Indian Butter Chickpeas: The Makhani Sauce with Chickpeas Instead of Chicken

Name: Indian Butter Chickpeas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 × 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 480g cooked chickpeas); 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided; 1 tablespoon neutral oil; 1 large onion, finely diced; 5 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 × 400g tin crushed tomatoes or passata; 1½ teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder; 1½ teaspoons garam masala, divided; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon ground coriander; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves); 30g (¼ cup) raw unsalted cashews, soaked and blended; 80ml (⅓ cup) heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk; 1 teaspoon sugar; Salt to taste

Posted on August 17, 2026

Indian butter chickpeas in a creamy tomato curry sauce garnished with fresh cilantro and served with rice

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⏱ Prep: 10 min 🔥Cook: 30 min 👤Serves:4 🌿Vegetarian

Indian butter chickpeas is butter chicken (murgh makhani) made with chickpeas instead of chicken, same sauce, same technique, same result. The makhani sauce is built on tomato, butter and cream with Kashmiri chili for the deep orange colour, kasuri methi for the unmistakable aroma, and a cashew paste that makes the whole thing velvety and restaurant-smooth. The chickpeas absorb the sauce completely. Ready in 35 minutes. Better than most takeout.

The sauce is the dish. Get the sauce right, cook the tomato paste out properly, bloom the spices in butter, add kasuri methi at the end, finish with a final knob of cold butter and the chickpeas take care of themselves. Skip kasuri methi and it tastes like a generic tomato curry rather than makhani. That one ingredient is the difference.

Ingredients

2 × 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 480g (3 cups) cooked chickpeas from dried. Rinse tinned chickpeas thoroughly, the tinned liquid has a flat, metallic flavour that muddies the sauce. Pat dry if you have time.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided: 2 tablespoons for cooking, 1 tablespoon cold at the end. The final knob of cold butter stirred off the heat gives the sauce its glossy, restaurant finish. This is the makhani (butter) technique, the name literally means “with butter.”
1 tablespoon neutral oil, mixed with the butter to raise the smoke point
1 large onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste, cooked in the butter-onion base until it darkens slightly, this removes the raw, acidic edge and builds depth before any liquid goes in
1 × 400g tin crushed tomatoes or passata, or 400g fresh tomatoes, blended smooth
1½ teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder, the source of both the mild heat and the characteristic deep orange-red colour of makhani sauce. Not the same as regular chili powder, Kashmiri chili is milder and has a particular flavour. Substitute: 1 teaspoon sweet paprika + ¼ teaspoon cayenne. Without this substitute the sauce will be pale and flat in colour.
1½ teaspoons garam masala, divided: 1 teaspoon during cooking, ½ teaspoon off the heat at the end. Adding garam masala in two stages, during cooking for depth, at the end for fragrance, gives a more layered result than a single addition.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), the single most important ingredient after the butter. Rub the dried leaves between your palms before adding, this releases the volatile oils. Kasuri methi has a slightly bitter, celery-like aroma that is unmistakably “butter chicken.” Available at Indian grocery stores and online. There is no substitute that produces the same result, if unavailable, the dish is still good but not makhani.
30g (¼ cup) raw unsalted cashews, soaked in hot water 15 minutes then drained, blended to a smooth paste with 3 tablespoons water. The cashew paste is what makes the sauce velvety and restaurant-smooth rather than just creamy. Substitute for nut-free: double the cream.
80ml (⅓ cup) heavy cream, or full-fat coconut milk for a dairy-free version. Stirred in at the end, do not boil after adding cream or it can split.
1 teaspoon sugar, balances the acidity of the tomatoes
Salt to taste

Step by step

Soak the cashews and blend. Place cashews in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain, then blend with 3 tablespoons of fresh water until completely smooth, no grit remaining. Set the cashew paste aside. This can be done while the onion cooks.
Build the butter base. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until the onion is soft, golden and just beginning to colour at the edges. Do not rush, properly softened onion is the foundation of a smooth sauce. Low-and-slow onion cooking here is worth the patience. Undercooked onion produces a harsh, slightly raw background note that no amount of spice will fix. Golden, properly softened onion provides sweetness that balances the tomato acidity.
Add garlic, ginger and tomato paste. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger to the onion. Stir for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes, pressing it against the pan, until it darkens from bright red to a deeper brick colour. This step cooks out the raw, sharp taste of tomato paste and caramelises it slightly.
Bloom the spices. Reduce the heat to low. Add the Kashmiri chili powder, 1 teaspoon of the garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric. Stir constantly for 30–45 seconds until very fragrant. Add a splash of water (2 tablespoons) to prevent burning and stir into a thick paste. Blooming dry spice powders in the fat before liquid is added is the technique that gives Indian curries their depth, the fat carries the spice flavour into every component of the sauce. Spices stirred in with the liquid after the tomatoes go in taste raw and one-dimensional by comparison.
Add tomatoes and simmer. Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Add the sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine with the spiced paste. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the oil begins to separate around the edges.
Blend or leave chunky. For a smooth, restaurant-style sauce: use a stick blender to blitz the sauce until completely smooth. For a more textured, home-style sauce: leave as is. Both are correct. The blended version more closely replicates the classic makhani sauce.
Add cashew paste, cream and chickpeas. Stir in the cashew paste and cream. Add the drained chickpeas. Stir to coat everything in the sauce. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are warmed through and have absorbed some of the sauce, and the sauce has reduced to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil vigorously after the cream goes in.
Finish with kasuri methi, garam masala and butter. Remove from the heat. Rub the kasuri methi between your palms over the pan and add it to the sauce. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon of garam masala. Drop in the final tablespoon of cold butter and stir through as it melts, this gives the sauce its glossy finish. Taste and adjust salt. Serve immediately. Everything in this final step goes in off the heat for a reason. Kasuri methi loses most of its fragrance if cooked for long, rubbing it and adding it at the end captures the full aroma. The second addition of garam masala keeps its top notes fresh. Cold butter stirred in off the heat emulsifies smoothly into the sauce rather than separating.

Claire’s note
Buy the kasuri methi. I know it means a trip to an Indian grocery store or an online order, and I know there is always an impulse to leave it out when you have everything else in the cupboard. Don’t. Kasuri methi is the aroma of makhani sauce, the thing that makes someone walk into the kitchen and say “that smells exactly like the restaurant.” Without it the dish is a good tomato and cream curry. With it, it is specifically butter chicken. One bag costs about two dollars and lasts six months. It is not a luxury ingredient, it is a required one.

Serve with

Indian butter chickpeas is served with basmati rice, naan, or both, the sauce is generous and the bread is there to catch it. A dollop of plain yogurt on the side cools the heat and adds acidity. Alongside: Indian chili chicken as a dry side dish makes a complete Indian meal. The full Asian recipes hub have everything alongside.

Add Indian butter chickpeas to your weekly meal planner, it reheats perfectly over 4 days and the flavour deepens overnight. An ideal Sunday batch cook. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.