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Sharing my (almost vegan) fall twist on a classic Indian inspired dish with these 30 Minute Indian Pumpkin Butter Chickpeas. I’ve swapped the chicken for autumn pumpkin and chickpeas and replaced the heavy cream with rich and creamy coconut milk. These pumpkin butter chickpeas are the perfect healthy, but still super cozy and delicious, alternative to the classic Indian dish we all love. It has a quick 30 minute cooking time and uses all pantry staple ingredients. This is the perfect warming fall dinner for any night of the week.
This hands down the healthiest bowl of fall comfort food I’ve ever created. It’s almost vegan, so insanely creamy, a touch buttery, seasoned throughout with warming spices, and SO GOOD.
What is it about Indian inspired food that’s so warming, cozy, and just what’s needed on a chilly fall day?
Maybe it’s all the spices, the warming cinnamon, cardamon, and turmeric that really scream fall. In fact, the very first time I ever made butter chicken my older brother said it tasted like a fall candle. Granted I think I may have doubled the amount of spices and not had nearly enough sauce in that first attempt at butter chicken many years ago. But honestly? He wasn’t really that far off. Indian butter sauce truly does incorporate all the same spices as my very favorite pumpkin spice candle.
Which is exactly what inspired this recipe. Yes, I was inspired by a candle to make this dish. Is that weird? Yeah, it kind is. But is it good? YES. SO very GOOD!
And easy too, because it’s October, and we all really just need more no-fuss recipes during this busy time of year.
The details
Seeing as this recipe takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish, the details are pretty simple. You need just one pan, a whole lot of spices, and a couple cans of chickpeas and pumpkin. Then add fresh homemade naan and steamed rice for serving.
Start by cooking the onion, garlic, and ginger. Add the chickpeas to get them a little crisp and then toss in the spices to really give them amazing flavor. Add the coconut milk, pumpkin, tomato paste, and just a touch of butter.
Simmer 5 minutes and DONE. Seriously the easiest dinner you might ever make. And it comes together in the exact amount of time it takes you to make the rice. And did I mention all the pantry staple ingredients? Because everything, even the pumpkin, comes from the pantry.
Does not get easier, or more delicious.
Bonus points if you make these butter chickpeas in your Staub Pumpkin Cocotte, it’s very fitting for this dish.
A few notes…
First up, this is no way traditional Indian. It’s more Indian inspired and just my personal twist on the classic butter chicken. I love playing with flavors and Indian inspired dishes are some of my favorites to share.
As mentioned, this is almost vegan. The only non-vegan ingredient is butter, which I think adds a really nice, silky, richness that mimics classic butter chicken. Of course, if you’re vegan, you can use coconut oil in place of the butter, which will work great too.
For serving, you need rice, and ideally some naan as well. If I’m being honest, half of the reason I make Indian food as often as I do is to have another reason to make naan. Well, that and for the leftovers of both the next day. Just trust me here, your pumpkin butter chickpeas need a side of naan for scooping. They just do.
This is one of the best Indian recipes I’ve ever created, and it’s actually from the very first year of HBH. The original photos are horrible, but it’s a tried and true recipe, and it’s pretty PERFECT.
Oh, and meal prepping…these chickpeas are great for that. Make a double batch on Sunday and keep portioned out in the fridge for quick lunches or dinners.
So your Wednesday night plans should be as follows… check the pantry for chickpeas, pumpkin…and butter.
Start making your naan (perfect for scooping). Steam some rice. Then make this one-pot, 30 Minute Indian Pumpkin Butter Chickpeas. Each and every bite is full of cozy fall flavors, tender chickpeas, and sweet creamy pumpkin.
It’s quick, super simple, healthy, and beyond delicious. Fall dinner perfection.
Also, a fall candle really helps to set the mood…
If you make these 30 minutes Indian pumpkin butter chickpeas be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Indian Pumpkin Butter Chickpeas
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 827 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cans (14 ounce chickpeas drained
- 1 can (14 ounce) full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons salted butter (coconut oil if vegan)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- steamed rice and naan for serving
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the garlic and ginger, cooking another 2 minutes. Stir in the garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chickpeas and toss to coat with the spices. Cook 5 minutes.2. Stir in the coconut milk, pumpkin, tomato paste, butter, and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.3. Serve the chickpeas and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan and additional cilantro.
Notes
Calories are calculated without the addition of steamed rice or naan.
The best butter masala I have ever did!
Hey Dominika,
Perfect!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xx
This was excellent. I often chop up the pumpkin to bite sized pieces when I make curry, but using puree was genius. It gave it a wonderful thickness that was perfect with naan. Good combination of spices, and the cayenne did give it a great kick without being too spicy.
Hey Anne,
Happy Monday!❄️🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Delicious! I replaced the chickpeas with chicken and it turned out great! Love the ratio of spices, the cayenne pepper gave it just the right kick.
Hey Shailey,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Can the pumpkin purée be replaced with your pumpkin butter?
Hi Kathleen,
Sure, that would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Tried this recipe and it was great!! Do you think it would freeze well and if so do you think there is any special instructions i should follow?
Hey Megan,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! I’m not sure this dish would be the best option toe freeze. Have a great weekend:) xx
My son made this for dinner tonight and it was great. However, like Maura commented, the calorie count per serving is way off. The entire recipe is around 2200, so about 550 per serving. When looking for healthy recipes, accurate calorie counts and nutritional information is important. Very tasty but still pretty high in calories, especially if served with rice.
Hi there,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback!! I love to hear that it was enjoyed:) The calorie is based on our online calculator. xxT
This was sooo tasty! The only thing that is a bit off is the nutritional information. This is more like a 500+ cal meal – SO flavorful and healthy though! Thanks for sharing Tieghan. 🙂
Hi Maura,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan
Hi, Tieghan,
I’ve tried this recipe along with the naan today and I’m writing this right after. Everything turned out really tasty. My family enjoyed it a lot. And a special mention for – Naan. My daughter keeps asking for naan many times but I hadn’t prepared it that much. But this recipe is by far the best for naan. Even as was cooking it was wonderful to see all the bubbles forming. And as we ate it was fluffy, soft just incredible. My husband said “by far the best Naan, and way better than in restaurants”.
Thank you for the recipe.
Hi there,
Thank you so much for your kind message and giving the recipes a try, I am so glad to hear they were enjoyed! The naan is a family fave over here as well:) xTieghan
This recipe is so easy and so full of taste! We eat vegan and vegetarian mostly, so this recipe has become one that I keep coming back to.
Hi there,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
My family loves this recipe! I have made it numerous times with variations and it’s great every time. Tonight I used diced, crispy baked tofu in place of half the chickpeas and it was delicious. Thank you once again for a fantastic recipe!
Hi Steph,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
This recipe is incredible! I love finding quick, easy recipes that do not compromise on taste. The second time I made it, I upped the pumpkin to 1.5 cups and added 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice – because I always want an extra dose of pumpkin-y goodness. For my personal taste, those minor changes made this meal perfect. This is one of my new fav dishes and I’ll be making it again tonight!
Happy Thursday! So glad this recipe was enjoyed and thanks for making it! xTieghan