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The easiest, simplified and hands-off version of tofu makhani (butter tofu) curry! No tempering spices, no sauteeing onions, no frying tofu. The oven takes care of everything for a fabulous silky Baked Tofu curry! Serve with rice for a delicious vegan dinner. Glutenfree Nutfree. Soyfree option.
If you are adding ONE more tofu curry recipe to your collection of easy dinner recipes, let it be this vegan baked tofu curry. Why? Because it is the easiest, simplified and most hands-off version of butter tofu curry! No tempering spices, no sauteeing onions, no frying tofu. The oven takes care of all of these steps for us. Even better, we get all of this done within the same casserole dish. Fewer dishes = more time to relax.
This Indian tofu curry is vegan and baked version of tofu makhani. Tofu/paneer makhani and tofu butter masala are often used interchangeably. Though very similar sauces, makhani is silkier and smoother than butter masala. This version uses canned tomato purée and coconut milk to get that creamy silky sauce! You can add other proteins such as veggies and chicken, soycurls or chickpeas to the sauce.
The gravy is rich and creamy thanks to coconut milk and it is flavored with aromatic warming spices. Your home will be filled with a tantalizing aroma while your curry is baking. Yes, I repeat, this curry is baked in the oven. All in all, this vegan dinner took less than 45 to make, and trust me, you will be going back for seconds when you sit down to enjoy this delicious meal. Maximum flavor with minimal effort.
Serve this curry with rice and mop up all that delicious gravy with some hit roti or naan until the last drop is cleaned off your plate.
MORE INDIAN COMFORT FOOD
- Baked Madras curry Tofu
- Baked Balti Veggies
- Veggie curry casserole
- Butter Tofu- GF
- IP Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce GF
- Tofu in Spinach Curry – Saag Tofu
- Vegetable Jalfrezi
Baked Tofu Curry (Vegan Tofu Makhani)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp oil, divided
- 14 oz firm or extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed small
- 3/4 cups chopped onions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 hot green chili such as serrano or thai minced, Or use mild
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 -1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4-1/3 tsp cayenne, or Indian red chili powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, optional
- 16 oz tomato puree
- 14 oz coconut milk, or 1 1/4 cup of cashew milk
- 3/4 tsp salt
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Brush the oil all over a large baking dish. Add the pressed and cubed Tofu to 1 side of the baking dish, and toss well to coat with some of the oil.
- On the other side of the baking dish, add the onion, garlic, ginger, chili, and all of the spices, and a good pinch of salt, and mix well to coat. You can add a few sprinkles of water and mix so the spices and oil are evenly distributed on the onion. Then bake at 400 degrees F (205 c) for 12-15 minutes, or until the onion is golden and the tofu is slightly crisp on the sides.
- Take the baking dish out of the oven, and add in the tomato puree, canned coconut milk, and salt, and mix well, then even it out with a spatula. Put it back in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to preference. Sauce will be more viscous when hot but thickens on cooking
- Take the dish out of the oven, garnish witb cilantro , some coconut cream, and serve with rice or flat bread. You can also add in some vegan butter just before serving.
Video
Notes
- To make this soy free, you can use chickpeas, or chickpea tofu. You can use 1 can of chickpeas or 2 cups of cubed chickpea tofu.
- You can also use fresh tomatoes, pureed. Use 3 fresh tomatoes pureed, and add in 2 tbsp of tomato paste instead of the canned tomato puree.
- Spices: I use pretty fresh and potent spices. If yours are old or you prefer more spiced sauces, double up on the ground spices. You can also add in 1/2-1 tsp garam masala. Non Indian brands of garam masala usually do not have right balance of flavors, so either use an Indian brand or make your own.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients
- we need firm or extra firm tofu for this recipe. We want to press the tofu and cut it into cubes
- onions, garlic, and ginger, and green chili form the base of our gravy
- Indian spices for that authentic touch: ground coriander, cumin, cardamom, black pepper, and cayenne will have your taste buds enjoying this dish
- bay leaves add more depth of flavor to the gravy. You could use curry leaves instead
- dried fenugreek leaves are an optional ingredient but it adds that authentic touch to the curry
- tomato puree lends sweetness, acidity, body, and color to the tofu curry sauce
- coconut milk makes this a rich and creamy curry. For a coconut-free version, use cashew milk
Tips:
- To make this curry soy-free, you can use chickpeas or chickpea tofu. You can use 1 can of chickpeas or 2 cups of cubed chickpea tofu.
- You can also use fresh tomatoes, pureed. Use 3 fresh tomatoes pureed, and add in 2 tbsp of tomato paste instead of the canned tomato puree.
- Omit the cayenne pepper and pick a mild green chili for a less spicy version
Press the tofu
Open a package of firm or extra-frim tofu and drain the liquid. Cut the tofu width-wise into slices — four times should do it. Now, lay some paper towels on a sheet pan and spread your tofu slices in a single layer on top. Put more paper towels over the tofu, then place another sheet pan over them.
Place some heavy objects on top of the sheet pan ( cookbooks or cans). Leave the tofu to press for at least 15 minutes. You can leave it like that for hours if you have room for it in the fridge.
How to Make Baked Tofu Curry
Brush the oil all over a large baking dish. Add the pressed tofu cubes to 1 side of the baking dish, and toss well to coat with some of the oil. On the other side of the baking dish, add the onion, garlic, ginger, chili, and all of the spices, and mix well to coat, then bake at 400 degrees F (205 c) for 12-15 minutes. Bake until the onion is golden and the tofu is slightly crisp on the sides.
Take the baking dish out of the oven, and add in the tomato puree, canned coconut milk, and salt, and mix well, then even it out with a spatula.
Put the casserole dish back in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to preference.
Take the dish out of the oven, garnish, and serve with flatbread, rice, roti or Vegan Naan
This was delicious and easy. I was lazy and used onion powder instead of onions and mixed all the spices and the garlic with the tofu. I used tomato sauce and reduced the salt. Thanks!
Hi Richa! Can this be made stovetop?
Yes, crisp up the tofu first in a bit of oil then remove from
Pan. Then add the spices and onion garlic chili and cook until Golden. Add the rest and bring to a boil and continue to simmer for 15 mins
This was awesome! I love how simple this was, something about mixing all the ingredients directly in the baking dish was so satisfying 😊 Thank you Richa!
Loved it……such an easy recipe to make and so delicious …made it today
❤️❤️
This was my first curry! I thought it would be a good one to start with. It was delicious, made it exactly as stated. Now on to the next one.
This is all new to me, and working with all the different spices is so interesting.
Awesome!! Try the other baked ones listed as well!
So so good. I added a tiny bit of maple butter and it tasted like the butter masala I used to get all of time. Loved the baking procedure.
Awesome
Hey Richa,
Hubby and I really enjoyed this dish. I only used one cup of light coconut milk and all the tomato, next time I will use the whole can. Other than that, I followed the recipe as written. Had steamed broccoli on the side and wild rice. I was afraid of it splattering too, but it really didn’t. It bubbled more than splattered. I put a flat cookie sheet under it to avoid any mess.
SO GOOD!
Thanks again for a winner!
Yay
If I wanted to add some vegetables, such as bell peppers or sweet potatoes, when would I add them?
For quick cooking veggies like bell peppers, add with the tomato. Sweet potatoes take longer so add with tofu
I love your website and have made some good stuff (love the Mediterranean Chickpea Salad!). But this recipe was not good – It had no curry flavor to me. It tasted like tomato puree with some coconut milk in it. I bought all new spices so that was not the issue. But perhaps all of the spices need to be tripled? Anyway, I will not be making it again. Thanks anyway!
Oh, but the idea of roasting the tofu and veggies was a good one – I might try that with a different recipe!
I am not sure what “curry” flavor you are looking for. Curries are from various countries (india Japan’ Jamaica Indonesia Malaysia Thailand ) and each has their own flavor. This is a simple Indian curry. You can try with double or triple the spices. Maybe the tomato purée or sauce beans was using a thicker purée. Brands are different and a thicker tomato base will take over the flavor. Use half the tomato purée and add more spices. Also add 1/2 tsp turmeric as most generic western curries always use turmeric and it’s not used in this recipe.
Thanks! It just did not take like any curry I have ever had, and I eat curry all the time!
Please see my previous comment. Curry is a very generic term. A generic western curry is just curry powder and coconut milk. This is an Indian curry. For a generic curry try my peanut butter chickpea curry
Could this recipe be doubled?
Yes. Bake time might increase by 5-10 mins
This recipe looks delicious. How would you prepare this with soy curls? Thank you.
Add them after the onions are done cooking.