Plant-Based Malai Kofta
If you’ve ever craved rich, creamy Malai Kofta but wanted a healthier, plant-based version, this recipe is going to blow you away! Our Whole Food Plant-Based Malai Kofta is made without oil, dairy, or processed ingredients—but still delivers that indulgent, melt-in-your-mouth texture and bold, comforting flavor you love. We’ll show you how to make perfectly tender kofta balls from wholesome ingredients and smother them in a silky, spiced tomato gravy that’s so good, you’ll be licking the spoon. It’s better than takeout—and way better for you!
Equipment
Ingredients
Vegetable Dumplings
- 2 medium potatoes peeled, cubed and boiled until soft
- 1 cup tofu extra firm
- 4 tbsp arrowroot flour
- ¼ cup almond flour or cashews, sunflower seeds
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tbsp tamari low sodium
- ½ tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
Sauce (Gravy)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp coriander ground in a mortar and pestle
- ½ tsp cloves ground in a mortar and pestle
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cardamom ground in a mortar and pestle
- ¼ cup water
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 14 ounces tomatoes diced (1 can)
- 2 tbsp green chilis or red if you like it spicy
- 1 tbsp tamari low sodium
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup almond flour or cashews, sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 cup soy milk unsweetened, or plant based milk of choice
Instructions
Vegetable Dumplings
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Add the cooked potatoes and tofu to a mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Roll into balls and place onto a parchment lined baking tray.
- Bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake other side for 15 minutes.
Sauce (Gravy)
- Add the spices to the pan along with the water and cook for about a minute or two.
- Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes adding a little more water if it starts to stick to the pan.
- Add the tomatoes, chilis, tamari and lemon juice and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Add this mixture to a blender along with the almond flour, raisins and soy milk and blend on very low so that it doesn't spray out of the blender. Open the lid valve if your blender has one.
- Pour mixture back into the pan and cook on medium for about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Serve over rice adding the dumplings and the spooning over the sauce.
- Don't add the dumplings to the sauce until ready to serve or they will turn to mush.
- Store the dumplings and sauce separately in the fridge in an airtight container
Nutrition
Calories: 464kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 21gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 452mgPotassium: 830mgFiber: 10gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 249IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 274mgIron: 5mg
I absolutely love indian food but it is hard to find without dairy. This is going to be epic!
It is a delicious dish !
I will give it 5 !
I am intolerant to potatoes – do you think sweet potatoes will work? might be too sweet?
The sweetness wouldn’t be a problem but I’m not sure if they would hold up. They are already very creamy and soft using regular potatoes. If you use the sweet potatoes, I would add 3-4 tbsp of some other type of flour like oat flour or wheat flour if you aren’t gluten free.
I can’t have onions, I wonder if it would taste as good without the onions?
I think it would probably be fine without.
I’m very confused. In the video, you mention using 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon which is not on the written recipe. You also say to use 1/2 teaspoon tamari but the recipe says 1/2 tablespoon. And, your video says 1 cup raisins but the recipe says to use 1/4 cup. Makes me reluctant to even try the recipe because I’m not sure what to do.
Sorry about that Judy. There is 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Thank you for letting me know that it isn’t in the written recipe so I can fix it. I did mis-speak in the video about the tamari (it is 1/2 tbsp) and it is 1/4 cup raisins which if you listen to the video closely, that is what I said. There was just a slight pause.