Slow Cooker Vegan Tikka Masala

All the flavors of tikka masala in a slow cooker version.

This slow cooker vegan tikka masala is perfect for healthy, weeknight dinners. If you love Indian food as much as I do, you’ll love this simple chickpea tikka masala.

Raise your hand if you love tikka masala as much as I do. We get take-out about once a week, and 95% of the time, I want Indian food. It’s comforting, fairly healthy and always hits the spot.

While I love the flavorful tikka masala sauce, it’s also hard to find a plant-based version when we order take-out so I’ve taken to make my own.

If you can throw things in a slow cooker, then you can make this vegan tikka masala. If dinner had an easy button, this recipe would be it.

Combine all ingredients and add them to the base of your slow cooker, stir and set. Make a pot of steamed rice and warm some naan right before serving, and you’ve got a healthy, delicious dinner that rivals any take-out. 

Why I love this recipe

My family loves Indian food, and that makes me so incredibly happy. I love that my kids beg for chickpea masala, and this slow cooker version makes it easy.

You all love my slow cooker butter chickpeas, slow cooker saag paneer, and my slow cooker chana masala. So I did it again for you! Chickpeas and tofu into a warm and comforting tikka masala sauce. It’s like a giant hug in food form, something it seems we could all use a little more of.

Serve it with naan and rice, and dinner is served. To make things easier, I usually set my rice in my rice cooker so that it’s done as soon as this tikka masala is ready.

Ingredients

I know the ingredient list looks long, but it’s mostly just spices you likely already have in your pantry: cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, pepper, and salt.

The only unique spice blend is garam masala, which you can usually find at well-stocked grocery stores or online. You can make your blend here.

• Aromatics: The onion, garlic and ginger are musts as they provide a lot of the flavor for the tikka masala.
• Tomato Sauce: This is canned tomato sauce, not to be confused with marinara sauce or jarred pasta sauce.
• Tofu: Firm or extra-firm tofu is best for texture. I prefer to drain and press the tofu before adding it to the slow cooker.
• Garbanzo Beans: I like adding in both the beans and the tofu in this slow cooker tikka masala for extra protein, iron and fiber.
• Coconut Milk: This is what provides the richness and creaminess for this recipe. I recommend using full-fat coconut milk instead of light coconut milk.
• Corn starch: The cornstarch helps to thicken the sauce, which makes for a richer texture.

Substitutions

You can substitute arrowroot starch or tapioca starch for the cornstarch if you’d like.

You can add in additional garbanzo beans instead of the tofu, or vice-versa. If you want to add in more chickpeas and take away the tofu, then I recommend using two cans of chickpeas.

Or, use 24 ounces of cubed tofu instead of the chickpeas.

How to Make

Step 1: Add the Ingredients

Combine the onion, ginger, garlic, spices, and tomato sauce in the base of a slow cooker. If your slow cooker has an saute function, like my Instant Pot (affiliate) does, then I highly recommend sauting the onion, ginger and garlic first before adding the spices and tomato sauce.

Doing this will make your sauce more flavorful, though it’s optional. If you don’t have time or a saute function, then just add everything to the base.

Stir in the chopped tofu and chickpeas, then cover and cook for for 4 hours on high (or 6-8 hours or low.)

Step 2: Add the coconut milk

Before ready to eat, whisk together the coconut milk and cornstarch until dissolved, then stir into the slow cooker mixture.

Cook for an additional 20-30 minutes until thickened. I use this time to cook the rice and the naan.

Step 3: Serve

Stir in the lemon juice and stir once more, then taste. I love this vegan tikka masala on top of steamed rice with extra chopped cilantro on top!

How to Make on the Stove

If you want this slow cooker vegan tikka masala now and don’t want to wait on the slow cooker, then it’s easy to adapt to the stove.

To do this, simply saute the onion, garlic, and ginger until softened and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in all of the spices and cook another minute or two to allow the spices to warm and bloom; doing this adds lots of flavor using dried spices. 

Add in the rest of the ingredients from there, tomato sauce, chickpeas, cubed tofu and cook until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Before serving, whisk together the coconut milk mixture and add into the pot. Cook until thickened, another 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy just like you would the slow cooker version, with steamed rice and naan. 

Expert Tips

If you want to build more flavor depth, then I recommend sauting the onions, garlic and ginger in olive oil before adding them to the base of the slow cooker.

If you have a slow cooker with a saute function, you can do it right in the slow cooker. Or, you can do this in a separate pan and then add. If you do this, then I recommend blooming the spices too, adding them to the aromatics and cooking for a minute or so until fragrant.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Vegan Indian Recipes

• Weeknight Vegetable Korma
• Indian Dal Chili
• Slow Cooker Potato Curry
• Spicy Red Lentils and Rice
• Vegetarian Tandoori Cauliflower Bowls