This homemade tikka masala sauce is perfect for meal prep and it's so much better than store-bought! Set aside just 30 minutes to make a batch with tomatoes, onions and a few simple spices, then enjoy a restaurant-style tikka masala dish whenever the craving strikes.
A full-flavored tikka masala sauce for meal prep
I love it when I have a jar of this easy tikka masala sauce in my fridge for rushed weeknights. Set aside a few minutes to make it over the weekend, refrigerate or freeze for long-term storage, and you will never have to break a sweat on a rushed night. All you have to do is warm the sauce with your vegetable or protein of choice and dinner is served!
The sauce is full of flavor: it's deliciously complex but mildly spicy and so smooth and creamy. You can use it to make amazing dishes like tofu tikka masala and chickpea tikka masala, or add to it your favorite beans, veggies or seitan.
Indian dishes can be intimidating for a new cook, but this tikka masala sauce is so easy to make, you will amaze yourself! Plus there are so many healthy ingredients in this sauce, including tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, cumin and dried fenugreek leaves.
I like adding some dried mushrooms to the sauce because they pack in so much umami and make the sauce even more flavorful, but you can skip them if you want to. The sauce is soy-free and gluten-free. You can substitute pumpkin seeds or melon seeds for the cashews.
Recipe FAQs
Use a high-powered blender to blend up the tikka masala sauce to ensure the whole spices are thoroughly blended. This will give you a very smooth sauce. If you don't have a high-powered blender, blend the sauce as best as you can, then put it through a fine mesh strainer before using.
Warm up half the sauce with any protein of your choice, including tofu, tempeh, beans and lentils. The sauce is already cooked so just warm through before serving. You can thin out the sauce with some stock or water if needed.
A tikka masala is identified with British Indian cuisine, while a makhani, a sauce used in recipes like vegan butter chicken and tofu makhani, is a stalwart of north Indian cuisine. Both tikka masala and makhani have a vibrant, orange sauce and both usually include a protein like chicken, paneer or, in our vegan kitchens, tofu. But a tikka masala sauce would likely include yogurt while a makhani would include butter and cream. A tikka masala sauce usually also has more texture because you don't blend all the onions and tomatoes (although we will blend it all up in our storable, jarred version here).
No. Coconut milk is simply not a good replacement for cashew cream in a tikka masala because its flavor overrides the delicate flavors of this dish. And no, the spices do not mask it. If you can't eat cashews, use pumpkin seeds instead for an authentic flavored tikka masala sauce. To find out more on why coconut milk is not an appropriate replacement for cashew milk in north Indian recipes, please read my post on how to veganize Indian recipes.
Store the tikka masala sauce in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to two weeks. Freeze for up to four months.
Recipe card
Tikka Masala Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cloves
- 10 green cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 dried red chili peppers
- 1-inch stick cinnamon (broken into smaller pieces)
- 4 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 medium red onions (chopped)
- 1 heaping tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 4 medium tomatoes (diced)
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ cup dried mushrooms (optional)
- 2 tablespoon kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ cup cashews (soaked for 30 minutes. To make this nut-free, use ¼ cup canned coconut milk, the thick part)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and red chilli peppers. Fry the spices until a couple of shades darker and very aromatic.
- Add the onions to the saucepan and saute until they begin to brown. Stir in the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes to the pot along with tomato paste, turmeric and paprika. Mix well. Cover and cook five minutes over medium heat until the tomatoes are very soft.
- Stir in the optional dried mushrooms at this point, if using. Add a cup of water, bring the sauce to a boil, cover and cook five more minutes.
- Stir in the cashews followed by the kasoori methi and sugar. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, simmer for five minutes, then turn off heat. Let the sauce cool.
- Place the sauce in a blender and add a cup of water. Blend into a very smooth paste. Your tikka masala sauce is ready!
Nutrition Information
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Tanya says
I have made this several times and it amazing. This year I have an abundance of tomatoes and onions in my garden...I was planning on using this recipe and make a large batch...would you suggest canning or freezing for later use?
Vaishali says
Hi Tanya, I freeze it, but I think canning it should be fine. So happy you've loved the sauce. It's one of my favorites. ❤️
Tanya says
Thanks maybe I'll try doing some up both ways and see which I like better.