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Delicious restaurant-style Tofu Tikka Masala made by simmering baked cubes of tofu in a creamy tomato onion curry sauce. Serve with basmati rice or a flatbread like vegan naan or roti for the ultimate Indian style comfort food meal.
This tofu tikka masala — spiced, marinated tofu cubes in a luxurious, luscious and silky curry sauce — is a dish that I love making on weeknights when I want a delicious meal in a hurry.
If you love velvet-textured Indian sauces like tofu makhani and vegan butter chicken, this tofu tikka masala is a recipe you will enjoy making, serving and eating.
The tofu tikka masala riffs off from paneer tikka masala, a dish served in Indian restaurants (along with chicken tikka masala), where cubes of paneer, a cottage cheese, are added to an appetizing red sauce and simmered together.
A key point to keep in mind when making a tikka masala is that you need to create two sauces: both with a base of onions and tomatoes. One sauce gets blended up while the other is not. This gives the tikka masala more complexity of flavor and texture. Making two sauces might sound tedious, but it really is not. Everything comes together in one pan and most of the ingredients for both sauces are the same so you just need to chop everything up once.
What I love about this Tofu Tikka Masala is that the sauce has so many flavors — creamy and tangy and spicy — but it is not hot or overbearing. The tofu, baked until it’s chewy outside and soft on the inside, soaks up all of the flavors. And if I don’t feel like making another vegetable side dish it’s okay, because there already are plenty of veggies in this dish.
Table of Contents
What is tikka masala?
As much as tikka masala sounds like —and is sometimes identified with —Indian cuisine,it is in fact no more Indian than curry powder or balti cuisine are. Instead,it is a dish created entirely on British soil by immigrant cooks from the Indian subcontinent who were hungry for the flavors of home. Over the decades tikka masala has become so popular in the United Kingdom that it has been voted England’s national dish!
Veganizing a tikka masala requires replacing three key ingredients:the paneer,the cream,and the yogurt,used as a marinade. For this recipe we substitute the paneer with tofu,the cream with cashew cream,and the yogurt with vegan yogurt (you can use homemade or store-bought).
This recipe is quite simple and comes together quickly. But if you want to,you can also make my jarred tikka masala sauce and have it on hand to make dishes like this tofu tikka masala in a hurry.
Tofu vs. Paneer
Paneer,a cottage cheese made by pressing out the liquid from curdled milk,is slightly softer in texture and creamier than tofu. But baked or marinated tofu stands in nicely for paneer in nearly any Indian recipe,including tofu curry,chilli tofu,vegan malai kofta and vegan palak paneer.
Tofu is also better for you because it has loads of heart-healthy protein and fiber,unlike paneer,which is clogged with saturated fat and cholesterol and which,like all cheeses,has no fiber.
Ingredients for Tofu Tikka Masala
- Extra-firm tofu or high-protein tofu. You can also use my air fryer tofu in this recipe for even more flavor and texture.
- Vegetables:onion,tomatoes and green bell peppers.
- Spices:ground coriander,ground cumin,garam masala,paprika or cayenne,and turmeric.
- Herbs:kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves),ginger-garlic paste and cilantro.
- Vegan yogurt. For a nut-free version use a nut-free yogurt,unsweetened.
- Tomato paste. This adds umami and more richness to the sauce.
- Lemon juice
- Oil of choice,including avocado oil,sunflower oil or grape seed oil.
- Raw cashews. Sub with pumpkin seeds if nut-free.
- Maple syrup (or sugar). This is not to add sweetness but to balance and round out the flavors of the tikka masala.
How to make tofu tikka masala
In a bowl,place vegan yogurt,paprika,ground cumin,ground coriander,ginger garlic paste and salt.
Mix the marinade ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Toss tofu cubes in the marinade using a spoon.
Heat a skillet with 2 teaspoon oil. Add the tofu tikka cubes and cook until the tofu is evenly golden-brown on all sides.
Stir cubed onions and bell peppers into the tofu cubes and saute together for a couple of minutes. Remove the tofu and vegetables to a bowl or plate and set aside.
In the same pan,add 1 teaspoon oil. Add half the finely chopped onions and bay leaves along with some salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Saute until onions are soft and just beginning to color. Stir in the ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds.
Stir in half the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste and mix well.
Stir in the cashews…
…followed by the spices:ground coriander,turmeric,paprika,ground cumin and garam masala. Mix well and saute for a minute to toast the spices.
Add a cup of water and mix well. Remove the sauce to a blender and carefully blend into a smooth paste. Set aside.
To the same pan add a teaspoon of oil. Add the remaining onions and saute until beginning to change color. Stir in the remaining tomatoes.
Add the kasoori methi and garam masala to the pan and mix well.
Add the reserved tofu,bell pepper and onions to the pan.
Stir in the blended masala paste and add another cup of water and the maple syrup or sugar.
Mix well and bring the tofu tikka masala to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes for the flavors to meld. Stir in cilantro and serve hot.
Tweaks for special diets
- Nut-free:Replace the cashews with an equal quantity of raw pumpkin seeds.
- Low-carb:A serving of tofu tikka masala has only 16 grams net carbs. To cut down further on the carbs you can cut down the onions by half and substitute the maple syrup with a low-carb-friendly sweetener,like stevia.
Serving suggestions
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate:Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Freeze:Tofu,when frozen,becomes chewier. If you want softer tofu cubes in this dish freeze the sauce separately and prep and add the tofu the day of serving. You can also prep the tofu up to three days ahead and store it in the fridge before adding it to the sauce.
- Reheat:Reheat the tikka masala sauce on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More tasty vegan tofu recipes
Tofu Tikka Masala
Delicious Tofu Tikka Masala made by simmering baked cubes of tofu in a creamy tomato onion curry sauce.
Servings:6 servings
Calories:223kcal
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Instructions
Make the tofu tikka
In a bowl,place vegan yogurt,lemon juice,paprika,ground cumin,ground coriander,ginger garlic paste and salt. Mix the marinade ingredients until thoroughly combined. Toss tofu cubes in the marinade using a spoon.
Heat a skillet with 2 teaspoon oil. Add the tofu tikka cubes and cook until the tofu is evenly golden-brown on all sides.
Stir cubed onions and bell peppers into the tofu cubes and saute together for a couple of minutes. Remove the tofu and vegetables to a bowl or plate and set aside.
Make the first sauce
In the same pan,add 1 teaspoon oil. Add half the finely chopped onions and bay leaves along with some salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Saute until onions are soft and just beginning to color. Stir in the ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds.
Stir in half the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste and mix well.
Stir in the cashews followed by the spices:ground coriander,turmeric,paprika,ground cumin and garam masala. Mix well and saute for a minute to toast the spices.
Add a cup of water and mix well. Remove the sauce to a blender and carefully blend into a smooth paste. Set aside.
Make masala sauce
To the same pan add a teaspoon of oil. Add the remaining onions and saute until beginning to change color. Stir in the remaining tomatoes.
Add the kasoori methi and garam masala to the pan and mix well. Add the reserved tofu tikka cubes,bell pepper and onions to the pan.
Stir in the blended tomato-onion paste and add another cup of water along with the maple syrup.
Mix well and bring the tofu tikka masala to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes for the flavors to meld. Stir in cilantro and serve hot.
Nutrition
Calories:223kcal | Carbohydrates:20g | Protein:10g | Fat:13g | Saturated Fat:2g | Polyunsaturated Fat:3g | Monounsaturated Fat:7g | Potassium:604mg | Fiber:4g | Sugar:9g | Vitamin A:966IU | Vitamin C:40mg | Calcium:67mg | Iron:3mg
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