This quick and easy Tofu Curry with a delicious tomato-onion sauce comes together in a blender. It's so creamy and perfectly spiced. Serve the curry with basmati rice, roti or vegan naan and take the rest of the day off from cooking! This is a vegan, gluten-free recipe and it can be soy-free and nut-free.
![Close up photo of a tofu curry masala in a black bowl with spinach rice in the background.](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/tofu-masala-1.jpg)
It takes all of five, maybe 10 minutes, to put together the sauce for this easy tofu curry, but it has so much flavor, you could pretend you've been slogging at the stove all day and let them do the dishes. 😉
Not that there are that many dishes, or pots, to clean. This is essentially a one-pot curry (you need the blender too). All you have to do is toss the ingredients into the blender, pour the sauce into a hot pan, cook it down, add the tofu, and you're done!
It's really that easy -- and foolproof.
The resulting sauce has rich, buttery notes like a makhani, and you'll be getting compliments like crazy. You can use plain tofu in this curry, if you like, but you can add a little more oomph by using baked tofu or air fryer tofu, which has a delicious, crispy, chewy texture.
I made this tonight for dinner. Excellent flavour! So quick and easy! I didn't realize that the gravy I've been eating at Indian buffets all of these years was so quick to make! - Camille
![Top shot of a fiery red-orange tofu curry with a bowl of spinach rice and a green-gold napkin.](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/tofu-masala.jpg)
Ingredients for tofu curry
- Onions. Red onions or shallots are always best with Indian food, but if yellow or white onions are what you have, they will work.
- Tomatoes. Use tomatoes that are very ripe for best color and flavor.
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Raw cashews (sub with pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version)
- Ground coriander
- Kashmiri chilli powder or paprika and/or cayenne. Use the cayenne only if you want more heat. Paprika or Kashmiri chilli powder both have mild heat but add great color.
- Garam masala. This helps build flavor in the tofu curry.
- Kasoori methi. For a hint of bitterness and an interplay of flavors.
- Baked tofu. You can also use extra-firm tofu without baking for a softer-textured tofu in the curry. If you want to make this recipe soy-free, you can use chickpea tofu or a veggie like zucchini or bell peppers instead of the tofu.
- Sugar. A little bit, to balance out the flavors.
- Vegan butter. This rounds off and ties in all of the bitter, salty, tangy and sweet flavors in the tofu curry.
Top tips
- Give the sauce time to cook down. Remember, all of the ingredients were raw when you tossed them in the blender, so they will take a little time to lose that raw flavor. Let the color of the sauce deepen until it's quite rich. The sauce should look quite sticky and should have a shimmer when it's done.
- I like using baked tofu in this recipe just because it adds that chewy texture to the curry, but you can simply use cubed super firm tofu and it'll be quite delicious too--softer and creamier.
- Add water or vegetable stock for the sauce, vegetable stock is preferable because it builds more depth of flavor.
Serving suggestions
Any Indian rice of flatbread are great to soak up this flavorful sauce with. A Jeera Rice would be particularly awesome, and it's quick too. You could also serve it with this Carrot Rice or with a Vegan Naan.
Storage
- Refrigerate: The tofu curry can be refrigerated for up to five days in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Freeze the curry in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat the tofu curry in a saucepan or in the microwave. Add more water or stock, if needed, and check salt before serving.
More delicious Indian tofu "paneer" recipes
![Tofu curry in bowl.](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/tofu-curry-2.jpg)
![Easy Tofu Masala Curry in a black bowl with spoons](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/tofu-masala-1-320x320.jpg)
Easy Tofu Curry
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion (roughly chopped)
- 3 medium tomatoes (rougly chopped)
- 1 inch knob ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- 2 tablespoons raw cashews (use pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 14 oz extra firm tofu (cubed. You can use baked or air fried tofu, or just plain super firm tofu or extra firm tofu, with the water squeezed out. If you want to make this soy-free, sub tofu with roasted veggies of your choice)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (for garnish)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients, except the vegetable oil, tofu, butter, cilantro and salt, into a blender and blitz into a very smooth paste.
- Heat the oil in a wide saucepan or wok. Add the tomato-onion paste and cook it, covered, over a medium-high flame, stirring frequently, until the moisture is mostly gone, the paste looks darker, and shimmers with oil droplets. The paste should look quite sticky at this point and should not taste raw. This step should take you anywhere from 10-15 minutes.
- Add 2-3 cups of water or vegetable stock, depending on the thickness you want for your curry, along with the tofu cubes. Add salt, stir to mix everything, bring back to a boil and cover and cook another five minutes. Stir in the vegan butter.
- Serve hot or warm, garnished with cilantro.
Mireille
Delicious and so quick to make! Great for a weeknight supper. I used only 1 cup veggie stock and blended 4 TBsp cashews into it to help thicken the sauce.
Netty
Another delicious and easy, quick to make, curry! Thank you!!
Netty
Easy peasy and soooooo delicious!!
Tracey
Can this dish be frozen?
Vaishali
Yes, but keep in mind that the tofu will become chewier.
Amanda
Very quick and easy, and really yummy! But I'm glad I 'toned down' the quantity of spices as it was quite hot enough for me at half strength. Will make this again!
Amira
This was SO good! Thanks for sharing such an easy and delicious recipe! Great for working mommies 🙂
Joely
I absolutely adore this recipe! Have been making it for multiple years now. So easy, so delicious and I quite often add other vegetables alongside the tofu.
Anonymous
Excellent recipe. And easy! Will make again. I used frozen tomatoes and added spinach, reduced water to 1 1/2 cups.
Maureen Lorna Fay
The sauce if like a gift that keeps on giving. I may have gone a bit overboard with the ginger but I will check that the next time. Since I am cooking for one I will just make the sauce and then put some aside for another moment. Wonder can I freeze it?
Emma
Wow I have cooked a lot of curries but this recipe made the best sauce I have ever tasted. I substituted tinned tomatoes as fresh ones are currently $15 a kilo in NZ and it still was amazing. Many thanks for sharing.
Vaishali
So happy you loved it, Emma!
Margi
This sounds great. You don’t have to cook the tofu more than the 5 minutes in the sauce? Should you bake or fry it first? Thank you!
Vaishali
Hi Margi, five minutes is enough! You can bake it first if you like to give it a chewier texture.
Alisa
This recipe was delicious!! I will make it again…. So happy I found it!
Vaishali
So happy you loved it, Alisa. Thanks for letting me know.
Baljinder Dhesi
Thank you, I needed a dinner in a hurry and everybody lavished this meal! I loved all your ingredients and it worked out so well! Thank you!
Vaishali
So happy to hear you loved it!
Kathryn Borden
THIS IS AMAZING. Seriously the best curry I’ve ever tasted, including in a restaurant. I added a touch more cashews because I knew it would thicken the sauce. And my sauce/paste did not reduce that much (the tomatoes were hefty!) so I didn’t bother adding any liquid at the end. I baked the tofu, and roasted cauliflower before adding to the sauce. My 20 and 23 year olds are home for break and they LOVED this. I’m going to have to make it one more time before they leave. Thank you so much!!
Vaishali
Hi Kathryn, that's so awesome to hear. So happy your family loved the tofu curry. Thanks for letting me know!
Kathryn
And as promised, I’m making a double batch right now before one of my kids goes back on Sunday! Thank you!!