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chickpea tikka masala puffs a little bit open, so you can see the filling
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5 from 1 vote

Chickpea Tikka Masala Puffs

Chickpea tikka masala puffs - chickpeas and veggies in a super delicious 1-bowl no cook tikka masala sauce, stuffed into crisp puff pastry pockets. These are perfect for holiday parties!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian, Indian Fusion
Keyword: chickpea tikka masala, diwali party appetizer, indian appetizer, tikka masala puffs
Servings: 12
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the Tikka Masala Sauce

  • 3/4 cup canned tomato puree or unseasoned tomato sauce or passata
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste or 3 cloves garlic and 1/2 inch ginger minced
  • 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder or paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or black pepper, or use both
  • 2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup

For the Filling

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1/2 cup or more chopped bell pepper red or green or a mix of both
  • 1 hot chili such as serrano, finely chopped, optional
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro optional
  • 15 ounce can chickpeas drained, or use 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or white beans or see notes for other protein options

For the Pastries

  • 2 Puff pastry sheets, thawed for 15 minutes
  • flour for your work surface
  • 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • vegan cream cheese and/or vegan cheese optional
  • sesame seeds, hemp seeds, nigella seeds for topping
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Set out your puff pastry sheets to thaw for at least 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, add all of the sauce ingredients to a bowl, and mix really well. Taste and Add more salt, if needed. Then, chop the onion and peppers, if you haven't already, and add the onion, peppers, cilantro, and chickpeas to the bowl and mix well.
  • Preheat your oven to 400° F (205° C).
  • Once the puff pastry sheets are starting to soften, use a little bit of flour, and roll them out to about an 1” to 2” larger than what they were. Then, slice each one up into six equal squares. Mix the nondairy milk and maple syrup, and brush some of this mixture onto the edges of the puff pastry squares. You can spread some vegan cream cheese onto each of the squares at this point, if you want a creamier puff. Place a good helping of the chickpea tikka masala in each of the squares, and top with some vegan cheese, if using. Seal the edges diagonally, so that they make little pouches, then brush these pouches again with the milk-maple syrup mixture, and top with seeds of choice.
  • Transfer the puffs to a parchment-lined baking sheet and Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until they're starting are getting nicely golden. At the 25-minute mark, turn the baking sheet around, so they will brown evenly, then continue to bake until they’re golden all over with some browned edges. Remove the pastries from the oven, and serve! See notes for storage and make ahead.

Video

Notes

These are delicious fresh from the oven, when the saucy chickpeas are still hot and the pastries are super crisp, but you can also serve them a little later. To reheat, put them back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or use an air fryer at 330° F (166 °C) for 2 to 3 minutes.
To make ahead, roll out your puff pastry, add the filling, shape them, and then freeze. When you bake, you may just need to add a few minutes to the end of baking time to cook them through from frozen.
Variation: If you want to mix up your shapes, you can make these into an entirely closed hand pie by folding over the pastry sheet and sealing all of the edges, like a rectangle. You can also choose to seal only one diagonal edge and leave the other open. Or, if you have a favorite folding technique, that will work, as well. If you leave them more open, just know that the sauce will dry out a little bit, though it will still be moist.
These don't necessarily need a dip, but if you’d like one, you can make my quick butter chicken sauce  and serve that on the side for dipping.
These are soy-free and nut-free, if you use soy-free and nut-free non-dairy yogurt, cheeses, and puff pastry. To make this gluten-free, you can use a gluten-free pie crust instead of the puff pastry sheets. Or use my gluten-free pizza dough. 
Other protein options: 1 1/2 cups cooked beans, lentils, torn up tofu, vegan chicken, seitan, or soaked and drained soy curls(3-4 oz)

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 437IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg