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:
Recipe Card
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 (0.5 inch) cube of ginger
- 1 hot or mild green chile , I use serrano
- 3/4 cup (250 ml) water , use 1 cup if the tomatoes arent very juicy
- ½ to 1 tsp (1/2 to 1 tsp ) garam masala
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) paprika or kashmiri chili powder
- ¼ to ½ tsp (1/4 to 1/2 tsp) cayenne
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) salt
- 1 cup (55 g) soy curls (dry, not rehydrated)
- 1 cup (5.78 oz) cooked chickpeas
- Cashew cream made with with ¼ cup soaked cashews blended with ½ cup water
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) or more garam masala
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) or more sugar or sweetener
- 1 tsp kasoori methi - dried fenugreek leaves or add a 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 (0.5) moderately hot green chile finely chopped, or use 2 tbsp finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) minced or finely chopped ginger
- 1/4 cup (4 g) 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
Mel
This looks amazing! Would it work in a slow cooker?
Richa
Yes
Krinio
This looks very tasty, however I can only get soy chunks, not curls. Do you think it would work?
Richa
Yes pressure cook a minute longer
Vegan Richa Support
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.
Kate
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!
Vegan Richa Support
Yummy.
Merry
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!!
Vegan Richa Support
Yay! You can – it will change the texture slightly.
Jay
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?
Richa
No just put it in fry and cook 2-3 mins more
Arlene
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.
Richa
Yay
Aanchal
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!
Richa
Double it
Brittney
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.
Chad S.
Absolutely delicious and easy as well. Will make again and often!
Richa
Yay
Carolyn
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!
Richa
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.
B
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!
Vegan Richa Support
Perfect – thank you
Peter
Richa! I loved this your recipe so much! It’s simply amazing; and easy to make.
I see that you also have the recipes for Tofu Amritsari Masala, Tofu Balti and Tofu Madrass here on your site.
Would be awesome to have Instant Pot recipes for these dishes, both for them with tofu and with soy curls as well.
Would be so grateful if that would happen.
Richa
The instant pot versions are in my new instant pot cookbook! 🙂
Peter
Wow! looking forward for the release!
Mindy Richmond
If I don’t want to add chickepeas, should I double the soy curls? Chickpeas upset my stomach 🤦🏻♀️
Vegan Richa Support
sure Mindy, that will work
Susan Koziol
OMG! My husband and I absolutely loved this! The soy curls come out like chicken but even better. This has given me so many ideas. Hands down, the best vegan butter ‘chicken’ I have tasted. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!! Do leave a rating too!
Sarah N.
Delucious, and really quick in the instant pot. I think this will become one of my staples!
Vegan Richa Support
excellent staple
Lisa H
This recipe was fantastic, Im new to trying Indian food and was afraid it might be to spicy but it was perfect.
Vegan Richa Support
perfect! thank you
Anushree
This sounds delish! I’m trying to limit / avoid additional fat and oil at the moment to my cooking. when making the sauce – would using silken tofu instead of cashews or coconut milk work (i don’t have an issue with using soy)? Thanks
Richa
Yes blend it and use
Anushree
This sounds delish! I’m trying to limit / avoid additional fat and oil at the moment to my cooking. when making the sauce – would using silken tofy instead of cashews or coconut milk work (i don’t have an issue with using soy)? Thanks
Keren
AMAZING!!!
Bridget
Hi Richa, i don’t have soy curls so am wondering if i can substitute a block of tofu cut into cubes.
Richa
Yes press, cube and sauté a bit in oil in the pot and then proceed
Bridget
Thank you so much!!
Kelly LaFramboise, PhD
This is a staple in our menu rotation. I usually use the coconut cream instead of cashews. I can’t find fenugreek where I live so I use the ground mustard Richa suggests. Delicious every time. We never have leftovers. Every Vegan Richa recipe we have made is top notch.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you
Aarti
Love all your recipes, they always come out perfect! Quick question, if I want to use canned tomato purée instead of the tomatoes, will that work and how much should I use?
Thank You!
Richa
Try 8 oz. some instant pots might give burn Error with canned purée.
Ally
Love this dish and so many other veganricha dishes! I’m new to indian food outside of just a basic curry so this one was fun to try! I decided to try this will roasted broccoli, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms and onion and it turned out so good. I used canned tomatoes and an immersion blender to make the recipe quick and easy. I also (thankfully) cut the salt down a third and the cayenne by half of the small recommended amount to be cautious like I usually am. Salt amount was prefect this way, but this dish is still pretty spicy (and I like spicy) and I didn’t not use any hot peppers, so i think I’ll have to try adjusting the cayenne more next time. Overall super easy, healthy and delicious thank you for sharing!! Will be adding this to my regular recipe line up!
Ally Sutherland
Whoops – I meant to add my 5 star rating 😄
Vegan Richa Support
Fabulous –
thanks for popping in ♡
Tori T
Delicious! Wanted it a bit more “buttery” so I added some extra coconut milk in lieu of cashew cream. Super tasty!
Andrew
If I want to use a full bag (8 oz) of soy curls, what do I need to do to the recipe?
Thanks!
Vegan Richa Support
quadruple everything
Lauren
I made this tonight using oat milk instead of the cashew cream. It was so yummy! I loved the warm flavors. I’ll certainly make it again!
Vegan Richa Support
perfect for a chillyt night. thanks
Kenzie
So good! I’ve made this recipe maaany times now – it’s easy and always so delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
that’s great
Radha
Tasted like it was from a good Indian restaurant !
Totally skipped the butter and Ginger-chili garnish, still super yummy
Vegan Richa Support
wow – thanks for popping in ♡
Dana
Can I double the soy curls (I’m actually using soya chunks) instead of adding chickpeas?
Richa
Yes. Soy chunks are hardy so they might need additional cook time
Rachel
This was SOOO delicious!!! I made it at the beginning of the week and I doubled it and ate it all week! I was so excited to eat my lunch every day! I didn’t have cashews to use for it though, but I actually had some of forager’s plain cashew yogurt which I substituted for the cashew cream and it was so yummy! I figured it’s quite common in indian food to put yogurt on things right? Either way it worked out fine. I also omitted the extra chile and ginger added at the end because it was already quite spicy for me. Next time I would maybe have not included the seeds from the serranos I used. But I ate it with your whole wheat naan recipe, which was also divine, and that helped even out the spice for me a bit. Thank you so much for posting this! I was in a rut lately, food-wise, and this perked me back up again and was really nice wintery meal.
Vegan Richa Support
that’s great! glad you spiced things up! yes, yogurt is used a lot
Janet G
This is one of my favourite go-to meals for me and also for potlucks and times that I want to share great food.
Alison
Does anyone know what you could substitute soy curls for in the UK?
Richa
Add more chickpeas or use tvp. You can also find bean wadi (in Indian stores ) that are dried up bean crisps that will rehydrate the same way as soy curls.
Keri Anne
This was delicious! Didn’t use chickpeas this time, doubled the soy curls and cashew cream. Thank you for our first successful vegan recipe using soy curls and great flavor!!
Vegan Richa Support
Thanks for popping in!
Robyn Kurtz
i love all of your recipes, and this one is amazing! so creamy, and the flavour is PERFECT. and it’s pretty easy!! Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
I”m pleased that it’s all of the things for you!!
Jazmine L Cooper
Wow. Delicious. I just made this! I’m keto vegan, so I skipped the chickpeas and just used the soy curls. I put it over a bread of cauliflower rice. It was amazing! Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
yay!! feel free to leave a rating if you like
Chana
I usually love richas recipes this was a dud. No flavor and no reason to use th IP. I added more soy curls and some cauliflower because the recipe as written doesn’t make enough. This I not a repeat, sorry.
Boring.
Richa
It might have needed more sauce and spices with the increased soycurls and cauliflower? Often increased volume needs more than double of the flavor and sauce. Seems like it just needed some adjustment . The original Recipe and flavors have been made 100s of times and loved.
Kat
Absolutely delicious! The tastiest soy curls I’ve ever made 😊 I love my IP even more with each recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome! I’m SO glad you enjoyed this recipe and that you love your IP!
Loreen
I’ve made this recipe so many times since I found it- the best part is you hardly have to chop anything and the flavors are delicious.
I did the stovetop version and used coconut milk- this was so and quick and easy.
Thank you Richa!
Elisa
I want to double the soy curls because my husband does not like chickpeas. What modifications do I need to make in order to make this with double the soycurls?
Vegan Richa Support
ok just use 1.5 c water instead
Jennifer
This was delicious and satisfying. I was making another recipe that called for chickpeas so I used kidney beans instead. I served it over steamed shaved Brussels sprouts with roasted cauliflower. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
What a lovely addition!
Pooja Mehta
This recipe is so good! And easy! I doubled everything and used a whole pack of Butler sy curls instead of chickpeas. I will now try all your other soy curl/seitan recipes 🙂 Thank you Richa 😀
Lokesh
Can I use canned chickpeas instead of cooked?
If so, are there any changes in the water amount and pressure cooking time? Thanks!
Rachael
Canned chickpeas are cooked so nothing would have to change 🙂
Lokesh
Thanks!!
john
Hi,
what is manual mode on the instant pot… quite confusing ???
Vegan Richa Support
Don’t want to bother with any of the automatic settings? The manual button keeps it simple by allowing you to punch in your desire pressure cooking time. The maximum time to pressure cook is 240 minutes. ie: “Close the lid and cook on Manual for 8 to 10 minutes.” (Step 1 in the recipe)
Richa
The older models had a manual button for pressure cook. New models have pressure cook button. They r the same thing
john
Great makes sense now because indeed on the new models it’s just ‘pressure cook’… i even thought i had to set it to Saute and close the lid !
Ingrid Scott
I made this today and I doubled the recipe. I didn’t change anything than leaving out the green chile, since I did not have any.
I used a very little can of coconut cream that I had, instead of the cashews. What can I say, it was perfect and delicious!
This is the third recipe from you with soy curls that I made and all were very good.
I have your indian cookbook and also the everyday kitchen. But I love all those spices from your indian cookbook.
Thank you very much for those great recipes! They are really Restaurant quality! 🙂
tracy
Didn’t have the cashews but I had everything else so I tried it using sunflower seeds instead and it turned out great. Thanks for another tasty recipe.
Arielle
This is so easy and SO delicious. It’s in our weekly rotation, as a double-batch! I never add butter but it still tastes decadently creamy. We leave out the pepper and have to fight our 4 year-old for the leftovers.
Vegan Richa Support
nice!
Mary M Barrett
love all your recipes, and have your book! What sub or omission might help cut down on the carbs?
Richa
You can try to use less chickpeas and less sugar….
Leena Menon
Richa this was awesome. I used a whole bag of soy curls and no chickpeas. I doubled on the rest of the recipe. Did tweak up a little on the spices but did not use anything other than what you’ve listed. Thanks.
Tracie Vincent
This is so amazing! Thank you!
Sheetal Paulson
Could I use seitan (yves brand) instead of soy curls?
Richa
yes, use a 1/4 cup less water
Gabriella
Super Yummy and easy to make!! Better than in a restaurant
Tori
I already have hydrated soy curls in my fridge. Is there a way to adapt this to use those?
Love this recipe!
Thanks!
Richa
yes, use half the water. squeze them to remove most of the hydration though before using so that they can absorb the sauce
Erin
This is by far the most delicious AND fastest curry I have ever made (and I’m Indian!). Very happy with how it turned out and that it’s vegan. Thank you Richa!