Tikka Masala Rice Bake with Crispy Tofu

Tikka masala rice bake with crispy tofu is a super quick, one-pot meal using a simple tikka masala sauce for an easy dinner that’s full of flavor. Even the rice cooks right in the baking dish! Gluten-free, options for soyfree and nutfree

This tikka masala rice uses a simple, 2-step process. You add the aromatics and some torn tofu in the baking dish, sprinkle some spices on top, and bake. Then take, that out of the oven, add all of the sauces along with the rice, water and veggies, mix, and bake again.

No standing around sautéing needed! It has a very low active cooking time, once you have all the spices all ready to go.

Like in many of my Indian recipes, I use dried fenugreek leaves here. The dried fenugreek leaves in this recipe add that very authentic tikka masala flavor, but if you don’t have the fenugreek leaves, you can use some extra ground coriander and a bit of ground mustard.

I would highly recommend getting some dried fenugreek leaves, if possible, though. They’re available on Amazon or in Indian stores. Lots of Indian stores deliver, as well. You will be using fenugreek in a lot of my recipes, if you cook a lot of Indian food from the blog.

Why You’ll Love Tikka Masala Rice

• one-pan recipe with very little active cooking time
• 2-step recipe is full of flavor!
• rice, tofu, and veggies all cook in a single pan
• authentic tikka masala flavor with so much less work
• naturally nut-free and gluten-free with easy soy-free options

Ingredients and Substitutions

• oil – To grease the pan and to roast the aromatics and crisp up the tofu.
• aromatics – Onion, green chili, and bell pepper bring so much umami to this tikka masala rice!
• ground spices – You season the tofu and onions with garam masala, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, Kashmiri chili powder or paprika, cayenne, and fenugreek. You can use extra ground coriander and ground mustard instead of the fenugreek, but the flavor will be less authentic.
• tofu – Torn up tofu is your protein. You can use soy-free tofu, like chickpea tofu, instead. Or, just use a drained can of chickpeas instead.
• tomato puree – Adds umami, color, and moisture to the tikka masala rice.
• ginger garlic paste – More umami and heat! You can use minced ginger and garlic instead, if needed.
• non-dairy yogurt – Adds creaminess and tang. You add it to the rice and you can drizzle some on top after baking, as well.
• Indian white basmati rice – Make sure to wash and drain your rice before using.
• water or stock – Adds moisture.
• vegetables – You can use fresh or frozen vegetables of choice.
• garnishes – Top the tikka masala rice bake with cilantro, lime juice, crushed pepper, and more non-dairy yogurt. You can also add some pickled onion, if you like.

How to Make Tikka Masala Rice

Chop all the veggies, and press the tofu and tear it into pieces, if you haven’t already. Use 1/2 teaspoon of the oil to grease a 9×11” or similar-sized baking dish, and preheat your oven to 400° F (205° C).

Add the chopped onion, green chili, and bell pepper to one side of the baking dish. Add the torn tofu to the other side of the baking dish, then drizzle the remaining oil on the onion and tofu.

In a small bowl, mix all of the spices together, then sprinkle half of them on the onion side, and half on the tofu. Toss the spices into the onion and tofu, making sure not to mix the onion and tofu together. Keep them on their same sides of the baking dish. Bake for about 14 to 18 minutes, or until the tofu is a little crisp, and the onion is starting to turn golden. You can stir the tofu or the onions, if needed in between, if they’re scorching on any one side. 

Remove the baking dish from the oven, and transfer the tofu out of the baking dish into a bowl. Add the tomato puree, ginger garlic paste, non-dairy yogurt, and salt, and mix really well. Then, mix in the water, and then mix in the rice and the veggies.

Even everything out with a spatula. At this point, you can add some of the tofu back on top, or you can leave the tofu to add to the baked rice later. The tofu will soften a little bit if you put it back in, because of the water boiling underneath. If you want to keep it crispier, add it on top just before serving.

If it’s not crisped up to preference, you can just put the oven safe bowl of tofu back into the oven to crisp up more on its own while the rice is baking.

Lightly cover the baking dish with a piece of parchment paper, and bake for 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked to preference. It might take an extra 5 minutes for the rice to completely cook, depending on your pan and your oven. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and let it sit for a minute or two, then use a large fork or spatula to fluff the rice really well.

Serve topped with the crisped up tofu, and garish with cilantro, lime juice, and pepper flakes. You can also drizzle on some non-dairy yogurt, if you like or make raita.

To make raita dip: mix 1/4 cup non dairy yogurt with 2-3 tablespoons water, 1/4 each teaspoon cumin, salt, sugar and cayenne. Then add 1/2 cup or more grated cucumber or finely chopped onion or tomato. Mix in, garnish with cilantro and ground cumin.

What to Serve with Tikka Masala Rice

I really like to serve this with the side of plain non-dairy yogurt or with non-dairy yogurt raita dip. It makes an amazing sauce to drizzle all over this rice.

Pickled onions also go really well with tikka masala.