A simple version of the popular Indian dish, made completely vegan! The tofu for Vegan Butter Chicken is prepared in a unique way that couldn’t be easier and somehow makes it taste a lot like chicken. Better than take-out and healthier, too!
Butter chicken is one of the most popular Indian dishes around, with it’s mildly spiced creamy tomato sauce, and packed full of flavor. It’s usually made with dairy cream, and of course with chicken. I’ve created the most delicious vegan version, and I’m so excited to share it with you today!
The “chicken” is actually tofu, but it’s not any old tofu. No, the tofu is prepared in a unique way in the oven that makes it perfectly chewy. It actually tastes very similar to chicken, especially once drenched in the creamy sauce.
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Garam Masala
The only ingredient you might not be familiar with is garam masala. It’s a great spice mix to have on hand. I use it in Vegetable Korma, and other dishes, too. It’s a blend of several Indian spices and adds an incredible amount of flavor to your recipes. A lot of regular grocery stores carry it, or find it at an Indian market. You can also order it online.
How do you make Vegan Butter Chicken?
This recipe only takes about 30 minutes to make. The one catch is that you probably need to press your tofu, if you have the water packed variety. You can skip pressing if you buy the super firm tofu, not packed in water but in a clear vacuum seal pack.
Press the tofu for 20-30 minutes, if needed. Then, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the tofu into about 6 slices, as shown below, then rip each slice into smaller pieces, but still fairly large chunks. Tear gently, and don’t make the pieces too small.
Next, place the torn tofu pieces in a large ziplock type bag along with the olive oil, cornstarch and salt. Seal the bag, and shake to gently coat the pieces. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
Leave room so they are not touching each other. If your pans are small, you might need two. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pieces are golden brown and crispy. There is no need to flip the pieces, so baking is very hands off. While the tofu is baking, make the creamy sauce.
For the sauce, melt the vegan butter in a large skillet or pot. Add the onion, and saute for 3-4 minutes. Then add the ginger and garlic and cook 1 minute more. Now add the spices, salt, tomato paste and coconut milk. Stir well until smooth and creamy. Bring to a boil, then simmer the sauce for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Once the tofu is done baking, add it to the sauce and stir to coat the pieces. Serve over rice, with Easy Vegan Naan, and sprinkled with fresh chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
If you liked this recipe, you might enjoy these as well:
Vegan Butter Chicken
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 2 (16 oz) blocks extra-firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (or olive oil)
- 1 large onion, diced small
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 1 (13.5 oz) canned full fat coconut milk
For serving:
- 4 cups cooked white or brown rice
- chopped cilantro
- Easy Vegan Naan
Instructions
- Press the tofu: Wrap the block of tofu in paper towels. Place a plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, and put a couple of heavy books on top of that. Let the tofu press for 20 minutes. (You can skip this step if you get the super firm variety)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the tofu into about 6 slices (see photos in post above for reference). Now, rip each slice into medium-large pieces. You can also simply cut them into cubes, if you prefer, but ripping gives the tofu a great texture for this dish.
- Add the tofu pieces to a large ziplock bag, along with the olive oil, cornstarch and salt. Close the bag, and shake gently to coat. Arrange the tofu evenly on the prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- While the tofu bakes, prepare the sauce: Melt the 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes in the butter, then add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the spices, salt, tomato paste and coconut milk. Stir until smooth and combined, then simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- When the tofu is done baking, add it to the sauce and stir to coat the pieces. Serve over rice with Easy Vegan Naan. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
- This would also be really good with roasted cauliflower in place of the tofu.
- You could certainly substitute light coconut milk if desired, but the sauce won't be as rich and creamy.
- For oil free, omit the olive oil and vegan butter. Use water for sauteing instead.
- Calories are for 1/6th of the tofu and sauce, not added rice or naan.
Kendall LaParo
Another winner recipe! This is a new go-to. So delicious and creamy. It tastes like Indian takeout and is much easier than every other Indian curry recipe I’ve made. It came together in under 45 minutes from start to finish. I used 16 oz tofu and a medium head of cauliflower and I tossed them in a bowl rather than a bag (because I’m lazy about cleaning and reusing freezer bags, but I always hate to waste them). I also added a cup of frozen peas, 1 tbs of maple syrup to make it even sweeter, and a few splashes of veggie broth to thin out the sauce (since I was using extra veggies, I needed a bit more sauce). It was delicious over rice. I didn’t have time to make your naan, but I plan to next time!
For some reason, both my spouse and I noticed that the leftovers tasted even better the next day. Any idea why that would be?
Nora
That sounds fantastic! I think it tastes amazing the next day as well, I think it’s just because the flavors mingle together, improving it with time.
Willie Mae
All I Can say is amazing👍
Whitney
Seriously amazing dish! The whole family loved this one – so sweet, savory and buttery!
Nora
So glad to hear that!
Lindsay
Excellent recipe. I didn’t have garam masala on hand and I’ve luckily eaten enough Indian/cooked when travelling in India, so I improvised by adding 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, an additional 1 tsp ginger powder, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon in addition to the spices indicated in the recipe. I also added 1 can of tomato sauce and 1 can of chickpeas. In the future, I plan to sauté some red/orange peppers with the onions, as well as 1 tsp ground black pepper.
Looking forward to trying more of your recipes in the future. This was simple and delicious.
Nora
So glad to hear that!
Marissa
This recipe was amazing. Does the nutritional facts Only include the tofu? Also, how much would be considered one serving size? Thanks for the tasty recipe! Yum!
Nora
Nutrition facts are for the tofu and sauce, not the rice or anything else you might add. I don’t know the exact recipe size, but it’s 1/6th of the overall dish, maybe 1-1 1/2 cups. Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
Suzi
This recipe is delicious and so easy. Its in our regular rotation of dinners we love. Even my daughters friend who is Indian gave it a thumbs up.
Nora
Thanks so much!
Andrea
So thankful for you and your recipes. You never disappoint!
This recipe was DELICIOUS! I served with rice and green peas. Husband and preteen daughters devoured it!
This will definitely become part of out dinner rotation!
Nora
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Patsy
Nora!!! This was so tasty and was a huge hit with my family. Thank you so much for sharing your talent for making delicious, plant based meals. I follow you on Instagram and Pinterest and recommend your recipes to all of my friends. I’m so glad I found you. 🙂
Nora
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
Madison
this was tasty! it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, really trying to figure out how to replicate that take out flavor, but this was both close and flavourful. I only used one block of tofu, with two blocks there wouldn’t have been enough sauce. I wanted more liquid, so in the future I’ll probably use more coconut milk. Great recipe!
The tofu was really spot on, gotta say. Good cooking idea.
Dasia
Hi, thanks so much for this recipe! But, what else can I use instead of tofu? Would cauliflower be a great substitute?
Nora
Yes, I have used cauliflower before and it was great! Chickpeas would also be a good option.
Gillian
I meant to add that rating to my comment. Oops.
Gillian
This recipe is so good. I made it for the fourth time tonight. A simple, forgiving recipe that is much loved by my husband and two teen girls. I doubled it tonight to ensure leftovers for a house-bound friend. YUM.
Nora
I’m so glad you all like it!
Kelly
Just made this tonight through a friend’s reccomendation — so good!! Will definitely be making again!
Nora
So glad it was good!
Hannah
Hi! Just a tip for the tofu! You should try coating the tofu with tahini instead of olive oil and cornstarch! It gives the best crispy outside with little crunchy bits!! It’s soo good!
Rebekah
I made this recipe for my family and it was a HIT! It will become a staple recipe for us in the future 🙂
Nora
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Carol-Ann
Wow this was delicious!! I haven’t had butter chicken for years, mostly because all of the subs for chicken have been tofu, which I don’t care for in sauces. So I made with cauliflower (same treatment you give for the tofu), and WOW that was good.
The only thing I changed – I added 1 tsp of turmeric to brighten the color – mine was kind of brownish, and the turmeric made it look more like the traditional dish.
Well done – this is the first recipe of yours that I’ve tried – I have a few more on the list now!!
Nora
I’m so happy you like the recipe! I’ve made it with cauliflower before and wow it was delicious. The color will vary based on your spices. My garam masala blend is lighter than others. Thank you, and I hope you find many more recipes to enjoy here!
Emma
This recipe is great, absolutely delicious and easy to make 🙂
Nora
I’m so glad it came out delicious!
Cristina Trapote
Hi Nora!!! I love your dishes. I have a question though. Could these dishes be frozen to have in handy? The main dishes for instance.
Nora
It depends on the recipe, but I would say most can be frozen for sure! Thank you so much!
Billy
Is this able to be made with soy curls as well? Or would you stick to tofu?
Nora
That would be fun, I think it would work just fine, you wouldn’t have to bake anything, just soak the soy curls, make the sauce, then add them to it. Enjoy!
Tiffany Herschberger
This was declious and the 9 and 15 year old devoured it! My husband has been missing his meat based Indian dishes, and he loved this! Thank you for this and all your amazing recipes ❤
Michelle
I made this tonight and WOW WOW WOW WOW!!! I added some cashews for additions crunch and holy moly! I’ve never cooked with tofu before and took the leap. I didn’t even have 3 of the spices in my cabinet until this recipe. Now I can see this being a regular in my house. THANK YOU!
Nora
You’re welcome! I’m glad it came out great for you!
Nina
Dear Nora,
This recipe is amazing! I felt like being in an Indian Restaurant. Your instructions are great. I’m not really good in cooking but this recipe is soooo delicious. Can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow. Thank you so much for sharing your great recipes.
Nora
You’re so welcome! I’m glad that it came out great.
El
Can’t believe I’m finding recipe after recipe on your site for foods I enjoyed before turning vegan. Don’t miss meat in the least but the recipes(sauces,etc) they were in tasted great. Now, I find enjoy them again. So far, I’ve got ten of your recipes lined up(and I hate cooking but can’t resist your recipes) to make and keep finding more for things I thought I would never be able to find the equivalent of again. Now I have. A big thank you to you, Nora.
Nora
Wow, this is my favorite kind of comment! You’re so welcome, and I’m glad you’re rediscovering foods you love. 🙂