Vegan Butter Chicken is a meatless version of Murgh Makhani (in Hindi), an Indian restaurant-style curry with a silky, butter-flavored orange sauce. In this version cubes of tofu substitute for the chicken with mouthwatering results!
![Overhead closeup photo of cubes of butter tofu in a silky vegan butter chicken gravy with a cilantro garnish.](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/vegan-butter-tofu-chicken-1.jpg)
Even if you're not meat-free this vegan but very authentic-tasting Butter Chicken will leave you licking your fingers and asking for more.
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. If you love a good tofu curry, you will adore this vegan butter chicken.
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 vegan butter chicken recipe is just as delicious and quite simple. Make it once and you'll be hooked. I've even included a video to make it easy for you to follow along!
![Front closeup photo of vegan butter chicken served with pomegranate pilaf in a black bowl.](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/vegan-butter-chicken-1.jpg)
Table of Contents
Why you'll love this vegan butter chicken
- Delicious. The reason we adore vegan butter chicken is the creamy sauce. It's silky and a bright orange and perfectly spiced yet mild enough for most palates. 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.
- Authentic-tasting. 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, butter and cream, of course. You will not be disappointed.
- Easy recipe. Despite its epic status, a butter chicken--or a vegan butter chicken--is really quite an easy dish to make.
- 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 low-carb eaters, this dish has just 10 grams of net carbs.
- Allergy-friendly. Vegan butter chicken is gluten-free and can easily be adapted to a nut-free diet or a soy-free diet (see tips below).
I don't think I've ever eaten a dish this delicious.
- Natalie
![Overhead shot of vegan butter chicken with tofu cubes and cilantro in a dutch oven.](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/vegan-butter-tofu-chicken-2.jpg)
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 (use homemade or store bought). 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
Variations for special diets
- Keto/low-carb: 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 or mushrooms instead of tofu. 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.
Pro tip
Using cashew cream as a replacement for dairy cream yields authentic tasting vegan butter chicken. Cooks unfamiliar with the intricacies of Indian cuisine often use coconut milk as a cream replacement (a mistake I made too in my early days of experimenting with vegan cuisine) before I realized that coconut milk changes the flavor completely. That's because coconut is a south Indian ingredient, rarely used in north Indian cooking, and its flavor doesn't work with north Indian recipes like vegan butter chicken and vegan dal makhani. You can use pumpkin seed cream if you are nut-free.
Watch how to make vegan butter chicken
Recipe FAQs
If you don't have a grill pan, you can use a griddle or frying pan to roast the tofu.
This vegan butter chicken is 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 you can cut down to just 6 net carbs per serving if you're keto.
Yes, that's fine. Try and use a replacement that's not already flavored for best results. You can also use chickpea tofu or another soy-free tofu.
Serving suggestions
- I love dunking a vegan naan into the vegan butter chicken! If you have the grill going, you can make this grilled vegan naan that's easy and flavorful. Or serve the butter tofu with a simple, homemade roti.
- Basmati rice, cooked perfectly with long, separate grains, is the perfect companion for butter chicken. For a special dinner, serve it with Jeera Rice or Pomegranate Pilaf.
- Vegan cucumber raita or kachumber round out the meal.
Storage and freezing
- Refrigerate: Vegan butter chicken can be refrigerated for up to four days. It tastes even better the next day, so it's a great recipe to make ahead.
- Freeze: 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 before you plan to serve this dish. Thaw and reheat the sauce and mix the tofu in before serving.
More delicious vegan Indian curries
![Front closeup of a pot of silky vegan butter chicken gravy with tofu cubes and cilantro.](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/vegan-butter-chicken-5.jpg)
![Vegan butter chicken in a blue and white dutch oven.](https://holycowvegan.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/vegan-butter-chicken-image-360x360.jpg)
Vegan Butter Chicken
Equipment
- Saucepan or Dutch oven
- Strainer
- Grill pan (or oven)
Ingredients
For the tofu 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 avocado oil or any neutral 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)
Instructions
Prep the tofu
- 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
Notes
- To adapt this low-carb recipe to a keto diet, make the following modifications, which will bring down net carbs in this recipe to 6 grams: 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 the vegan butter chicken nut-free skip the cashews and use ½ cup pumpkin seeds for the sauce.
- Storing: 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.
Kris
Could I use medjool dates instead of maple syrup? If so, how many do you think would work best? Thank you. 🙂 Looking forward to trying it.
Vaishali
Hi Kris, you can, but you need to blend them into a smooth paste. I would say no more than two dates--you can add a bit of the paste, taste, and add more if needed. You don't want the butter chicken to taste sweet, but it should take the edge off the tangy and spicy flavors.
Faye Morley-Vaughan
I made your Tofu Makhani yesterday and it was absolutely delicious so I can't wait to make this butter tofu. Can you tell me what you use to strain the mixture once it's been blended? Would a standard metal strainer be ok or should I use muslin/cheesecloth?
Vaishali
Hi Faye, so happy you loved the makhani. Just use a regular metal strainer. You can also just blend the sauce really fine and skip the straining.
Natalie
I don't think I've ever eaten a dish this delicious.
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.
Vaishali
So happy you loved it, Bet.
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.