Vegan Matar Paneer with Tofu
This vegan matar paneer (aka mattar paneer and mutter paneer) with tofu and green peas is rich, creamy, and packed full of wonderful ingredients. I’ve used different techniques to extract as much flavour from the vegetables and spices used in this dish.
A vegan-friendly version of a mater paneer is not as accessible at Indian restaurants as you’d think. Many use ghee, cream, and/or yoghurt, and of course paneer (cottage cheese).
The conventional approach is to have paneer in a dish with green peas in a mildly spiced tomato gravy. I set out to make a vegan version (also gluten-free) of matar paneer so you can still enjoy this flavour-packed dish!
Using tofu in place of paneer
To make this dish vegan, it’s common to use tofu instead of paneer, which is precisely what I’ve used in this recipe.
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Paneer is cottage cheese with a mild taste (not cheesy), so it resembles the taste and texture of firm tofu. The main difference is that it’s milkier, which is to be expected from a dairy product.
I’d typically advise to lightly fry the tofu before adding to the curry, however, I found that the oil and crust can keep the sauce from soaking into the tofu in this recipe.
Paneer is also usually quite firm so I added the tofu at the end because you don’t want it to be too soft.
The tofu here, like paneer, does a fantastic job of soaking up the flavours of the gravy. At first, I was worried that it would taste too much like raw tofu, but it really works! No raw tofu taste here, phew…
It’s crucial that you use firm tofu for this recipe to achieve the right consistency and an organic one if possible.
Peas are the hero of the show
I’ve already highlighted the importance of the tofu (paneer) for this recipe, but peas share just as much of the limelight. The small bursts of goodness are the perfect flavour and texture combination in this beautiful rich tomato sauce.
In North India, where this dish originates from, they make it during the winter months when fresh peas are in season. So, if you have access to fresh peas, please feel free to use them in place of frozen.
We use frozen organic peas and they add a nice sweet flavour to this recipe.
Different ways to serve matar paneer
There are many ways to serve matar paneer. We often eat it with either basmati rice, or my vegan naan, which is one of our favourite recipes!
Other ways you can serve it are with roti, paratha (Indian stuffed bread), different types of pickled vegetables, potatoes, and chapati.
If you want to keep this recipe gluten-free, serve it with any rice.
Tips when making this vegan matar paneer
Matar paneer is typically made using fresh tomatoes, and I definitely recommend keeping that tradition for extra flavour. However, if you don’t have access to fresh tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes instead.
I chose to use cashews in this recipe to add the creaminess that you’d get in a matar paneer. The addition of cream or yoghurt normally achieves this. I felt that cashews create a beautifully rich and creamy flavour without being overpowering. Frying them off at the beginning gives the masala (gravy sauce) a nuttier depth.
If you don’t have cashews or are allergic to them, swap them out for coconut cream. Add the coconut cream towards the end when you’ve added water or stock to the gravy.
Here are some more vegan curries to try!
- Creamy Red Lentil Curry (Vegan-Friendly)
- Vegan Dal Makhani (Black Lentil Dal)
- Vegan Palak Paneer with Sweet Potato
- Cauliflower Potato Curry with Coconut Milk
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
Vegan Matar Paneer with Tofu
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
This vegan matar paneer features a rich and spiced-up tomato gravy with tofu and peas. Serve with rice or vegan naan, you won’t regret it!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons neutral oil (I used rice bran)
- ⅓ cup / 50g raw cashews
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, diced
- ½ inch fresh ginger, grated or minced
- 1 medium green chilli, chopped (deseeded if you like)
- 3 medium / 500g tomatoes, diced
- 1–1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¾ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder (or more for extra heat)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1¼ cup / 310ml vegetable stock, or water (keep in mind if using stock that you adjust the salt levels accordingly)
- 250g / 8.82 ounces firm tofu, cubed (any excess water pressed out using a paper towel)
- 1¼ cup / 160g frozen peas
- Fresh coriander/cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- In a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat, add two tablespoons of the oil and the cashews.
- Once the cashews start to colour, add the onion and saute until it starts to caramelise. This will take a couple of minutes.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, and green chilli and saute for a further couple of minutes until they start to soften and release their aroma.
- Add in the fresh tomatoes and salt to taste and cook for 4-5 minutes, then remove from stove.
- Carefully transfer to your blender (be careful, it will be hot!) and blend until nice and smooth. If you would prefer to wait for it to cool a little before blending the ingredients, do so. Alternatively use an immersion blender, you’ll just have to take the gravy out of the skillet if using this method once done.
- Place the same skillet back on medium heat, wipe it out clean then add the other 2 tbsp of oil to the pan.
- Add in the cumin, garam masala, chilli, cinnamon and saute for 30 seconds to a minute to release all the aromas in the spices.
- Add in the tomato paste and stir well to combine.
- Pour in the tomato base from the blender and add the water/stock. Stir well and simmer for 15 minutes. It will spit a little as it thickens so be careful when stirring. If you’d like a thicker gravy, cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the tofu and peas and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and garnish with coriander. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve with your choice of sides as recommended above. I like mine with basmati rice and naan.
- Diet: Vegan
Really enjoyed this, fresh tomatoes really make the difference.
The sauce is so good. I’ll definitely make extra and freeze it.
So glad you enjoyed it, Mike! Thanks for the lovely review 🙂
This is the second recipe I’ve made off your site and I love it again. I didn’t have a green chili, so I substituted chili garlic sauce. Your instructions are on point. The flavors are really subtle and blend well together and just a little bit of heat. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe and have a great holiday!
Thanks so much for the review, Heidi! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it 🙂 Happy holidays!
welp…followed to a T…unfortunately not impressed. tastes nothing like matar paneer. I think i added about 7X the spices after all was said and done…i added the tofu after it absored the flavors to the air-fryer to give it some nice texture then added it back to sauce and served of basamati…this should be BLASTING with flavor…just kind of tasted like tomatoes and peas before adjusting heavily.
Hi Mark, sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy it. I’ve made this recipe many times, it’s also my go-to when guests come, and it has many rave reviews. I guess it just wasn’t to your liking. I would personally think that increasing the spices x7 would be way too much. It could also be your spices if they’re older they can lose a lot of flavour.
Sooo good. This will become a new vegan staple in my house!
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Jessica! Thank you for the review x
Made it the other night for my wife and it was delicious. Great recipe and directions! I’ve never been a huge fan of Indian cuisine, and certainly never tried my hand at cooking a classic Indian dish. My wife, who adores Indian cooking, said it came out perfectly. I did it for her, so… Thank you, Minimalist Vegan 🙂
You’re very welcome, thank you for the lovely review! So glad she loved it! 🙂
Hooley dooley, what a winning recipe! Thank you, will be making this again!
So glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie! It’s one of my favourites 🙂
This recipe is SO good! It has so much flavor.
So happy to hear you loved it! Yes, certainly doesn’t lack flavour 🙂
Loved this! Beautiful blend of flavours! Will definitely make again.
Thanks for the review, Elle! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Love this recipe and will make this dish for my wife as a surprise. I prefer these days to cook without using oils…when possible. Any advise? I’ll cook this dish regardless, just wondering if there are alternatives… Thanks!!
Hi Eric, glad you loved it! This recipe is tricky to make without oil as there is a lot of flavours that are released in both stages when it’s used. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Hope she loves it too!
No worries, she will love it if I follow the recipe! I’ll let you know how it all turns out. Thanks for the response.
Did you try making it without the oil?
This was delicious, i also used coconut cream instead of the cashews and it came out super creamy. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Next time if you could please leave a rated review, that would be really helpful for us and other readers. Thanks!
If I am subbing in coconut cream instead of cashews, how much coconut cream should I use?
Same amount as cashews – ⅓ cup 🙂
Do you have any experience freezing this dish? I’m trying to find some vegan-friendly dishes that I can prepare ahead of time and stash in the freezer to make my upcoming move less stressful.
Hi Kristi, I haven’t done it myself as it’s always gone very quickly! However, I don’t see why not 🙂 Good luck with the move.
So so good. Next time I will add mushrooms
Glad you enjoyed it, Laura! 🙂
I made this a week ago and served it to a non-vegan. She loved it and so did My Husband and I. We loved it so much I made it again yesterday. I especially like it the second day. The spices are spot on. Spicy but not too for the people like Me who can’t handle a lot of heat.
Thanks so much for the recipe. I didn’t use any tomato puree/paste, so it turned out very pale. But still so tasty!! Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
I enjoyed this recipe very much. I did use a full block of tofu and “roasted” it in the oven first with a bit of sesame oil and tamari, and next time I will use a bit more of the spices than the recipe indicates to increase the heat. I also added about 2 cups of chard with the peas. Still in all, this is a keeper and a welcome one. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it, Oriana! Thanks for sharing those delicious additions 🙂
This was quite good! I did replace the fresh tomatoes with a can of diced because that was what I had on hand. Yum!
Best curry
Love, love, love this recipe. I now make this on a weekly basis for the vegans and non vegans in the household. I fry the tofu first to give it more of a crispy bite. Thank you so much for sharing!!
So happy to hear you enjoy it! It’s one of my favourite recipes at the moment. Would love it if you left a star rating on it too 🙂
Delicious!
Best vegan curry!!!!
This is the most delicious, easiest vegan curry I have ever made and eaten. Wouldn’t recommend enough! The cashews make it so creamy and yum!
This tastes so good!! It went down incredibly well with my carnivorous partner, who happily eats lots of vegan food but never touches tofu. He asked me to make it again sometime. Thank you so much for working out this vegan version. This is the first recipe of yours that I’ve made so I’m really looking forward to trying more :o)
Oh that’s awesome! So glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
This recipe is amazing, it tastes exactly like paneer in an Indian restaurant! I stir fried the tofu before adding because I thought my family would like it more that way. I meant to throw in some raw spinach at the end, just for extra veggies, but then forgot… but I think that would have been really good.
This is definitely my favorite recipe of yours so far. Thank you thank you!!!
SO happy to hear that Roberta! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Yummy & Simple
Most of these ingredients I already had or eat regularly. The cooking was simple and didn’t take too long. The flavor was superb! I can’t wait to make it again!