30-Minute Vegan Butter Chicken with Tofu
May 20, 2020 (Last updated Feb 11, 2026) by Hannah Sunderani
Hiya friends! Today I’m bringing you a delicious vegan butter chicken recipe, made using tofu! Certainly, this recipe is as comforting as they come. It’s made by simmering baked tofu in a creamy vegan butter chicken sauce until smooth and thick. Spread onto a bed of rice, or served with naan, and garnished with cilantro. What more could we ask for!?
All-in-all this vegan butter chicken recipe is warm and comforting, mildly spiced (as a butter chicken recipe should be), smooth, creamy and buttery.
I promise that nobody will be missing the real chicken in this recipe, because the baked tofu truly hits the spot. So, let me tell you exactly how to make this recipe so you can enjoy it pronto!
Vegan Butter Chicken Recipe
The ingredients
This recipe is divided into two sections. The first is for baking the tofu, and the second is for the vegan butter chicken sauce.
For the baked tofu, you will need:
- Tofu: A great plant-based alternative to chicken in this recipe! Most vegan butter chicken recipes I’ve tried use cauliflower or chickpeas, but I find that the tofu keeps you full and satiated for a comforting dish.
- Coconut milk: Adds creamy smooth texture to this recipe – often used it curry dishes and a must for this recipe! I also recipe tested this with my cashew cream and it was delish!
- Diced tomatoes: A classic ingredient for butter chicken dishes – it adds warm and takes on the spices really nicely!
- Spices: I’ve used a beautiful blend of garam masala, chili powder and cumin!
As you can see, this recipe uses a lot of pantry staples. Certainly, a well stocked spice rack will be helpful for creating this recipe.
How to make vegan butter chicken
So there we have it! A very easy recipe for vegan butter chicken, made with tofu and a simple vegan butter chicken sauce. No doubt, this recipe is comforting, creamy and smooth, buttery, full of flavour and mildly spiced. It was a big hit in our home and I’m sure it will be in yours too!
And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
30-Minute Vegan Butter Chicken with Tofu
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 16 oz extra-firm tofu (450g)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil avocado oil or coconut oil (melted)
- 2 tbsp corn starch or arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp sea salt finely ground
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp neutral oil avocado oil or coconut oil
- 1 can diced tomatoes 28 fl oz/795 ml
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 can coconut milk (14 fl oz/400 ml)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Serve with:
- cooked rice or naan bread
- fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped, to sprinkle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Drain extra firm tofu and rinse well. Press tofu by wrapping in a clean tea towel and placing a few heavy books on top. Use your backsplash to secure books in place. Press for 10 minutes. Then unwrap tofu and cut into bite-sized cubes.
- In a mixing bowl combine tofu, oil, corn starch, sea salt, garlic powder and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Line a baking tray with parchment and transfer tofu cubes onto tray spreading out so there aren't any clumps. Bake for 20-25 mins, or until golden and crispy.
- Meanwhile add diced onions, garlic and neutral oil to a deep skillet. Bring to medium heat and cook until onion turns transluscent (about 10 mins).
- Pour diced tomatoes, tomato paste and freshly grated ginger. Then season with garam masala, chili powder, curry powder, cumin, and sea salt. Add coconut milk and baked tofu and bring to a low simmer. Finally, add cayenne pepper flakes for heat, and maple syrup for sweetness.
- Scoop vegan butter chicken over cooked rice, or serve with naan bread. Sprinkle with fresh coriander.
Notes
Approvals
Nutrition
LEAVE A COMMENT
AND RATE THIS RECIPE!
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Buttery, Creamy, and spicy and my tofu turned out so nice and crispy. I cooked it a little bit longer for that extra crunch.
So thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe Shira! We love it for all the same reasons. 🙂
super yummy
Glad you enjoyed it Rakul!
I simply followed every step from the recipe. Omg. So tasty. The spices are spot on. Even better than my mom’s dish. 100% recommend this for a cold day.
That is wonderful Sri! Thank you for such a nice comment.
Absolutely, delicious! I also made your mushroom bourguignon last night and it was 5 star too. I plan to work my way through your cookbook this winter.
Oh I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe Joanna! And thanks for the very kind words about the Bourguignon! Enjoy cooking from the book and let me know if you have any questions. 🙂
This was absolutely delicious. Also, such a great and easy way to bake tofu. This will be added to my repertoire. Thank you.
I am so glad that you enjoyed it Lois! Thanks for the kind comment!
This recipe is delicious when you’re craving butter chicken but can’t get a vegan version from a restaurant! Even my 18 month old loved it – I just omitted the cayenne.
We love it too Caitlin! Especially my husband, who often misses butter chicken. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it so much. Thanks for the kind comment. 🙂
Amazing! Doubled it and the tofu – and added a can of chickpeas. Made it 2 days in advance for a potluck – kept beautifully and there wasn’t any left! Making it again today…
Oh this makes me so incredibly happy Janelle! I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe so much, and that it was such a success at your potluck. Adding chickpeas sounds like a fab idea! Must try that next time. Thanks for the sweet comment. 🙂
This recipe is super quick and easy to make and it doesn’t require any ingredients I didn’t already have in my pantry. My husband is really particular about Indian food and said this was the best curry I ever made (even thought that it was a restaurant that published their recipe!)
I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hi Bojana! Wow what a compliment! I am so flattered that you and your husband loved this recipe so much. Your comment made my day. Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
I just tried making this dish and it came out really tasty! I omitted the maple syrup because I figured tomatoes & coconut milk were already sweet. Next time I would omit the cayenne pepper flakes because the dish was quite hot & spicy! I also wouldn’t add baked tofu to sauce in step 4. It went from nice and crispy to soft again. I would just spoon it on top when serving.
In step 4 it doesn’t say how long to simmer?
Hi Donna! Thanks so much for your note. I love that you’ve taken initiative to make the dish your own by omitting the maple syrup and next time the cayenne pepper (this curry definitely has kick to it!). Of course, if you prefer the tofu to stay crispy you can add it at the end, instead of having the tofu simmer like traditional butter chicken.
As for step 4, since the tofu is already cooked and ready – we are just simmering to blend the flavours together to combine (about 2-5 mins), but you can keep the curry on a low simmer until you’re ready to serve. I kept mine on for about 25 minutes, until my husband got home from work. I hope that helps to clarify, and thanks again for the comment. 🙂
I highly recommend!! This recipe is for sure one of me and my husbands favourites!! It’s so easy and SO yummy! We were actually surprised at how much the tofu reminded us of chicken, but the tofu is way better! The spices in this dish are delicious! This recipe exceeded my expectations!
Thanks so much for the sweet review Krystal!! I’m thrilled you enjoyed this recipe. I love those tofu “chicken” cubes too. The baked tofu really reminds me of chicken nuggets for kids! haha. I’m thrilled you liked the recipe as much as we do. 🙂