Instant Pot butter chickpeas
Tender chickpeas in the silky, mildly spiced tomato and cream sauce of butter chicken, made quickly in the Instant Pot and gentle enough for anyone who shies away from heat.
- 35 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.65 a serving
- 470 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1½ cups crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Each serving has about 470 calories, 16 g protein, 49 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $1.65 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Set the Instant Pot to , 2 tablespoons of the butter, and cook the onion, stirring, 5 minutes, until soft.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 5 min
Stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then the garam masala, cumin, paprika, turmeric and cayenne for 30 seconds, . Press Cancel.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Pour in the water and scrape the bottom well so nothing is stuck.
Dolly’s tip: Anything stuck to the bottom can set off the burn warning.Add the chickpeas and salt, then spoon the tomatoes over the top without stirring.
Dolly’s tip: Tomatoes sitting on the bottom can scorch under pressure. Leave them on top.Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing and cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to Venting to release the pressure.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: It takes about 10 minutes to come up to pressure first. Keep your hand clear of the steam.Open the lid, stir in the cream, sugar and the last tablespoon of butter, and set it to again. 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly .
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Timer: 3 min
Taste for salt and serve over rice if you have some, with cilantro on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
