The much-beloved north Indian style restaurant dish, Butter Chicken, gets a vegan makeover! Be sure to watch the step-by-step video.
This Vegan Butter Chicken is as authentic as can be, with a silky, orange sauce coating cubes of perfectly spiced and grilled tofu cubes or "tikka". If you're counting calories take heart because this dish is also amazingly healthy with just 187 calories, 8 grams of protein and 10 grams of net carbs in each serving. It's also gluten-free, can easily be made nut-free without losing any of the flavor, and I'll show you how you can further cut down to just 6 net carbs if you're keto.
I've never met anyone who doesn't love butter chicken, and even if you're not meat-free this vegan Butter Chicken will leave you licking your fingers and asking for more.
The reason is that this is the most authentic vegan version of a butter chicken recipe you are likely to encounter. The method I follow closely emulates that used to make butter chicken in the finest Indian restaurants, with just one difference: there's no meat here. Instead, we use tofu, which is marinated in a spiced vegan yogurt sauce and grilled to perfection.
I've shared with you an Instant Pot version of this dish before and a Tofu Makhani recipe that so many of you love. This recipe is just as delicious and quite simple. Make it once and you'll be hooked. I've even included a video to make the recipe easy to follow. But first, read this.
Coconut milk is a no-no in a vegan butter chicken recipe
I put that up in big bold letters because it's really, really important you know that if you want an authentic-tasting dish.
Coconut is a common ingredient in southern and western India, but it is almost never used in savory North Indian food. And butter chicken is very, very north Indian.
Cooks unfamiliar with the intricacies of regional Indian cuisines, which are unique and vastly different from each other, will often throw coconut milk into the vegan butter chicken sauce to make it creamy. And while I would never thumb my nose at innovation, there are some boundaries that simply should not be crossed. Because here's the problem with adding coconut milk to a vegan butter chicken: coconut milk has a very specific flavor, and that flavor dominates the dish. It tastes fine if you were looking for a dish of tofu in a coconut sauce. But if it's vegan butter chicken you want, that's not what you're getting.
As a daughter of parents who came from India's Konkan coast, where coconut grows abundantly, I love this miracle ingredient and use it frequently in my cooking. But please, stay away from it when you adapt north Indian recipes like butter chicken or dal makhani because it simply doesn't taste right.
Instead, use cashew cream -- or pumpkin seed cream, if you're nut-free or keto. These taste much closer to the dairy cream north Indian Punjabis would use in their butter chicken and you will get an authentic tasting vegan butter chicken, as good as anything you'd eat at an Indian restaurant.
You also don't need turmeric in a butter chicken gravy and it can interfere with the color of the sauce, but if you absolutely want to, add ½ a teaspoon to the tofu marinade, along with the paprika.
Why you'll love this vegan butter chicken
- It's delicious. The reason we adore vegan butter chicken is the creamy sauce. It's silky and a bright orange and perfectly spiced without being overwhelming. This vegan butter chicken sauce is all that and so much more, but we don't stop there. Cooks in India would add grilled chicken tikka or tandoori chicken to their butter chicken sauce (the story goes that butter chicken evolved because restaurants were looking for a way to use up leftover tandoori chicken that had gone a bit dry, so they drowned it in a flavorful sauce and voila, a new, fabulous dish!). To emulate this flavorful chicken, I marinate the tofu in the spices used to make chicken tikka and then grill it. It's a small extra step that adds tons of flavor.
- It tastes authentic. I've taken pains to ensure that all of the ingredients and the technique used here are true to how a butter chicken would be made, minus the chicken, of course. You will not be disappointed.
- It is easy to make. Despite its epic status, a butter chicken--or a vegan butter chicken--is really quite an easy dish to make. There are a couple of steps you need to take to make sure you get a great-tasting dish, but they are not difficult.
- It is healthy. Despite being decadently delicious and even rich, there are just 187 calories and 8 grams of protein in each serving of this butter tofu. For carb watchers, this dish has just 10 grams of net carbs. This dish can easily be adapted to a nut-free diet without losing any of the flavor, and it's already gluten-free. I'll also show you how to make this soy-free in the tips below.
Ingredients
For the tofu tikka marinade
- 14 oz super firm tofu. If you can only find extra firm tofu, press it to remove excess water. Cut the tofu into six slabs.
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil. I use avocado oil, but any flavorless oil is fine here.
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegan yogurt. I use my cashew yogurt here. Use any vegan yogurt, but make sure it's unsweetened.
- 1 tsp paprika (or Kashmiri chili powder). In India you'd use Kashmiri chili powder, which adds a bright red color without making the food too spicy. If you can't find it, use paprika.
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
For the butter tofu sauce
- 2 tbsp vegan butter. We start and end the dish with a tablespoon of vegan butter. This adds the glossy, silky finish to the sauce so don't skip it.
- Spices: 3 cloves, 3 green cardamom pods, 1 black cardamom pod, 1-inch piece cinnamon and 2 bay leaves
- 1 medium onion
- 3 tomatoes
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp paprika (or Kashmiri chili powder). Use Kashmiri chili powder if you are able to access it.
- ¼ cup raw cashews + ¼ cup pumpkin seeds. If nut-free use ½ cup pumpkin seeds and leave out the cashews
- 1 tbsp maple syrup.
- 1 tbsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
Tips for adapting to other diets
- Keto: The following modifications will bring down net carbs in this recipe to 6 grams, making it suitable for keto eaters: 1. Cut down to 1 tomato and add 2 tablespoon tomato paste instead with 1 additional cup of water. 2. Skip the maple syrup and use any keto-approved sweetener, like erythritol, monk fruit sweetener or stevia. 3. Skip the cashews entirely and use just ½ cup pumpkin seeds instead.
- Soy-free: Use cauliflower florets instead. Coat them in the marinade and either grill them or bake them in a 425 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until al dente.
- Nut-free: Skip the cashews and use ½ cup pumpkin seeds for the sauce.
Watch how to make vegan butter chicken
Can I bake the tofu "chicken" instead of grilling it?
- If you don't have a grill pan, you can use a griddle or frying pan to roast the tofu.
- To bake the tofu, place the marinated slabs on a parchment-lined baking sheet side by side and bake 40 minutes. Turn the tofu slices over halfway through baking. Cube before adding to the sauce.
What to serve with the vegan butter tofu chicken
- Vegan butter chicken is fabulous with naan. Try this grilled vegan naan that's easy and flavorful. You can also serve it with a simple, homemade roti.
- This dish also goes beautifully with rice. You can serve it with plain white or brown basmati rice, or, for a special occasion, serve it with Jeera Rice or a Pomegranate Pilaf.
- Serve vegan cucumber raita on the side for a fabulous, wholesome and special meal.
Storage and freezing
- This vegan butter chicken keeps well in the refrigerator for three days. In fact, it tastes even better the next day, so it's a great recipe to make ahead.
- For longer storage, make the sauce and freeze it in a freezer safe container. Do not freeze the tofu cubes as this will change their texture. I recommend making them up to three days ahead of the time you plan to serve this dish, then thaw and reheat the sauce and mix the tofu in before serving.
Related recipes
Vegan Butter Chicken
Equipment
- Saucepan or Dutch oven
- Strainer
- Grill pan (or oven)
Ingredients
For the tofu tikka marinade
- 14 oz super firm tofu (or extra firm tofu, pressed to remove excess water. Cut the tofu into six slabs)
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon vegan yogurt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika (or Kashmiri chili powder)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
For the butter tofu sauce
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter (divided)
- 3 cloves
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1 black cardamom pod
- 1-inch piece cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 3 tomatoes (cut in a large dice)
- 6 cloves garlic
- ½ inch knob ginger (roughly chopped)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (or Kashmiri chili powder)
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
For serving
- Vegan naan
- Jeera rice OR
- Cauliflower rice OR
- Pomegranate pilaf
- Vegan cucumber raita
Instructions
Make the tofu tikka
- Place tofu slabs in a bowl. Add the ginger garlic paste, lemon juice and vegetable oil and rub it into the tofu. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- In another bowl mix the vegan yogurt, paprika, salt and ground coriander. Mix well and slather the marinade evenly over the tofu slabs. Set aside for another 15 minutes.
- Heat a grill pan or griddle and brush on oil or coat with cooking spray. Sear the tofu slabs on both sides until grill marks or brown spots appear. When cool enough to handle, cut each slab into eight cubes and set aside.
Make the makhani or butter sauce
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegan butter in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the spices--cloves, green and black cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves -- and saute for a minute until the bay leaves color slightly.
- Add the onions and mix, then quickly add in the tomatoes, garlic and ginger. Add ½ cup water, any remaining tofu marinade, pumpkin seeds and/or raw cashews and paprika. Mix, and cover and cook 10 minutes or until the tomatoes get really soft.
- Remove all the contents of the pan to a blender and carefully, taking necessary precautions because this is all very hot, blend to a smooth paste.
- Strain the sauce. This is really key to creating a smooth, silky sauce, so don't skip this if you want an authentic experience.
- Return the strained sauce to the pot, add a cup of water, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times in between.
- Stir in the maple syrup, kasoori methi, garam masala, tofu cubes and remaining 1 tablespoon vegan butter. Stir in the tofu cubes and add salt if needed.
- Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Garnish with cilantro if you wish.
Video
Recipe notes
- To adapt this low-carb recipe to a more restrictive keto diet, make the following modifications, which will bring down net carbs in this recipe to 6 grams, making it suitable for keto eaters: 1. Cut down to 1 tomato and add 2 tablespoon tomato paste instead with 1 additional cup of water. 2. Skip the maple syrup and use any keto-approved sweetener, like erythritol, monk fruit sweetener or stevia. 3. Skip the cashews entirely and use just ½ cup pumpkin seeds instead.
- To make this dish soy-free, use cauliflower florets instead. Coat them in the marinade and either grill them or bake them in a 425 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until al dente.
- To make it nut-free: Skip the cashews and use ½ cup pumpkin seeds for the sauce.
- If you don't have a grill pan, you can use a griddle to roast the tofu.
- To bake the tofu, place the slabs on a parchment-lined baking sheet side by side and bake 40 minutes. Turn the tofu slabs over halfway through baking. Cube before adding to the sauce.
- This vegan butter chicken keeps well in the refrigerator for three days. In fact, it tastes even better the next day, so it's a great recipe to make ahead.
- For longer storage, make the sauce and freeze it in a freezer safe container. Do not freeze the tofu cubes as this will change their texture. I recommend making them up to three days ahead of the time you plan to serve this dish, then thaw and reheat the sauce and mix the tofu in before serving.
Bet
This was simply divine. I can't say enough. It's going into our regular rotation. I never thought cooking Indian food would be this easy and that I could make something so delicious.
Arden
Thanks so much for this adaptation of a classic . Did you perhaps forget to mention that you should remove the whole cardamom etc before blending it , as otherwise this will result in a bitter taste .?
Vaishali
Hi, no need to remove the cardamom--it won't taste bitter.
Ute
Very very delicious! Next time I will definitely prepare the sauce in advance. It took me forever to strain it. Maybe my strainer is too fine. We had Jeera rice and spinach with it.
Vaishali
Hi Ute, so happy you made it! Yes, the straining can be difficult if the strainer is too fine--it doesn't need to be, you just want any leftover bits of spices and tomato skins strained out. You can skip the straining altogether but the sauce won't be as silky. Still, it will be delicious.