Vegan Butter Chicken

This vegan butter chicken recipe is guaranteed to impress whomever you set them in front of!

This recipe is a must-make for anyone who loves butter chicken with a flavorful and creamy consistency and a faux chicken.

this recipe

The vegan butter chicken recipe is as simple as tofu simmered in rich tomato onion sauce. The detail lies in getting the right mix of spice combinations and the cooking method. 

As popular as the butter chicken is nowadays, it was just screaming for me to try the vegan version and spread the joy in the vegan version.

My neighbor (also my blog follower) had first planted the thought of sharing the vegan version. That was all it took to start my trials with various spice combinations on tofu to find the perfect mix.

This was inspired by my tofu butter masala on this site and pairs well with jeera rice, phulka roti, and homemade naan recipe.

Ingredients

• Firm tofu: Not all tofu work for all recipes. Recipes that need a certain texture like the butter chicken needs the 'firm' kind. Medium tofu could also work if you bake it a little longer.
• Garam masala: This is where the heart of the gravy is. Garam masala is a blend of various spices that are dry roasted and blended. This helps to enhance the curry flavor. So, do not skip this!
• Other spices: I used kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Kashmiri red chili gives the bright red color while the cumin and turmeric powder adds to the flavor.
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste works out better than just tomatoes as it carries all the flavor without the moisture. You can always add a little water later as you saute the ingredients.
• Plant-based milk: Any plant based milk will work, but it is beter to use one that does not have too strong a flavor of it own, like coconut milk. I used almond milk for this recipe. Other viable options are cashew milk, macadamia milk and also soy milk.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

To begin with, you would have to bake or fry the tofu. Frying can be using the deep-frying way or the simpler way of pan-frying. For this recipe, I was inspired by the baking tips found in nooracooks.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Press the tofu for 20-30 minutes, if needed to squeeze out the water.

Slice them as I have shown below. After that, rip each slice into smaller (not too small, though) chunks. Just tear them gently with hand pressure. 

Next, place the torn tofu pieces in a bowl with olive oil, cornstarch, red chili powder, and salt. Toss them gently to coat the pieces evenly.

Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Leave room between the nuggets to make sure they are not touching each other.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pieces are golden brown and crispy. After about 15 minutes of baking, flip the tofu chunks to get them to cook evenly.

While the tofu is baking, it's time for us to prepare the creamy vegan curry or sauce.

Curry method

Place a pan over medium heat, and add few teaspoons of cooking oil. When the oil heats up, add cumin seeds and saute until they start to sizzle.

Add chopped garlic and grated ginger and saute until the raw smell of garlic disappears.

Add Chopped onions and saute until they turn translucent. Continue to saute as you add all the spice powders.

Add tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of water and saute on low heat for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Add the plant-based milk of your choice (I used almond milk) and cornstarch mix (1 teaspoon Cornstarch mixed well in ½ cup of water).

Give it a nice stir and add salt.

When it starts to boil, add the baked tofu and stir gently.

Add Kasuri methi and let the vegan butter chicken curry cook on low heat for 2 minutes to allow all the tofu to soak in the flavors.

That's it! Switch off the heat and garnish with cilantro.

Substitutions

• Tofu - You could also use soya curls instead of tofu. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time based on the size of the soya curls.
• Almond milk - Use 1 ½ cup full fat coconut milk for a creamy texture if you desire. Or any plant based milk will just work fine.
• Tomato paste - If you dont have the tomato paste use 2 chopped tomatoes instead.

Variations and tips

• Use chickpeas if you want to avoid soy products. Canned or cooked chickpeas instead of tofu are a great alternative and also pack a solid serving of protein. 
• If you prefer richer and creamier curry, use ¼ cup soaked cashews and blend with 1 cup of water and add it to the curry.
• I used 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and mixed with ½ cup of water  to get the thicker consistency. This is an optional step, if you prefer a thicker consistency.

Common questions

Serving suggestion

This vegan butter tofu tastes good with basmati rice, jasmine rice, phulka roti, or homemade naan. Last week, my family and I enjoyed this with store-bought parotta just like the fancy restaurants!

The dish was an instant hit with everyone. This dish pairs best with vegetable rice and/or brown rice served with a side of sliced onions. A tiny wedge of lemons can come in handy if the dish turns out too spicy.  

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📖 Recipe

Vegan Butter Chicken

Uma Raghupathi

The vegan butter chicken recipe is as simple as tofu simmered in rich tomato onion sauce. The detail lies in getting the right mix of spice combinations and the cooking method. 

5 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Share by Email

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:35 minutes mins

Total Time:45 minutes mins

Course :Main Course

Cuisine :Indian

Diet :Vegan

Allergen :Dairy free, Soy free

Difficulty :Easy

Servings 4

Calories 207 kcal

Equipment

• Non Stick Pot

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

To bake

• ▢ 1- 16 oz firm tofu
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil

For gravy

• ▢ 2 teaspoon olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger minced
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves chopped
• ▢ 1 large onion
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ Salt to taste - or 1 ½ teaspoon pink salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1 ½ cup dairy free milk
• ▢ ½ cup water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ▢ 2 teaspoon fenugreek leaves

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• ▢
  To begin with, you would have to bake or fry the tofu. Frying can be using the deep-frying way or the simpler way of pan-frying.
• ▢
  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Press the tofu for 20-30 minutes, if needed to squeeze out the water.
  1- 16 oz firm tofu
• ▢
  Slice them as I have shown below. After that, rip each slice into smaller (not too small, though) chunks. Just tear them gently with hand pressure.
• ▢
  Next, place the torn tofu pieces in a bowl with olive oil, cornstarch, red chili powder, and salt. Toss them gently to coat the pieces evenly. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
  1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
• ▢
  Leave room between the nuggets to make sure they are not touching each other. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pieces are golden brown and crispy. After about 15 minutes of baking, flip the tofu chunks to get them to cook evenly. While the tofu is baking, it's time for us to prepare the creamy vegan curry or sauce.

Curry method

• ▢
  Place a pan over medium heat, and add few teaspoons of cooking oil. When the oil heats up, add cumin seeds and saute until they start to sizzle.
  2 teaspoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ▢
  Add chopped garlic and grated ginger and saute until the raw smell of garlic disappears.
  1 teaspoon ginger minced, 3 garlic cloves chopped
• ▢
  Add Chopped onions and saute until they turn translucent. Continue to saute as you add all the spice powders. Add salt, tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of water and saute on low heat for about 30 seconds to a minute.
  1 large onion, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 tablespoon tomato paste, Salt to taste
• ▢
  Add the plant-based milk of your choice (I used almond milk) and cornstarch mix (1 teaspoon Cornstarch mixed well in ½ cup of water). Give it a nice stir and add salt.
  1 ½ cup dairy free milk, ½ cup water, 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ▢
  When it starts to boil, add the baked tofu and stir gently. Add Kasuri methi and let the vegan butter chicken curry cook on low heat for 2 minutes to allow all the tofu to soak in the flavors.
  2 teaspoon fenugreek leaves
• ▢
  That's it! Switch off the heat and garnish with cilantro.

Process Shot

Check above for step-by-step pictures (most of my recipes include pictures)

Notes

• You could also use soy curls instead of tofu. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time based on the size of the soy curls.
• Use chickpeas if you want to avoid soy products. Canned or cooked chickpeas instead of tofu are a great alternative and also pack a solid serving of protein. 
• If you prefer richer and creamier curry, use ¼ cup soaked cashews and blend with 1 cup of water and add it to the curry.
• Use 1 ½ cup full-fat coconut milk for a creamy texture if you desire. Or any plant-based milk will just work fine.
• I used 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and mixed it with ½ cup of water to get the thicker consistency. This is an optional step if you prefer a thicker consistency.

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Nutrition

Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 565IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 287mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional information is an estimation only.

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