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This Tofu Tikka Masala is a healthy vegetarian recipe that is perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Say it with me: Tofu Tikka Masala!
A necessary recipe for your weeknight dinner rotation in the winter.
I’ve been coping with the cold weather by eating PLENTYYY of warming winter recipes like West African peanut stew and butternut squash risotto, and now I’m adding this tofu tikka masala to the gang.
This is one of those recipes that is filled with so many warming spices that it’s just bound to make you feel warm and cozy inside. I mean how can it not?
We’ve got garlic, ginger, cumin, garam masala in a creamy tomato sauce with a bit of coconut milk for some extra creamy goodness.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This tofu tikka masala comes together in 1 hour, most of which times it’s just cooking away on the stove while you relax.
- The tofu absorbs all the flavour of the sauce so you have an extremely flavourful tofu dish.
- The sauce is amazing over some rice, quinoa or with a side of naan bread.
- This recipe freezes well so you can freeze any leftovers you have.
How to make tikka masala:
This recipe is pretty simple to make. It starts with some cooked up tofu and then our tikka masala sauce. You can (optionally) serve this with a side of basmati rice, or even some quinoa or brown rice if you like!
Let’s take a look at the process:
- Marinade the tofu
- Cook the tofu
- Prepare the sauce
- Add the tofu to the sauce
- Congrats! You’ve made tofu tikka masala
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
- Tikka masala is very much about the sauce. So you’ll want to make sure you have all the right spices on hand to make sauce bursting with flavour. (Some more traditional recipes use even more spices than we have listed below, but I prefer to keep things a bit more simple)
- Use firm or extra firm tofu for this recipe.
- If you have time, marinate the tofu the night before so it absorbs as much flavour as possible. ( if you are marinading the tofu the same day you’d like to cook it make sure you leave the tofu in the marinade for at least 1 hour.)
- Prepare the tikka masala sauce white the tofu bakes in the oven to save time.
- If you want a more “yellow” sauce like some traditional tikka masala recipes, add some more turmeric and less tomato to the recipe.
This tofu tikka masala is:
- Vegetarian & vegan-friendly
- Naturally gluten-free
- Grain-free (if you don’t eat it over rice)
- Like a hug in a bowl!
More tofu recipes to try
Tofu Tikka Masala
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: main
- Method: cook
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
A cozy Indian curry made with marinated tofu in a creamy masala sauce!
Ingredients
Marinated tofu
- 1/2 cup non-dairy yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 block firm tofu, cut into cubes
Tikka masala sauce
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all the tofu marinade ingredients together in a bowl then add the tofu and mix until coated. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Scatter the tofu on the pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Add the avocado oil to a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and let cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add in all the spices and let cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined.
- Add the tofu and cover and let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
Notes
This tofu tikka masala is best served up with a side of rice or naan bread!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you tried this Tofu Tikka Masala or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
I love this recipe! I used a extra firm tofu instead of firm and a full can of coconut milk and no water and it tasted great.
Happy you enjoyed the recipe Molly!
This is a fabulous recipe. We did find it a bit bland once the sauce was together. We added some heat with chili flakes, cayenne, and a bit more lime juice and cinnamon. I served it for a birthday party and everyone wanted seconds. We will definitely make this again. Even the marinated baked tofu by itself was terrific.
Happy you enjoyed the recipe Laura!
This turned out really great and was super easy to make! I used a pre-mixed Tikka Masala spice from Indianlife for the sauce. Agree with the comment about chopping the onions very small, but I liked the added texture. Will be making again!
Happy you enjoyed the recipe Paula 🙂
Good! I found that the onions need to be chopped the smallest possible in a blender. Almost purée like otherwise they can stay a bit too crunchy even after simmering for 30 min. The spice blend is nice. Maybe you could add a hint of hot spice with a little cayenne?
Thank you for the review! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. You can definitely add more heat to this dish if you like 🙂
Can this be made with tomato purée instead of tomato sauce? Making it today!! Looks amazing
Hi there, the flavour will be a bit different if you use puree instead of sauce since puree is much more concentrated. You will want to thin out the tomato puree with some water or vegetable broth!
Perfect weeknight dinner!
Thanks for the review Ben!
This sounds delicious, I hope it try it this week or next! Would it be freezable? It would be great to have a batch if there’s some left. Many thanks!
Thank you so much Alex! I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it would taste best fresh 🙂
Made this a few nights ago and have been having it for lunches ever since! SO GOOD! Will definitely be in the rotation!
Thank you so much Val! SO happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
I LOVE tikka masala, or Indian food in general! I have a tikka masala recipe on my blog but yours looks WAY more tasty. I’ll probably modify mine in the near future and make improvements on the curry sauce! But your recipe looks like a winner–it looks splendid!
Thanks Cassie! I’ll have to check yours out I’m sure it’s wonderful 🙂
I can’t wait to try this!!! My mouth is watering
Thanks Anna! Hope you enjoy 🙂