Vegan Butter Chicken with Rice
It should be no surprise that we love Indian cuisine — look at our blog, where we've already shared recipes for vegan Malai Kofta, Madras Curry, Chana Masala, Palak Paneer, and Korma. And, of course, we couldn't leave out "murgh makhani," better known as butter chicken!
What is Butter Chicken?
Traditional Butter Chicken involves marinating chicken pieces in a yogurt-based marinade and then grilling or pan-frying them. Meanwhile, a tomato-based sauce is prepared, resulting in a thick, creamy, and rich texture thanks to ghee and cream. The sauce is mildly spiced but still flavorful. Finally, the chicken is combined with the sauce and served with rice and/or naan.
How do you make Butter Chicken vegan?
Unlike some other curries, Butter Chicken has several non-vegan ingredients—starting with the chicken. We've made this dish many times and tested different alternatives, including mock chicken from Asian supermarkets, vegan chicken substitutes, cauliflower, mushrooms, tofu, seitan, and dried soy chunks. They all taste great, so it's just a matter of preference!
We're using dried soy chunks for this recipe because they're affordable and soak up the sauce beautifully. The only downside is that they must be rehydrated first, which takes longer. Feel free to swap them for any of the other options if you prefer—skip the soaking step.
The other substitutions are straightforward: We use plant-based butter instead of ghee and soy, oat, or cashew cream instead of dairy cream. Additionally, we add cashew butter to the sauce for extra creaminess. This idea comes from this recipe, where cashews are soaked before blending—but using cashew butter is way faster and more convenient!
Vegan Butter Chicken with Rice
Ingredients
For the vegan chicken:
- 75 g (2.65 oz) dried soy chunks
- 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable broth
- 200 g (7 oz) oyster mushrooms
- 3 tbsp vegan yogurt
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 0.5 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 0.5 tsp ground cumin
- salt
- pepper
- coconut oil for frying
For the sauce:
- 2 onions
- 20 g (7 oz) ginger
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 500 g (17.6 oz / ~1.1 lb) strained tomatoes
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegan cream
- 3 tbsp vegan yogurt
- 2 tbsp cashew butter (optional)
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- salt
- pepper
For serving:
- long-grain rice (e.g., basmati)
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
Place the dried soy chunks in a pot and cover them with hot vegetable broth. Let them soak for 10–15 minutes with the lid on. Meanwhile, tear the oyster mushrooms into thin strips using your hands. Peel and finely dice the onions, ginger, and garlic for the sauce.
Drain the rehydrated soy chunks and squeeze out any excess liquid. Transfer them to a bowl with the oyster mushrooms and mix with vegan yogurt. Season with paprika, chili powder, garam masala, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Heat coconut oil in a large pan and fry the seasoned soy chunks and mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until slightly browned. Remove them from the pan, but keep the pan on the stove.
Add more coconut oil to the same pan and sauté the onion with garam masala, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper over medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Then add the garlic and ginger and fry for another 2–3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 more minutes.
Pour in the strained tomatoes, vegan cream, yogurt, and (optional) cashew butter. Mix well and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes. Then, blend it with an immersion blender until smooth.
Tipp: Blending is optional—if you don't mind the texture of diced onions, garlic, and ginger, you can skip this step!
- Return the fried soy chunks and mushrooms to the sauce and stir in the vegan butter. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve with cooked rice and fresh cilantro.
