This vegan butter chicken recipe is made with tofu and cashews for a deliciously creamy version that tastes a lot like the classic Indian dish. It’s easy, and it’s better than take-out!
Who would’ve thought that you could take something like butter chicken and make it vegan? Well you sure can.
We were actually amazed at how much tofu can taste like chicken in the right setting. And this sauce is just everything.
Basically you could put anything in this sauce and it would taste good. But the tofu is prepared deliciously too, so the two together creates the most delicious vegan butter chicken recipe ever.
If you love this recipe then you’ll also love our divine vegan katsu curry. And if you love yourself some easy and delicious Indian inspired recipes then also check out our vegan korma, vegan chana masala and vegan tikka masala.
Recipe Ingredients and Tips
Firm Tofu. Firm or extra firm tofu for the win in this recipe! And then we still press it for 30 minutes to make it super firm. If you get tofu that is already extra firm and you’re in a rush, you could skip this step, but for best results it’s always good to press it first.
Raw cashews. Cashews blended with water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and garam masala create the vegan yogurt sauce for the tofu. This is to replace the yogurt marinade often used in the classic version of this dish.
Garam masala. This is an Indian spice blend that is simply delicious in this recipe. If you don’t have any on hand, you can easily order some garam masala online.
Crushed tomatoes and coconut cream. These two things go along with the vegan butter, onion, garlic, ginger and spices and create the creaminess of the sauce. You must use canned, unsweetened coconut cream. Alternatively you can also use canned, unsweetened, full fat coconut milk.
How To Make Vegan Butter Chicken
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Press the tofu. First up you want to press the tofu. The best way to do that is to use a tofu press. But if you don’t have one, you can stand the tofu on a plate, put another plate on top of it, and then stack something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or stack of books. Then leave it to press for 30 minutes. This makes the tofu as firm as possible.
- When the tofu is pressed roughly chop it and place it into a mixing bowl.
- Make the vegan yogurt sauce. Add raw cashews, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and some garam masala into a blender jug and blend until smooth.
- Pour this out over the tofu in the mixing bowl.
- Gently toss the tofu pieces in the sauce so that the tofu is evenly spread with the sauce.
- Transfer the tofu carefully to a parchment lined baking tray and spread it out evenly.
- Bake in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes until lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Prepare your sauce. While the tofu is baking you can start on your sauce. Add vegan butter to a pot on medium heat and melt the butter. Add chopped onions and sauté until softened.
- Now add crushed garlic, grated ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin and cayenne pepper and sauté with the onions.
- Add crushed tomatoes and coconut cream and stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it simmer for a few minutes.
- Reduce the heat and stir in some coconut sugar (for flavor balance) and add salt to taste.
- Finally, add the baked tofu pieces and fold them into the sauce.
How To Serve Vegan Butter Chicken
Serve it over basmati rice, with fresh chopped cilantro and lemon slices or lemon wedges on the side. It’s also divine with vegan naan!
Storing and Freezing
Keep any leftovers stored covered in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
You can also freeze it if you like for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
More Delicious Tofu Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Butter Chicken
Ingredients
For the Tofu:
- 14 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (400g)
For the Vegan Yogurt Sauce:
- ⅔ cup Raw Cashews (100g)
- ⅓ cup Water (80ml)
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
For the Sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
- 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger Freshly Grated
- 1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 cup Crushed Tomatoes (240ml)
- 1 cup Canned Coconut Cream (240ml) Unsweetened
- ½ Tablespoon Coconut Sugar or Light Brown Sugar
- Sea Salt To Taste
For Serving:
- Basmati Rice
- Fresh Chopped Cilantro
- Lemon Slices
Instructions
- Press the tofu either using a tofu press or by placing the tofu onto a plate, put another plate on top of it, and then stack something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or stack of books. Then leave it to press for 30 minutes. This makes the tofu as firm as possible.
- When the tofu is pressed roughly chop it and place it into a mixing bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare the vegan yogurt sauce. Add the raw cashews, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and garam masala into a blender jug and blend until smooth.
- Pour this out over the tofu in the mixing bowl and gently toss the tofu pieces in the sauce so that the tofu is evenly spread with the sauce.
- Transfer the tofu carefully to a parchment lined baking tray and spread it out evenly.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Prepare your sauce. While the tofu is baking you can begin your sauce. Add vegan butter to a pot on medium heat and melt the butter. Add chopped onions and sauté until softened.
- Now add crushed garlic, grated ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin and cayenne pepper and sauté with the onions.
- Add crushed tomatoes and coconut cream and stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it simmer for a few minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the coconut sugar (for flavor balance). Add salt to taste.
- Finally, add the baked tofu pieces and fold them into the sauce.
- Serve with basmati rice, fresh chopped cilantro and lemon slices.
Video
Notes
- Tofu. Firm or ideally extra firm tofu is needed for this recipe. And then we still press it for 30 minutes to make it super firm.
- Coconut cream. You can also use canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk instead of canned coconut cream.
- Storing. Keep any leftovers stored covered in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Freezing. You can also freeze it if you like for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
- Prep time includes the time spent pressing the tofu.
- Nutritional information excludes rice.
This recipe was a huge success my only complaint is that the coating around the tofu ended up peeling off once I gently folded the cubes into the sauce. Next time I’ll just pour the sauce over the tofu upon serving in order to avoid it looking like a mess. Other than that one little hiccup, it tasted great!
Great recipe. Will be making it again!
Thank you 🙂
Thanks Irina!
I placed the tofu in an air fryer for 15 min on 200 (the setting for chicken) – Best I’ve had so far!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Heidi!
The best recipe ever !
Thanks so much Trudy!
This recipe was very delicious and easy to make!
Thanks Pia!
Thanks Alison! Tastes so good, straight into favourites.
Yay! Thanks Simon!
So good!! You must try it!
Thanks so much!
Loved it……and what’s truly amazing….so did my fussy husband!
I also tried adding a little vermouth which was delicious and the suggested lemon slices made the meal sing!
So good….Thank-you ????
That’s awesome Denise! I’m so happy to hear it was a success! 🙂
This was AMAZING!! All your recipes I have tried so far have been delicious, what I love most about them is that they are very simple, quick to cook but yet full of flavour. Sooooo helpful for a vegan like me. Thank you so much
Awesome! Thanks so much for the wonderful review Anushka!
Just made this for dinner and it was just delicious. So full of flavour. I air-dried the tofu instead of baking it in the oven and it worked really well.
Awesome Marida, the air fryer sounds like a great option as well. Thanks for sharing and the wonderful review!
This was DELISH. Thank you so much for a great recipe! I loved the ‘just right’ amount of heat supplied by the cayenne.
I used 14 oz (1 pack) tofu, as recommended. I had plenty of vegan yogurt and sauce, so I think I’ll increase the tofu a bit next time, maybe up to 1.5 packs. I think there will be enough sauce for that. The more the merrier!
Awesome Sylvia! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review!
A most enjoyable and unusual recipe for butter chicken and most delicious too!
Thanks Anna!
Help please! I am sensitive to coconut so I can’t use it in my cooking. Would you be ble to recommend an alternative?
You could try something like cashew milk, a creamy and rich plant milk would work best.
Wow! This was an incredible recipe! I did not have any unsweetened coconut cream so I used sweetened and omitted the sugar. Otherwise the recipe is perfect as it is. Thank you!
Awesome! Thanks Chris!
Hi Alison, I’ve made many of your recipes and they’ve turned out well. I wonder, though, if something else can be substituted in place of the coconut cream. Any ideas?
Hi Alice, you could try something like cashew milk. As long as it’s relatively thick and creamy it will replace the coconut cream quite well. 🙂