This vegan tikka masala is rich, creamy and packed with flavor! Made with tender cauliflower florets and hearty chickpeas are simmered in a spicy cashew tomato sauce, you'd never guess this cozy curry was dairy free. A delicious Indian-inspired dinner that tastes like it came from a restaurant and is easy enough for a weeknight!
It took me a long time to familiarize myself with the variety of dishes that make up Indian cuisine. I started out eating Indian food at a buffet, which is really the best way to get started on Indian food if you ask me. Head on over to the vegetarian section and grab a scoop of everything. Who needs labels? If it was meatless, I was happy to have it on my plate.
After that I experimented with some sit-down Indian dining, on the first occasion of which, a friend instructed me to "Just pick anything at random off of the vegetarian menu. It's all good." I did. It was!
It took a while before I ever learned about tikka masala, I suppose because usually shows up on restaurant menus as chicken tikka masala, which isn't really that interesting to me. So even when I did learn of the dish's existence, I never got to try it, with the whole chicken and later on dairy issues to contend with.
Really though, it would be such a shame to miss out on something like tikka masala. If you're where I was not too long ago and know little of this dish, here's the lowdown: rich, spicy, curry, tomato gravy. That's it. It's so good.
I finally got down to it and created my own vegan tikka masala. No need for chicken. Cauliflower is the meatiest of veggies and chickpeas the meatiest legume. I threw 'em both in there.
Vegan Tikka Masala Sauce
Nor is there any need for dairy. Traditional tikka masala is made with yogurt and/or heavy cream. Sounds tough to replicate, but it's really not. Cashews do the job!
To make your tikka masala sauce, you'll be soaking some cashews in water. Drain them, rinse them, then add them to a food processor bowl with some diced tomatoes, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, and lots of spices.
Blend everything until smooth.
Be patient! It can take a few minutes, especially if your blending device isn't super powerful (mine's not!). If you're working with a very weak device, it can also help to blend your cashews to a paste before adding everything else.
Making the Curry
Once your sauce is ready, the dish comes together pretty easily.
Sweat an onion in some oil for a few minutes. Once the onion has softened up a bit, add your cauliflower, chickpeas and sauce. Stir in some water and brown sugar to balance out the acidity.
Let everything simmer for about 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Add more water when the sauce becomes too thick.
Take the pot off of the heat, give it a taste-test, season with salt, and adjust any other seasonings to your liking. Top off your tikka masala with a sprinkle of cilantro.
I serve mine with some basmati rice and vegan naan.
FAQ & Tips for Making Awesome Vegan Tikka Masala
- This recipe reheats and stores very well. If the sauce thickens up too much, just add a splash of water.
- Did you forget to soak your cashews? Try boiling them for 15 minutes.
- I keep a stash of frozen cashews on hand so forgetting is never an issue. Just freeze them right in their soaking water, then when you're ready to use them, thaw, drain and rinse.
- Is this recipe gluten-free? Yes, it is!
- Is there a substitute for the cashews? Macadamia nuts may work as a direct substitute — they're often a good replacement for cashews. You could also try making a vegan yogurt-based sauce using this recipe for guidance.
- How spicy is this recipe? It depends on how much sambal oelek (Asian chili paste) you use. The range suggested in the recipe should give you a mild to medium hot dish. If you're concerned about the heat level, start with a small amount (or none) and add it to taste at the end.
- For some extra protein, try adding some pan-fried tofu to your tikka masala.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Cauliflower Chickpea Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water, divided, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 to 3 teaspoons sambal oelek, to taste
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil (or neutral oil of choice)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large cauliflower crown, broken into florets
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Cooked basmati rice, to serve
Instructions
- Place the cashews, tomatoes, ½ cup of water, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, sambal oelek, garam masala, cumin, paprika, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper into the bowl of food processor fitted with an s-blade*.
- Blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. This may take a few minutes.
- Coat the bottom of a large pot or skillet with oil and place it over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook it until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cashew mixture, cauliflower, chickpeas, brown sugar and ½ cup of water.
- Raise the heat and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Lower the heat and allow it to simmer, uncovered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and thinning the sauce with extra water as needed. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot with a spoon to prevent the sauce from sticking and burning.
- Remove the pot from heat. Season the curry with salt and adjust any other seasonings to taste.
- Divide onto plates with basmati rice. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Notes
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I made it! It’s delicious! 😃Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I can’t wait to eat the rest for leftovers tomorrow too!
Just a question about the recipe steps- is there a specific reason why you don’t add the brown sugar and full cup of water (instead of splitting 1/2 and 1/2) to the sauce as you’re blending it..? I ended up just adding it all to the blender, but just thought I’d check in case I’m messing it up! 😅
Thanks again for a great recipe
My husband and I have started to eat meat only once a week and this blog has been a great source of recipes for us! Everything I have made has been great,
I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes! Thanks Elizabeth!
Loved it! I didn't chop up my cauli into small enough florets so cooking time was extended. I am always confident that your recipes will be tasty and spicy and this one didn't disappoint. Thanks for another top meal!!
So glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Alison!
Made this last night and it was soooo good! I was a bit skeptical as I'd tried making a cashew-based tikka masala from a different vegan blog a few months ago and it turned out bland and boring. I should have known not to doubt you, though! This was so rich and flavorful and I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch!
I used 3 cups of diced potatoes instead of cauliflower as that's what I had on hand. Accordingly, it took a fair time longer to cook, but the result was delicious.
Thanks for knocking it out of the park yet again!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I was actually thinking to myself that the sauce would go well with potatoes - now I'll have to try that myself. :) Thanks Anne!
Fantastic recipe, Alissa. My husband's word....outstanding. Thanks. :)
Making this tonight. Can't wait. Two questions...can I use sriracha in place of the sambal (staying away from sodium bisulfites), and can I substitute maple syrup for the brown sugar or leave it out all together? I never use brown sugar, and don't want to pick up a bag that will just sit. Thanks.
Both of those substitutions should work just fine! I hope you enjoy it!
Can I sub cashews for almonds please? I’m allergic to cashews :-(
I've never been able to get almonds to blend up smooth enough for sauces like this, but maybe it will work if you have something like a Vitamix. Otherwise I'd say macadamia nuts would be a good bet if you can have them, or you can try adapting a different sauce recipe - this one uses non-dairy yogurt: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/indian-butter-tofu-lentils/
I came across this recipe on Pinterest, made my first vegan meal and I love it.Thank you!
I'm so glad to hear that!!
The recipe uses cashews but talks about garbanzo beans. Which one do we use?
Both! The sauce is made from cashews, and chickpeas and cauliflower are both simmered in the sauce. :)
I have never commented on a recipe in my life but I just had to tell you that this was the most delicious curry I have ever cooked and I'm not vegan! I used a packet of salted cashews from 711 and by the time they were soaked it was fine. Like another poster I added too much paste I think as the flavour was overwhelming and I was a bit worried. But I added some extra water and a bit of coconut milk and while this added to the cooking time considerably due to the extra liquid it was absolutely perfect when done. Thank you!
Made this tonight - and clearly should have opted for the mid-range of the chili paste. :-) I speed-soaked by cashews by cooking them in my Instant Pot for two minutes since I had forgotten to soak them. Worked well. I also added a little bit more agave syrup to make it a notch more balanced in flavors. My husband is not a big cauliflower fan, but he ate it and had seconds. The cauliflower was rather large (used ready to go florets from Trader Joe's), and they weren't cooked at the 12 minute mark. You may have to account for that in your timing. It was very delicious - thank you!
Can I sub apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice?
You can give it a try, but you might get a bit of apple flavor in there. I always find apple cider vinegar to have a really distinct flavor. You might be better off trying a more neutral flavored vinegar.
Do you have any nutritional information for this recipe? It looks delicious!
Thank you! I don't usually calculate nutritional info for my recipes, but you can use this calculator if you'd like to.
I made this tonight and hesitate to comment since I did not have cashews and used homemade coconut milk instead along with subtracting the other liquids in the recipe. But I do comment because it was wonderful and actually tasted like tikka masala! Served it over brown jasmine rice. I hope to make it again with raw cashews instead if my grocery store isn't out of them next time!
Yay! I actually have a similar recipe for vegetable korma that uses a coconut milk base, and a few other curries as well, so I'm not surprised that it worked out. Glad you liked it. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and let me know! :)
I love how you just make the sauce in the food processor - looks so easy! Tikka masala is my favorite Indian dish. I've made it with chicken and a vegan version with chickpeas, but I love how you combined cauliflower and chickpeas!
Looks delicious. Feeling like having it now. But anyway, I am going to prepare this soon as you have shown me the way. So, Thanks.