Vegan "Paneer" Butter Masala

5 from 13 votes

Vegan "Paneer" Butter Masala

Taking the dairy out of this vegan Paneer Butter Masala, a Punjabi classic, does not take away from its mindblowing flavor or its authenticity or its deliciousness. Give this gluten-free recipe a try with roti or naan and you'll be hooked for good.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: gluten-free, Indian Punjabi, Vegan

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 139kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

Ingredients

2 tablespoon vegan butter
1 large onion (finely chopped)
4 cloves garlic (crushed into a paste)
1 inch ginger (crushed into a paste. You can do this along with the garlic)
3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
¼ cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon coriander powder
2 teaspoon paprika (or Kashmiri chili powder)
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoon kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1 teaspoon sugar
10 oz super firm tofu (cut into ½-inch cubes)
2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped, for garnish)

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan.
Add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent.
Add the tomatoes and the cashews. Cook, covered but stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have reduced to a pulp. Add the coriander powder, turmeric and paprika and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Carefully, taking care not to burn yourself, ladle out the tomato-onion-spice mixture into a blender. Or, if you have an immersion blender, use that. Add a cup of water or preferably vegetable stock and blend into a very, very smooth paste.
Pour the sauce back into the saucepan. For an even smoother texture to your sauce, you can strain it. Add the garam masala and stir in.
Add the kasoori methi and sugar and stir well. If the sauce looks too thick, you can thin it out with more vegetable stock. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat.
Add the cubes of tofu, season with salt, bring back to a boil, and continue to cook, covered for another five minutes.
Turn off the heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve hot with naan or roti or rice.

Notes

Blend the sauce for best results. The masala sauce needs to be really creamy -- the creamier the better. Some cooks strain the sauce after blending -- I don't, but I'll leave that to you.
Use a vegetable stock rather than water. This is not necessary, but it helps build layers of flavor into your dish.
The Paneer Butter Masala sold in restaurants is a deep orange because the cooks add food coloring to make it appear more appetizing. You'll get a really nice, rich orange color with the tomatoes and paprika alone. But your homemade butter masala will likely not be as deep orange as what you'd find in the restaurant.
This recipe is a much healthier version of what you'd find at a restaurant, but I do use a couple of tablespoons of vegan butter to give it that authentic flavor and mouth-feel. Use it for best results.

Nutrition