This dairy free butter chicken recipe features a velvety coconut milk base, perfectly spiced with a blend of garam masala, turmeric, and cumin. Each bite delivers a mouthwatering combination of savoury, aromatic, and subtly sweet flavours that will leave you craving more. This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, and top 9 allergens friendly.
*This post contains affiliate links to external sites for which we may be financially compensated*
Jump to:
- The Quick Lowdown:
- Why We Like This Butter Chicken Recipe With Coconut Milk
- The Marinade Ingredients
- Ingredients
- The Protein Ingredients
- The Sauce Ingredients
- The Ingredient Low Down
- How to Make Dairy Free Butter Chicken
- Thickening Tip
- Like This Recipe?
- Sign up to our Newsletter so you never miss a recipe.
- Sign up to Get Inbox Exclusive Recipes!
- Substitutions, Variations, & Adaptations
- Low Food Waste Idea
- Equipment
- Our Favourite Kitchen Equipment for This Recipe
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- How to Send Dairy Free Butter Chicken as Leftovers for Lunch
- Top Tip
- Got leftover allergy friendly butter chicken?
- FAQ
- What To Serve Alongside Dairy Free Butter Chicken
- Other Dairy Free Chicken Recipes You May Enjoy
- 📖 Recipe
- Have You Made Our Dairy Free Butter Chicken Recipe? Please Leave a Comment Below.
- Rate our Recipe.
- We Love To Hear From You!
- Food Safety
- Allergy Resources
- 💬 Comments
The Quick Lowdown:
Taste: Flavourful but NOT spicy. A creamy tomato Indian/British inspired dish that is fairly mild for those just discovering bold flavours.
Texture: Juicy chicken cubes in a rich savoury gravy best when served with basmati rice.
Speed: It can take a while if you don't marinade the chicken the night before. The cooking is 45 minutes - cook a side dish like rice at the same time and it will go much quicker.
Difficulty: Beginner. This isn't a tough recipe, it just has a lot of steps.
Return for effort: Huge!
Why We Like This Butter Chicken Recipe With Coconut Milk
This is one of our kids' FAVOURITE dinner recipes. They ask for it at least once a month. It is easy to make. We can cut up the ginger, garlic, and chicken ahead of time and freeze them. The day before thaw them in the fridge and add them all to the other marinade ingredients.
Butter Chicken Curry is a relatively new dish having only been invented in the 1950s and wasn't called this until 50 years ago. It was an accidental discovery in India when leftovers were mixed with another tomato-y sauce and voila - murgh makhani - was born.
Butter chicken has become a takeaway or take out special ever since. This recipe is a great way to still have your restaurant favourites at home in what we call a "fakeaway" Butter Chicken recipe.
The Marinade Ingredients
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts
- Coconut Cream
- Garlic
- Fresh Ginger
- Lemon Juice
- Garam Masala
- Dried Turmeric
- Dried Cumin
- Chilli Powder
- Dairy Free Butter, Soy Free
- Passata, or tomato sauce
- Coconut Milk
- Unsweetened Plant Based Milk
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
- Cilantro/Coriander Leaves (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
The Protein Ingredients
The Sauce Ingredients
The Ingredient Low Down
Chicken Breasts
Boneless and skinless chicken breasts are what you will want for the protein in this recipe. They will need to be trimmed and cubed into 2 inch by 2 inch by 2 inch cubes.
If preferred, you can use thighs, as long as they are also boneless, skinless, cubed and trimmed. The thighs have a higher fat content and will alter the nutritional values of the recipe. They may also need extra time to cook.
To save time and energy when making the meal, buy value packs of the chicken. Cube and trim them, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before using in the recipe.
Coconut Cream & Coconut Milk
Canned coconut cream and milk are what we use to make this dairy free butter chicken recipe. They have a sweeter flavour and thicker, creamier texture than the cartons or tetra packs of coconut milk meant to drink. You can use the latter but for the best flavour use canned coconut milk and cream. Coconut cream also comes in solid blocks that can be used in this recipe.
In Canada and some countries coconut is not classified as a tree nut but instead as a drupe, seed, or fruit. In the United States of America coconut is considered a tree nut. If you are cooking for someone else always check before using coconut in a recipe to see if they are allergic to it.
To avoid coconut use your regular dairy free plant based milk in the recipe. To thicken the butter chicken curry gravy, if using another plant based milk - add 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot starch to 1 tablespoon plant-based milk and mix well. Pour into the pot in the last 10 minutes of simmering and mix well to help the gravy thicken.
If you are having a hard time finding cans of coconut cream - chill 2 cans of coconut milk in the fridge. The solids that form inside the can are coconut cream. Scoop them out and use the solids in place of a can of coconut cream. Save the milk from those other chilled cans for another recipe or for the coconut milk in the other part of the recipe.
Garlic, Ginger & Lemon Juice
These are three ingredients we like to use fresh, if possible. This dairy free butter chicken recipe does rely on the taste of the fresh ginger and garlic. The dried alternatives won't give the same depth of flavour.
We prefer fresh lemon juice but if the bottled lemon juice is safe for you go with what works best. They are both used in the same quantities.
You can grate garlic or ginger and freeze in 1 tablespoon lumps on a cookie sheet or in a silicone ice tray. Then pop in an airtight container when frozen for long term storage. For the lemon juice use an ice tray with small cube spots, about 1Tbsp. Once frozen put them in an airtight container in the freezer.
Dairy Free Butter
You can use a tub style dairy free spreadable butter replacement or you can use a stick kind. Either will work equally as well. We have trialled this recipe with both. Our favourites are the Earth Balance-Soy Free or the Melt Organics buttery sticks, but you can use what is safe for you.
Passata
This may sound like an odd ingredient but all passata is is a tomato sauce with relatively few ingredients added to it. It is a bit more liquidy than what you'd use on spaghetti. Usually passata is found either in the pasta sauce aisle or the international foods. It comes in a large jar that is fairly distinctive to passata.
If you don't have passata at your local store you can substitute it for your favourite plain tomato sauce. Do not use a seasoned or spiced kind, just plain tomato sauce - no extra flavours.
Dairy Free Milk
The dairy free milk will need to be free from dairy, tree nuts, soy, gluten, wheat, peanuts, and the rest of the top 9 allergens. Be careful as some plant based milks are made with tree nuts, like almonds, or soy.
Oat milk can be used, if it uses certified gluten free oats to make the oat milk. Rice milk is another option for some.
To get the right taste the dairy free milk must be unsweetened and in the original flavour, or flavourless. Do not use sweetened, vanilla, chocolate, or any other fancy flavours. They will not work for this recipe.
Granulated Sugar
Plain white granulated sugar is what we use to sweeten this allergy friendly butter chicken dish. In some countries bone char is still used in refining sugar cane - if that isn't safe for you or allergy friendly double check with the sugar manufacturer.
For a lower sugar option you can use a sugar replacement. We recommend using a lot less than what the recipe calls for. Around ⅓ the amount the recipe calls for around 2 ¼ teaspoons. Splenda is the only sugar substitute that is heat stable and may be the best option.
Salt, Garam Masala, Turmeric, Cumin, Chilli Powder
The ground dried spices are what we use in this recipe. Garam masala is an Indian style spice blend. Some blends can be spicier than others. There are many different recipes for which spices to blend together or you can usually buy a pre-mixed blend in the international aisle of large grocery stores.
Checking that all your spices are gluten free and allergy friendly is really important. They can be packaged on shared lines with allergens or gluten.
If you are grinding your own spices do so right before toasting for the best flavour.
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves (optional)
For a pop of colour right before serving add washed cilantro leaves or coriander leaves, as they are sometimes called.
Sprinkle it on at the end after chopping it over the allergy friendly butter chicken.
How to Make Dairy Free Butter Chicken
Step 1
In a small pan over medium high heat, place the garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric powder and cumin. Dry toast the spices while continuously stirring with a spatula or whisk. Toast for 2-3 minutes or until the spices get fragrant and you can smell them. Turn off heat. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.
Tip
Roasting and grinding the spices right before using them will give the most flavour to the marinade.
Step 2
Trim chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. Approximately 2 x 2 x 2 inches cubed. Set aside the chicken cubes. Discard any trimmings or save in an airtight container for when making chicken broth.
Tip
You are looking for bite sized cubes of chicken.
Step 3
In a large ziploc baggie mix all the marinade ingredients, including toasted spices (from step 1). Let the air out of the bag. Zip the bag closed and mix the marinade by squishing the ingredients.
Tip
If you are avoiding plastics use a glass bowl with a cover that can be easily stored in the fridge.
Step 4
Place the chicken (from step 1) in the bag and coat fully in the marinade. Zip the bag closed to seal but remove the air when sealing the bag.
Step 5
Place the bag with the chicken in the fridge in an empty bowl in case the bag leaks. Allow to marinade for at least 1 hour up or overnight.
Tip
The longer you leave the marinade the better the flavours will blend. Marinade for up to 24 hours - for the best flavour.
Step 6
Remove the bag of chicken in the marinade from the fridge. Set aside.
Tip
Like when cooking any meat it should come up to temperature a bit for the best flavour. Do not leave the chicken out of the fridge for longer than 10 mins.
Step 7
Heat a large pan with deep sides over medium to high heat.
Tip
We use a really big wok. It is the best of our pans for this recipe. You need to be able to cook all the chicken and still have lots of room to simmer the sauce in the same pan.
Step 8
Melt the plant-based butter in the pan. Stirring often.
Step 9
Place all the chicken and marinade (from step 6) in the pan. Stir while letting the chicken cook for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken reaches a temperature of 165°F internally.
Tip
Using a big pan will help to keep the chicken from crowding the pan. If it is crowded the chicken will take longer to cook. Make sure both the chicken and marinade reach the proper food safe temperature.
Step 10
Pour in the passata or tomato sauce, coconut cream, plant-based milk, sugar and salt. Stir well to combine. Bring up to a boil.
Tip
To get the last bit of passata or tomato sauce out of the bottle or can we add a couple of tablespoons of water to the container, close the lid and shake, then add it to the sauce.
Step 11
Reduce the heat to let the sauce simmer. Continue to simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly to a gravy like sauce.
Tip
If using a different plant-based milk than coconut, pour in a thickener made into a slurry as per the recipe notes on the recipe card. Depending on how full your pot is you may need extra time to thicken the gravy/sauce.
Thickening Tip
Simmer without a lid on the sauce to allow it to thicken properly.
Like This Recipe?
Sign up to our Newsletter so you never miss a recipe.
Sign up to Get Inbox Exclusive Recipes!
Substitutions, Variations, & Adaptations
- Other meats - pork or beef can be used instead of chicken, if preferred.
- Vegan - Swap out the chicken for young jackfruit. It had a similar texture to chicken and will take on the taste of the sauce. Make sure the sugar is free of bone char and the coconut milk is free from animal labour.
- Spicy - use a spicy chili powder or add a fresh chili of your spice choice to the marinade ingredients.
- Coconut Free - use your safe dairy free milk instead of coconut milk and cream. In the last 10 minutes of simmering mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot starch with 1 tablespoon dairy free milk and make a slurry. Add that slurry to the sauce and mix well and continue to simmer for 10 mins to thicken.
- Garlic Oil - for those that cannot have garlic but can have garlic infused oil, without the garlic stored in the oil, add 1-2 tablespoon to the marinade. Reduce the coconut cream by the same amount. It will lightly flavour the marinade rather than a full garlic flavour.
Low Food Waste Idea
If you have extra sauce leftover use it on baked potatoes or French fries. Curries are considered a gravy. It is also great on gluten free pasta or on plain basmati rice, even if all the chicken is gone.
Equipment
- Small Pan for roasting the spices.
- Large Pan with Deep Sides for making the allergy friendly butter chicken. It needs to be big enough for the chicken and the sauce.
- Large Ziploc Bag or a glass bowl with a cover for marinating in the fridge.
- Cooking Utensils like a spatula or cooking spoon to stir the butter chicken with coconut milk.
Our Favourite Kitchen Equipment for This Recipe
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Storage
Before the dairy free butter chicken is cooked be sure to thaw it fully in the fridge. Always cool and store food promptly and properly to avoid food borne illnesses. Store butter chicken and rice separately.
Fridge
The butter chicken with coconut milk will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Use a well sealed airtight container to store the butter chicken in the fridge.
Freezer
Butter chicken will keep in the freezer after cooking. To store it properly, put it in an airtight container that is suitable for freezing. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating
For best food safe practices only reheat the food once. Reheat the dairy free butter chicken and sauce to a minimum of 165°F.
Stove Top
To reheat the allergy friendly butter chicken on the stove top add ¼ -½ cup of water per portion of butter chicken in a deep sided pan. Cook over medium heat. Cover and let bubble between a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir often. Remove the lid and let the extra water boil off. Serve when the chicken is the proper internal temperature.
How to Send Dairy Free Butter Chicken as Leftovers for Lunch
When we send dairy free butter chicken for lunch we pack it in the kids' insulated containers. Over the years we have found two ways to keep food hot in the specialised containers.
One is to heat the food on the stove. It tends to stay warm longer than microwaved food.
The second is to preheat the thermos style container. We do this by pouring hot tap water in the thermos and letting it sit in the container while we heat up the food. When the food is ready, dump out the water and layer the meal. In the bottom is the starch of choice and the butter chicken on the top.
Top Tip
Anytime we make an Indian inspired dish we roast the spices right before we use them. This helps to add the most flavour to the dish. When the spices are exposed to heat they will release oil and that helps to add an immense amount of deliciousness. This will also help to perk up any ground spices that are going a bit stale and bring out their flavour a tad.
Got leftover allergy friendly butter chicken?
Serve the leftover butter chicken on French fries as a kind of gravy. A great leftover meal is to heat the butter chicken and pour on a baked potato. Another way to use chilled butter chicken is as pizza sauce and topping before baking. Mixing the butter chicken with rice and adding a bit of lettuce and rolling it in a gluten free tortilla wrap makes a fabulous lunch leftover.
FAQ
Traditionally butter chicken sauce is made with tomato sauce, a cream of some sort, butter, ginger, garlic, and a smidge of sugar. The spices are usually turmeric, garam masala, and chili powder.
The sauce is essentially a tomato, cream and spice gravy for the chicken.
Because we have food allergies we have to make our sauce a bit differently and use alternate ingredients to cream and butter.
Tikka masala is usually spicier. Butter chicken had a creamy and mild taste to it. The latter is usually a dish that will appease those who do not tend to eat a lot of spicy foods whereas tikka masala doesn't have the cream to blunt the spices and can be the spicier of the two.
What To Serve Alongside Dairy Free Butter Chicken
Dairy free butter chicken is best when served with a starch like basmati rice, coconut rice, quinoa, or gluten and dairy free naan bread. When getting it as a takeaway we loved to pair it with spinach or cauliflower dishes. My favourite is with poppadoms made from lentil flour and lime pickle or mango chutney.
Butter chicken can also be served alongside our lamb tikka recipe.
Other Dairy Free Chicken Recipes You May Enjoy
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Small Frying Pan
- Large Frying Pan with deep sides, like a wok
- Large Ziploc Bag or glass bowl with lid
- Cooking Utensils
Ingredients
Protein
- 6 Chicken Breasts skinless and boneless
Marinade Ingredients:
- 14 Ounces Coconut Cream, canned 1 can
- 3 Cloves Garlic crushed and small diced
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger peeled, minced or grated
- 1½ Tablespoons Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ teaspoons Garam Masala
- 2 teaspoons Turmeric dried powder
- 2 teaspoons Cumin dried and ground
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder see notes
Sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons Dairy Free Butter Soy Free & Plant Based
- 2 Cups Passata or tomato sauce (500 mL)
- 14 Ounces Coconut Milk, canned 1 can (400 mL)
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Dairy Free Milk GF Oat or Rice (100 mL)
- 2½ Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 2½- 3 teaspoons Sea Salt
Instructions
- In a small pan over medium high heat place the garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric powder and cumin. Dry toast the spices while continuously stirring with a spatula or whisk. Toast for 2-3 minutes or until the spices get really fragrant. Turn off heat. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.1 ½ teaspoons Garam Masala, 2 teaspoons Turmeric, 2 teaspoons Cumin, 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- Trim chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. Approximately 2 x 2 x 2 inches cubed. Set aside the chicken cubes. Discard any trimmings or save in an airtight container for when making chicken broth.6 Chicken Breasts
- In a large ziploc baggie mix the marinade ingredients, including toasted spices (from step 1). Let the air out of the bag. Zip the bag closed and mix the marinade by squishing the ingredients.14 Ounces Coconut Cream, canned, 3 Cloves Garlic, 2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger, 1½ Tablespoons Lemon Juice, 1 ½ teaspoons Garam Masala, 2 teaspoons Turmeric, 2 teaspoons Cumin
- Place the chicken (from step 2) in the bag and coat fully in the marinade. Zip the bag closed to seal but remove the air when sealing the bag.6 Chicken Breasts
- Place the bag with the chicken in the fridge in an empty bowl in case the bag leaks. Allow to marinade for at least 12 hours up to overnight.
- Remove the bag of chicken in the marinade from the fridge. Set aside.
- Heat a large pan with deep sides over medium to high heat. We use a wok. It is the best of our pans for this recipe.
- Melt the plant-based butter in the pan. Stirring often.4 Tablespoons Dairy Free Butter
- Place all the chicken and marinade (from step 6) in the pan. Stir while letting the chicken cook for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken reaches a temperature of 165°F internally.
- Pour in the passata or tomato sauce, coconut cream, plant-based milk, sugar and salt. Stir well to combine. Bring up to a boil.2 Cups Passata, 14 Ounces Coconut Milk, canned, ½ Cup Unsweetened Dairy Free Milk, 2½ Tablespoons Granulated Sugar, 2½- 3 teaspoons Sea Salt
- Reduce the heat to let the sauce simmer. Continue to simmer over low heat for 25-30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to a gravy-like sauce.
Notes
Allergy Note 1
Always check that each ingredient is safe for you. Reading all the ingredients and labelling as well as checking with the manufacturer should always be done before buying any product. Each person's allergies are different and only you and your medical team can determine what is best for you. Checking with the manufacturer is best practice to see if shared lines, or facilities are used when making any of the suggested products. Just because a product is right for us does not mean it is safe for anyone else. You must do your own research on each product.
Allergy Note 2
If making this recipe for anyone with an allergy always check with them for suitable products and ingredients. Each person knows their allergies best and can advise on what is safe for them to eat. Keep in mind that if making for another person they may not be able to eat it with shared prep surfaces, cooking equipment, and kitchens or other safety reasons.
Allergy Note 3
This is not medical advice. Always discuss your allergies, nutrition, and suitable products and recipes with your medical team before using.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
"The Allergen Free Kitchen" is not a registered dietician or nutritionist, does not replace a registered dietician or nutritionist and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend you consult with your medical team to find a registered dietician or nutritionist and for you to calculate the nutritional information. Calories and nutritional values can vary vastly depending on which brands were used and any substitutions used.
Have You Made Our Dairy Free Butter Chicken Recipe? Please Leave a Comment Below.
Rate our Recipe.
We Love To Hear From You!
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165°F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Contact the manufacturer of products, regarding cross contact and ingredients, to ensure they are safe for you
- Always check ingredients for allergens
- Do not use the same utensils on allergen free food, that previously touched allergens
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Allergy Resources
If you are struggling with allergies or which foods are safe for you we encourage you to contact your medical team to help determine what is best for you.
For additional resources please check out the following allergy education and advocacy pages:
In the United States:
- Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) - Home Page
- Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) - Home Page
- U.S Food & Drug Administration (FDA) - Food Allergies - Home Page
- Recalls, Reporting and Alerts on Food - in The United States of America
- Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA - Recalls
- US Food & Drug Administration, FDA - Recalls
- Celiac Disease Foundation - Home Page
- National Celiac Association (NCA) - Home Page
- Beyond Celiac - Home Page
- Celiac.com - Home Page
In Canada
- Food Allergy Canada - Home Page
- Celiac Canada - Home Page
- The Government of Canada - Health Site- Food Allergies
- The Government of Canada - Food Allergen Labelling, the List of Ingredients and Allergens on Food Labels, and Allergens and Gluten Sources Labelling
Recalls, Reporting and Alerts on Food - in Canada
Comments
No Comments