Indian Butter Tofu Paneer - Tofu Butter Masala Recipe - Vegan Richa (2024)

4.96 from 149 votes

Baked Tofu "Paneer"

• 12 oz (340.2 g) firm tofu pressed between paper towels for 10 minutes, then cubed
• ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) each of garam masala ,paprika, salt, and turmeric
• 2 tsp ginger paste or minced ginger
• 2 tsp garlic paste or minced or ¾ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1.5 tsp water ½ tbsp
• 1.5 tbsp cornstarch or other starch such as arrowroot
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast optional
• 1 tsp oil

Butter Sauce:

• 1 tsp oil or vegan butter
• 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 3 large ripe tomatoes or 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 inch cube of ginger ½ inch chopped, ½ inch julienned or thinly sliced into sticks
• 1 hot or mild green chile juilenned or thinly sliced or use very thinly sliced green bell pepper
• Cashew cream made with with ¼ cup soaked 15 mins cashews blended with ½ cup water
• ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) garam masala
• ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) paprika or kashmiri chili powder
• ¼ to ½ tsp cayenne
• ½ cup (125 ml) water
• 1 tsp kasooori methi - dried fenugreek leaves
• ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
• ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) sugar or other sweetener to preference

Bake the Tofu:

• Press and cube the tofu if you havent already. In a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients under baked tofu, to make a marinade. Add tofu and toss well. Let it sit for 15 min (optional). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F / 200ºc. Place the tofu cubes on parchment lined sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Make the Butter Sauce:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden. You can also add in 1 bay leaf and 1 cinnamon stick with the garlic for additional flavor. Remove these before serving.

• Puree the tomato with the chopped ginger and half the green chile. Add to the skillet and cook until the puree starts to thicken and does not taste raw tomatoey. Dont wash the blender.

• In the same blender, blend the cashews and water until smooth. Blend the cashews for a minute, let it rest for a minute and then blend again for about a minute for a creamy result. Works with unsoaked cashews. Or use premade thin cashew cream (about ½ cup).

• Reserve 1 tbsp of the cream for garnish. Add the rest of the cashew cream to the skillet. Add spices, fenugreek leaves, salt and sugar and mix well. Use ½ cup water to rinse out your blender and add to the skillet. Mix and Bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt, heat (add cayenne) and sweet. Add more water if needed for preferred consistency. Add more cashew cream for creamier.

• Fold in the baked tofu. Simmer for a minute. Mix in the julienned ginger and green chile. Alternatively, mix half of the ginger and chile and use half as garnish. Add a drizzle of the cashew cream and other garnishes as pepper flakes, chopped cilantro. Serve over Easy Garlic Naan, rice or roti.

Make this soy-free: Simmer the sauce with chickpeas for 8 to 10 mins. Or add roasted vegetables such as Cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini ((rub in the marinade for the tofu and bake at 400 deg F for 25 to 30 mins) and simmer for 2 minutes.

Make Butter Chikin: Use any vegan chikin strips or seitan. Toss in garam masala, paprika, 2 tsp minced ginger and 2 tsp garlic and oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes then add to the sauce with 1 cup water. Simmer for 10 minutes or longer.
With soy curls: Add 1 cup soy curls directly to the skillet at step 4 with cashew cream and 1 cup of water. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Nutritional values based on one serving

Nut-free: Use coconut cream (thick white part from a can of full fat coconut milk)

To sub fenugreek leaves: Use ¼ - ⅓ tsp powdered fenugreek (fenugreek seed powder), or ¼ tsp ground mustard.

No onion garlic; this recipe is already onion free. Use zucchini to sub garlic in the sauce. Add ½ tsp more fenugreek leaves to balance the flavor.

Nutrition Facts

Butter Tofu Paneer - Restaurant Style Tofu Butter Masala Recipe

Amount Per Serving (4 g)

Calories 166Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 658mg29%

Potassium 412mg12%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 910IU18%

Vitamin C 16.4mg20%

Calcium 45mg5%

Iron 1.2mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.