First recipe of 2018!!! Woohoo!!! And friends, it’s a good one. Well, it is if you like Indian food. If not, um, I’m sorry. But maybe learning to like Indian food could be your new New Year’s resolution, because let’s face it, you already gave up on your other one. 😉 But seriously, folks, this sauce is so warm, comforting, and richly complex, yet it’s easy to make and doesn’t require 15 bazillion spices that you have to get in an ethnic market. Ok, maybe one you might have to hunt a little bit for, but IT’S WORTH IT. I present to you, for the inaugural recipe of the year, Vegan Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce.
Now, let’s get one thing straight right off the bat, ok? I’m not Indian. I do not profess this recipe to be “authentic” in any way, because that would be totally wrong of me to do so. But what I can tell you is that if I was served this at an Indian restaurant, I would be very, very happy, and would mop it up with all of the roti I could eat. And, bonus, it’s a sauce that can be made ahead and frozen for quick weeknight meals that are better than takeout and healthier, too. Let’s do this!
First up, gather your ingredients. It’s a fairly short list for such a complex-tasting sauce:
BASICS – Onion, ginger root, raw cashews (this makes the sauce creamy in lieu of cream, and it has magical thickening properties)
SPICES – Â Coriander, cumin, paprika, cardamom, cayenne (optional!), nutmeg, and salt. See? Nothing TOO crazy if you tend to have a fairly stocked spice cabinet. The cardamom might be a little bit tricky to find, but you should. It’s wonderful.
SOMETHING GREEN – Cilantro. If you’re in the “Cilantro, get behind thee!” camp, you can totally leave this out.
Spices are so beautiful. And damn, they taste good.
Ok, so this is so easy, people. Saute the onion, add the ginger and spices and saute a minute more, blend up the tomato sauce, cashews, and water until creamy, then simmer it all together with your favorite plant-based protein. I love chickpeas in this, but tofu is also great, and you could even just make it totally veg-friendly and simmer in some cauliflower. Or…serve it over cauliflower rice! That’s totally what I should have done for this picture, but I love me some basmati rice, so…
I wish I had leftovers, but Michael ate over half the pan when I made this, so I guess I’ll have to make a double batch next time. You should do that too, because then you can stash some in the freezer and pull it out whenever the Indian food craving strikes.
QUESTION: Do you like the idea of this simmer sauce concept? I plan to do more, but only if you want them. Let me know in the comments! I take requests. 🙂
Vegan Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, optional
- 1 tablespoon peeled ginger root, grated (about a 1-inch piece)
- 1 large white onion, finely chopped
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 3/4 cups water, plus more to thin sauce if needed
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, saute the onion in for 3-5 minutes, until translucent. I don’t typically use oil for this, but will often add a splash of water if the onions are sticking to the pan.
- Add the ginger, coriander, cumin, cardamom, paprika, nutmeg, and cayenne, if using, and cook for a minute or two, just to wake up the spices. Remove from heat while you blend up the sauce.
- In a blender or food processor, puree the tomato sauce, water, cashews, and salt until smooth.
- Add the sauce mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat until thickened.
- At this point, add your choice of plant-based protein (chickpeas or tofu are great!), simmer until warmed through, adding water a bit at a time if the sauce is thickening too much.
- Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or whatever other starch you prefer, and top with chopped cilantro if you like.
Arlan says
January 9, 2018 at 2:19 pmCan’t rate Recipe until tried.
Assume one can of chickpeas drained for one batch of sauce?
Beth says
January 10, 2018 at 12:03 pmI certainly don’t expect rating unless you’ve made it. 🙂 Yes, I typically done one can of chickpeas for one batch, but you could do two if you don’t need it to be extra saucy (I love the sauce so I stick with one). Hope that helps!
Joan says
January 9, 2018 at 2:51 pmMy son’s favourite Indian meal. Can’t wait to try your version. Sounds super healthy too. Thanks for sharing.
Beth says
January 10, 2018 at 12:04 pmMy pleasure, Joan! Can’t wait to hear what he thinks. 🙂
Jenn says
January 9, 2018 at 3:26 pmI can’t wait to make this! And YES PLEASE more recipes like this. I’m teaching my daughters how to make variations of meals and prepping so when they are on their own they can eat healthier. Thank you!
Kathi says
January 9, 2018 at 6:52 pmMy next meatless Monday dish! Cant wsit to try it!
Beth says
January 9, 2018 at 9:10 pmWoohoo!!! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Heidi says
January 9, 2018 at 8:04 pmMy Family loves Indian food. I am vegetarian and my daughter can not eat dairy so this is perfect. Can’t wait to try it and yes, more recipes like this, please!
Beth says
January 9, 2018 at 9:10 pmOh this makes me so happy! I hope you’ll let me know what you think. More recipes like this coming soon! 🙂
Shireen says
January 9, 2018 at 10:21 pmThis sounds so tasty, looking forward to trying it very soon. More of this type of recipe would be awesome!
Beth says
January 10, 2018 at 12:01 pmI’m glad that you’re interested in these kinds of recipes – more to come very soon! 🙂
Surya-Patricia Lane Hood says
January 10, 2018 at 8:59 amYou din’t give an amount required for the “protein”. How much chickpeas or tofu?
Beth says
January 10, 2018 at 12:00 pmSorry about that! I just updated the notes in the recipe. For one batch of the sauce, I typically do 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas (drained), because I like a lot of sauce, but you could go up to 2 cans and it would still be great. For the tofu, I cube up one block and simmer it for 5-10 minutes. Hope that helps!
Nicole says
January 10, 2018 at 8:40 pmMade this for dinner and it was delicious and really easy!! Paired it with Naan bread and basmati rice. Thank you!
Nadwa says
January 11, 2018 at 5:03 pmLOVE the recipe
Nadwa says
January 11, 2018 at 5:04 pmWaiting for another
Thank you for sharing those ideas
Kim says
January 11, 2018 at 9:02 pmI LOVED the Tikka Masala! It was so easy (because my wonderful daughter made it and I heated it up). The spices are so well balanced and the creamy texture works great with chickpeas and rice. I’m pretty sure I would be able to make this delicious sauce.
Thanks Beth????
Kim says
January 12, 2018 at 10:46 amForgot to rate the recipe. It was fabulous!
Erin says
January 15, 2018 at 7:12 pmThis was absolutely delicious, everyone in my family loved it and went back for seconds even my picky ones. I used a can of garbanzo beans and a half of a block of tofu (because I needed to use it) and it was still plenty saucy. And the leftovers didn’t even make it to lunch the next day! 🙂
Ellen says
January 29, 2018 at 7:32 amMy family really enjoyed this recipe. Thank you! Do you think it could be made in the instant pot? If so, how?
Beth says
July 24, 2018 at 8:21 amHi Ellen! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe! It’s one of my favorites. I’m mulling over how to make this an Instant Pot recipe. Are you thinking of cooking chickpeas from dried as part of the process or would you still use precooked chickpeas?
Ellen says
July 24, 2018 at 12:32 pmThank you Beth! I was planning to use pre-cooked chickpeas.
TJ says
July 19, 2018 at 1:28 pmWondering if there’s something else I can use instead of the nuts. Allergies.
Beth says
July 24, 2018 at 8:19 amYes! You can use raw shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas), they’ll work well but will have a slightly different texture as they don’t get quite as creamy. For a different flavor (but still really tasty), you could also use canned coconut milk. I’d start with 1/2 cup and add more as needed to thin it out. Hope that helps!
Natalie says
July 30, 2018 at 12:13 amI can’t believe how delicious this was—everyone was licking their plate! I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s better than any cream-based tikka masala sauce I’ve made. We used vegetable broth instead of water, and stirred in roasted cauliflower and peas (and optional grilled chicken for the meat eaters…). I’m totally making a batch to have on hand in the freezer, but it was also easy enough to make on a weeknight. Thank you!
t h says
September 15, 2018 at 9:31 amyes, more simmer sauces
Brandi Denn says
September 23, 2018 at 3:14 pmDo you soak the cashews overnight?
Joseph says
September 23, 2018 at 3:56 pmThis recipe was very simple, easy and, most importantly, turned out very tasty. I used chickpeas and Basmati rice and added some lightly sauteed mushroom quarters. Overall, probably the best Tikka Masala I’ve had homemade and pretty close to some good restaurant versions. The jarred alternatives in the stores are horrible and I doubt they are vegan. I do have a question as to when the paprika gets added. I mixed it in with all the other spices and it worked fine. Thank you very much! I now have have a great Tikka recipe to go with my homemade paneer and naan.
Christy K Hawkins says
October 2, 2018 at 10:04 amI made this for my family last night. I added soycurls and peas. It was a hit! Everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing a good non-dairy Tikka Masala recipe.
Sarah says
October 7, 2018 at 7:24 pmWhat are soycurls??
Barbara Lindberg says
November 28, 2018 at 7:13 amThanks Beth! A wonderful and healthier version of the traditional.
Beth says
November 28, 2018 at 9:31 amThank you, Barbara! <3 How funny, I just made this for dinner yesterday. Kismet! 🙂
Charlie says
December 4, 2018 at 1:20 pmGot my ingredients and am ready to go. Can’t wait. Just one basic question, perhaps kind of silly. You mention paprika in the ingredients but don’t mention to add it with the others. I’m assuming it goes in with the others, not later, correct?
Beth says
December 4, 2018 at 1:37 pmHey Charlie! Yes, it goes in with the other spices. Thanks for catching that for me! I just updated the instructions. So excited to hear how it goes for you! I just made this a few days ago, funny enough. 🙂
Karen says
February 19, 2019 at 10:38 amHi Beth – I gave this a try last night. As you totally acknowledged, this isn’t exactly authentic but it sure is easy and quite tasty. I found the spices were a little “raw” when I first made it…maybe I should have cooked them with the onions a bit longer. But just had some leftovers for lunch today and the flavor has really improved. I added a can of chickpeas and a bag of spinach and froze leftovers in several containers for easy lunches/dinners. Thanks for all your hard work and great recipe ideas.
Jessica says
March 7, 2019 at 5:04 pmThis turned out amazing, and it’s so simple! Love it!!
Jessica Healy says
March 14, 2019 at 8:20 amI am in LOVE with this recipe. So happy to find a simple and delicious vegan Tikka Masala. Thank you!
Ann says
May 11, 2019 at 5:27 pmThis recipe was way too hot for me. I will try it again without the cayenne pepper and paprika.
Sadia says
June 7, 2019 at 8:56 amI am from the subcontinent, but don’t worry about authenticity. Tikka masala was born in the UK. It was in an Indian restaurant, but its wonderful tradition is that it’s an international dish from its very origin! Tikka, on the other hand, is a traditional South Asian dish.