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This Loaded Veggie Tikka Masala is one THE most popular recipes on my blog and definitely a favorite in our house. I make it for guests on a regular basis and it’s ALWAYS a crowd pleaser. SUPER excited to hear how you like it!
Why you’ll love this reader favorite recipe!
Oh hey, welcome to one of my favorite recipe creations OF ALL TIME! Sometimes (a lot of the time) I exaggerate, but today is not one of those days :)
I didn’t grow up eating a lot of Indian cuisine (and for the record, I’m totally not claiming this recipe to be an authentic tikka masala recipe) but I have definitely made up for that over the past few years. My GO TO meal…..tikka masala! When I get to the point that I’ve eaten the same dish at the same restaurant more than about 5 times, that’s when I decide it’s past time I try the recipe for myself at home. Enter, THIS AMAZING VEGAN TIKKA MASALA! (sorry for yelling….I’m just really in love with this recipe).
Why you’ll love this:
- Extra saucy – this recipe leans into a really generous sauce-to-veggie ratio that I know you’ll love! That tikka masala sauce is SO GOOD.
- LOADED with veggies – cauliflower, carrots, chickpeas, and peas make this a well rounded, one pot meal.
- Fully vegan – coconut yogurt and coconut milk/ cream stand in seamlessly for the dairy.
- Makes incredible leftovers – many readers say it’s even better on day 2!
Out of all the recipes on my blog (and there’s something like 600 of them!), this is definitely the recipe that I have tested the longest and the most amount of times. Actually, I first started making tikka masala recipes from cookbooks that I have and from some of my favorite bloggers. I took the elements that I loved most from each of those recipes and made it into my own veggie packed recipe.
The factors that I was most looking for: 1) LOTS of veggies. It took me a while to get the veggie proportions correct but I found a delicious happy medium. 2) The sauce. The first few times I tested my own recipe, there just wasn’t enough sauce. Or, I think there was just way too many veggies. Either way, I personally like a really saucy tikka masala. So, that’s what my recipe is. 3) I really wanted to create a fully plant based recipe. This was pretty easy actually. I simply subbed the yogurt for coconut yogurt and the cream for coconut cream. Everything else was already plant based and vegan.
Vegetable Tikka Masala Ingredients
The full list of ingredients for this simple vegetarian tikka masala recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the basics needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!
- Yellow Onion – half of the onion gets add to the sauce base and the other half is finely chopped and sautéed with the spices (this step alone will make your house smell amazing!).
- Garlic + Ginger – this is the aromatic backbone of the recipe. Fresh ginger and garlic is always ideal but I often cut corners here and use garlic and ginger paste.
- Fresh Cilantro – it’s blended into the sauce for a burst of fresh flavor! Save a little for garnish as well.
- Olive oil –
- Aromatic spices – ground cumin, ground turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, salt, and garam masala are blended together to give this tikka masala it’s signature warmth and depth. Before cooking, I suggest combining all of the spices in a small bowl.
- Canned plum tomatoes – you can also use diced tomatoes but I prefer the plum tomatoes that get broken up as they cook in the skillet.
- Tomato sauce – this forms the base of the sauce.
- Yogurt – this adds tang and creaminess! Be careful to add it in with the coconut milk as to not risk curdling. Vegan yogurt or regular will work well.
- Full-fat coconut cream or milk – bring richness, creaminess, and body to the sauce.
- Cauliflower + carrots – these get simmered in the sauce which soaks into the veggies and adds so much flavor.
- Chickpeas – a can of chickpeas to add more plant-based protein.
- Frozen peas – stirred in near the end for a little pop of sweetness.
How to Make It
Just a reminder that you can find the FULL written vegan tikka masala recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you :)
- Blend half the onion + cilantro.
In a food processor, blend together the cilantro, half of the onion, and some olive oil. You don’t want it fully pureed but simple broken down into a salsa liek consistency.
- Saute the onion + spices.
Next, we saute the onions with LOTS of spices in a large skillet over medium heat. I’ve had a lot of fun lately experimenting with different spices and this recipe was no exception.
- Build the creamy sauce.
Once the spices become aromatic and the onions are translucent, the tomatoes, sauce, coconut yogurt, coconut cream AND the blitzed onion and cilantro mixture is added in.
- Add in the veggies.
Mix in the cauliflower and carrots and continue to cook until the veggies are fork tender. Once the veggies are tender, add in chickpeas and frozen peas. Stir to combine and let cook for 5 more minutes or until peas are fully heated through.
Serve over basmati rice and enjoy!
Don’t feel restricted to these veggies. I felt like peas + cauliflower + carrots + chickpeas was a perfect balance but honestly, a lot of other things would work in this dish! If you try other things, please let me know what and how you liked it!!
This makes AMAZING leftovers. Like, it’s maybe even better on day 2 than the first time you eat it. So, I highly recommend making this with the intention of multiple leftover lunches. GAH, I wish I still had some leftover in the fridge now.
Loaded Veggie Tikka Masala
Video
Ingredients
- Large yellow onion, 1/2 goes in sauce in blitzed sauce, 1/2 is finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger, peeled
- 10 sprigs of fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt, optional
- 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
- 400 g canned plum tomatoes, not drained
- 1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 small container of vegan yogurt**, roughly 5 ounces (I typically use So Delicious or Kite Hill unsweetened yogurt)
- 1 15 oz can of full fat coconut cream or milk**
- ½ head of cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Optional for serving: chopped cilantro, extra yogurt, basmati rice cooked
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine half of the onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro stalks, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Blitz until fully combined about 1 minute. (see photo above) Set aside.Large yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger, 10 sprigs of fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- In a large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add in the chopped onion and spices, stir to combine and cook gently for 10 minutes.Large yellow onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- Into the skillet, add the plum tomatoes (with the liquid from the can), tomato sauce, yogurt, coconut milk and the blitzed onion and cilantro sauce. Cook for an additional 5 minutes over medium heat.400 g canned plum tomatoes, 1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce, 1 small container of vegan yogurt**, 1 15 oz can of full fat coconut cream or milk**
- Add in the cauliflower and carrots and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.1/2 head of cauliflower, 3 large carrots
- Once the veggies are tender, add in chickpeas and frozen peas. Stir to combine and let cook for 5 more minutes or until peas are fully heated through.1 15 oz can of chickpeas, 1 cup frozen peas
- Serve with rice and (optional) a bit more cilantro leaves and yogurt. Enjoy!Optional for serving: chopped cilantro
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this and it was amazing! My only changes were I left out the olive oil and used ginger powder instead of fresh.
YAY! So glad that you liked it! It is by far my favorite recipe on the blog and always happy to see other people enjoying it as well :D
Also, where I live you can only get 28 oz (800 g) plum tomatoes (either whole or crushed). Would the recipe still work if I used 800 g plum tomatoes and skipped the tomato sauce? Thanks a lot! Looks delicious.
SO sorry for the delayed response! YES you could just use the whole tin of plum tomatoes and omit the tomato sauce. I think I’ve done something similar to this once 9 I make this dish A LOT!). You might consider adding in a little extra water if the sauce is thicker than you’d like
Hi is the tomato sauce the same as tomato puree? In the UK so I’m not sure if you mean ketchup or tomatoe puree / paste or maybe passata? Or something else! Thanks xx
Are the canned plum tomatoes whole tomatoes? Would canned crushed plum tomatoes also work?
Hello: is this recipe good to freeze?
Thank you
This was SO GOOD! Just as good as it looks in the photos. My whole family (including the 6 and 4 year old) licked their bowls clean. I’m a cilantro hating person so I left that out and rather then food processing I used an immersion blender after the tomatoes went in. I also skipped the chickpeas and added firm tofu for protein instead. Thanks! Will definitely make again!
YAY!! SO glad that you liked it! This is seriously one of my very favorite recipes on the blog!
This looks like the recipe closest to the one my Indian neighbor taught me to make (no measurements, of course, just “oh, some of this and lots of that”). Some of our favorite veggies she’d put in were cauliflower, carrots, potatoes (diced small), bell peppers, and mushrooms. Wow, the mushrooms are like the best part because they just soak up all that flavor!! Soooo good. She also put cashews in, and that’s amazing, too. But never peas. Haha.
Thanks for this!! I make this recipe all the time and make it a bit different each time. DEFINITELY going to try it soon with mushrooms…LOVE that recommendation! I’ve also been meaning to try it with potatoes. YUM!
Looks delicious. Have you ever added potatoes?
I have not ever added potatoes but someone else asked me that once! Definietly plan to try it soon! If you do, please let me know how you like it!!
Brita
Would just regular yogurt and cream work in place of the coconut?
Sounds delish, can’t wait to try it!
Thanks.
Yes it would! It’s traditionally made with regular yogurt and cream. I’ve tried it before with greek yogurt and with 2% milk and it works great. *ever* so slightly changes the flavor but it’s still SO GOOD!
Are your plum tomatoes canned? Diced? Whole? I can’t tell from the pictures or recipe. Wanna make next week- adding to grocery list now :)
good question! i’ll update my recipe now. it’s 400g of CANNED plum tomatoes, not drained
What a beautiful and tantalizing dish! I love Indian food, but it can be tricky to know which dishes to avoid, since I’m lactose intolerant. I love that you’ve made this tikka masala dairy-free!
yes!! Some indian places use hardly any dairy but others do. SO I agree it can definitely be tricky! You don’t even notice the coconut flavor in this recipe at all which I like :)