Tikka Masala Sauce
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Whip up this homemade Tikka Masala sauce for a creamy, flavorful dish that elevates your weeknight meals! Perfect for chicken, paneer, or your favorite veggies, this sauce is packed with bold Indian flavors that will have your taste buds dancing. It’s not only delicious but also easy to make in advance, so you can enjoy a scrumptious meal with minimal prep time.
Calling all chicken tikka masala lovers! This Homemade Tikka Masala Sauce is here to simplify your life and elevate your cooking game. Prepare this rich and flavorful sauce ahead of time, and you’ll have a quick and easy meal at your fingertips whenever you crave it.
The beauty of this recipe lies in its versatility. You can adjust the spice level to suit your taste, turning up the heat with cayenne pepper for an extra kick that’s just right for you.
While this sauce shines in traditional chicken tikka masala, it’s also perfect for other proteins or hearty vegetable dishes. Use it to create your own Indian-inspired curries and explore new flavor profiles in your kitchen.
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Butter: Ghee is traditional, but we use butter for convenience. If you have ghee, you can use that instead.
- Onion and garlic: Add flavor and aromatics to the sauce.
- Spices: Cumin, salt, ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, paprika, and turmeric add all the authentic Indian flavors.
- Tomato paste: This gets diluted with water but adds a ton of tomato flavor.
- Heavy cream: Adds a rich creaminess to the sauce.
- Sugar: Just a touch adds a little sweetness to the sauce.
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
- Stir in the garlic, followed by all the spices, and cook until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste and water, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream and sugar. Bring the sauce back to a simmer and cook until thickened.
- Serve with chicken, paneer, tofu, or veggies.
Tips For Success
- Make it spicy: Add more cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon at a time, until the spice is at the level you desire.
- For a different twist, use coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
- You can make a lighter sauce with milk or sour cream instead of heavy cream.
- Tomato paste is my favorite for this recipe; however, you can use tomato sauce and omit the added water.
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Tikka Masala Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 12-ounce can tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir the cumin, paprika, salt, ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric into the onion mixture; cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream and sugar. Bring sauce back to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until sauce is thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Serve with cooked chicken.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.