Butter Tofu
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All the creamy, spicy flavor of the classic Indian Dish, this Butter Tofu is so good you won’t even miss the chicken!
I’ve been posting recipes for a few years now and “Vegan Butter Chicken” is one of the most popular requests that I get. I honestly don’t make Indian food at home very often since there’s a lot of vegan options at most Indian restaurants near me, and I’d rather let the pros handle it!
However, I haven’t had a vegan version of Butter Chicken before, so I thought why not make some Butter Tofu instead, and I’m glad I did! This is one of the best meals I’ve made in recent memory, and it’s all thanks to all the amazing spices inherent in this dish!
I took a lot of inspiration from this Butter Chicken recipe over at Swasthi’s Recipes!
What’s the best tofu for Butter tofu?
I highly recommend Super Firm Tofu as it’s vacuum packed and doesn’t require pressing. I haven’t tested this recipe out with Extra Firm but if you can only find that, you’ll wanna press it for at least 30 minutes.
I know a lot of folks like to freeze their tofu for marinating, but Super Firm has very little water, so I’ve found it doesn’t do much. I also find the texture to be more spongy than I’d like. For me Super Firm is nice and meaty when you chunk it up and sear it in the marinade.
ingredients for Butter Tofu
Besides the tofu, we will be using a lot of common Indian Spices (and some not so common ones too)!
- Oil, Soy Sauce, Vegan Yogurt – I don’t recommend skipping the oil on this one, it helps it get nice and browned. And use Tamari or Coconut Aminos if you can’t do Soy Sauce, which might not be traditional, but it adds a lot of umami to the dish. You can use Vegan Mayo instead of Yogurt too.
- Seasonings – Some commonly found seasonings will be Garam Masala, Cumin, Coriander, Garlic, Ginger, Turmeric and Nutritional Yeast.
- Kashmiri Chili Powder – This is less common in US stores. I got mine at my local Indian Market, so go to your’s if you have one. Otherwise you can get it online. Worst case scenario, you can sub for some Cayenne and Smoked Paprika.
- Fenugreek (Kasoori Methi) – Same as the Kashmiri Chili, if you can’t find it you can leave it out! The dish will still be delicious!
- The Gravy – We will be using some Vegan Butter, Onions, Garlic, Indian Spices, Tomato Sauce, Cashews and Vegan Milk for the thick and delicious gravy!
how to make Butter Tofu
To prep the tofu marinade, simply combine and whisk everything in a bowl.
Pat the tofu dry, and then break it into bite sized chunks. This will give us more nooks and crannies for the marinade to stick to.
Gently toss the tofu chunks in the marinade. Taste one chunk and adjust seasoning as needed.
Heat up a 12″ skillet over medium heat, pre-heat for 3 – 4 minutes. Then add in the tofu chunks and cook for 2 – 3 minutes per side. Don’t crowd the pan. You may need to do this in batches. Once they are looking good, remove from the pan and reserve for later.
Add 2 Tbsp of the Vegan Butter to the pan and melt. Add in the diced onion and cook over medium heat for 8 – 10 minutes or until softened and translucent.
Add in the Minced Garlic and spices. Stir to coat and cook the garlic / spices for 1 minute then add in the Tomato Sauce / Passata
Add the cashews and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
I highly recommend blending the mixture with an immersion blender, or carefully remove it from the pan and blend in a high speed blender. Then return to the pan, along with the plant milk and 2 Tbsp of Vegan Butter. Stir to melt and incorporate.
Then add the reserved tofu back in. Stir to coat the tofu and then serve immediately over rice or with some naan / flatbread. Garnish with chopped cilantro!
storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3 days.
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, please leave a rating & review! It really helps out the blog and it makes my day, thank you!
Butter Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Super Firm Tofu (Vacuum Sealed)
Marinade
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Oil (Canola, Vegetable, Olive etc)
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Vegan Yogurt (or Vegan Mayo)
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder* (or 1/2 tsp each Cayenne & Smoked Paprika)
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger (or 1 Tbsp Fresh Grated Ginger)
- 1 tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves (optional)
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 3 Tbsp Water (more as needed)
GRAVY
- 4 Tbsp Butter (divided)
- 1/2 Medium Onion (diced about 1 cup)
- 6 Cloves Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder (or 1/2 tsp each Cayenne & Smoked Paprika)
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger (or 1 Tbsp Fresh Grated Ginger)
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp Ground Coriander
- 2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves (optional)
- 28 oz. Crushed Tomatoes / Passata
- 1/4 cup Raw Cashews
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup Unsweetened Plant Milk
- Water as needed
- Chopped Cilantro (for serving)
Instructions
Tofu
- I highly recommend using Super Firm tofu, it’s vacuum sealed and doesn’t require pressing. You can try using Extra Firm tofu and press it for 30 minutes, but Super Firm is ideal.
- Take the tofu out of it’s packaging and pat it dry with a paper towel. Break the tofu into bite sized chunks. I find it’s easiest to break the whole block in half, and then keep breaking each section in half until they are about bite size.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Gently toss the tofu chunks with the marinade until thoroughly coated.
- You can store for later, or cook them now. Get a 12" skillet heated up over medium heat for a few minutes. Spray a little cooking oil into the pan and then add the tofu chunks. Don't crowd the pan, you may need to do this in two batches.
- Let them sit for about 2 – 3 minutes. Then flip them, they should have some nice browning on them. If not, let them sit for another minute or so. I suggest browning them on at least 2 sides. Once they are looking good, remove from the pan and reserve for later.
Gravy
- Add 2 Tbsp of the Vegan Butter to the pan and melt. Add in the diced onion and cook over medium heat for 8 – 10 minutes or until softened and translucent.
- Add in the Minced Garlic, Kashmiri Chili, Ground or Fresh Ginger, Turmeric, Garam Masala, Ground Coriander, Cumin, and Fenugreek. Stir to coat and cook the garlic / spices for 1 minute.
- Add in the Tomato Sauce / Passata. Add about 1/4 cup water to the can or jar and rinse to loosen the leftover tomato sauce. Add to the pan and stir to combine. If it feels a bit thick, add 1/4 cup of water at a time until it's at desired consistency. Add the cashews and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
- I highly recommend blending the mixture with an immersion blender, or carefully remove it from the pan and blend in a high speed blender. Then return to the pan, along with the plant milk and 2 Tbsp of Vegan Butter. Stir to melt and incorporate.
- If gravy feels too thick, add water until you get your desired consistency. Taste and adjust for seasoning, adding any salt, spices or even more lemon juice if needed. Then add the reserved tofu back in. Stir to coat the tofu and then serve immediately over rice or with some naan / flatbread. Garnish with chopped cilantro!
Notes
- Kashmiri Chili Powder – This is less common in US stores. I got mine at my local Indian Market, so go to your’s if you have one. Otherwise you can get it online. Worst case scenario, you can sub for some Cayenne and Smoked Paprika.
- Fenugreek (Kasoori Methi) – Same as the Kashmiri Chili, if you can’t find it you can leave it out! The dish will still be delicious!
