Tikka Masala Pasta Salad – Vegan Richa

Part healthy salad, part comforting pasta, this Tikka Masala Pasta Salad recipe has everything you love about your favorite Indian sauce in one bowl. Serve fresh or make ahead for an easy vegan meal, and enjoy either warm or cold. Gluten-free, soy-free & nut-free option.

Indian food  cravings are not to be taken lightly. However, when it’s simply too hot to whip up a hot and spicy tikka masala, but you are still craving all those flavors, then make this easy pasta salad tossed with a quick tikka masala dressing!

An Indian-inspired vegan pasta salad that is satisfying, quick and easy and made with simple everyday ingredients! I love how versatile pasta salad is. You can take it in so many directions.

This vegan pasta salad is great as a main or a side dish. It is bursting with slightly spicy and wonderfully aromatic Indian flavors, and features a mayo-free creamy dressing and lots of crunchy fresh veggies.

why you’ll love this tikka masala pasta salad

• it comes together very quickly
• it’s very flavorful
• it has veggies, pasta and tofu.
• it can be made gluten-free Nutfree and Soyfree
• It satisfies both summer salad and saucy Indian food cravings!

More Vegan Pasta Salad recipes:

Easy Summer Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Tuscan Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Peanut Sesame Noodle Salad

Tabbouleh Pasta Salad

Southwestern Pasta Salad with Black Bean Dressing

Print Recipe

Vegan Tikka Masala Pasta Salad

Part healthy salad, part comforting pasta, this Tikka Masala Pasta Salad recipe has everything you love about your favorite Indian curry in one bowl. Serve fresh or make ahead for an easy vegan meal, and enjoy either warm or cold. Nutfree . Options for gluten-free Soyfree

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Main, Side

Cuisine: American, Indian

Keyword: Indian pasta salad, vegan pasta salad

Servings: 4

Calories: 223kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 4 ounces (113.4 g) farfalle or other pasta cooked according to package instructions
• 1 large tomato thinly sliced or chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup red onion chopped
• 6 to 7 ounces (170.1 g) of firm or extra firm tofu chopped or made into thin slices or rectangles
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped pecans or other crunchy additions such as pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds or walnuts
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

For the dressing:

• 2.5 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons non-dairy yogurt or use non dairy cream option such as coconut cream or cashew cream or blended up tofu
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala less or more to preference
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or paprika less or more to preference
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne omit for less heat
• 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves or use 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• Optional: 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup of chickpeas

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, drain and rinse in cold water and add to a bowl.

• Chop up the vegetables that you plan to use then add to a bowl. Add the tofu, cilantro and the nuts or seeds and mix well.

Make the dressing:

• Add all of the ingredients of the dressing into a bowl and mix really well. If the dressing is too thick add in a tablespoon or so of water and mix in. Heat it in a skillet or microwave until it just comes to a boil. Then taste and adjust salt and flavor, it will be salty but it’s going over the entire bowl so you want to keep it a bit on the salty side. Heating the dressing helps the spices bloom. Cool for a few minutes.

• Add this dressing to your salad bowl, and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust salt and flavour. Add more lime juice if needed, more black pepper if needed. Top it with some more fresh cilantro, let it chill for 15 minutes or more then serve.

Notes

• Yogurt substitute:  use any other nondairy cream option such as coconut cream or cashew cream or blended up silken tofu
• Soyfree: add in a can of chickpeas instead of tofu.
• nutfree : omit the pecans and add seeds of choice, use Nutfree yogurt or non dairy cream
• Gluten-free: use glutenfree pasta

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Tikka Masala Pasta Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 223
Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 362mg16%

Potassium 330mg9%

Carbohydrates 30g10%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 682IU14%

Vitamin C 22mg27%

Calcium 92mg9%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Ingredients:

• pasta – farfalle or any other shape of pasta cooked according to package instructions
• veggies: tomato, bell pepper, onion
• for added protein I like to toss some firm or extra firm tofu into the salad. You can chop it or cut it into thin slices or rectangles
• chopped pecans are added for some crunch. Instead if pecans you can use any other nut or seed such as pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds or walnuts
• fresh chopped cilantro adds some color – feel free to use parsley if you are not a fan of cilantro
• For the dressing, we blend tomato paste with non-dairy yogurt and lime juice
• tikka masala spices: salt, pepper, garam masala, coriander, garlic and onion powder, Kashmiri chili powder or paprika and cayenne
• dried fenugreek leaves make this taste extra authentic but you can omit this or add 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• another optional add-in would be 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup of chickpeas or white beans

Tips & Variations:

• Yogurt sub: use any other nondairy cream option such as coconut cream or cashew cream or blended up silken tofu
• Soyfree: add in a can of chickpeas instead of tofu.
• nutfree : omit the pecans and add seeds of choice
• Glutenfree: use glutenfree pasta

How to make Vegan Tikka Masala Pasta Salad:

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, drain and wash in cold water and add to a bowl.

Chop up the vegetables that you plan to use then add to a bowl. Add the tofu, cilantro and the nuts or seeds and mix well.

Make the dressing:

Add all of the ingredients of the dressing into a bowl and mix really well.

If the dressing is too thick add in a tablespoon or so of water and mix in. Heat it in a skillet or microwave until it just comes to a boil. Then taste and adjust salt and flavor, it will be salty but it’s going over the entire bowl so you want to keep it slightly salty. Heating the dressing helps the spices bloom. Cool for a few mins

Add this dressing to your salad bowl, and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust salt and flavour. Add more lime juice if needed, more black pepper if needed.

Top it with some fresh cilantro, let it chill for 15 minutes or more then serve.

Storage:

For best results, keep your leftover pasta salad in a sealed airtight container. As a rule, pasta salad lasts for about 3-4 days when properly stored.