This easy Tofu Tikka Masala is perfect for a delicious weeknight dinner. Rich and creamy this vegetarian curry with crispy baked tofu this curry is bursting with flavour!
If you’re a regular reader you’ll know that one of my favourite things to make is a good curry. I have quite a few curry recipes on this blog, from my popular Mushroom Curry to my Chickpea and Lentil Curry, we love curries! And recently we’ve been enjoying this very easy Tofu Tikka Masala. It’s so tasty and perfect for a tasty weeknight dinner.
This dish is made with a store-bought curry paste, because some nights you’re just too busy or too tired to get that spice rack out! I get it, I always have a couple of jars of curry paste in my cupboard, just in case. But that doesn’t mean that this curry is lacking in flavour, in fact, it is delicious, even the meat-eaters will love this one!
What You’ll Need
This Tofu Tikka Masala recipe calls for just a few simple ingredients. You may just have all you need in your cupboards already!
How To Make Tofu Tikka Masala
This is just a quick visual guide, please see the recipe card below for full instructions and ingredients list.
- Press the tofu to release some of the water (see the tips below). Pre-heat the oven and line a tray with parchment paper. Mix 2 tablespoons of tikka masala paste with 100g of yoghurt.
- Cut the tofu into cubes, then add to the yoghurt mixture, stir until the tofu is covered in yoghurt. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Place the marinated tofu on a lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.
- Heat oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a minute. Then add the remaining tikka masala paste to the pan and stir well. Add water and cook until it has evaporated.
- Add the mushrooms and green bell pepper to the pan and stir well.
- Pour in chopped tomatoes plus 1/2 a cup of water, stir well and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
- Slowly stir in the yoghurt and cook for another few minutes.
- Finally, add the crispy baked tofu and the chopped coriander/cilantro and stir until everything is combined.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Tofu – you’ll need extra firm tofu, almost all of the larger supermarkets now stock tofu. You should find it in the chilled section.
- Tikka Masala Paste – I use Patak’s tikka masala paste (not an ad) this is the best for flavour. You can use other pastes if you wish.
- Vegetables – I add mushrooms and green pepper to this curry, however, I have made this with all sorts of vegetables! Broccoli and cauliflower work really well too.
- Yoghurt – Plain, natural yoghurt is what you’ll need for this, I use full-fat yoghurt. I’ve also made this with zero-fat yoghurt and low-fat yoghurt with really great results
- Press your tofu – this will remove some of the water from your tofu and help to make it lovely and crispy. I do this by placing the cut tofu onto a baking tray lined with two layers of kitchen paper. Place another two layers of kitchen paper over the tofu then place another baking tray on top of the tofu. Place a heavy weight on the top tray (I use cans of beans) and leave for at least 30 minutes. You’ll be surprised at how much water will come out of your tofu!
- Marinating the tofu – the longer you can marinate the tofu the better, overnight would be great! However, you can get away with marinating it for 20 minutes.
- Pro-Tip – Don’t burn the paste – be careful not to burn the paste when you add it to the pan, it just needs to cook for a few minutes before you add the water. A burnt paste will ruin your curry.
- Pro-Tip – Add the yoghurt slowly – I add the yoghurt a little at a time to the sauce stirring well each time, if you add it all in too quickly you risk it splitting in the sauce.
How To Serve Tofu Tikka Masala
We love this with plain rice or brown rice. It’s really great with chapati or garlic naan too! I do recommend leaving this to cool slightly before you serve it, if it’s piping hot you won’t really taste all those lovely flavours.
FAQs
Can I reheat this curry? Yes, you can. In fact, curry usually tastes better the next day! You may lose some crispiness in the tofu though. If you do have any leftover store it in the fridge and use it within a day or two. Reheat it on the hob until piping hot, you may need to add a splash of water to loosen it up a bit.
Can I make this vegan? Absolutely! This recipe is really easy to make vegan! Just swap the Patak’s paste for a vegan paste and swap the plain natural yoghurt for a dairy-free alternative. I would use one that is plain though, coconut flavoured yoghurt may be too overpowering for this curry.
I don’t like tofu, what else can I use? You can omit the tofu and use a can of cooked chickpeas instead, I’ve made this with just lots of veggies too. Cauliflower and broccoli are particularly good in this curry!
More Tasty Tofu Recipes You’ll Love
- Sweet and Sour Tofu – This is a vegan version of the classic Chinese dish. Crispy tofu in a sticky homemade sweet and sour sauce with pineapple and peppers. Just serve with rice for a very tasty vegan dinner.
- Sesame Tofu – Drenched in a sticky, spicy and sweet sauce along with stir-fried peppers and onions, this vegan tofu recipe is great for dinner.
- Thai Red Curry with Tofu – With marinated tofu and veggies this curry is the perfect comfort food. It’s creamy, spicy and packed with layers of gorgeous flavours. Perfect for a cosy delicious dinner.
- Add if you’re not keen on tofu try my Vegetable Rogan Josh, this is really delicious too!
Have you made this Easy Tofu Tikka Masala Recipe? Rate it and leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!
Easy Tofu Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium white onion cut in half adn sliced thinly
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 + ½ a tbsp finely grated ginger
- 1 280g/10 oz pack of extra firm tofu cut into similar sized cubes
- ½ a 283g jar of tikka masala paste I used Patak's
- 250 g/ 1 cup natural plain yoghurt divided into 2 parts - one part 100g/¼ of a cup, then the next part 150g/ ¾ of a cup
- 240 g ½ a lb of chestnut/brown mushrooms wiped clean and cut into quarters
- 1 large green bell pepper (capsicum) pith and seeds removed then cut into chunks
- 1 400g/ 14.5oz can of chopped/diced tomatoes
- A small handful of fresh coriander/cilantro + more for serving. Stems removed then roughly chopped.
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
For serving
- Basmati rice/naan/chapati
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F. I use a fan assisted oven.Double line a baking tray with kitchen paper. Place the cubed tofu on top of the paper. Cover the tofu with another double layer of kitchen paper. Place another baking tray on top of the tofu and then place 4 or 5 cans of beans or a heavy cast iron pan on top of the tray.Leave for about 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl mix together one tablespoon of the tikka masala paste with 100g/ ⅓ of a cup of the yoghurt. Once the tofu has been pressed add it to the yoghurt mix, make sure all the tofu is coated in the mixture then cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove the tofu from the bowl, spread it evenly on a lined baking tray then bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Turn the pieces of tofu halfway through cooking.
- While the tofu is baking make the curry.Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan. Add the sliced onion and ¼ teaspoon of salt and cook for about 10 minutes.Once the onion is translucent and springy add the minced garlic and grated ginger along with the remaining tikka masala paste to the onion and cook for a minute or two.Add 50ml/ ¼ cup of water to the paste and cook until the water evaporates. Stirring consistently.
- Add the mushrooms and green pepper and cook for a minute or two making sure they are both covered in the sauce.Now pour in one can of chopped/diced tomatoes plus 100ml/½ a cup of water. Add ¼ teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper now.Stir well then simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the sauce has reduced a bit and is nice and thick check the seasoning then slowly start adding the remaining yoghurt. Stir constantly to incorporate the yoghurt into the sauce.
- Remove the tofu from the oven then add it to the curry and stir it into the sauce.Stir in the chopped coriander/cilantro. Leave to cool slightly then serve with rice, naan or chapati.
Notes
- Tofu - You will need extra firm tofu for this recipe. You should find it in most large supermarkets in the chilled aisle. I recommend pressing the tofu before you marinate it.
- Tikka Masala Paste - I use Patak's tikka masala paste, this is not an add, I have found this to be the best (and easiest to find) paste. Make sure to use the paste and not the simmer sauce!
- Yoghurt - I have made this curry with full-fat, low-fat and zero-fat yoghurt, all resulted in a really good curry however the full-fat yoghurt does make for a creamier tikka masala.
- Vegan - to make this vegan you will need to swap the Patak's paste for a vegan paste, most large stores now make their own versions of this. You will also need to swap the yoghurt for a dairy-free alternative. I recommend a plain non-dairy yoghurt, coconut might not work here.
- Save time - you can save time making this by marinating the tofu the night before.
- Save Calories - if you're watching those calories, you can save some by using low-fat or zero-fat yoghurt when making this. You could also save some calories by serving it with chapati instead of rice.
- Storing/freezing/reheating - I don't recommend freezing this curry, this is due to the yoghurt. There is a high chance it will split once defrosted and reheated. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge and should be used within 2 days. Reheat it on the hob until it is piping hot. Please note that there may be some texture difference in the tofu though.
- Nutritional Information - is approximate and is calculated using an online nutrition tool. It is based on one serving of 4 and does not include rice/naan or chapati.
- For US readers - I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy. For best results, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible
That looks amazing but I think I might swap the green pepper for red pepper. I just don’t like green peppers. Apart from that, I have everything I need.
Thanks, Jacqueline. Red pepper will work perfectly fine too, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
We love a tikka masala and using tofu is a great idea. I can’t wait to try this.
Thanks so much Dannii, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Adding mushrooms to this tikka masala is such a great way to add extra texture and flavour. Thanks for sharing this wonderfully homey recipe!
Thanks so much Jeannette 🙂
What a wonderful option for a weeknight dinner! This sounds packed full of delicious flavour.
I do love a good curry! This is a great variation for tikka masala, I’ve only eaten in paneer or chicken as the main ingredient. Tofu is a nice idea, instead of paneer… Less calories means I can eat more 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!