Cozy Butternut Squash Tikka Masala is the perfect fall comfort food, with roasted squash and warming Indian spices. Make it with chickpeas or chicken. Video. Vegan-adaptable.
This was incredible. The tikka masala sauce turned out just like one that you would eat in a restaurant. I opted for a vegan version and used cashew cream. The fenugreek is essential. All in all, this recipe is a winner.
This Butternut Squash Tikka Masala is fall comfort food at its best-creamy, cozy, and filled with warming Indian spices. Roasted butternut squash adds caramelized sweetness to the rich tomato curry sauce, while your choice of chickpeas or chicken makes it hearty and satisfying.
Roasting the squash first deepens its flavor and gives the edges a little caramelization, which is delicious against the savory garam masala-spiced sauce. Make it with chickpeas for a plant-based meal or chicken for extra protein-either way, it's the kind of warming dinner I crave as the evenings turn cooler.
Serve it over fluffy basmati rice or with warm naan for soaking up every last bit of that creamy sauce.
Why you’ll love this Butternut Squash Tikka Masala recipe!
Easily adaptable. Feel free to add chickpeas, chicken, crispy tofu, or paneer for added protein.
A lightened-up version of tikka masala. Traditional heavy cream is replaced with either plain Greek yogurt, vegan yogurt, or coconut milk, making for a lighter meal that doesn’t sacrifice the richness that the dish needs.
Great for meal prep! An added benefit to this Tikka Masala Recipe are the leftovers, which get even tastier as the ingredients have time to meld. Perfect for lunches during the week!
Butternut Squash Tikka Masala Ingredients
- Butternut squash: Peel and cube the squash into even 1-inch pieces so they roast evenly. Roasting caramelizes the edges and draws out their natural sweetness, which pairs perfectly with the warm Indian spices and savory tomato sauce.
- Chicken or chickpeas: Choose your protein! Use boneless chicken thighs or make it vegetarian and use chickpeas for plant-based protein.
- Garam masala spice blend: Use store-bought garam masala or make your own homemade garam masala spice blend. This warming Indian spice blend is crucial to the overall flavor of the dish.
- Fresh ginger and garlic cloves: Form the aromatic foundation of the sauce. Processing them into a paste helps their flavor infuse evenly throughout the tikka masala.
- Fresh serrano chilies: Add fresh heat! Remove the seeds for less heat or leave them in for a spicier tikka masala. Jalapeños make a milder substitute.
- Ghee or olive oil: Ghee adds a rich, buttery flavor that complements the warming spices beautifully. Olive oil works well for a lighter or vegan option.
- Tomato paste: Don’t skip this! Tomato paste adds concentrated tomato flavor and savory depth. Browning it briefly in the pan caramelizes its natural sugars and makes the finished sauce taste richer.
- Spices: Garam masala provides warmth and complexity, cinnamon adds subtle sweetness, and paprika brings color and earthy flavor. Blooming the spices in the oil before adding the tomatoes helps release their fragrant oils.
- Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi): Optional, but highly recommended! They add a distinctive savory, slightly bitter, aromatic flavor that gives the sauce restaurant-style quality.
- Roma tomatoes: Meaty and less watery than other tomato varieties, making them ideal for a thick, flavorful sauce. A rough chop works fine here since the sauce will be blended smooth.
- Plain, full-fat yogurt: Adds creaminess and subtle tang while keeping the sauce lighter than traditional heavy cream. For a vegan alternative use canned coconut milk, or readers have suggested cashew cream! For a richer sauce, use 1/2 cup heavy cream.
- Fresh cilantro (coriander leaves): For garnish and a pop of fresh, herbaceous flavor.
How to make Butternut Squash Tikka Masala
1. Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Roast the butternut squash. Add the butternut squash cubes to a medium bowl and toss with olive oil, garam masala, and salt. Spread out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.
Tip: If you like your chickpeas crispy, roast them with the butternut squash!
3. Season and bake the chicken (optional). If using chicken, add the pieces to a bowl and toss with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon garam masala.
4. Sauté the aromatics. Add sliced ginger, garlic, and chiles to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped to make a paste.
Warm ghee or oil in a large pot or dutch oven and sauté the paste over medium heat until browned for 6-8 minutes. If needed, turn on the hood, stir, and scrape up any browned bits.
Once golden and fragrant, add tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes to “brown” it. This gives it incredible depth. Add garam masala, cinnamon, and paprika, and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Simmer the Tikka Masala sauce. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, water, and optional fenugreek leaves. Bring to a simmer, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
6. Blend the sauce. Work in batches, transferring the sauce to the blender with a kitchen towel over the lid, holding it down tight. Once blended, return the sauce to the pot. An immersion blender works well here, too. Whisk in the yogurt (or coconut milk, cashew cream, or heavy cream).
Tip: Feel free to make the sauce ahead of time and reheat it!
7. Assemble, taste, and adjust. Add the roasted butternut squash and chickpeas (or roasted chicken) to the pot and bring back to a simmer. Taste and adjust for salt.
8. Serve. Serve over bowls of fluffy basmati rice with a sprinkle of freshly chopped cilantro. Serve with naan bread and a side of raita!
So wholesome and delicious!
Chef’s Tips
- Cut the squash evenly. Keep the butternut squash cubes around 1 inch each so they cook evenly and become tender without turning mushy in the sauce.
- Give the squash room to roast. Spread the butternut squash cubes out in a single layer with space in between the pieces. An overcrowded pan will steam the squash instead of achieving caramelized edges.
- If making homemade garam masala spice, use whole seeds and toast them before grinding them for an even deeper, more flavorful spice blend.
- Brown the tomato paste. Let the tomato paste cook for a minute or two until darkening. This takes away the raw tomato taste and adds a surprisingy amount of depth.
- Bloom the spices. Briefly cook the spices in ghee or oil to wake them up and create a more aromatic sauce. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
- Make the sauce ahead. Tikka masala sauce can be made a day or two in advance, and its flavor actually improves as the spices have time to meld.
What to Serve with Butternut Squash Tikka Masala
Serve Butternut Squash Tikka Masala over fluffy Indian Basmati Rice with Homemade Naan Bread and Authentic Raita. Serve alongside our Indian Spinach Salad with Lentils & Cauliflower for a nourishing, wholesome meal.
Storage
Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop, stirring until warmed through.
You can also freeze tikka masala for up to 3 months, but keep in mind that yogurt may sometimes separate. This works better for versions with coconut milk or cashew cream. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Meal prep tip: Store the basmati rice separately from the tikka masala so both maintain their best texture. Naan and fresh garnishes are also best added when serving.
More Indian Recipes You Might Like
Watch how to make Butternut Squash Tikka Masala
After you try this Butternut Squash Tikka Masala recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Butternut Squash Tikka Masala
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: entree, fall, vegan dinner recipe, vegetarian
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Butternut Squash Tikka Masala is rich, creamy, and packed with warming Indian spices. A cozy vegetarian dinner that's easy, healthy, and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1-inch cubes ( about 6 cups)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Garam masala Spice Blend
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can chickpeas, drained (or sub 1 lb boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces)
- Tikka Masala Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup sliced ginger
- 1/4 cup garlic (10 cloves)
- 1–4 small fresh serrano chilies- cut in half lengthwise- roughly 1-3 tablespoons- (or sub a jalapeno)
- 4 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (see below)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 8 roma tomatoes- rough chopped ( sauce will be blended)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional but AMAZING)
- 3/4 cup plain, full-fat yogurt (or 3/4 cup of canned coconut milk, or 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream)
- —-
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
- Serve with basmati rice or naan bread
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Roast the squash. In a medium bowl, toss butternut squash with olive oil, garam masala and salt, until evenly coated. Spread out on a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. (You can also roast the chickpeas if you like them crispy- toss with the butternut, add a little extra oil.)
- Bake the chicken (optional). *If adding chicken, place cut-up chicken into a bowl. Drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon garam masala, and toss to coat. Place on another baking sheet or baking dish, and bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through. Broil for a minute or two to get a deeper color.
- Make the Tikka Masala Sauce. Place sliced ginger, garlic and chiles in a food processor to make a paste. Pulse until very finely chopped. Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven. Saute the paste over medium heat until nicely browned for 6-8 minutes, turn the hood on, stirring, scraping up brown bits with a metal spatula. Cook until golden. Add tomato paste, and sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until color deepens. Add garam masala cinnamon and paprika, and cook for 2 more minutes, to intensify flavor. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, water and optional fenugreek leaves. Bring to a simmer, lower heat and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
- Blend the sauce. Blend the Tikka Masala Sauce in batches either using an immersion blender, (or a regular blender, covering the blender with a kitchen towel and firmly holding the lid down to prevent an explosion. Return the blended sauce to the pot). Whisk in the yogurt (or coconut milk or cashew cream, or heavy cream). This sauce could be made ahead and reheated!
- Assemble. Add the roasted butternut squash and chickpeas (or roasted chicken) and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust salt.
- Serve. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over fluffy basmati rice, or with naan bread with a side of raita!
Notes
Notes: If making the Easy Garam Masala, know that using whole seeds and toasting them, then grinding them, will make an even more flavorful spice blend.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: with full-fat yogurt
- Calories: 276
- Sugar: 6.9 g
- Sodium: 815.7 mg
- Fat: 14.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 7.3 g
- Protein: 9.5 g
- Cholesterol: 4.6 mg
Another delicious recipe from Feasting at Home! I have yet to find one that didn’t turn out fabulously. The depth of flavor of this dish was amazing and it was even better as a leftover. I love vegs so I also added onions, mushrooms and red pepper along with the roasted butternut squash, and served it along with crispy pan seared tofu. I didn’t have spinach so I placed it over arugula which worked really well. The recipe was a little time consuming, but I took the time to mix up my own garam masala and I probably work a little more slowly because I stop to clean my small kitchen as I go along. All in all, this recipe was a keeper!
Glad you gave it a go Leslie! Second time around is always faster. 🙂
I made this recipe for a large family meal, one spicy version with chicken and one less spicy vegan version. Everyone loved it! It’s so helpful to have options to make several variations. It will be a go to dish at our house now.
Perfect! Glad everyone was happy. 🙂
This came out delicious, I doubled the spices (I like it spicy) and chilies, and also added kashmiri chili powder for the Butternut squash–it added a little extra flavor. I also subbed the cream for blended silken tofu with a bit of lime juice and nutritional yeast, it was great! Used air fried tofu instead of chicken 🙂
Love how you adapted Liz. Such a helpful review! Thanks. 🙂
This was incredible. The tikka masala sauce turned out just like the one that you would eat in a restaurant.
I opted for a vegan version and used cashew cream. The fenugreek is essential. All in all, this recipe is a winner.
Wonderful to hear this David!
THIS IS DELISH! IT SMELLS AMAZING, ALL OF THE WONDERFUL FLAVORS IN THIS DISH ARE SO FUN!
THANK YOU
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Lisa!
Wonderful! This turned out so well.
Great to hear! Glad you enjoyed it!
Good tikka masala with just the right amount of spice. I like the helpful hints, like hold on to the top of the blender (which I needed to).
Awesome to hear!
I just made the sauce and will finish tonight the butternut and chickpeas. As we are only 2 persons, should I freeze half the sauce but without the yoghurt and when using the frozen version add yoghurt when reheating????
That is what I would do- to keep it from getting grainy.
divine, ne ate it yesterday, am having left overs now (even better) and rest frozen for when son arrives back again
Wow Sylvia. Another winner. We just loved this dish! Made a few substitutions as I always do it’s in the blood…used sweet potatoes because well they are the best. For the paste I omitted garlic because I don’t do garlic and added fresh turmeric which I add to everything. To the golden paste in the pan I added sweet potatoes because I love the depth and complexity they add to the flavor. Didn’t have fresh tomatoes, not in season yet, so used canned and therefore reduced amount of water. Otherwise stayed faithful to this amazing harmony of flavors. So so good. Will certainly be added to rotation. Thanks so much for all your fabulous recipes!
Great to hear Ayelet!
*Sorry meant to say added sweet peppers to the paste 🙂
Making this tonight. Can I freeze the left over?
Yes, should freeze fine Maud!
Lovely recipe…thank you! Do you put the serranos in just sliced in half or do you chope them as eell?
I just slice them down the middle with stem end intact. This will keep it from getting too spicy.