15 Tasty Indian Tikka Masala Recipes Made Vegan! (2024)

Tikka masala is one of our favorite dishes because it can be paired with a variety of tasty, nutritious, crunchy or creamy vegan delicacies. It’s easy to make, simple to store and use as leftovers and can be shared amongst friends at a gathering or dinner. Whether you make it super spicy or opt for a heavier, heartier recipe, it’s bound to make a serious impression on your taste buds.

1.Tofu Tikka Masala

This Tofu Tikka Masala is made of button mushrooms, coconut milk, vegetable stock, spinach leaves, and plenty of firm tofu. When served over a bowl of brown rice, it makes for the perfect filling lunch option.

2.Roasted Cauliflower Tikka Masala

This Cauliflower Tikka Masala recipeis fantastic to pair with vegan cashew yogurt. It’s high in protein, fiber, and infused with rich Indian curry flavor!

3.Red Lentil Tikka Masala

The red lentils in this Red Lentil Tikka Masala are cooked in a creamy, spicy sauce that will delight your palate and keep you full. Plus, it cooks in just 30 minutes! The flavors, textures, and heartiness of this meal are well worth the creation.

4.Paneer Tikka Masala

Don’t get intimidated by the list of spices in this Paneer Tikka Masala, the beauty and flavor of authentic Indian food is in the variety of fragrant spices. Also, here’s a tip for beginners: buy the spices from the bulk section of your local grocery stores.

5.Tempeh Tikka Masala

This Tempeh Tikka Masala dish is full of creamy, tomato goodness. The meatiness of the tempeh adds perfect texture and the coconut gives it a fantastic creamy base. Serve this up over rice or your choice of carb for a great meal.

6.‘Butter’ Masala With Roasted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower

The buttery sauce on this Butter Masala With Roasted Sweet Potato And Cauliflower recipe is so easy to make. It’s made in mere minutes because all you have to do is mix all the ingredients together and simmer it until it’s hot. It doesn’t get any simpler than this. The sauce coats the roasted vegetables, making an indulgent meal that will surely warm your heart and soul.

7.Masala Moong Dal Kitchari

This Masala Moong Dal Kitcharidish is the definition of Indian comfort food. It is packed full of warming spices, hearty vegetables, and rice of course. All these complex flavors blend together seamlessly to make an extremely tasty meal.

8. Healthy Chana Masala

ThisHealthy Chana Masala is very healthy, nutritious, delicious, and easy to make. Chickpeas and tomatoes are simmered with a mixture of garlic, ginger, onion, and traditional Indian spices like cumin, garam masala, coriander, and turmeric.

9.Tempeh Tikka Masala

This Tempeh Tikka Masala will leave you with all the comfort feels minus all the heavy feels. Make this delicious Indian dinner right in your own home.

10.Chickpea Masala Curry

This spicy, creamyChickpea Masala Curry has a smoother sauce than its traditional chunky dish, which allows the texture of the chickpeas to really stands out from the rest. The best things about curries is that they taste the best after the first day.

11.30-Minute Chana Masala

This 30-Minute Chana Masala is a hearty mixture of stewed chickpeas and a nuanced blend of spices and the coconut cream makes it rich, decadent, and delicious. This is a perfect dish to serve before a party as a dip or to put over rice for dinner.

12.Masala Lentils (Sabut Masoor)

The spices and garlic are blended to a paste and fried in the oil in this Masala Lentil dish. A hot sauce (chiles, garlic, and vinegar) in the tadka is another secret to getting the right flavor profile.

13.Punjabi Channa Masala

ThisPunjabi Channa Masala is not a regular channa masala. This is super special. No garlic/tomatoes. Cooked with tamarind, it is one of those curries which will definitely stand out in the lot.

14.Tandoori Sweet Potato and Tofu Masala

This Tandoori Sweet Potato and Tofu Masalarecipe is the ultimate plant-based tandoori masala. Sweet potato and tofu are combined with aromatic ginger, garlic, and chili in a creamy, spiced yogurt sauce that is punctuated with a squeeze of lime juice. Then, it’s baked until fragrant and crisp and served with cardamom-scented basmati rice.

15.Tofu “Meatball” Masala

These balls in masala sauce are a perfect blend of Indian cooking and vegan food, they’re so full of flavor, you won’t believe it’s meat-free. The next time you want something a little special for dinner, opt for this Tofu Meatball Masala recipe.

Whether you’re craving something savory, light, or really healthy, tikka masala can be used in almost any dish! Also, be sure to downloadourFood Monster Appfor more miso recipes. The appis available for bothAndroidandiPhone, and can also be found onInstagramandFacebook. The app has more than 10,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to new recipes every day. Check it out!

Lead image source:Paneer Tikka Masala

15 Tasty Indian Tikka Masala Recipes Made Vegan! (2024)

FAQs

What makes tikka masala so orange? ›

The sauce usually includes tomatoes (frequently as purée), cream, coconut cream and a masala spice mix. The sauce and chicken pieces may be coloured orange using foodstuffs such as turmeric, paprika, tomato purée or with food dye.

What's the difference between masala and tikka masala? ›

Tikka refers to grilled or roasted pieces of meat that are either marinated in yogurt or spiced water before being cooked on skewers. Masala refers to a sauce made with cream, yogurt, or tomatoes; or a mixture of spices used to flavor food.

How to make tikka masala more spicy? ›

Any ground red chili powder or Cayenne powder will do! You can adjust the amount to suit your heat preference, or leave it out all together for a non spicy Tikka.

Why is chicken tikka masala unhealthy? ›

Skip: Chicken Tikka Masala

But like many Indian dishes that were originally low fat, the modern recipe for chicken tikka masala is anything but. An average portion has whopping 1,249 calories and 90.8 grams of fat. A lot of that comes from the ghee and heavy cream.

How to add more Flavour to tikka masala? ›

As well as using fresh spices in the sauce, we've finished the dish with a sprinkling of garam masala and smoked salt to give a final flavour hit and further replicate the smoky effect of the tandoor overn.

Can you use coconut milk instead of cream in tikka masala? ›

Normally heavy cream is used in tikka masala, but coconut milk is the perfect substitute and I actually like it here better than cream. Yum. For you do-aheaders, you can make the masala sauce the night before and then cook the chicken right before dinner, heat up the sauce and you're done!

What veggies go well with tikka masala? ›

Vegetables – there are so many vegetables that go well with tikka masala. Use 2 cups of your favourite fresh or frozen vegetables. I use a mix of knobby cauliflower florets, diced carrot or sweet potato and frozen peas. Spinach leaves are a great addition too, or even a can of lentils or chickpeas for added protein.

What is the main flavor in tikka masala? ›

Tikka Masala is a tomato and cream-based sauce that's smoky from the chargrilled chicken, rich and creamy, with a slight sweetness and tanginess with mild heat (although we like it hot!) punctuated by earthy spices, ginger and garlic.

Which is better butter chicken or tikka masala? ›

Tikka Masala is the better option if you are looking for a lower-fat and calorie dish. However, suppose you are looking for a dish that is milder in spiciness and has a sweeter taste. In that case, Butter Chicken is the better choice.

What is better than chicken tikka masala? ›

Butter chicken is a healthier option than tikka masala. Tikka masala has a shocking 400–500 calories per serving on average, but a serving of butter chicken may have 438 calories. If you're concerned with the amount of fat it has, you can always switch to low-fat substitutes for butter and heavy cream.

Is paneer masala the same as tikka masala? ›

Paneer Tikka Masala is a North Indian dish of grilled paneer (Indian cheese) served in a spicy gravy known as Tikka masala. It is a vegetarian version of the world famous Chicken Tikka Masala.

Why is my tikka masala bitter? ›

Your curry can taste bitter if the spices and garlic are burnt or if you've added too much fenugreek to the dish. You see, the secret to cooking a delicious curry recipe is to create a spicy paste and slowly cook it before adding your meat.

What makes tikka masala so red? ›

That bright red sadly comes from Food Dyes like Red 40. Growing up, I never even realized this, but in recent years when I picked up a jar of pre-mixed Tandoori spice blend and read the ingredients – there it was – Red 40 right in the ingredient listing.

What spice makes tikka masala red? ›

Tikka masala is a blend of aromatic and warm spices. The sweet paprika powder and chili give it a signature red colour.

What gives tikka masala its color? ›

Tikka masala is a blend of aromatic and warm spices. The sweet paprika powder and chili give it a signature red colour.

What gives curry its orange color? ›

Turmeric is a rhizome that has a bright orange color when peeled 2 . Turmeric is also the key component responsible for the yellow color of curry dishes, as it contains a pigment called curcumin 2 3 .

What spice makes Indian food orange? ›

Turmeric is actually a ginger-like rhizome in its natural state. Known by its bright orange hue and a peppery, warm flavour, turmeric can either be grated or roasted and ground into a powder to be used as a spice. Turmeric isn't just a staple in Indian cuisine-it's also a powerful anti-inflammatory.

Why is my Chicken Tikka Masala bright red? ›

That bright red sadly comes from Food Dyes like Red 40. Growing up, I never even realized this, but in recent years when I picked up a jar of pre-mixed Tandoori spice blend and read the ingredients – there it was – Red 40 right in the ingredient listing.

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