I can’t believe that I’ve had my vegan tikka masala recipe hanging out in my Google Drive for fully THREE years and finally remade it to share it with you! Just food blogger problems I guess. The list of future recipes is always growing infinitely larger :). This is a slow cooker tofu tikka masala – start by sauteeing a few aromatics and spices in a pan, but then transfer everything to your Crock Pot (or pressure cooker!) to finish the curry.
Traditional chicken tikka masala (which, I’ll add, is thought to actually originate from the UK) involves marinating the protein in a spiced yogurt mixture before starting the curry. No marinade required here! #VeganHacks. All you need to do is press the tofu of its excess liquid so that it can absorb the creamy, garam masala-spiced sauce while it cooks in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
You can mix up this tofu tika masala by substituting chickpeas or adding vegetables like sweet potato or cauliflower; but I happen to like it exactly as written. Slow cooker tofu is not at all like you’d expect. It doesn’t fall apart into mush, but instead gets flavorful and tender while maintaining its shape. I used to always pre-bake or pre-fry my tofu before adding it to the crock pot, but over the years I’ve learned that this step isn’t even necessary either. Making flavorful tofu is now easier than ever!
Aside from turning this curry vegetarian, I had to do something about the cream normally found in this recipe. My original dairy-free tikka masala used cashew cream, which I have to tell you made for a dead ringer for the classic, but is a little bit more of a pain in the butt because you have to soak and blend the cashews. Ultimately I decided that coconut milk is much easier and works with the flavors, so my final recipe uses that. But in the recipe notes I also tell you the cashew version!
Trader Joe’s might have a pretty tasty vegan tikka masala now, but I’ve gotta say this homemade tofu tikka masala is even better, more cost-effective, and loved by vegans and omnivores both! My non-vegan friend who claimed not to be hungry ended up going back for seconds, so yeah.
Serve this slow cooker tofu tikka masala with brown or white rice or other grain of choice; or a bread like naan, chapati, paratha, etc. Or just slurp a bowl of it on its own! You won’t regret it! And after you give the recipe a try, let me know in the comments here and by tagging me @yupitsvegan on Instagram!
Slow Cooker Tofu Tikka Masala
Hearty, creamy, delicious tofu tikka masala that cooks in your slow cooker or Instant Pot for easy meal prep. Vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
For the spice blend:
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (reduce to 1/4 if sensitive to spice)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
For the tofu tikka masala:
- 12 oz extra-firm tofu (1 normal package)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger peeled and minced
- 2 green chili peppers finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 6 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes quartered (or use 1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained)
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk (1 and 3/4 cups)
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp coconut sugar (optional - or use brown sugar)
- salt to taste
- freshly-squeezed lemon juice to taste, for serving
- chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) to taste, for serving
Instructions
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Drain excess liquid from the tofu package. Wrap the tofu in several clean towels and place a heavy object on top of it. (Alternately, use a tofu press). Press the tofu for 10-15 minutes - to save time, I start this before I chop and prep other ingredients.
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Mix together all of the spices and set aside. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat, and add the diced onion with a pinch of salt. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until translucent and starting to lightly brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
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Add the cumin seeds and cook for 60 seconds more. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili pepper, and cook for another 60 seconds. Stir in all of the spice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
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Add the bell pepper, nutritional yeast, and tomato paste, and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently. Finally, add the tomatoes and stir well, scraping around the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the tomatoes are starting to soften. Turn off the heat.
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Cut the pressed tofu into small cubes. Lightly spray or grease the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the coconut milk, white wine vinegar, and coconut sugar to the slow cooker, and stir to combine. Use a spatula to add all of the mixture from the skillet.
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Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, or on high for 2 to 3 hours. Alternately, cook under pressure in your Instant Pot for 10 to 15 minutes; or on the stovetop for about 30 minutes at a simmer, stirring occasionally.
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After cooking, season to taste with additional salt, and fresh lemon juice. Serve with rice or accompaniments of choice, garnished with fresh cilantro.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
CASHEW CREAM: I'm usually too lazy to do this extra step, but for a more authentic tikka masala flavor, this recipe is even better with cashew cream substituted for the coconut milk. For the cashew cream, use 3/4 cup raw cashews plus 1 and 3/4 cups water and 2 tsp lemon juice.
NO SLOW COOKER: Bring the mixture to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce to a gentle simmer, then cook covered for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tomatoes are broken down and tofu has absorbed the sauce flavor.
NUTRITIONAL YEAST: The nutritional yeast gives a slightly cheesy, funky undertone that makes this tikka masala taste more similar to one made with dairy. To omit it, add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil or vegetable oil, and brown the onions more deeply before continuing with the recipe. If you have soy sauce on hand, also add 1/2 tbsp to replace the umami.
Adapted from non vegan Chicken Tikka Masala on AllRecipes.
Other tasty curry recipes from the blog:
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Irene says
Hi,
I am excited to make this. Could I use apple cider vinegar instead of white wine vinegar?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Definitely!
Irene says
Thanks! The tiki masala came out pretty good. It wasn’t as creamy as I thought it would be. It was more on the tomato sauce side. Do you have any suggestions on what I could add or do?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
With the entire can of coconut milk or cup of cashew cream, it should be pretty creamy. Any chance you substituted lite coconut milk or used coconut milk from a carton (which is much thinner)?
Irene says
Actually, the consistency came out creamy. Very creamy, in fact. I’m wanting to know how I can bring out the unique flavor more because the tomatoes are overpowering the taste. Hope that makes sense.
Irene says
I figured it out. I just added a little more salt. Came out perfect. Thanks!
Tommi says
Thank you for this awesome recipe! It is on my meal plan to make this week! I am still very new to Indian food. What exact green pepper should I be using for this recipe? Thanks a bunch!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Tommi, any spicy green chili pepper you find at the store will do. If they have Indian chilis even better but you can definitely use a jalapeno if that’s what is available.
Diezie says
Excellent! I add chickpeas with the tofu and spinach near end. I freeze in portions ready to go. I serve with cauliflower and sweet potato. Yummo! Thanks
Mindy says
Made this last night – and it was such a treat! Delicious flavor (made with the cashew cream) and love that it made enough to have some leftovers…will definitely put this in our family dinner rotation! Now that I see the comments above about it freezing well – will make a double batch next time!
Jen says
Hi Shannon! This recipe turned out absolutely perfect. I made it the first time a few weeks ago with a friend who is newly vegan and learning to cook. Not only did we love it, but so did both of his omni parents! And there was enough for very generous portions. Since then I haven’t stopped thinking about it so I just made it again over night and my boyfriend and I have already been eating it this morning. I mostly kept to the recipe, but used the whole can of diced tomatoes without draining, and added an additional hot pepper and a few extra cloves of garlic. Not only is this recipe going on rotation, it’s going on heavy rotation. Thank you so much for sharing! I look forward to trying your other recipes!
Zuzanna says
Just dropping by to say THANK YOU, this is an amazing recipe and I’ll definitely be making it again! Didn’t have any cloves or nutritional yeast at hand, still worked out beautifully.
Jessica says
This is delicious! I was short a few things (cumin seeds so I used cumin powder, used a bit of rice vinegar in place of white wine vinegar, and I didn’t have a red bell pepper or turmeric on hand) but it still came out AMAZING! I used Forager Cashew Yogurt in place of the coconut milk. It was to die for! So creamy! Thank you.
Thelma says
Hi , beautiful recipe love it!
Just ain’t to know if I can freeze it ?
TIA
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yes, this freezes beautifully!
vin spano says
I made this as recipe with the cashew cream, as it was cooking I added 1 further cup of tomatos as I wanted the consistency thinner. I also added some potatoes and cauliflower to make it a little similar to Aloo Gobi. Tasted unbelievable.
Kristi says
Great recipe! I even added extra cayenne to kick up the spice.
Maria Ramirez says
Just made this and it was delicious! I made it with the cashew cream and i was so amazed at how creamy it was. Thank you for this recipe!
Rachel says
Loved it! Used cumin powder, added large handful of chopped cilantro and spinach at the end of cooking time.
HeatherZ says
A friend has been trying to adapt this recipe to an instant pot, but keeps getting a burn warning. Any suggestions before I start tinkering with the recipe myself?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yeah, this is a tricky problem, I know of a number of recipes where most people have no issues but some people get a burn warning. The instant pot insert pan is very thin. A few thoughts…the saute step of this recipe might be problematic for those who are unlucky. If you have the option to lower the saute temp, definitely do that, and try to keep the saute step short as possible, proceed past it as soon as the onion etc are softened. Make sure to deglaze the pan thoroughly and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom. And add more liquid if there’s not enough to cover the tofu. Hope this helps!
Laura says
I have the same issue. I even emptied out the entire pot twice (scrubbing it in between to make sure there was NOTHING on the bottom). I even put some almond milk in before adding the rest of the mixture before my final attempt time. Still not successful. Transferring it to my crock pot. Kinda defeats the purpose of the instant pot. Curious if others have had this issue and resolved it. Assuming it will taste great (hoping the almond milk doesn’t affect much). Really frustrated as this is the second vegan/Indian recipe that I had a burn issue with.
Brianna Bullock says
Is it possible to use chickpeas as a replacement for tofu?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Sure! Cooked chickpeas would be a fine substitute.
Andrea says
Wonderful! I made this tonight and it was delicious!
Sid says
Absolutely wonderful. I’ve finally found the courage to try to cook a meal that I loved since when I was little (back then the omni version). It tasted exactly as I remembered it – rich, spicy, and thick. I made a few changes:
-used about 3/4 teaspoon of cumin powder instead of cumin seeds
-used red chilli peppers instead of green ones
-used a 400g can of chopped tomatoes and didn’t drain it
-used apple cider vinegar instead of white wine vinegar
-omitted the coconut sugar
-used 200g of cashews to make the cream, because it didn’t seem thick enough at first, though ended up adding quite a bit of water, so probably unnecessary
I absolutely love it. Seriously, I don’t recall I’ve eaten a meal that was so rich and hearty as this one. Great recipe 🙂
Zoe says
Hi
Could you use tempeh instead of tofu as I can’t eat tofu?
Thanks
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Zoe, if you like tempeh in general then yes, go for it. I would probably steam or sear the tempeh beforehand though to get out some of the malty flavor that it carries with it before cooking.
butterbear says
hi! this looks super delicious. in doubling the recipe, should i double the yeast as normal?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi there, yes, you should double all of the ingredients including the nutritional yeast. In case that wasn’t clear, it isn’t the same thing as baking yeast.
Chris says
And I can’t believe I had this bookmarked for so long and finally made it. My kids are finally coming around on Indian food. Made this along with some Saag Paneer and had an Indian feast the other night. It’s definitely in the rotation. Dang that’s a lot of fat, though!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Ya, coconut milk will do that 🙂 if you would like a lower fat option, please try out the cashew cream substitution in the notes. It is lower in saturated fat and overall fat.
Kristina Karson says
I want to make this recipe with the cashew cream. To make it, I am assuming I would need to soak the 3/4 cup raw cashews in the 1 3/4 cups water and 2 tsp lemon juice for a couple of hours, then put in a food processor?
Thanks,
K
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Soak the cashews until soft, drain them, then add the amount of water and lemon juice listed and blend until very smooth. If using a food processor, you may want to strain with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag to get any tiny pieces out that didn’t get blended up. (Up to you).
Jan says
This was great, and my adult non vegan grandson loved it too. He was surprised he liked the tofu. Very spicy and delicious. I had to use part cashew milk as I was using leftover coconut milk and didn’t have enough, and cooked it on the stove. Otherwise made the recipe exactly. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes, thanks!
Natalie says
Is it possible to make this dish without pressure cooker? I don’t have one but I would really like to make this.. 🙁
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
This recipe doesn’t require a pressure cooker. The instructions are for slow cookers but the recipe notes also explain how to make it on the stovetop.
Natalie says
Oh my god. I am sorry. I was scrolling and I didn’t see the notes under the recipe. I cannot wait to make it for lunch this week!! 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hope you like it!!
Natalie says
It was really delicious!!! My boyfriend is out of country right now and I will make this for him when he comes back. Thank you for this great recipe!!
Kelly says
Hi! Just wanted to confirm the correct amount of paprika. Is it actually 2 tablespoons and not 2 teaspoons? I’m a bit confused since it Is listed under the 1 tablespoon of garam masala, and often ingredients are listed in decreasing order.
Thank you. Can’t wait to try it!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yes, 2 tablespoons is correct. I almost always list ingredients in the order they are used, they are not guaranteed to be ordered by quantity.
Sophia says
Yum! Tofu & Indian food are not my usual fare. I’m so glad I decided to go out of my comfort zone to try this recipe. It was delicious! I used my instant pot and it turned out perfectly. The leftovers were even better the next day.
Ellen Wood says
Hi Shannon,
I loved this recipe! I’m from the UK where Tikka Massala is an all time favourite, and finding a good vegan recipe has been impossible until now. Made this for my family last night and they finished it all off with second helpings! Thank you so much!
One question – I would love to include the cashew cream next time instead of coconut milk, however I am allergic to cashews (sad times for myself as a vegan.) Is there another nut you would recommend for cashew cream? It would also help me in all other areas of cooking!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Ellen! Raw macadamia nuts work great as a sub for cashews. I think they have an even better/more neutral flavor than cashews but they are pricier. I’m not as sure about other nuts / haven’t tested them much.
Carole S says
This recipe is excellent! I think the prep time listed isn’t really accurate. It took more than 15 minutes to drain my tofu, assemble my spices, prep my veg, and then actually cook things off to get it into the slow cooker. But aside from that minor difference this recipe is amazingly flavorful. It’s even better then second day. Thanks for sharing this!
Jessa says
Hi Shannon:
I did ac1/4 of this recipe 😊just to try and use oat milk with that I made adding a bit of oat flour so the milk comes bit thick, I have also replace the white vinegar and use Home made Kombucha vinegar , to my taste and I chopped a 200 grams o so of butter pumpkin. I really like , it was good.
I want to add more veggies such as zucchini, broccoli, celery, carrots, do you think it’ll freeze well?
Thank you very much.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for sharing your changes! This recipe freezers ver well. It should still freeze nicely if you add more veggies.
Denise says
I made this for dinner tonight. SO GOOD!! Everyone loved it.
Thanks for a tasty recipe 😊
Molly says
Also, can I sub coconut cream instead of milk for a creamier dish? Thanks!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
You might need more of the various seasonings and acidity to balance out the richer coconut cream.
Molly says
If you double the amount of tofu (I was going to do 2 packages) would you recommend doubling everything else, too? Or which ingredients would you definitely double and which ones are not as important to double. Thank you!!!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I think your best bet would be to double the tofu and use 1.5x everything else. I want to make sure you still have a full flavored sauce. This way the sauce will still be proportioned the same, there will just be a little less of it compared to the amount of tofu, but it’s on the saucy side as-is so that should work out ok.