Loaded Vegan Butter Chicken (made with tofu, peas, and corn)
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Everyone’s favorite Indian dish gets a makeover with this delicious vegan butter chicken recipe. Tofu, peas, and corn are cooked in a creamy, rich, vegan butter chicken sauce with the perfect amount of curry spice. It’s surprisingly easy to make this tasty dish at home, and it takes just 35 minutes!
Let’s be honest—when it comes to butter chicken, what most of us are really after is the sauce. This vegan version delivers exactly that: a rich, full-flavored curry with plenty of creamy, spiced sauce to soak up with warm naan or a bowl of rice. Tender cubes of tofu, sweet corn, and peas make it feel lighter than the classic while still being deeply satisfying. You can easily adjust the heat by choosing a milder chili powder, making this a cozy, better-than-takeout dinner the whole family will love.
If you’ve always wanted to try butter chicken but meat isn’t your thing—or you already love it and are game for a new spin—this recipe is for you. Don’t let the ingredient list scare you off; it’s mostly spices that build that signature depth of flavor. The sauce starts with onions, ginger, and garlic sautéed in oil, then gets layered with garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and cardamom. Crushed tomatoes form the base, while almond butter and coconut milk add richness and a velvety texture, balanced with a touch of coconut sugar. Frozen peas and corn add sweetness and color, and soft tofu warms gently in the sauce, soaking up all that incredible flavor.
A vegetarian spin on butter chicken that you might enjoy is my butter chicken poutine.
Vegan butter chicken with tofu variations
It’s easy to tailor this dish to your tastes. Here are a couple of ways to mix it up:
- Swap the peas and corn for your favorite diced veggies and cook them in the sauce.
- Make it spicy by adding cayenne powder, or a spicier chili powder.
- Use firm tofu for a more bite (note that tofu’s strong flavor comes through more with firm tofu).
Store leftovers and freeze
Store leftovers in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat, reheat them gently on the stovetop or in a microwave.
Can I freeze it? Yes! Vegan butter chicken freezes excellently. I recommend storing it in a reusable Stasher freezer bag for up to 3 months. Note that tofu changes texture when frozen and becomes a bit grainy.
Loaded Vegan Butter Chicken (made with tofu, peas, and corn)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or another neutral-flavored oil)
- 2 medium yellow onions (roughly chopped)
- 3 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 6 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Seeds from 4 cardamom pods (optional)
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar (to taste – can sub maple syrup or coconut sugar)
- Sea salt (to taste – I like about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 package soft tofu (cut into squares)
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are quite brown, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and cardamom seeds to the pot and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.1 tablespoon avocado oil, 2 medium yellow onions, 3 tablespoons chopped ginger, 6 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, Seeds from 4 cardamom pods
- Transfer the onions to your blender then add the can of tomatoes and almond butter and blend on high until smooth.28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons almond butter
- Return the sauce to the pot and stir in the coconut milk, sugar, and season to taste with salt.2 tablespoons coconut milk, 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar, Sea salt
- Add the frozen peas, corn, and tofu to the pot and stir gently. Let them heat through then serve immediately.1 cup frozen peas, 1 cup frozen corn, 1 package soft tofu
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Nutrition
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Good recipe but I added chicken cause everything is better with chicken
Haha yep chicken is good in here, too. Since you eat meat, you can also try this traditional butter chicken: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/easy-butter-chicken/ 🙂
Used your sauce recipe and it was amazing. I added more coconut cream but everyone loved it.
That is wonderful to hear, Kerry!
This is amazing! My omni dad said it tastes just like the real thing!
What a great compliment! Thank you!
Can you make this in the slow cooker? If so for how long would you recommend?
I haven’t tried it but I suspect that you could put the cooked onions, garlic, and ginger into the crockpot with all of the sauce ingredients. I don’t think it would take long – 2 hours on high – longer on low if you needed it. I would suggest waiting until the end to add the tofu, peas, and corn. 🙂
In the recipe you talk about fenugreek, but it is not listed in the list of ingredients. Could you tell me if I should add it and if yes, how much of it? 🙂
Thank you for catching that! I had fenugreek in the recipe originally but left it out of this one as it can be hard to find and I didn’t think it made a big difference. If you have some on hand, you can add 1/4 teaspoon. 🙂
thank you so so much – I’ve been vegetarian since 11, and kosher for longer. I’ve always,been intrigued by the idea of that dish. Will try asap!
I hope you love it as much as I do!
I’ve made this a couple of times now and is fantastic – thank you!
I’m so happy you liked it!!
I just made this and it’s excellent. Thank you for the great recipe.
You are so welcome! I’m so happy you liked the recipe!
Just made this my son liked it but I did not. The soft tofu is too mushy and the spices I find to be too overwhelming, I do like tofu and use the firm to extra firm.
Maybe use firm tofu next time. I personally don’t like firm tofu and really don’t like extra firm tofu. It’s all personal preference. 🙂
can you use regular butter instead of almond butter?
If you don’t have almond butter you can simply omit it. I’ve even used peanut butter in a pinch and it works well. It adds an extra layer of creaminess that regular butter doesn’t give it. Not that adding butter is ever a bad idea. 🙂
The most amazing meal I’ve ever made!!! Honestly, thank you so much xx
I’m so happy to hear you liked the recipe! Hooray!!
How many servings does this make? Thank you!
Oops .. I forgot to add that. Thank you for catchng that!
This recipe makes 4 generous servings. 🙂
Wasn’t it? It totally made my day. 🙂
Hell ya!!
Any chance that cashew butter can stand-in for the almond butter? I’m allergic and 2 Tbsp seems like a substitution might be better than simply omitting it.
It definitely would work! I’ve even subbed peanut butter a few times, but I think cashew would work even better. 🙂
Kristen, we made this last night and it was delicious. I added a couple of white potatoes (about to rot) to the mix before blending which made it nice and thick, used milk instead of coconut milk since we are not vegan and that’s what we had, and used peanut butter instead of almond butter. We served it with some whole wheat chapatis made on the cast iron griddle. Definitely will make it again.
I’m so happy to hear it turned out well for you! And great idea about adding the potatoes it. I bet it was extra creamy and delicious. 🙂