Creamy Cashew Curry with Tofu

by thebestworldevents.com 16 February 2024 · Vegetarian

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This cashew curry is made with pan-fried tofu, sweet potatoes and broccoli in a spiced cashew butter sauce. It’s rich, creamy, and full of flavor!

White wooden surface set with pot, bowl of cashews, and bowl of Cashew Curry.

I don’t know about you, but I do a lot of cooking with cashews. Cashews are a staple in lots of vegan kitchens, because they do such a great job of replicating dairy-based ingredients in dishes like fettuccine Alfredo, vegan cream cheese, and even creamy vegan soups like broccoli cheese soup.

But all of those dishes use raw cashews, and in a way that you don’t really even realize your eating cashews (that’s kind of the idea when they’re pretending to be dairy).

Today I wanted to share a recipe that puts cashews in center stage, in the same way that dishes like peanut noodles and African peanut soup do for peanuts. Cashews can be used in similar ways to peanuts, but they offer more mellow, sweeter flavor. They’re incredibly delicious, and deserve some love!

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Ingredients You’ll Need

Vegetable oil. You can use whatever high-heat oil you normally like to cook with. Coconut oil, avocado oil, and corn oil will all work.
Tofu. The recipe calls for super-firm tofu, but extra-firm tofu will work fine as a substitute as long as it’s pressed before cooking.
Onion.
Garlic.
Ginger.
Spices. We’re using a mix of mild curry powder, garam masala, and ground cumin.
Coconut milk. Use canned coconut milk. The recipe calls for full-fat coconut milk, but light will work as a substitute if you need to reduce the fat and calorie content of this dish.
Diced tomatoes. We’re using canned diced tomatoes.
Sweet potato.
Broccoli.
Cashew butter.
Sriracha sauce. You can leave this out if you prefer a milder curry, or use extra if you like it spicy! Make sure to buy a vegan brand of sriracha (not all of them are). I used Kitchen Garden brand.
Lime juice. Use freshly squeezed lime juice to give your curry the best possible flavor.
Fresh cilantro. Cilantro haters can substitute with fresh basil and scallions.
Salt.
Roasted cashews.
Cooked rice. This is for serving your curry. Feel free to skip it, or use quinoa as an alternative.

How It’s Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

Onions and spices cooking in a pot on the stove.

Heat some oil in a large pot, then add diced onion. Sweat the onion until it begins to soften, then add minced garlic, grated ginger and spices. Sauté everything for about a minute.

Sweet potatoes and tomatoes simmering in curry sauce on the stove.

Stir in the coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and diced sweet potato. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer until the sweet potato is tender.

Cook the tofu while the curry simmers. Heat some oil in a nonstick skillet, then add diced tofu. Cook the tofu cubes for a few minutes on each side, until they’re golden brown and crispy.

Vegetables simmering in curry sauce in a pot on the stove.

Once the sweet potato is soft, add broccoli florets to the curry and stir in the cashew butter. Continue simmering the curry for a few minutes more, until the broccoli is tender and bright green.

Pot of Curry on the stove with chopped cashews and pan-fried tofu on top.

Now stir in the lime juice, sriracha, chopped roasted cashews, and cooked tofu cubes. Take the pot off of heat.

Pot of Cashew Curry with wooden spoon and chopped cilantro on top.

Finish the cashew curry off by adding chopped fresh cilantro and salt to taste.

Bowl of Cashew Curry with a tea towel in the background.

Your curry is ready to serve! Ladle it into bowls with some rice, and garnish each serving with some whole roasted cashews.

Leftovers & Storage

Leftover cashew curry will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about four days.

More Curry Recipes

Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!