Creamy, flavorful, and full of spice – this Vegan Butter Chicken with jackfruit is the perfect plant-based alternative to the Indian classic. Cashews and coconut milk make the vegan butter chicken sauce wonderfully rich, while jackfruit creates that “chicken-like” texture. An ultimate comfort food that will impress everyone!

Indian cuisine thrives on bold spices and creamy sauces. That’s exactly why traditional Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani) is so popular – and with this vegan Indian butter chicken recipe, you can enjoy the same magic in a plant-based way!
Jackfruit is the perfect meat substitute: it soaks up spices beautifully and its texture resembles shredded chicken. Paired with a rich sauce made from tomatoes, cashews, and coconut milk, you’ll have a dish that even die-hard butter chicken fans will love – all without butter or dairy!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This easy vegan butter chicken has all the spice and creaminess of the original but is much lighter and healthier. Instead of butter and cream, I use cashews and coconut milk for the vegan butter chicken sauce. And to keep things even lighter, you can cook the whole dish completely without oil.
The “chicken” is, of course, replaced – here with canned jackfruit. But you could also use tofu, seitan, soy chunks, or even chickpeas (see below). And since we’re diving into Indian-inspired cooking, warming spices like cumin and ginger are a must.
Getting hungry already? Let’s get started and see how to make vegan butter chicken step by step.

Step-by-Step Instructions
- Soak cashews
Pour hot water over cashews and set aside. - Prepare the base
Dice onion, chop garlic. Rinse and drain canned green jackfruit, then cut into smaller pieces if needed.
Sauté onion and garlic in a splash of water for 2–3 minutes. Add jackfruit and spices (except salt & pepper) and cook for another minute. - Simmer
Add vegetable broth, bring to a boil, and let simmer for 4–6 minutes. - Blend the sauce
Drain cashews and blend them with coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato paste, and lemon juice until creamy. - Combine everything
Pour the sauce into the pan, season with salt and pepper, and let simmer for 10–15 minutes over medium heat until the sauce thickens.
Tip: This vegan curry tastes even better the next day once the flavors have fully developed.

What to Serve with Vegan Butter Chicken?
- Traditionally with basmati rice – perfect for soaking up the creamy sauce
- With fresh naan bread or chapati for the full Indian experience
- In a bowl with quinoa, fresh cilantro, and vegan cucumber raita or apple-mango chutney
Alternatives to Jackfruit
No jackfruit in your pantry? No problem! This vegetarian butter chicken also works beautifully with:
- Chickpeas – rinsed, drained, and added straight into the sauce
- Cauliflower – cut into florets, lightly pre-cooked or simmered directly in the curry
- Tofu – cubed and pan-fried or baked until crispy, then added to the sauce
- Soy chunks – soaked in hot vegetable broth for about 10 minutes, squeezed out, then cooked like jackfruit
- Store-bought vegan chicken substitutes – pan-fried and added to the sauce


This recipe is a true comfort dish that will make you forget all about the meat-based version. Whether you’re looking for an easy vegan butter chicken recipe, experimenting with canned jackfruit recipes, or simply craving a hearty vegan butter chicken curry – this dish has it all.
More Indian-inspired recipe
I hope you’ll give this oil-free vegan butter chicken recipe a try. If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a comment, rate the recipe and tag me on instagram (#veggiejam) with your recreation.
PrintRecipe
Vegan Butter Chicken
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Description
Creamy, flavorful, and full of spice – this Vegan Butter Chicken with jackfruit is the perfect plant-based alternative to the Indian classic. Cashews and coconut milk make the vegan butter chicken sauce wonderfully rich, while jackfruit creates that “chicken-like” texture. An ultimate comfort food that will impress everyone!
Ingredients
- 1 can (20 oz.) green jackfruit
- 1 onion
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garam masala (or more cumin)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp ginger, minced
- ¼ tsp kala namak (optional)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ½-1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Sauce
- 3 roma tomatoes
- ¾ cup cashews (100 g)
- ½ cup coconut milk (canned)
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 2 tsp lemon juice, fresh
Instructions
- Pour hot water over the cashews and let them soak for a few minutes. D
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Rinse the jackfruit, drain well, and cut into smaller pieces if needed.
- Heat a little water or oil in a large pan. Sauté the onion and garlic for 2–3 minutes, then add the jackfruit pieces along with the spices (except salt and pepper) and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the broth, bring to a boil, and let simmer for 4–6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, drain the cashews and blend them with the coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato paste, and lemon juice until smooth and creamy.
- Stir the sauce into the pan, then season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for another 10–15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve hot with rice or naan bread.
Notes
Recipe adapted from "Beautifully real food" by Sam Murphy.
This post is also available in German (Deutsch).









Raksha Kamat says
Replacing jackfruit for chicken to make it vegan is a great idea. Would love to try this dish.
Melanie J says
Yes, it works great! Canned jackfruit has a very similar texture to chicken 😉 Hope you'll give it a try! If so, let me know how you liked it!
naterlee muir says
Dal makhani is yum too and easily veganized 😊 my b12 sucks despite eating lots of veg that contain it & pouring nutrional yeast on everything so I've not got round to jack fruit yet 😂
Melanie J says
It is - and so yummy! Maybe you should consider taking B12 supplements 😉
naterlee muir says
Even when I ate meat it sucked, I think I'm that type of anemic where body just can't process it. I got raised myoglobin levels which means enlarged red blood cells I duno drs don't seem awfully concerned so I'm not. I'm just a lentil, bean, pulse whatever you wanna call them addict. I got baskets and baskets of every bean I find 😆
Melanie J says
Oh wow, that doesn't sound very good. 🙁 Keep eating those lentils and beans - they're good for you! 😉
Sarah says
This is amazing! So creamy and delicious. I used chickpeas and next time I will try it using jackfruit.
Winnie says
I am so excited to try this recipe. I’ve just gone grocery shopping and bought two 400 ml cans of jackfruit. I was just wondering if 400ml is standard and enough for this recipe or if more is needed. I have never cooked with this before but I’ve heard great things as far as using it for a chicken replacement.
Melanie J says
Hi Winnie. The 400 ml can should be fine, as 400 g is pretty much the standard. I think I created this recipe using a 560g can of Jackfruit, but I've made it several times using the 400 g can. I really hope you enjoy the recipe, it's one of my favorites 🙂
Susan E Smeltzer says
Oh my goodness, I've been waiting for a recipe like this! I've had jackfruit before in a barbecue sauce and it was just like pulled pork, but I could never find the recipe. Butter chicken is even better! Thank you for posting, can't wait to try this.
Melanie J says
Hi Susan. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. I love making a big batch when I am craving indian food.