Name: Quick and Easy Vegan Butter Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 lbs of soy protein (I used 1 block of pressed tofu (200g) and 1 cup of soy curls, dry)*; 1 onion, diced; 2 tbsp creamed coconut (can sub vegan butter for non-oil free OR water for low fat- basically anything to sautee your onions and spices with); 2 tbsp curry powder**; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 10 oz can of tomato sauce; 1 10 oz can of coconut cream*** (or 1 cup cashew cream); 3/4 cup water; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp pepper; Optional: 1/2 tsp cayenne

vegan butter chicken with tofu in a white bowl landscape photo

This Quick and Easy Vegan Butter Chicken is rich, creamy and packed with so much flavour. Made in one pot and takes less than 30 minutes to make, the perfect weeknight comfort meal!

vegan butter chicken with tofu in a white bowl with cilantro on top

I know, I just posted about how excited I am for the warmer weather but one thing I will kind of (actually, really) miss is warming, comforting and hearty meals. I’ll be pushing out a couple more of my favourite meals I’ve had this winter to end off the season! My favourite cuisine when it comes to warming comfort foods has to be indian!

Most dishes incorporate so many warming spices and tend to be a bit heavier with the use of coconut creams and butter, it’s the best thing to cozy up to on a cold night. I wanted to create my take on Vegan Butter Chicken by cutting down the oil to make it “less heavy” so I don’t end up in a slump, but still have that rich creamy texture and buttery flavour. I have using coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut yogurt and a mix of them and they all turn out delicious! The coconut yogurt is much less heavier but does not lack that creamy sauce-y texture. I was also determined to make a quick one pot version of this dish because sometimes, I just get too hangry in the evening and I can’t be bothered to wait an hour to eat dinner.

vegan butter chicken with white rice in a white bowl with cilantro

I often use soy curls to mimic that “meat” texture, especially when I’m also cooking for my boyfriend but pressed tofu works just as wonderfully as it absorbs all the flavours! Serve it over a bowl of fresh (or meal prepped lol) steamy riced, garnish it with some fresh cilantro or green onions and you guys- your taste buds will be blown away!

vegan butter chicken with white rice in a white bowl with cilantro closeup shot

I love this recipe so much I can kind of see myself still making this when the warmer weather hits, maybe I’ll just eat it cooled down…(hahaha).

I hope you guys try and LOVE this recipe as much as I do! This Vegan Butter Chicken is:

creamy
thick
flavourful
comforting
butter-y
vegan
quick, easy and simple
meal prep friendly
and makes such an incredibly delicious meal!

vegan butter chicken with tofu in a white bowl

Tips and Tricks to making Quick Vegan Butter Chicken

*you can use any protein of your choice here, total weight should be roughly 1 lbs (soy curls weighed after soaked and liquid pressed out)
**depending on your curry powder, you can add more flavour profile by adding in ginger, garam masala, fenu greek and/or cumin- I would start with around 1/4 tsp of each
*** coconut cream can be substituted with coconut yogurt, coconut milk or light coconut milk, simmer time may be affected
If you find trouble thickening the sauce, you can add 2-3 tbsp of corn starch at the end, this may be needed if you use coconut milk.
Store in a air tight container in the fridge up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months!

More Vegan Curry Recipes to Love!

tofu butter chicken in a bowl with cilantro

If you recreate this Quick Vegan Butter Chicken please share it and let me know what you think by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!