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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!
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 food (and for the record, I’m totally not claiming this recipe to be an authentic Indian recipes) but I have definitely made up for that over the past few years. For a small southern city, Nashville holds its own when it comes to Indian restaurants and I most certainly have my favorites. 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).
Out of all the recipes on my blog (and there’s something like 300 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.
Many tikka masala recipes start out with a curry paste that gets rubbed all over the meat and left to marinate. Since we’re not marinating anything, we get to skip that part (yay!!).
Instead, we make a simple onion, garlic, and cilantro sauce that adds SO much mind blowing flavor to the dish.
Next, we saute the onions with LOTS of spices. I’ve had a lot of fun lately experimenting with different spices and this recipe was no exception.
As with most of my recipes, the salt is totally optional.
Once the spices become aromatic and the onions are translucent, the tomatoes, sauce, coconut yogurt, half of the coconut cream AND the blitzed onion and cilantro mixture is added in. Then the cauliflower and carrots go in.
Once the veggies are tender and *just* about done, the chickpeas and peas are added in. NOW, if adding only half of a can of chickpeas into this dish is super annoying to you then go ahead and add in the whole can. I tried it this way at first and it works just great. I only add in half because it’s just a large dish already. You can also put in slightly less cauliflower or carrots to account for the extra chickpeas.
And on that note, 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!!
Alright, well that’s it for this gloomy Wednesday morning. I seriously can’t tell you how much I love this recipe and I hope that you love it as much as I do!
ps- it 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.
See How to Make the Vegan Tikka Masala:
Loaded Veggie Tikka Masala
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 of 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 of 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
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I used this recipe as a launching pad and made a number of tweaks:
– I mix my spices before hand, but reserve the turmeric for the end. My amounts of each spice took a bit of experimentation, more of this and less of that. Once blended, I toast the spices in 2 Tbs. of peanut oil; meanwhile, i sautee one chopped onion in 2 Tbs. Peanut oil until just soft. Then add minced garlic and ginger, followed by tomato paste. Next, add spice blend and combine.
– Then I add 28oz. Can of San Marzano tomatoes with their juice, crushed by hand.
– i use cauliflower and broccoli florets, sliced zucchini, sliced potatoes, sliced sweet potatoes, sliced carrots, and sliced celery. I add all the veggies to an electric pressure cooker, intermingling veggies and sauce.
– i top with chopped fresh cilantro and add 4 cups of vegetable broth. I cook for 8 minutes and allow the slow natural release of pressure.
– Final steps: I transfer contents to a Dutch oven and add turmeric, chickpeas, green peas, and coconut cream.
This recipe was so easy and so delicious!!! Thank you for sharing.
This was really delicious and EASY! I’m a newbie to cooking, and love Indian take out, but have wanted to watch my dairy intake. This was perfect.
What else can you use instead of chickpeas and no tofu either? Thanks!
So delicious. I’m newer to vegan and this recipe is such a crowd-pleaser. Everyone loves it! I’ve made it at least three times and will be cooking it for my omnivore family tonight.
YAY! so glad that you liked it. This is BY FAR one of our favorite family dishes and I’m making it again this week :D
Very delicious. Everybody loved it especially my husband. Thanks Brita?
I make Chicken Tikka masala all the time and have never made veggie version. This certainly looks very appealing especially with the coconut flavor twist. Can’t wait to try it! Also, would you be kind enough to share your countertop name? We are in the process of choosing and love the marble look yours have? thanks!
I hope you like it if you give it a try! These countertops are actually a marble slab that I got from Williams Sonoma so it’s not something you can buy for a whole countertop. Sorry about that :)
Looks complicated, but actually very easy. Flavors are wonderful, and it tastes like what we get in our local Indian restaurant!! Excellent recipe, I will make this again. Note that it is a huge recipe, so have some clean mason jars on hand for Lunchbox treats!!
yay! So glad that you liked it!
This is delicious! Even our friends’ picky son had a spoonful more out of the pan before he left! The only thing I will do different next time is to grate the carrots. They took about double the time allotted to get tender.
Looks amazing! But with just two of us in the house would this freeze well?
yes! It does freeze well! We often make it for dinner for the 2 of us and then have it for lunch for the next 2 days.