You are in for a surprise when you make this Vegan Butter Chicken Recipe! This classic recipe is made with tofu and cashews instead but is still so rich and creamy!
This vegan butter chicken recipe is adapted from the popular Indian butter chicken recipe and I think it’s safe to say that I nailed the flavour profile! The sauce is rich, creamy, and flavourful and you won’t believe how easy it is to throw together. Seasoned to perfection, I can bet everyone will be reaching for seconds.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
This vegan butter chicken recipe is absolutely finger licking good. Not only that but this recipe is also:
- Gluten-free
- Made with pantry staples
- Made in just a little over an hour
- So easy to make
- Freezer friendly
Key Ingredients
Extra firm tofu — Tofu is a great source of protein as well as iron and calcium. It is also naturally gluten-free and low in calories while being super filling!
Passata sauce — Tomato passata is not the same as tomato sauce. Passata is simply a pureed tomato liquid, usually with no extra flavouring added to it. In this recipe, I used the brand Mutti for the tomato puree, but you could also use anything else like Hunts tomato puree. Make sure its puree and not paste.
Spices — I use garam masala, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, salt, and pepper to season this vegan butter chicken. They should be relatively easy to find at your local grocery store.
Cashew — Instead of making the tofu butter chicken with cream, we soak the cashews to make a thick and delicious cashew cream. Cashews are also packed with nutrients and fibre!
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Press tofu for a minimum of 30 minutes. Break up the tofu into nugget size pieces when done.
Step 2: Marinate the tofu with olive oil, cornstarch, garam masala, curry powder, salt, and pepper for 15 minutes. While the tofu is marinating, take cashews and almond milk, and puree until creamy and smooth. You can also use a blender here as well.
Step 3: Fry the tofu on a pan over medium high heat until crispy. About 10 minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside and then in the same pan, add the ginger, garlic, and onion. Sautee until soft and fragrant. The onions should be almost transparent. About 5 minutes.
Step 4: Next, add vegan butter, tomato puree, maple syrup, garam masala, curry powder, and cinnamon, as well as the cashew cream. Mix until combined. Cook for 3 more minutes. This should form a light yellow-orange sauce. Lastly, add the tofu back in to combine the sauce and the “nuggets”.
Expert Tips
I pressed my tofu by wrapping the tofu in a cloth and putting it on top of a plate. I placed a heavy marble cutting board on top for about an hour. There are also kitchen gadgets that will do this for you as well. When pressing tofu, try and find anything that is about 5-10 lbs to press down on the tofu. (Cast iron, cutting board, etc)
If you don’t have tofu, you can use chickpeas, cauliflower florets, or even mock chicken instead. It’s up to you!
If you are short on time, you could skip pressing the tofu or do it for half the time. Just be sure you are using extra firm tofu and not firm tofu.
If you don’t have time to soak the cashews overnight, at least try to soak them for a minimum of 3 hours before blending.
Recipe FAQs
Try serving this vegan butter chicken recipe with some Jasmine rice, Basmati rice, brown rice, quinoa, naan, or bread of your choice.
Keep any leftover tofu butter chicken stored in an airtight in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
This can be frozen for up to 2 months. I like to freeze them in single servings so I can pull one out for lunch as needed. Thaw the frozen serving overnight in the fridge and then reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
This is not super spicy so kids can definitely enjoy this dish alongside the adults. If you’d like for this to be spicy, you can add some cayenne pepper to the sauce.
Passata can be found at most major grocery stores now. They usually come in glass jars so you should be able to spot them easily. If not, it’s also available online.
More Recipes You Might Like
If you loved this vegan chicken butter recipe, you should check out these vegan recipes as well!
- Tofu Pudding with Sweet Potato
- Vegan Cauliflower Wings with “Honey” Garlic Sauce
- Vegan Breakfast Sandwich with Tofu
- Vegan Sloppy Joes with Roasted Portobello Mushroom
Now tell me lovelies, how do you vegan-ize your favourite recipes?
Vegan Butter Chicken Recipe with Tofu (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
For the Tofu Nuggets:
- 16 oz Extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp curry powder
- pinch of salt and pepper
For the Sauce:
- ½ cup plain cashews soaked overnight
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tbsp garlic
- ½ white onion diced
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 24 oz passata (tomato puree)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Press tofu for a minimum 30 minutes.
- Break up the tofu into nugget size pieces
- Marinate the tofu with olive oil, cornstarch, garam masala, curry powder, salt, and pepper for 15 minutes.
- While the tofu is marinating, take cashews and almond milk, and puree until creamy and smooth. You can also use a blender here as well.
- Once the tofu is done marinating, fry the tofu on a pan over medium high heat until crispy. About 10 minutes.
- Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
- In a pan over medium heat, add the ginger, garlic, and onion. Sautee until soft and fragrant. The onions should be almost transparent. About 5 minutes.
- Next, add vegan butter, tomato puree, maple syrup, garam masala, curry powder, and cinnamon, as well as the cashew cream. Mix until combined. Cook for 3 more minutes. This should form a light yellow-orange sauce.
- Lastly, add the tofu back in to combine the sauce and the “nuggets”. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Serve with jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro
Notes
- I pressed my tofu by wrapping the tofu in a cloth and putting it on top of a plate. I placed a heavy marble cutting board on top for about an hour. There are also kitchen gadgets that will do this for you as well. When pressing tofu, try and find anything that is about 5-10 lbs to press down on the tofu. (Cast iron, cutting board, etc)
- If you don’t have tofu, you can use chickpeas, cauliflower florets, or even mock chicken instead. It’s up to you!
- If you are short on time, you could skip pressing the tofu or do it for half the time. Just be sure you are using extra firm tofu and not firm tofu.
- If you don’t have time to soak the cashews overnight, at least try to soak them for a minimum of 3 hours before blending.
Nutrition
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Aisha says
This was seriously delicious! I was shocked at how the flavour and texture of the sauce perfectly resembled traditional butter chicken! The hearty tofu chunks also had a great texture and gave the dish a very nourishing feel. We enjoyed this for dinner with some brown rice and steamed broccoli on the side, which was perfect for mopping up the delectable sauce!
Highly recommend this recipe to vegans and non-vegans alike!
Melanie says
Delicious. Even my picky 5-year old loved it so much he ate double the amount he usually does with so much appetite I was surprised. This definitely will become a family stable. As I am sensitive to night shades I will switch it up with a tomato-less passata next time.