Indian vegan Tofu Makhani Bake recipe is creamy, buttery, and absolutely delicious! Here, crispy baked tofu is cooked in a rich and creamy homemade Makhani sauce!
The perfect holiday centerpiece that will make you want to skip the takeout and go for seconds!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tofuture. All opinions are mine alone.
Perfect vegan holiday feast!
What is Makhani?
It comes from the Hindi word - Makhan which means butter. The Makhani gravy is creamy and buttery.
It's a blend of spicy, sour, salty, bitter, and sweet flavors. This extremely flavorful orange tomato-based gravy mainly uses dairy products like milk, butter, and cream.
Murg Makhani that's also known as Butter Chicken and Paneer Makhani are some of the popular north Indian dishes that are prepared in this Makhani sauce.
You will find these dishes on almost every Indian restaurant menu because it is very popular.
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Tofu or Paneer
Since I enjoy recreating restaurant-style dishes at home, it was about time I created a vegan version of Paneer Makhani for you.
Now, tofu is a great alternative to paneer especially if you are following a vegan lifestyle.
Paneer is a milk product, while tofu is a soy product. Paneer when made with full-fat dairy, is very soft due to the high-fat content, whereas tofu can vary from being soft to firm and has a smoother, 'silken' texture.
Protein-wise, 100 gms of paneer has 18.3 grams of protein while 100 gms of tofu has only about 6.9 grams of protein.
But due to the high amount of fat paneer has, tofu is still a better choice for people who are on a weight loss plan.
Personally, I have always preferred paneer over tofu because I feel it has more flavor.
However, over the last few years, I have begun to love tofu too, especially the way I make it!
This wonderful kitchen gadget - Tofuture
Must-have product in every kitchen!
If you have ever cooked with tofu, you would know the struggles of draining the water from it!
I have tried all sorts of tips and tricks in the book.
Wrapped it in a clean towel and stacked some heavy objects onto it, like textbooks or a cast iron pan.
While they have worked, it's just very messy and a very trying process.
Why press Tofu?
Pressing the tofu squeezes excess water out so that the tofu can suck up more of the marinade and become more flavorful!
Therefore, it is an important step when cooking with tofu and it's important to do it right.
Even the firm and extra-firm tofu require some pressing in order to be effective in most recipes.
What happens if you don't press tofu?
You will not get a firmer end product, and tofu will not hold its shape better. The flavorless water in it will not allow the flavors of the marinade to soak in.
Enter - Tofuture
It's a unique and stylish Tofu Press that I feel is a must-have in every kitchen that cooks tofu! It has a compact and modern design.
Having this in the kitchen is such a savior. Easy and effortless to use and does the job well.
This Tofu Press removes water from shop-bought tofu to make the tofu firm and tasty.
I love that this kitchen-tool is made from BPA-free plastic and is dishwasher-safe. The press also comes with grooved handles on either side for an easy grip.
Definitely a good-buy! Do check it out. You can buy it on Amazon as well!
Makes a great holiday centerpiece!
Why make this
Tofu is a good source of plant-based protein (especially for vegans) and contains all nine essential amino acids.
It is also a valuable plant source of healthy fats, iron, calcium, and minerals.
The traditional Paneer/Tofu Makhani is prepared a little differently. Paneer or tofu is cut into cubes and dropped into this delicious gravy and served.
However, I wanted to create a vegan holiday feast and that is why I decided to make a crispy baked tofu recipe with makhani sauce.
My recipe is a take-off on these popular Makhani dishes and it makes for a great vegan holiday option!
Here the baked tofu is cooked with the savory and flavorful makhani sauce, making it a new way of serving Tofu!
Although it is your typical quick dinner recipe and needs a bit of prep work, it's totally worth your time and effort.
Try this Indian vegan tofu recipe this holiday season and wow your guests with an amazing dish!
Ingredients needed
It may look like a lot, but that's what makes this dish so crackling!
Each ingredient used plays a key role in this Indian tofu recipe.
Extra Firm Tofu - It's better to use this because it tends to hold up quite well to baking, frying, and stuffing.
Plus, it also absorbs the flavors very well. It has low moisture content and a dense texture that's perfect for this recipe.
In fact, the firm tofu also contains twice the protein.
Tomatoes - Use fresh and ripe tomatoes. Even the canned and diced ones are good that will give the gravy a deep red/orange color.
Other Veggies - Add veggies like onions, and mushrooms to make this a hearty dinner recipe.
Whole spices - Cumin seeds, poppy seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, sesame seeds, and dried fenugreek leaves provide this baked tofu dish an aromatic flavor.
Spice blends - Turmeric, paprika, and garam masala.
Cream - Since we are making a dairy-free dish, use vegan cream. The cream is very essential to this recipe. Use homemade or store-bought cream.
Other key ingredients - cilantro, nutritional yeast, vegan cheese, vegan butter, green chilies, ginger paste, garlic paste, tomato ketchup, and cashews.
Here's how to make it
Since we are making crispy baked tofu, it's important that it holds its shape and absorbs the flavors well.
Therefore, before we begin the recipe, tofu needs to be prepped. Drain the water from the tofu packet.
Place it inside the Tofuture and press it as shown in the video above. Refrigerate it for 1-2 hours or you can leave it overnight.
Once pressed, remove the tofu and pat dry. Drain out the water that's collected below and the tofu is ready for use.
Whenever you plan on making Tofu Makhani Bake, prep tofu this way, on the previous day.
This vegan Makhani sauce is so good!
This Indian vegan Tofu recipe is divided into two parts. The first step is to prepare the Makhani sauce.
1. Heat a pan and add oil or vegan butter. Once, it's hot enough, add and fry cumin seeds, green chilies, ginger, garlic, onions, poppy seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and cashews.
2. Fry for 1-2 minutes. Then add chopped tomatoes, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, tomato ketchup, sugar, salt, and dried fenugreek leaves.
Cook till the tomatoes turn soft and pulpy. Take it off the flame and allow it to cool down. Discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick.
3. Transfer all the contents to a blender and blitz to make a smooth puree. Add ¼ cup of water if needed.
Alternatively, you can also use a hand blender to make a puree.
4. Pass this puree through a sieve. Do not throw away the pulp.
5. Transfer the makhani puree to the same pan and bring to a boil.
6. Add vegan cream and give it a good mix. Check the taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
The consistency of this Vegan Makhani sauce should be thick and creamy. Do not thin it down.
Transfer it to a bowl and keep it aside for now.
Love a well-baked dish!
Now comes the second part of this dish - to make the crispy baked tofu.
1. Cut off the edges of the pressed tofu to give it a clean shape. This is an optional step though.
Lightly saute the discarded tofu along with sliced onions and mushrooms in the same pan along with the discarded pulp.
It just gives the veggies so much more flavor rather than adding them raw plus there is zero wastage!
2. Dip the prepared tofu in the makhani sauce and place it in a greased baking dish. Stuff all the sides with the sauteed veggies.
3. Make diagonal slits all over the tofu in opposite directions, so you get a criss-cross pattern. Stick a clove where the slits cross.
4. Garnish with chopped cilantro, nutritional yeast, black sesame seeds, and vegan cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Once it's golden brown, take it out, remove the cloves using kitchen tweezers.
Then drizzle some lemon juice, and vegan cream over it if needed, and then immediately serve this crispy baked tofu.
Best Tofu dish ever!
Serving Suggestions
Cut and take a generous helping of this tofu Makhani Bake and pair it with naan, roti, or any other flatbread. It will also taste great with some Jeera Rice or just plain steamed rice.
This crispy baked tofu dipped in the makhani sauce is so flavorful that you will be wiping out the bowl clean!
If you want to go low on carbs, serve it with cauliflower or even with some cooked quinoa.
Serve this Tofu Makhani Bake at a family dinner on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Diwali, or on any other occasion. The crowd will love it.
It's the perfect centerpiece for a holiday feast that even the non-vegans will love!
If you're lucky enough to have any leftovers, it makes for a great sandwich when sliced cold and smeared with extra chutney.
Top tips, recommendations, and suggestions
Vegan Makhani sauce can be prepared in advance and stored. It stays well in the fridge for 4-5 days. It also freezes well for a couple of months.
You can use this vegan sauce with other veggies, and beans. It tastes great with everything and anything. They make great Dips too!
It's OK to skip adding the dried fenugreek leaves if unavailable. But it does help in creating that authentic taste.
You may swap with 1 teaspoon of mustard powder. It's not an exact substitution but it works.
Inserting cloves is purely for aesthetic value. You can skip that step if you want.
Use almonds instead of cashews and if you want to go nut-free, or just skip the nuts and use coconut cream or silken tofu.
Feel free to add more veggies along with mushrooms and onions while baking. You can add bell peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.
Select a baking dish that's slightly bigger than the size of the tofu. This allows the sauce to go up around the sides of the tofu and saturate its interior.
For those of you who are not vegan, you can make this same dish using paneer and regular cream and cheese.
BTW, instead of tofu, you can also use cauliflower florets, eggplants, potatoes, or sweet potatoes in this recipe.
You can also add some water or vegetable stock to adjust the consistency of the Makhani sauce.
BTW, use this sauce as a pasta sauce and make your own version of Makhani Pasta! It's yum!
Tofu Tikka Masala and Grilled Tofu Bites are 2 other Indian vegan tofu recipes you can make.
Savory Holiday Bakes
- Black Bean Taco Boats
- Baked Dahi Vada
- Puff Pastry Samosa
- Alfredo Cheesy Mustard Pasta Mug Bake
- Enchilada Casserole
- Potato Chilly Garlic Masala Toast
Family Brunches just got more exciting!
If you’ve tried this vegan Indian Tofu Makhani Bake Recipe or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how it went by commenting below, I love hearing from you!
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Tofu Bake With Vegan Makhani Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 30 oz Extra-firm Tofu
Vegan Makhani Sauce
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil or vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 green chilies
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 2 tablespoon garlic paste
- ½ onion roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1-2 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2-3 cloves
- 2 cardamom pods
- ¼ cup cashews
- 3 tomatoes roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
- salt
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup vegan cream
To make Tofu Makhani Bake
- ½ tablespoon cooking oil
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup mushrooms sliced
- cloves for garnish optional
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
- 2-3 tablespoon cilantro
- 2-3 tablespoon grated vegan cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional
Instructions
To prep the tofu
- Drain the water from the tofu packet.
- Place it inside the Tofuture and press it as shown in the video. Refrigerate it for 1-2 hours or you can leave it overnight.
- Once pressed, remove the tofu and pat dry. Drain out the water that's collected below and the tofu is ready for use.
- Whenever you plan on making Tofu Makhani Bake, prep tofu this way, on the previous day.
Vegan Makhani Sauce
- Heat a pan and add oil or vegan butter. Once, it's hot enough, add and fry cumin seeds, green chilies, ginger, garlic, onions, poppy seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and cashews.
- Fry for 1-2 minutes. Then add chopped tomatoes, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, tomato ketchup, sugar, salt, and dried fenugreek leaves.
- Cook till the tomatoes turn soft and pulpy. Take it off the flame and allow it to cool down. Discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick.
- Transfer all the contents to a blender and blitz to make a smooth puree. Add ¼ cup of water if needed.
- Alternatively, you can also use a hand blender to make a puree.
- Pass this puree through a sieve. Do not throw away the pulp.
- Transfer the makhani puree to the same pan and bring to a boil.
- Add vegan cream and give it a good mix. Check the taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
- The consistency of this Vegan Makhani sauce should be thick and creamy. Do not thin it down. Transfer it to a bowl and keep it aside for now.
To make Tofu Makhani Bake
- Cut off the edges of the pressed tofu to give it a clean shape. This is an optional step though.
- Lightly saute the discarded tofu along with sliced onions and mushrooms in the same pan along with the discarded pulp.
- It just gives the veggies so much more flavor rather than adding them raw plus there is zero wastage!
- Dip the prepared tofu in the makhani sauce and place it in a greased baking dish. Stuff all the sides with the sauteed veggies.
- Make diagonal slits all over the tofu in opposite directions, so you get a criss-cross pattern. Stick a clove where the slits cross.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, nutritional yeast, black sesame seeds, and vegan cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- Once it's golden brown, take it out, remove the cloves using kitchen tweezers.
- Then drizzle some lemon juice, and vegan cream over it if needed, and then immediately serve this crispy baked tofu.
- Cut and take a generous helping of this tofu Makhani Bake and pair it with naan, roti, or any other flatbread. It will also taste great with some Jeera Rice or just plain steamed rice.
Notes
Nutrition
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What a wonderful bake for a healthy meal. I can't wait to try it!
Thank you.
This tofu bake looks so delish! I want to try the sauce too.
Its yumm! Do try it. Thank you
I am always looking for new ways to cook with tofu, and this bake looks delicious. So hearty and filling too.
It totally is! Thank you
I had never had makhani sauce before but now it is my new favorite. thank you!!
It's so good..do try it. Thank you.
Such a delicious way to prepare tofu! So much flavor
Thank you so much.
What a gorgeous meal! I absolutely love your styling and those flavors sound incredible. Yum!
Thank you so much
This tofu bake was amazing! It came together so easily and the sauce was the perfect topping.
So happy to hear that. Thank you
We can't get enough of this vegan Tofu Makhani. Great recipe!
Thank you so much
We are trying to eat less meat and have been finding vegan food a little boring until now. I love how flavorful this recipe is,
Glad to hear that. Thank you
I love how flavorful this is!! Can't wait to make it again!
Thank you so much
I'm going to make this for my neighbors who are vegan. They will absolutely love it!
Yay! Thank you
This recipe made me go from never trying tofu to loving it great flavors and will make it again!
That was the aim! 🙂
Saving this for my vegan friends. I am not much of a tofu fan can I use meat in this?
Oh yes, swap tofu with anything else you want.
What a fantastic vegan dish! It looks creamy, flavorful, and I love all the tips you are giving about the tofu!
Thank you so much
Love this recipe! Thanks for the info on makhani, too. I've enjoyed dal makhani at restaurants, and have butter chicken on the menu tonight. Will have to give this a try next time we are cooking up some tofu. The press looks very handy!
Then you will love this dish! Do give it a try. Thank you.
Such a delicious recipe - and thanks for teaching me that I should press tofu! It makes such a difference!
Thank you. Glad you liked it
Sounds like a delicious recipe. I'm looking at creative ways to use tofu so adding this on my "to make" list.
Thank you so much
What a delicious bake. I never would have thought to use tofu like this. I looks amazing.
Thank you so much
I am excited to plan this dish for my Vegan friends. Looks delicious and perfect for a Homemade treat.
Thanks Veena! 🙂
What a flavorful sauce this is with the tofu. It looks amazing!
It really is super flavorful!
This looks so delicious and I can't wait to try it. I have been looking for new ways to use tofu.
Hopefully, you will like this. Do give it a try. Thank you.
Wow, what a great recipe. Thank you for all the details in the recipe. I'm going to freeze some of the sauce for future uses because it was very delicious.
Yes, it really is! Thank you.
I have never used a tofu press...so happy you shared it! Can't wait to try this recipe.
It makes life so much easier! Thank you.
I swear, vegan food look so tasty! Will definitely give this a try.
Thank you