This Vegan Tandoori Tofu is:
- super easy to make
- spicy and fragrant
- perfect for grilling!
I always used to get Tandoori Chicken at Indian restaurants, and so was keen to make a delicious vegan version of this dish. And I was so happy with the results: this Vegan Tandoori Tofu is smoky, sweet, tangy and spicy and packed with all the amazing flavours of the traditional dish.
If you're worried about the tofu part, I can assure you that this dish is anything but bland, thanks to the flavour-packed marinade, which is made using:
- cool, creamy coconut yogurt
- tangy lemon juice
- sticky agave syrup
- fragrant garlic and ginger
- sweet, nutty desiccated coconut
- smoky paprika
- cheerful turmeric
- earthy cumin
- kaleidoscopic curry powder
This means this Tandoori Tofu is not only dairy-free, but also naturally gluten-free and refined sugar free too. If you're not into agave syrup, you can substitute it with any other sweetener, such as maple syrup.
But if you're still worried about using tofu, this dish works equally well using chickpeas instead of tofu!
Once you've left your tofu to marinade, all that's left to do is to pan-fry it. It's also great for BBQs and grilling, and you can put the tofu cubes on skewers if you like.
This Vegan Tandoori Tofu works as a great appetiser on its own, but also goes so well with lots of other dishes, such as:
- Yellow Turmeric Rice
- Potato Pea Curry
- Chickpea Kedgeree
- Mango Daikon Radish Salad
- Papaya Mint Lime Salad
For more tofu recipes suitable for grilling, check out my:
And for a bigger range of different types of tofu recipes, you may find this round-up useful:
14 Easy Vegan Gluten-Free Tofu Recipes
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Helpful tools to make this Vegan Tandoori Tofu:
glass mixing bowl
Vegan Tandoori Tofu (GF)
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 tablespoon coconut yogurt (or any other plant-based yogurt)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon agave syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon curry powder, to taste
- Salt + pepper, to taste
For the tofu:
- 400 g (14oz) firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or sub olive, rapeseed or vegetable)
To serve (optional):
- Fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
Instructions
- Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl
- Pat tofu dry with a paper towel and cut into small cubes
- Place the tofu cubes in the bowl with the marinade, making sure that every piece is covered in equal amounts of sauce (you can either cook this tofu immediately or covered and put in the fridge to leave to marinate for up to 12 hours)
- To cook the tofu, heat up the oil in a large wide-bottomed frying pan and add the tofu once hot
- Fry the tofu for about 7 minutes on each side, or until crispy, golden brown and slightly caramelised
- Sprinkle with chopped coriander to serve, if desired
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Anonymous
What a fantastic recipe (and an all-round fantastic blog!), thanks Rhian!
Rhian Williams
Thank you!
sara
Lovely! 🙂 🙂
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!
Isabella
I made this tonight with Jasmine rice and put it in lettuce cups. So delicious! I doubled the marinade BTW. My bf loved it too.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you liked it!