Vegan Tikka Masala is so easy to make and best served with vegan naan. Featuring “chicken-style” tofu and a perfectly spiced, creamy sauce, this popular dish just got the best vegan makeover!
I used the same method here for baking tofu “chicken style” as I did for Vegan Butter Chicken, one of my most popular recipes! I love this method of cooking tofu; it has a unique texture and delicious flavor. When paired with a spicy, creamy masala sauce it is simply incredible.
Consider making a batch of Easy Vegan Naan to soak up the flavor-packed sauce!
How to make Vegan Tikka Masala
Here are the main steps, in photos, to making this tasty dish. The recipe is written in full at the bottom of this post if you’d rather skip the photos.
- Press your tofu, then slice it into 6 pieces. Tear the tofu into bite sized pieces, place in a large ziplock bag along with the olive oil, cornstarch and salt, and shake until coated. (1)
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes until golden and a bit crispy. There is no need to flip it halfway, which I love! (2)
- While the tofu bakes, make the sauce. Saute an onion in olive oil for a few minutes, then add the ginger and garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the spices and salt. (3)
- Add the tomato sauce. (4)
- Stir in the coconut milk. Simmer for about 10 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add the additional 1/4 cup water. (5)
- Once the tofu is done baking, simply add it to the sauce. (6)
Serve with rice and chopped fresh cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
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Vegan Tikka Masala
Vegan Tikka Masala is so easy to make and best serve with vegan naan. Featuring "chicken-style" tofu and a perfectly spiced, creamy sauce, this popular dish just got the best vegan makeover!
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 2 (16-ounce) blocks extra-firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the masala sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 14 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup water, as needed to thin the sauce
For serving
- 4 cups cooked rice, white or brown
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Press the tofu:Â Wrap the blocks 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 "chicken-style" 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:Â Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes, then add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the spices, salt, tomato sauce and coconut milk. Stir until smooth and combined, then simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- If the sauce is too thick, add the 1/4 cup of water to thin. When the tofu is done baking, add it to the sauce and stir to coat the pieces.
- Serve hot with rice and chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.
Notes
- Nutritional information is an estimate only and includes rice.Â
- For a tofu-less option, try using 2 cans of drained/rinsed chickpeas instead. OR substitute soy curls or vegan chicken pieces. Roasted cauliflower would also be a great choice!
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This dish freezes well.
- To make this recipe easier and faster: buy super firm tofu that doesn't need pressing, and use pre-grated ginger and chopped garlic from a jar. You can even buy pre-cooked frozen rice!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 938mg | Potassium: 320mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 321IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 223mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
Freaking Phenomenal! There are not many recipes that I follow to the T…. they are typically bland, boring and need that extra umph! Well not this one. It is soooo good. I am a newer vegan, and I was missing tikka masala so much. When we had a family get together and everyone was ordering chicken tikka masala from the local restaurant, my husband and I were a bit bummed. I found this recipe {followed it to the T} and was soooooo satisfied. It gave me that nostalgic feeling of many great Indian suppers from the past. Warm, spicy and delicious with a capital D. My non-vegan family members couldn’t believe how good it was and said it was as good as any they had ever had …. Also, I have made it more than once just in case the first time was a fluke… NOPE. Just as delish and don’t get me started on how it tastes THE NEXT day! Sorry for the long comment, but it is just that dang good! BRAVO!! Now what are you waiting for….? Go and make it NOW!
Thanks so much for the great comment!
Finally!The taste that I wanted!Thank you?Only confused about 400F oven heat, how much it is in C? Anyway was absolutely deliciuos, only I added extra pinch of sugar to make it more sweet
Absolutely delicious! I had to find a recipe for garam masala and luckily I had all of the components on hand, just had to blend them. I substituted the tofu for potatoes, sweet potatoes, and canned chickpeas. The sweet potatoes turned out particularly well in this sauce. Thank you so much for sharing!!
You’re so welcome!
Alice – Did you know that you can make your own? You can “google it”…. I found this ingredient list: 1 tablespoon ground cumin. 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander. 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom. 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. ½ teaspoon ground cloves. ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
There are different version and some people toast the spices as well. Good luck!
can i subtitue the garmasala?
its hard to find it in my country ‘
thank you 🙂
I suppose you could probably sub curry powder, but the flavor will be quite a bit different. Thanks!
First tofu recipe ever. First Tikka Masala ever. Easy and Yum!
You’re welcome!
This recipe is awesome and so fast! I agree it’s better than take out. I did 1.5 times the cumin, coriander, Garam masala, and doubled the cayenne.Â
I didn’t have tomato sauce so I threw in half a can of canned tomatoes and pasta sauce that had no added sugar. I also only had one package of tofu so I used chickpeas and spinach. This was still awesome even with those weird edits!!
Hello Nora,
Was wondering if using tempeh and chickpeas would work. Would you bake the tempeh like the tofu? My daughter prefers tempeh. Thanks
Chickpeas or tempeh would work, yes. I would not bake the tempeh actually, but instead maybe fry it in a pan with just a little oil (sliced or chopped) before mixing it with the sauce. It will dry out a lot in the oven. Thanks!
Attempting to make Indian food has always intimidated me, but this was straightforward and easy, with ingredients I keep on hand all the time. I added a little extra cayenne pepper. Just wish there was a way to easily halve the recipe without having half a can each of tomato sauce and coconut milk leftover. I wonder if just the sauce could be frozen for later use?
Sure, you could make the amount of sauce called for and simply freeze half for another time. Hope that helps, thank you!
Fantastically delicious!!!! I’ve made this 3 or 4 times since discovering your recipes, wonderful every time, like each recipe that I try on your website. This time I used not quite an entire can of tomato paste (small organic cans at Trader Joe’s are only .79 each) And I’ve been tossing the tofu in a little nutritional yeast as well. I’m so happy to have discovered your recipes. THANK YOU
You’re welcome!
Making this recipe for what may be the 50th time and so while it simmers I thought I would finally add a review! This dish is on high rotation in our family. I often swap chickpeas for tofu and I always add frozen peas and fresh spinach. It feels like a complete meal with the vegetables thrown in. We make it so often that I have the spice mixture measured and ready to go in small jars. Makes life easy. And I am not ashamed to admit to using  jarred ginger and garlic. Thank you for your amazing recipes Nora!Â
You’re so welcome! Thanks for the comment!
Nora,
For some reason I was very nervous to try this recipe. I’ve never used cornstarch before and I was afraid it would be gritty.Â
I made it today and it was PHENOMENAL!!!! So so so good. I also found that the tearing of the tofu gave it a better texture. That sauce is like crack, I want to put it on everything.  I made a few modifications, I used whole cumin that I bloomed before the onion, and I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used frozen cubes. This was honestly such an incredible recipe, thank you so much!
You’re so welcome!
Perfect with a squirt of lime and soft naan. Bright, creamy, and flavourful; this recipe did not disappoint. The tofu is my new “go to” method and was so much better than I expected- and I like tofu.
Thank you so much for this treat of a recipe Nora!
Incidentally, was listening to Norah Jones while cooking. Only just realized.
You’re so welcome!
Thanks for the recipe. I’m a European reader still confused about what the tomato ingredient is. In supermarkets here, we have cans of “chopped tomatoes” (very liquidy with chunks of tomato), or we have toothpaste-style tubes of tomato puree (much less liquidy). I have been googling what is meant by “tomato” sauce and I’ve gone too far down the tomatoey rabbit hole! Pasta sauce in a jar? A tube of tomato puree? A canof chopped tomatoes? I don’t know what I need to buy! Save me, Nora!
I can help! I’m talking about pureed canned tomatoes. No chunks, but smooth. Just tomatoes, water and maybe salt. Hope that helps!
Hey I haven’t made this yet but I m veto excited to! However, I don’t know where you are from and tomato sauce means something different almost everywhere. Here it means something similar to ketchup but I am assuming where it says tomato sauce in this recipe or means like tomato puree? Or like pasta sauce? Thanks.
Hi! I live in the U.S. and tomato sauce is just blended tomatoes and water in a can. Tomato puree is the same thing, it does not have additional ingredients like sugar or spices in it. Hope that helps!
Delicious! Will make again 🙂
One of my favorite meals ever. I used to be intimidated making dishes like this but this recipe is so easy! I’ve made this several times with different vegetables and every time it’s amazing!
That’s s great to hear! Thanks for the comment!
Five stars! Not sure why the rating stars did not work for me. I made a few substitutions because my pantry is a bit sparse due to covid. I subbed a can of diced tomatoes ( I pureed them up) for the tomato sauce, lite coconut milk for the full fat coconut milk, and cauliflower for the tofu. I love how your recipes are so flexible, and substitutions can easily be made. I also appreciate that when you use coconut milk in a recipe, it is always for a full can! That is one of my pet peeves- when you see a recipe that only uses 1/2 can! Thanks you, Nora. 🙂
You’re so welcome! So glad it was good!
Soooo delicious! Swapped tomato sauce for marinara, used lite coconut milk, and used the super firm tofu without pressing! Served with brown rice and everyone loved it!
So glad to hear that!
Just tried this and it was fabulous! I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used ground. Thanks for sharing in your email this week!
You’re welcome! Glad it was good!
I just made this and we loved it. I left out the cayanne, cut down on the graham masala a bit, added peas and served it on a bed of brown rice and fresh spinach. Very good and I will make again. Great way to get in those anti inflammatory spices and immune boosting garlic and ginger!
Glad you liked it!
I’ve made this a bunch of times, each time it was easy and delicious. Tonight I’m going to swap chickpeas for tofu ?
Sounds good!
Thanks for an awesome recipe! I tripled the ingredients to make more servings as I’ll be eating much of it while camping this summer. I mixed the rice with the sauce, then dehydrated all of it, packed each serving in a small plastic bag and finally vacuum-sealed the bags. All I’ll have to do on the trail is add hot water and wait a few minutes for it to rehydrate. No matter how far into the wilderness I am, I’ll be luxuriating in the taste of your wonderful tikka masala!
Wow, what a cool idea!
Nora, this recipe was a hit with my family! I will make this one often. I love it!
Indian food is one of my guilty pleasures. This recipe is easy to follow and I had all
of the ingredients in stock. Definitely a Do over!
That’s so great! Glad you like it!
I made this over the weekend and it was amazing. The only variation I made was I did not want to buy fresh ginger for such a small amount so I used 1.5 teaspoons of ground ginger. The tofu turned out amazing and was so good as leftovers as well.
I’m so glad you liked it!
absolutely delicious !! Used chickpeas instead of tofu …. will def make again !
Thanks so much, I’m glad you liked it!
Hello. This looks delicious and look forward to trying. Thanks for showing the nutritional information. Can you share what 1 serving equates to in grams, cups, etc?
Thank you, I hope you love it! Nutritional information is based on a calculator that comes with my recipe card and is an estimate only. I don’t actually have that detailed of information, but it is 1/6th of the overall dish, including rice.