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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.
I made this without any changes and it was awesome! Fantastic flavors with obtainable ingredients (I live in rural Alaska). Can’t wait to make it again.
Thank you so much Susanne! xTieghan
I made this tonight and my husband and I both LOVED it!! I am vegetarian and he is not, so I’m always looking for recipes we can both enjoy. He loves butter chicken, and this sauce was on point!! THANK YOU! We will be making this again.
Thank you so much Rochelle! I am so glad you both loved this! xTieghan
Love how simple yet flavorful this dish was! It was easy, healthy, and delicious. We added ground turkey for extra protein and it paired nicely. This one will definitely be on my list of easy to make recipes, thank you!
Thank you Macy! I hope this turns out well for you! xTieghan
Made this last night for some friends. The pumpkin makes for a wonderfully filling, thick sauce, and complements the traditional curry flavors deliciously. I almost doubled the recipe to ensure there’d be leftovers, but there was PLENTY as-is. Served it with this naan: https://hostthetoast.com/homemade-garlic-naan/ (minus the garlic b/c I was short on time) and followed it up with this for dessert: https://alexandracooks.com/2009/11/06/balzano-apple-cake-revisited.
OMG So delicious! Doubled the recipe for a dinner party last night and everyone raved about it! (Made it with the Fall Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash & Pomegranate Salad, which is also awesome!) The only bad thing about it is that there weren’t leftovers.
That means people liked it though haha! I am so happy to hear that Anna! Thank you! xTieghan
OMG this was so, so good! I followed the recipe exactly as written and it was excellent! Made it with the Fall Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash Pomegranate Salad (also exactly as written) for a dinner party and everyone RAVED about both! Thanks for another great recipe, Tiegan!
Thank you Anna! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
Despite a slight mistake (put a whole can of pumpkin rather than just a cup) this turned out wonderfully. I have made it vegan as I had 5 people to feed including only one vegan, and served it along side pilau rice, a vegan black bean dish and a lamb and aubergine curry. Well, even work hardcore meat eaters, the pumpkin chickpeas stole the show: creamy, the flavours of spices rather than the heat, sweetness of the coconut… A triumph. Yet another HBH recipe making it to my list of regulars. 🙂
That is so amazing to hear! I am really glad you loved this recipe and hope you continue to love others! Thank you! xTieghan
Awesome recipe, My kids loved it as well. Thank you!
Thank you Lisa! xTieghan
Yum! Just…. YUM!!! Cooking is NOT one of my best skills, in fact, it’s not even one of my mediocre skills. I have to say, this recipe met my requirements for recipes….. easy to follow, and TASTY. I could even wait to put it over rice & garnish with cilantro before I dug in & started eating. So, SO good!
Hi! I am so glad this recipe turned out amazing for you! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This was so delicious!! The herbed butter naan bread with it is a must. It did need to simmer a bit longer than 5 minutes to thicken up but that could have just been the temp I had my stovetop at! SO GOOD. Will definitely make again! Thanks :).
So amazing to hear! Thank you so much Hollie! xTieghan
This is my third Indian food recipe of Tieghans that I have prepared and everyone has been delicious, and still so uniquely different. This recipe used more spices than the other recipes and I just cant get enough! I ended up roasting a butternut squash instead of canned pumpkin, so fresh and flavorful! Thank you, Tieghan!
Amazing! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Cindy! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Another winner! Thanks!
Thank you Taralyn! xTieghan
I made this the other day and it was actually better the next day, I think the ingredients needed time to meld. Next time I’ll add more garam masala and also some cumin, the spices need to be pumped up a bit but otherwise this is an excellent dish and easy weeknight meal.
Thank you Susan! xTieghan
So simple and delicious!
Thank you Caroline! xTieghan
I made this tonight and it was the perfect cozy fall dish. It was creamy and satisfying without feeling too heavy. I didn’t have any garam masala, so I subbed with pumpkin pie spice and a hint of cumin, which totally worked. Served with cilantro and garlic naan, it really was an epic meal. I can’t wait to get some garam masala and make this again. Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you for trying this Maria! So glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan