Wonderful restaurant style Tofu Tikka Masala made by simmering fried cubes of tofu in a creamy tomato-onion-curry sauce. Serve with basmati rice or a flatbread such as vegan naan or roti for the ultimate Indian-style comfort food meal.
This tofu tikka masala – seasoned, marinated tofu cubes in a luxurious, luscious and silky curry sauce – is a dish I like to make on weeknights when I want a quick, delicious meal.
If you love Indian sauces with velvet texture, such as tofu makhani and vegan butter chicken, then this tofu tikka masala is a recipe you will enjoy making, serving and eating.
The tofu tikka masala comes from paneer tikka masala, a dish served in Indian restaurants (along with chicken tikka masala), where cubes of paneer, a curd, are added to a tasty red sauce and simmered together.
An important point to keep in mind when making a tikka masala is that you need to make two sauces: both based on onions and tomatoes. One sauce is mixed, the other is not. This gives the tikka masala more complexity of taste and texture. Making two sauces may sound annoying, but it really isn’t. Everything comes together in one pan and most of the ingredients for both sauces are the same, so you only have to chop everything once.
What I love about this Tofu Tikka Masala is that the sauce has so many flavors – creamy, tangy and spicy – but not hot or overbearing. The tofu, fried until chewy on the outside and soft on the inside, absorbs all the flavors. And if I don’t feel like making another vegetable side dish, that’s no problem, because there are already enough vegetables 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. Instead, it’s a dish created entirely on British soil by immigrant chefs from the Indian subcontinent who were hungry for the flavors of home. In recent decades, tikka masala has become so popular in Britain that it has been declared the national dish of England!
Veganizing a tikka masala requires replacing three key ingredients: the paneer, the cream and the yogurt, which is used as a marinade. For this recipe, we’ll replace the paneer with tofu, the cream with cashew cream, and the yogurt with vegan yogurt (you can use homemade or store-bought yogurt).
This recipe is quite simple and comes together quickly. But if you want, you can also make my jarred tikka masala sauce and have it on hand to quickly make dishes like this tofu tikka masala.
Tofu vs paneer
Paneer, a curd made by squeezing the liquid from curdled milk, is slightly softer in texture and creamier than tofu. But fried or marinated tofu goes well with paneer in almost any Indian recipe, including tofu curry, chili tofu, vegan malai kofta and vegan palak paneer.
Tofu is also better for you because it is high in heart-healthy protein and fiber, unlike paneer, which is clogged with saturated fat and cholesterol and, like all cheeses, contains no fiber.
Ingredients for Tofu Tikka Masala
- Extra firm tofu or tofu with a high protein content. You can also use my air fryer tofu in this recipe for even more flavor and texture.
- Vegetables: onion, tomatoes And green pepper.
- Spices: ground coriander, ground cumin, garam masala, paprika or cayenneAnd turmeric.
- Spices: kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves), ginger-garlic paste And coriander.
- 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 your choice, including avocado oil, sunflower oil or grapeseed oil.
- Raw cashew nuts. 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.
This is how you make tofu tikka masala
Place the vegan yoghurt, paprika powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, a teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste, a teaspoon of garam masala and salt in a bowl.
Mix the marinade ingredients until well blended.
Add the tofu cubes to the marinade with a spoon.
Heat a frying pan with 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the tofu tikka cubes and fry until the tofu is evenly golden brown on all sides.
Stir the diced onions and peppers into the tofu cubes and fry them together for a few minutes. Place the tofu and vegetables in a bowl or plate and set aside.
In the same pan, add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add half of the finely chopped onions and bay leaves, along with some salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Cook until the onions are soft and just starting to color. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds.
Stir in half the diced tomatoes and the tomato puree and mix well.
Stir in the spices: ground coriander, turmeric, paprika, ground cumin and the remaining garam masala. Mix well and fry for a minute to toast the spices.
Add the cashew nuts and fry for a minute.
Add a cup of water and mix well. Place the sauce in a blender and blend gently into a smooth paste. Put aside.
To the same pan, add the last teaspoon of oil. Add the remaining onions and fry until they start to change color. Stir in the remaining tomatoes.
Add the kasoori methi and the remaining 1 teaspoon of garam masala to the pan and mix well.
Add the reserved tofu, peppers and onions to the pan.
Stir in the mixed masala paste and add another cup of water and the maple syrup or sugar.
Mix well and bring the tofu tikka masala to the boil. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Stir in the coriander and serve warm.
Adjustments for special diets
- Nut-free: Replace the cashew nuts with an equal amount of raw pumpkin seeds.
- Low carb: A serving of tofu tikka masala contains only 16 grams of net carbs. To further reduce the carbs, you can halve the onions and replace the maple syrup with a low-carb sweetener, such as stevia.
Serving suggestions
Storage instructions
- To keep in the fridge: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- To freeze: Tofu, when frozen, becomes chewier. If you want softer tofu cubes in this dish, freeze the sauce separately and prepare and add the tofu on the day of serving. You can also prepare the tofu up to three days in advance and store it in the refrigerator before adding it to the sauce.
- Heat up: Heat the tikka masala sauce on the stove or in the microwave.
More tasty vegan tofu recipes
Tofu Tikka Masala
Delicious Tofu Tikka Masala made by simmering fried cubes of tofu in a creamy tomato-onion-curry sauce.
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Portions: 6 portions
Calories: 223kcal
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Instructions
Make the tofu tikka
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In a bowl, combine the vegan yoghurt, lemon juice, paprika powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, half of the ginger-garlic paste, a teaspoon of garam masala and salt. Mix the marinade ingredients until well blended. Add the tofu cubes to the marinade with a spoon.
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Heat a frying pan with 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the tofu tikka cubes and fry until the tofu is evenly golden brown on all sides.
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Stir the diced onions and peppers into the tofu cubes and fry them together for a few minutes. Place the tofu and vegetables in a bowl or plate and set aside.
Make the first sauce
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In the same pan, add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add half of the finely chopped onions and bay leaves, along with some salt and ground black pepper to taste.
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Cook until the onions are soft and just starting to color. Stir in the remaining ginger-garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds.
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Stir in half the diced tomatoes and the tomato puree and mix well.
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Stir in the cashew nuts, followed by the spices: ground coriander, turmeric, paprika, ground cumin and garam masala. Mix well and fry for a minute to toast the spices.
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Add a cup of water and mix well. Place the sauce in a blender and blend gently into a smooth paste. Put aside.
Make masala sauce
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To the same pan, add a teaspoon of oil. Add the remaining onions and fry until they start to change color. Stir in the remaining tomatoes.
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Add the kasoori methi and the remaining garam masala to the pan and mix well. Add the reserved tofu tikka cubes to the pan along with the peppers and onions.
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Stir in the blended tomato-onion paste and add another cup of water and the maple syrup.
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Mix well and bring the tofu tikka masala to the boil. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Stir in the coriander and serve warm.
Power supply
Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 20G | Egg white: 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
