Vegan Butter Chicken (With Tofu!)
This flavorful Vegan Butter Chicken with tofu delivers creamy, spiced comfort in under an hour. Rich Indian-inspired sauce envelops crispy tofu cubes cooked perfectly in the pressure cooker.
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker
- 1 Skillet for pan-frying tofu
- 1 Mixing bowl to toss tofu with spices
Ingredients
Tofu Preparation
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch helps tofu get crispy outside
- 0.5 teaspoon garam masala for tofu
- 0.25 teaspoon ground ginger
- 0.25 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder gentle heat
- 0.25 teaspoon curry powder round out flavor
- 3 teaspoons coconut oil for pan-frying tofu
- 16 ounce extra firm tofu pressed
Butter Sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons coconut oil or vegan butter for richness
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 tablespoon garam masala for sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 0.5 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 14 ounce full fat coconut milk
- 6 ounce tomato paste
- 1 lime juice only
Instructions
Instructions
- Press tofu and cut into 1-inch cubes. Toss with cornstarch, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ginger, chili powder, and curry powder until evenly coated.
- Heat 3 teaspoon coconut oil in skillet over medium. Pan-fry tofu until golden and crisp on all sides, about 8–10 minutes. Set aside.
- In pressure cooker, heat 1.5 tablespoon coconut oil or vegan butter. Add diced onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon garam masala and cook for 30 seconds to release flavor.
- Add tomato paste, coconut milk, and remaining spices including salt and pepper. Simmer for 10–15 minutes to blend.
- Fold tofu into sauce. Seal pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow natural release.
- Open lid, stir gently, and squeeze juice of one lime over the dish. Serve hot with rice or naan, garnished with cilantro if desired.
Notes
Store leftovers in fridge up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat on stove with small splash of liquid if sauce thickens too much.