Chickpea Tikka Masala Recipe - Vegan, Dairy Free & Oil-Free Option (2024)

FAQs

Can I use yogurt instead of cream for tikka masala? ›

However, when it comes to adding it to a curry, I just can't. My brain just won't allow that addition. So, instead of cream, I use yogurt and butter (cream's close cousin) to get that rich and velvety tomato gravy for my Chicken Tikka Masala.

The key to making an incredible vegan tikka masala is to focus on the core flavors in the original version. So, in this recipe, chickpeas replace chicken. Of course, no one is trying to make chickpeas taste like chicken, but they yield an absolutely phenomenal-tasting dish, nonetheless.

Chana masala is typically simmered on the stove until the chickpeas are tender. In contrast, tikka masala involves marinating and grilling the meat before adding it to the sauce. In terms of flavor, chana masala has a mild, earthy flavor. It is not typically as spicy as tikka masala, which can be hot and spicy.

Normally heavy cream is used in tikka masala, but coconut milk is the perfect substitute and I actually like it here better than cream. Yum. For you do-aheaders, you can make the masala sauce the night before and then cook the chicken right before dinner, heat up the sauce and you're done!

Cashew cream is a perfect vegan substitute for heavy cream in North Indian dishes. Add 2 tablespoons to half a cup of cashew cream to curries like Butter Chicken, Paneer Makhani, Chicken Tikka Masala, or Salmon Tikka Masala.

If you don't have access to traditional Indian or Greek yogurt, some alternatives include regular cow's milk yogurt, coconut yogurt, almond yogurt, soy yogurt, or goat's milk yogurt. Depending on the recipe, it is also possible to substitute other dairy products such as ricotta cheese or crème fraîche.

What You'll Need To Make Chicken Tikka Masala. Whole Milk Yogurt: Used for marinating the chicken, the yogurt helps tenderize the meat and adds a subtle tanginess to the flavor.

Masala is a sauce made with cream, yoghurt, tomatoes, or spices to add flavour to the food. Butter Chicken contains shredded, nugget-sized pieces of chicken heated in the tandoor, and it tends to be creamier and sweeter than regular chicken curry with heavier spices. On the other hand, Tikka masala is smoky and spicy.

Butter chicken is a healthier option than tikka masala. Tikka masala has a shocking 400–500 calories per serving on average, but a serving of butter chicken may have 438 calories. If you're concerned with the amount of fat it has, you can always switch to low-fat substitutes for butter and heavy cream.

Regarding nutrition, Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala are high in calories, fat, and sodium. Butter Chicken has more fat and calories than Tikka Masala due to the use of cream and butter in the sauce. However, Tikka Masala has more sodium than Butter Chicken due to the use of canned tomato puree.

Are garam masala and tikka masala the same? ›

Garam means "heat" or "hot". Garam masala is basically a combination of Indian spices which is pan roasted first and it is used from a pinch to a 1/4 teaspoon. Whereas tikka means "chunks" and so tikka masala has a bright red color and it's used as a based gravy for chunks of paneer, chunks of mixed vegetables and etc.

Paneer Tikka Masala is a North Indian dish of grilled paneer (Indian cheese) served in a spicy gravy known as Tikka masala. It is a vegetarian version of the world famous Chicken Tikka Masala.

Chicken tikka masala is usually made with heavy cream, but I like to use coconut milk instead; its subtle sweetness works beautifully with the spices in the dish. Serve with steamed rice.

Greek yogurt: If you don't like Greek yogurt, use plain whole milk. For a dairy-free option, you may use almond or coconut milk. Fresh lemon juice: Do not use botteled lemon juice unless you have no other choice. Garlic and ginger: use fresh, not powder.

The good news about coconut cream and coconut milk is that although they may be different consistencies, they're very similar. You can use coconut cream in place of milk if you dilute it with additional water. Different coconut cream brands vary on fat content.

I think you can just about get away with a full-fat natural or greek yoghurt in a Korma. There are obvious calorie or syn benefits by choosing yoghurt. Namely, for the slimming world syn counters, choosing yoghurt over cream frees up syns for a beer with your curry.

You can make a similar heavy cream alternative using regular milk and butter. Whole milk has a fat percentage of around 3.5% and is preferable to lower-fat varieties, but you'll still want to use more melted butter than you would with half-and-half. For best results, try mixing ⅔ cup of whole milk with ⅓ cup butter.

In this pasta recipe, Greek yogurt is used in place of cream to form the base of a rich and velvety sauce. While the pasta's cooking, you'll blitz the yogurt with lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, plenty of black pepper, and salt in a blender.