Vegan Butter Chicken

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Vegan Butter Chicken

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A bowl of curry with chunks of potato, garnished with cilantro, accompanied by white rice and a piece of naan bread. The dish is served in a white bowl on a light-colored surface, with a soft fabric napkin next to it.

Prep

10 minutes

Cook

40 minutes

Yield

4 -5

🍛 Transform the classic Indian favorite into a plant-based delight with this vegan butter chicken recipe! Packed with authentic spices, hearty chickpeas, and potatoes in a rich tomato sauce - you won't miss the meat in this aromatic, comforting curry.

Wait, did you say this is a VEGAN butter chicken recipe? You betcha! This plant-based version of the classic Indian favorite captures all those rich, creamy flavors you love, just without the animal products. Loaded with authentic Indian spices and hearty ingredients like chickpeas and potatoes, this vegan butter chicken is seriously one of the best curry dishes I’ve made to date.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Vegan Butter Chicken

  • Authentic Flavors: All the rich, aromatic spices of traditional butter chicken, made completely plant-based.
  • Easy: Simple ingredients and straightforward steps for a restaurant-quality result.
  • Crowd-Pleaser: Even non-vegans will be impressed by this flavorful curry.

🍲 Ingredients

Garam Masala – This spice blend is absolutely essential for authentic vegan butter chicken. It combines cumin seed powder, coriander seed powder, cardamom powder, black pepper, cassia cinnamon powder, clove powder, and nutmeg powder – creating the perfect foundation of flavors that gives this dish its distinctive taste.

Tomatoes – The base of any good butter chicken sauce, canned tomatoes create that rich, tangy foundation that simmers down to create the signature velvety texture this dish is known for. When cooked down and blended, they transform into the luscious sauce that makes vegan butter chicken so irresistible.

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👩‍🍳 How to Make Vegan Butter Chicken

Vegan Butter Chicken Recipe
  1. In a large skillet or pot heat coconut oil or vegan butter on medium-low heat till melted.  Add your white onion and sweat for around 6 minutes or until translucent.  Stir often to avoid burning, scraping the browned bottom bits for extra flavour.
  2. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, curry powder, coriander, paprika and cinnamon. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.

3. To the skillet or pot add the chili flakes, vegetable stock paste and canned tomatoes.  Let the mixture simmer for about 10-15 minutes until sauce thickens and becomes a deep, rich red-brown in colour.

4. Remove mixture from heat and scoop into a blender and blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick to blend, then add up to 1/4 cup water to blend.  If you have a smaller blender, blend in batches.

A skillet filled with creamy orange-colored curry, with a wooden spoon holding a scoop of cooked lentils. The dish is set on a stove.

5. Pour the sauce back into the pan. Stir in the coconut milk, sugar and season to taste.  At this point you would add your cooked lentils, potatoes, chickpeas, vegan chicken etc. and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Simmer for 15 minutes even if you’re not adding a protein or root of choice. Serve with rice, cilantro and naan.

Vegan Butter Chicken Recipe

🗒 Tips and Tricks

  • Spices: Bloom the spices in oil briefly to release their aromatics.
  • Blending: For the smoothest sauce, blend in batches if needed.
  • Simmering: Let the final dish simmer to allow flavors to meld properly.

🗒 Variations

Make this yummy Vegan Butter Chicken recipe your own with these variations:

  • Protein: Use tofu, seitan, or vegan chicken alternatives instead of chickpeas.
  • Creaminess: Coconut cream or cashew cream can be used interchangeably.
  • Heat Level: Adjust chili flakes to your preferred spice tolerance.
  • Vegetables: Add cauliflower, peas, or bell peppers for extra nutrition.
Vegan Butter Chicken in white bowl on top of fresh rice with a side of naan bread.

🗒 Best served with

👝 How to Store Leftovers

This vegan butter chicken actually tastes even better the next day! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

🤔 Common Questions

What’s the history of butter chicken?

Butter chicken originated in Delhi, India, during the 1950s. The legend says that the cooks of Moti Mahal restaurant would mix leftover tandoori chicken marinade with butter and tomato and stew the chicken in this sauce. This vegan butter chicken recipe captures those same flavors in a plant-based way.

What can I serve with vegan butter chicken?

This dish pairs perfectly with basmati rice, naan bread, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

Can I make this vegan butter chicken spicier?

Absolutely! You can add more chili flakes, fresh chopped chilies, or a dash of cayenne pepper to increase the heat level to your preference.

Why blend the sauce?

Blending creates that signature smooth, creamy texture that authentic butter chicken is known for. It helps the sauce cling to the chickpeas and potatoes, making every bite flavorful.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes! This vegan butter chicken recipe is perfect for meal prep. The flavors actually develop and improve over time, making it ideal for preparing a day ahead.

A bowl of curry with potatoes and herbs, served alongside white rice. The dish is garnished with fresh cilantro. In the background, there is a piece of naan bread topped with herbs, all placed on a light-colored surface.

Vegan Butter Chicken

5 from 29 votes
🍛 Transform the classic Indian favorite into a plant-based delight with this vegan butter chicken recipe! Packed with authentic spices, hearty chickpeas, and potatoes in a rich tomato sauce – you won't miss the meat in this aromatic, comforting curry.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Vegan
Servings 4 -5

Ingredients
  

For the Sauce:

For serving:

Shop Ingredients on Jupiter

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet or pot heat coconut oil or vegan butter on medium-low heat till melted.  Add your white onion and sweat for around 6 minutes or until translucent.  Stir often to avoid burning, scraping the browned bottom bits for extra flavour.
  • Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, curry powder, coriander, paprika and cinnamon. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
  • To the skillet or pot add the chili flakes, vegetable stock paste and canned tomatoes.  Let the mixture simmer for about 10-15 minutes until sauce thickens and becomes a deep, rich red-brown in colour.
  • Remove mixture from heat and scoop into a blender and blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick to blend, then add up to 1/4 cup water to blend.  If you have a smaller blender, blend in batches.
  • Pour the sauce back into the pan. Stir in the coconut milk, sugar and season to taste.  At this point you would add your cooked lentils, potatoes, chickpeas, vegan chicken etc. and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Simmer for 15 minutes even if you’re not adding a protein or root of choice. Serve with rice, cilantro and naan.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

We had a little mishap in our kitchen with the coconut milk, that is why the images are looking more tomato-based.  Had we added coconut milk, the colour would be more orange and creamy like.
The sauce will last up to 1 week in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.  Be sure to cool completely before placing it in a tightly sealed container in fridge or freezer.
When you go to re-heat, you may need to add more water to loosen sauce slightly.  Then add your protein or root veg of choice.
Review This Recipe Let us know how it was!

Marian Matthews

Followed the directions but sauce turned out runny. What can I add to thicken it?

Maria Koutsogiannis

Hey Marian, can you confirm you used a Can of Coconut Milk and not regular coconut milk? This sauce should still be loose (sauce-like) but definitely not runny. I would cook it without a lid on to reduce the liquid but I am intrigued about which coconut milk you used. Hopefully we can help solve this!

Nicole

Heya, approx how many potatoes and how much chickpeas did you (pre) cook? Thanks

Maria Koutsogiannis

It would depend on how much sauce you’re cooking, how many people you’re feeding etc. I made this sauce (exactly as in the recipe) and we likely used around 3 potatoes and 400 ml can of chickpeas. Hope that’s helpful. Please let us know how it goes and touch base with a star review if you can!

Kristin

5 stars
Holy coconuts—this recipe is delicious!! And, as is written all over this page, it is SUPER EASY. Yes, a lot of spices are involved, but it’s sooooo worth it. I loaded the sauce up with zucchini, pepper, and broccoli (I love how broccoli soaks up whatever sauce it’s in), and served over rice with some homemade pita. I will probably make this once a week. Thanks, Maria!

Maria Koutsogiannis

Thank you so much for the love, hun!!!!

Alice

This recipe is INSANE! Tastes just like the real deal and will hit the spot. Adding this to my rotation!

Maria Koutsogiannis

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE LOVE, ALICEEEE!!!!

Nina

YES! I loved this recipe! I added chickpeas and lentils and it turned out delicious. I am defenitely going to make this again, thanks Maria! 🙂

Maria Koutsogiannis

You’re so welcome Nina! Thanks for the love on this recipe!

Cherilyn Meesak

5 stars
Let me just start off my saying, I do not typically like Indian food. At all. Not sure if it’s the curry seasoning but it’s just not a genre of food I prefer to eat. My fiancé went to a restaurant and kept raving about how good this Indian food he had and said we needed to try it. I stumbled across your recipe and thought I’d give it a try to make something for him for once (lol) and I have to say I ate two helpings!!! So so good! So flavorful, sweet, spicy… etc After trying many Indian recipes that I never was a fan of, I’m so glad to say I have seriously fell in love with this one!! Thank you!!

Maria Koutsogiannis

YESSS!!!! This makes us so incredibly happy, thanks so much for the love, sweetie!

Tracy

5 stars
Super delicious. The whole family loved it.

Maria Koutsogiannis

So happy about this Tracy! Thanks so much for the love!

Rebecca

5 stars
This recipe was incredible. I was craving butter chicken tonight and this absolutely hit the spot. So satisfying! I used chili oil instead of flakes and it kicked up the intensity. Thanks again Maria!

Maria Koutsogiannis

You’re so welcome Rebecca! I am so glad you enjoyed this!!!

Carly

If you’re using potatoes do you cook them prior to adding to the sauce for the last 15 minutes? Or does that cooked part only apply to if you are doing lentils?

Maria Koutsogiannis

I would cook them slightly before adding them to the sauce to simmer. Depending on how large you cut them that will also dictate how long they need to cook. I hope that helps!

Amy Rintoul

5 stars
So tasty and simple to make!

Maria Koutsogiannis

Thank you, Amy! So easy and delicious, right!

Emily

5 stars
Delicious!! I made this with chickpeas and it was creamy, flavorful and made big portions. Will definitely be making again. Thank you Maria!

Maria Koutsogiannis

Thank you so much for the love, Emily! So glad you enjoyed this!

5 from 29 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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