Name: 1 Pan Vegan Butter "Chicken" Made Easy
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Indian inspired
Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegan butter; 350g extra firm tofu; ¼ tsp salt; ⅛ tsp turmeric; Black pepper; ½ tsp garam masala; 1 tbsp vegan butter; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; ⅛ tsp ground cloves; ¼ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 cups passata or canned crushed tomatoes; 1 cup chickpeas (cooked from scratch for best savings); 2 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds (see notes if using fenugreek leaves); ⅛ tsp hot red chilli powder; ½ tsp cane sugar; ¼ tsp salt; ½ cup filtered water; ½ cup dairy-free unsweetened yogurt (or cashew cream, see notes)*

Jump to Recipe· 5 from 5 reviews

Large chunks of tofu and chickpeas covered in a thick reddish orange gravy make a delicious vegan butter chicken served alongside rice.

This vegan butter “chicken” is simple, quick to make, and so full of flavour! Open up your spice drawer to add in all those aromatic spices and in 30 minutes you will have a delicious and filling dinner!

Made in one pan
Ready in 30 minutes
Full of protein
So flavourful
And super comforting

Top down view of a bowl filled with a saucy vegan butter chicken and brown rice. Sprigs of cilantro garnish the tray below.

Ingredients For Vegan Butter “Chicken”

To make this vegan butter “chicken” I substitute the chicken with extra firm tofu and chickpeas. If you prefer to use all tofu you can double the tofu in the recipe and omit the chickpeas. However, chickpeas do add extra protein, a different texture, and they are quite thrifty.

Top down view of ingredients. Hand pulled chunks of firm tofu, chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, vegan yogurt, and spices.

Besides the tofu and chickpeas, you will need:

Crushed tomatoes for that tomato based butter “chicken” gravy
Dairy-free yogurt
And some vegan butter of course

The spices are what really make this vegan butter chicken recipe sing:

Garam masala
Fenugreek
Cinnamon
Cloves
Turmeric
Fresh ginger
Garlic
And red chilli pepper

Although this recipe is very easy to make, some of these Indian spices may be new to you. Take a look at Swasthi’s traditional butter chicken recipe for some great explanation about the origins of the traditional recipe.

How To Make It In One Pan

Since I am not making a traditional butter chicken and am already adapting the recipe to make it vegan, I decided to simplify the process as well.

Traditionally, the chicken is marinated overnight in yogurt and then grilled before adding it to the thick gravy. Since tofu doesn’t need to tenderize like chicken, I’ve decided to skip the marinating and cook the tofu in the gravy. This way, the tofu soaks up all the flavour of the sauce while the dish cooks!

The second change I have made is to use vegan yogurt in the gravy instead of a cashew cream. Traditionally, soaked cashews are blended into the gravy to lighten up the colour, add richness, and creaminess. Although I love cashews and have a simple recipe for cashew cream, soaking the cashews adds an extra step and more time to the recipe.

Top down view of a bowl full of thick and creamy vegan butter chicken. The sauce is reddish brown and coating chunks of tofu and chickpeas.

First, brown the tofu for about 10 minutes in some vegan butter and a few spices.
Then, add a bit more vegan butter and toast a few more spices.
Add the crushed tomatoes with still more spices and cook for 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes have reduced and thickened.
Finally, thin the gravy with water and vegan yogurt. Heat everything through and serve with brown rice and my 2 Ingredient Roti!

Recipe Cost

This vegan butter chicken recipe serves 4 and costs us approximately: CAD $6.99 using chickpeas cooked from scratch. Our cost increases to $7.89 if I use canned chickpeas.

As a comparison, 350 grams of tofu costs me $3.69 while just 350 grams of boneless and skinless chicken breast would cost me upwards of $5. The vegan substitutions in this recipe are therefore quite cost effective.

Check out my post and video on how to cook chickpeas from scratch for the best savings. My pantry tips page can also be a great resource for how I stock essential ingredients that make my cooking budget friendly and convenient.

A fork digs into the thick and creamy vegan butter chicken spearing a large piece of tofu.

Let me know in the comments below how you like this recipe and if you love my one pan idea! Try my Yellow Turmeric Rice on the side. You might also love my Easy Vegan Red Lentil Curry and this Red Lentil (Dahl) Curried Vegetable Soup!