Creamy Cashew Butter Chicken (dairy-free recipe!)
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This cashew butter chicken is rich, creamy, and packed with warming Indian-inspired flavors — all without any dairy. It’s an easy, cozy dinner that tastes even better than takeout.
This cashew butter chicken is one of those cozy dinners I come back to again and again. The sauce is rich, creamy, and packed with warming spices, with all the comforting flavors I love about classic butter chicken — just without the heavy cream. It’s the kind of recipe that feels especially good on busy nights when I want dinner to be satisfying without requiring a ton of effort.
The secret here is blended cashews, which create an incredibly silky sauce that tastes luxurious while keeping the recipe dairy-free. Combined with tomatoes, garlic, ginger, onion, and plenty of spices, the sauce becomes deeply flavorful, creamy, and perfect for spooning over rice or scooping up with warm naan.
I also love how dependable this recipe is. Chicken thighs or breasts both work beautifully, the leftovers taste amazing the next day, and the whole kitchen smells incredible while it cooks. It’s one of those dinners that always feels comforting and familiar in the best possible way.
Tips for making cashew butter chicken
- Cashews: Make sure they’re blended until smooth. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak them in water to make them softer and easier to blend. You can also run the cream through a sieve to make sure no gritty bits get through.
- Onions: Caramelize the onions and let them brown well to bring out a sweet undertone.
- Spices: While the onions brown, combine all the spices in a small bowl for a quick and easy addition.
- Rice: If you’re enjoying your cashew butter chicken with rice, start the basmati rice first. The rice will finish before the cashew butter chicken is done, so remove it from the heat to the side until everything else is complete.
What to serve with cashew butter chicken
Make some cauliflower rice, basmati rice, or coconut rice to soak up the beautiful sauce, sprinkle cilantro or cashews over top, and serve with some naan or roti.
For some Indian-inspired appetizers, start the meal with some curried carrots, roasted tandoori cauliflower, or turmeric cauliflower.
Creamy Cashew Butter Chicken (dairy-free recipe!)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons oil (divided)
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 5 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 2 inch piece of ginger (peeled and chopped)
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- Sea salt (to taste)
The Spices
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ to 1 teaspoon chili powder (depending how spicy you like it)
- Seeds from 4 cardamom pods
Instructions
- Place the cashews and 1 ½ cups of water into your blender or food processor and blend on high until completely smooth. Pour into a bowl and set it aside. Don't clean your blender yet – you'll need it again.1 ½ cups raw cashews
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it is brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total. You don't need to cook the chicken all the way through. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.1 lb boneless chicken thighs or breasts
- While the chicken is browning, start cooking the curry. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and cook until it is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and let it cook for 5 minutes more.1 medium onion, 5 cloves garlic, 2 inch piece of ginger
- Add the spices to the onions and let them cook for a minute, stirring the whole time. Pour the tomatoes into the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan. Carefully transfer to your blender and blend on high until smooth.28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 1 tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ to 1 teaspoon chili powder, Seeds from 4 cardamom pods
- Pour the curry back into the pan, add the blended cashews, the chopped chicken, ½ cup of water, and the brown sugar. Bring the curry to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt.2 tablespoons brown sugar, Sea salt
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
This recipe is absolutely delicious. The cashew gives it a depth of flavor that is unmatched in other similar recipes I’ve tried. And bonus no dairy!
I love hearing that — thank you so much! The cashews really do bring something special to the sauce, and I’m so glad that flavor stood out for you. Appreciate you taking the time to leave a note — it means a lot. 🥰
I love this recipe! My stomach doesn’t do dairy these days. So quite a few tasty foods have to be adjusted for that quirk. Indian food uses a lot of dairy but this butter chicken has solved my problem! It’s so delicious!! Thanks so much for posting it. xx
The creamy cashew butter chicken is calling for cashews, not cashew butter. What The ****!
It’s meant as butter chicken made with cashews, not chicken made with cashew butter. Sorry for that confusion!
My husband and I made this with tofu and it was amazing! We had to season the tofu (1/2 tsp each of garam malsala, tumeric, paprika & salt) and bake it to get a crisp texture. But we felt like we had gone out to eat so thank you so much. 🙏🏻
For a whole 30 recipe it was pretty good. I had to about double the seasonings for it to have any flavor. It just didn’t really seem creamy at all. Overall it was just alright