooked in an aromatic and creamy Indian butter sauce. These quick and easy Instant Pot Indian butter potato chickpeas are ready in 30 minutes. A great main dish or meal with rice for the family. Vegan and dairy-free!
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Indian butter potato chickpeas is a delicious, aromatic dish featuring chickpeas and potatoes simmered in a creamy butter sauce packed with a variety of spices.
The combination of the potatoes with the legumes in that flavorful sauce hits the spot like no other! You may find a version of this dish served at select Indian restaurants.
It's best served with white rice, naan and vegetables. Also if you're not vegan or dairy-free, I share dairy substitutes below.
This is a great dish for those who are not fans of chickpeas, like myself! The sauce breaks down the texture of the chickpeas and the spices mask their natural smell.
If you don't own an instant pot, you can use a normal pot but please see the FAQ section below for instructions.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Yellow Potatoes: or substitute with yukon gold potatoes.
- Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans): use the canned kind to make things easier. Or substitute with the dried kind and hydrate them with water overnight but strain out the liquids.
- Vegan Butter: or substitute with a neutral cooking oil or regular butter for dairy version.
- Garlic
- Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Paste: this is different from tomato sauce as it's highly concentrated in flavor and much thicker.
- Ground Garam masala
- Ground coriander
- Paprika
- Ground cumin
- Ground Turmeric
- Ginger powder: or substitute with fresh ginger.
- Salt
- Cold Water
- Hot Boiling Water & Raw Cashews: to make the cashew cream. Or substitute with roasted cashews but make to soak them longer in the hot boiling water so they break down more easily. For a dairy-version, substitute with 1 cup of heavy cream.
- Parsley: for garnishing. Or substitute with parsley.
Expert Tips
- Don't chop the potatoes too small or they will disintegrate as they pressure cook.
- Prepare all the ingredients in advance because the cooking process is fast.
- Soak the raw cashews for at least 5 minutes in the hot boiling water so they break down faster and more smoothly after blending.
- Be careful when you release the sealing valve or when you remove the lid as there is a lot of built up steam.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Instant pot butter potato chickpeas:
- In a blender or food processor, soak raw cashews in hot boiling water for 5 minutes. Then blend until smooth. This is your cashew cream. Set aside.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté Mode on the highest heat setting. Sauté garlic in butter. Add potatoes and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then toss in all the ground garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika, ground turmeric, ginger powder and salt.
- Mix in tomato sauce and tomato paste until combined with potatoes. Then add chickpeas and toss gently. Stir in cold water and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Cover with Instant Pot lid and lock it. Set to Pressure Cook Mode and set time to 10 minutes. Turn sealing knob to Sealing Mode.
- Once it has cooked for ten minutes, turn off pressure cooker. Carefully release the sealing valve to release the pressure. Once released, remove lid and watch out for steam.
- Pour in the cashew cream and gently mix until combined. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with basmati rice. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat on the stovetop in a pan on medium heat until hot.
- Freezer-friendly? Butter potato chickpeas can be frozen for up to 3 months. To store: let the butter potato chickpeas cool down completely, then store in a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out any air and seal it for freezing. To reheat, thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat in a large pot on medium heat until its bubbling hot.
Pairing Suggestions
Indian butter potato chickpeas serves well with:
- naan, roti or basmati rice
- sweet potatoes
- cucumber raita
- pakora
- aloo tikki
- biryani
- Indian creamed spinach (palak paneer)
- tandoori chicken, butter chicken, tikka masala, korma, vindaloo, keema, or kebab
FAQ
Butter potato and chickpeas can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for a few minutes or reheat on the stovetop on medium heat until hot.
This Indian butter potato chickpea can be cooked in a normal pot on the stove top. After the water has been added to the chickpeas, simmer it on medium heat for 30 minutes covered or until the potatoes are fork tender the and sauce has reduced into a thicker one before mixing in the coconut milk.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Instant Pot Butter Potato Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 5 medium yellow potatoes or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 13.52 fl oz canned chickpeas rinsed and strained
- 3 tablespoon vegan butter or regular butter for a dairy-version
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder or fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water cold
- 2 tablespoon parsley chopped for garnishing
To make the Cashew Cream (or substitute with 1 cup / 250 ml heavy cream for a dairy version):
- ⅓ cup raw cashews or roasted cashews
- ½ cup water boiling hot
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, soak raw cashews in hot boiling water for 5 minutes. Then blend until smooth. This is your cashew cream. Set aside.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté Mode on the highest heat setting. Sauté garlic in butter. Add potatoes and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then toss in all the ground garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika, ground turmeric, ginger powder and salt.
- Mix in tomato sauce and tomato paste until combined with potatoes. Then add chickpeas and toss gently. Stir in cold water and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Cover with Instant Pot lid and lock it. Set to Pressure Cook Mode and set time to 10 minutes. Turn sealing knob to Sealing Mode.
- Once it has cooked for ten minutes, turn off pressure cooker. Carefully release the sealing valve to release the pressure. Once released, remove lid and watch out for steam.
- Pour in the cashew cream and gently mix until combined. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with basmati rice. Enjoy!
Deanna Riley
This was so delicious and easy to make! I made it tonight for my husband and two teens and everyone loved it. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
christieathome
Thank you Deanna for making my recipe and I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed it! Have a lovely day!
Mirabelle
Delicious and so easy! Thank you. We added some frozen peas and it worked well.
christieathome
Amazing to hear! Thanks so much for the kind review! Frozen peas sound like a great addition!
Lexy
This is my favourite instant pot recipe I've found so far. Like, 50% of what I use my instant pot for is this recipe.
I use Yukon Gold potatoes so I don't have to peel them, and I cut them into bite-size pieces.
At first I was a little annoyed at the lack of precise measurements, but after making it so many times I realized it doesn't really matter. 5 big potatoes? 5 smaller potatoes? How big are the cans of chickpeas? None of it matters. 5 potatoes, 1 can, always delicious!
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe, Lexy! I've updated the recipe with more precise measurements. Glad it's delicious regardless!
Sierra
Just tried it! I added cauliflower, just to bulk it up some more, and it turned out great! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
christieathome
I am so happy to read this! Thank you for making my recipe!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I really like how you used the Instant Pot to create this dish. It serves up so much flavor with so little effort!
Karen
I just tried this for this first time. It is the best Indian instant pot recipe! It will definitely be part of our rotation.
christieathome
This is so kind! Thank you so much Karen and I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Jeanie
I assume that the chickpeas should be rinsed and drained before adding to IP - correct?
christieathome
Yes, that's correct!