Dairy Free Butter Chicken Curry Recipe - Bananas about Life (2024)

This recipe for “Butter” Chicken is completely dairy-free but trust me when I say you can’t tell! I adore Indian food and butter chicken is one of my all time favorite meals, so I had to make sure it was perfect. This nourishing, delicious recipe is my pride and joy and I hope you love it as much as I do!

This dairy-free “butter” chicken recipe is also gluten-free, refined sugar-free and paleo if you swap the rice for cauliflower rice instead.

Want More Gluten and Dairy-Free Dinners?

Check out my Teriyaki Salmon with Coconut Rice or my Asian Salad with Honey Ginger Dressing.

Butter Chicken Curry Instructions:

Step 1: After letting onion sweat, add garlic, ginger and spices. It looks like a lot of spices, but if you want the authentic Indian flavor, I don’t recommend using less.

Step 2: Stir to combine.

Step 3: Cook down mixture and let the spices toast in the pot in order to enhance flavors. Stir occasionally and add a small splash of water if the spices are sticking to the pot too much.

Step 4: After toasting spices for at least 10 minutes, add coconut milk, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and cashews (that have been soaked and drained).

See Also

Guide to Gluten-Free Flours - Fork and Beans

Dairy-Free Butter Chicken Instructions:

Step 1: Allow mixture to simmer on low, stirring occasionally, until the color changes to a more vibrant orange color.

Step 2: Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and cook in a pan on medium-high heat along with oil, salt and pepper. When thoroughly cooked, remove from heat.

Step 3: Blend “butter” sauce with an immersion blender or a high power blender until smooth. Blending with an immersion blender can get messy so definitely wear an apron if you choose this method.

Step 4: Add chicken to “butter” sauce along with fresh lime juice.

Dairy Free Butter Chicken Recipe:

Keyword: dairy free butter chicken

Author: Adrianne

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

“Butter” Sauce

• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked overnight)
• 2 Tablespoons oil (avocado, coconut, or olive)
• 1 large yellow onion
• 6-7 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger (minced)
• 3 Tablespoons ground coriander
• 3 Tablespoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk (full fat)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• juice from 1/2 a lime

Chicken:

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
• 2 Tablespoons oil (avocado, coconut or olive)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Allow them to soak overnight (or for 30 minutes in hot water).
2. To a pot on medium heat, add your oil and onion. When onion has softened, add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, ground cloves, sea salt and black pepper. Allow this to cook down while spices toast on the bottom of the pot for at least 10 minutes before adding the rest of your ingredients (this is very important for flavor). Stir occasionally and add a splash of water (two tablespoons) as needed to stop the spices from sticking to the pan.
3. Drain the water off your cashews before adding them to your pot along with coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Turn the heat down and simmer while you cook your chicken. The color of this mixture will become more vibrant after simmering.
4. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and add to a pan on medium-high heat along with oil, sea salt, and pepper. When the chicken is cooked thoroughly, removed from heat and set aside.
5. Blend “butter” sauce mixture with an immersion blender or a high powered standing blender until smooth. Using an immersion blender can get messy, so I like to wear an apron.
6. Transfer cooked chicken to pot, add fresh lime juice and stir.
7. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice for a paleo option.

Want Even More Healthy Dinners?

If you’re interested in some more healthy dinner recipes, take a look at any of these ones!

1. Healthy Fried Rice Recipe with Shrimp (Gluten Free + Dairy Free).
2. Easy Thai Curry Recipe (Vegan + Gluten Free).
3. Healthy Fish Tacos with Dairy Free Tzatziki (Gluten Free + Grain Free).

Thanks For Visiting Today

This post is a recipe for butter chicken which is dairy free and gluten free. Please consider leaving a comment if you enjoyed this recipe and let me know if you have any questions! Thank you for visiting today and have a great rest of your day!