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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
Made this following the recipe exactly and it was fantastic! I want to find a way to work some veg in next time, but even without – stupendous
Great~such an adaptable recipe.
I am a paneer lover. I am turning vegan and for some reason I am unable to acquire tofu taste. Will this recipe have that tofu taste in it?
Try this one instead. https://fettabbau-trim.today/butter-tofu-paneer-tofu-butter-masala-recipe/%3C/a%3E The spicing and baking the tofu takes away the soy flavor
Made this recipe according to instructions (though I am always slightly generous on the spices based on having all your books and cooking from this blog frequently, just our taste preference). This dish was an absolute hit with my hubby. He declared it better than the Tikka Masala at his favorite Indian restaurant in Dallas (we drive four hours to eat there). The sauce in the final step took almost 30 minutes to reduce, I even raised the oven to 425° (my oven is calibrated and has an addl. thermometer, so temperature was accurate). The can of coconut milk I used struck me as somewhat watery, that may well have been the issue. The huge win for me is that the stove stays clean and with rice in the IP dinner basically cooks itself. Thanks for another wonderful meal!
Awesome! Yea could be the coconut milk. You can mix in 2 tsp flour into the coconut milk and it will thicken more
Very yummy and super easy to make! I had to tinker around the edges as what I know as tomato puree in the UK may not be what was intended in the recipe. I also got a bit mixed up with the different ways of measuring liquids and put in a 400ml tin of coconut milk, which I now realise was too much (checking with a conversion chart I think I should have used just under 300ml). Anyway I thickened the sauce with a bit of cornflour and all was good. My finished dish looked just like the picture and I’ll definitely make this again.
good to know!
This tasted nice and it was so easy to cook. I’ll add it to my list. I really enjoy making your recipes
❤️❤️❤️
I absolutely love this recipe, I add mushrooms as well. Just delicious xx
nice addition
Amazing, I just thought I’ll pop into comments section to see if anyone has tried adding mushrooms and it’s the first comment! Haha taking it as a sign!
good to hear – lots of info there!
Loved how convenient and straightforward this recipe was! Might double the spices next time because it was a little too tomato-ey for me but otherwise wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks Richa 🙂
Awesome! Different brands of tomato purees can be more or less concentrated. Use a bit less than the whole can and yes add more spices! I usually add on the low end so it’s also an everyday weekday meal.
This recipe is so easy but oh sooooo good!!! I made it for a house party where the hosts are indian vegan and they absolutely cannot believe that i made such an amazing dish!!! Thank you!!
Perfect ! thanks Grace
Delicious!
Tomato puree isn’t carried in my area so I did a 60:40 ratio of tomato paste:water and that worked great!
I didn’t have any fenugreek leaves, but next time I make this could fenugreek seeds be used instead somehow?
Use 1/8 tsp seeds, powder them or grind them and add instead of leaves
Shockingly good for such an easy recipe. I had everything except fenugreek, but I used a bit of celery salt and it worked out well. This will be a regular for my family. Thanks for the great recipe!
It was fantastic and so easy. Loved it!!
Awesome!!