Richly spiced and creamy with tender meat, this Lamb Tikka Masala will have you making Indian food at home on the regular!
The first time I had Indian food wasn’t that long ago; I was in college and one of my best friends was Indian.
She had a real thing for chicken finger subs, so on the rare occasion when we ventured off campus for a meal, she insisted on going to a local sub shop every time. One night when we were going out to dinner I just couldn’t look at another sub; it was then that she suggested Indian food and I happily agreed.
We were there with a few other people and my friend ended up ordering for the table since none of the rest of us had any idea what anything was. One of the dishes she ordered was Chicken Tikka Masala, which instantly stole my heart. After that my friend taught me (after a bit of pleading on my part) how to make a basic Tikka Masala, along with a few other Indian dishes.
You can use any kind of meat you like in this dish; chicken is my favorite, but lamb is Mike’s so that’s what I usually end up making. I’ve also made it with beef and bison, and they’re also delicious.
People ask me a lot about what meals I keep stocked in my freezer – this one is a staple! I freeze individual servings and then when we need a quick meal I can defrost however many servings we need. Then come dinnertime, I just whip up a quick pot of rice and dinner is on the table. But here’s a little secret: while most people enjoy this dish eaten over rice, I actually prefer it eaten on its own, like stew, with a dollop of yogurt on top. Either way you can’t go wrong.
- 1½ lbs (680 g) lamb (I like loin or sirloin meat for this), trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes (see Note below)
- ½ cup (115 g) plain, unsweetened yogurt
- 3 large cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons garam masala spice mix
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
- 1 large onion, peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced
- 2 medium-large green bell peppers, de-seeded and thinly sliced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced (more or less to taste)
- 4 large cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 teaspoons garam masala spice mix, divided
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon each ground cardamom, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, and ground fenugreek
- 1 cup (235 ml) low-sodium beef broth
- 1 (28 oz can) tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar or coconut palm sugar (more or less to taste)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley (or cilantro), plus more for garnish if desired
- Prepared basmati rice
- For the lamb and marinade, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. While the gravy simmers, skewer meat and fully cook on a grill or in a hot oven.
- For the gravy, heat the ghee over medium heat in a large, deep-sided pan with a lid; once hot, add the onion, bell pepper, salt, and black pepper, and sauté (uncovered) until starting to soften but not brown (about 6 to 7 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Add the jalapeno, garlic, and ginger, and sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the bay leaf, 2½ teaspoons garam masala, coriander, cumin, and crushed red pepper flakes, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and fenugreek, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, and lemon juice.
- Bring up to a boil, put the lid on the pan but leave it slightly ajar, turn the heat down to low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat off and stir in remaining ½ teaspoon garam masala, cream, parsley, and cooked lamb. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Serve the lamb tikka masala topped with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley or cilantro if desired, alongside prepared basmati rice.
Meat Options: Instead of lamb, sometimes I also make this dish with chicken, beef, or bison. The other ingredients and cooking methods are the same.
Update (April 13, 2014): I made this dish again and perfected the recipe and snapped a few pictures, so I decided to update both the recipe and the photos in this post. As a point of comparison to show how much my photography has evolved, I kept one of my original photos (below).
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Priti says
March 4, 2011 at 6:44 amI like chicken tikka masala n paneer tikka masala and this looks so yum..love the pic and I must be coming after a long to your space Faith dear …love the new look ..looks awesome ..and hope you are enjoying your holiday …hav fun
Karen says
March 4, 2011 at 8:55 amHave a fantastic time, Faith! I can’t wait to see your pictures and hear all about the trip. Bon voyage! :-)
Lisa says
March 4, 2011 at 9:29 amI love indian food! I haven’t made anything like this, but I really should—it looks awesome!
Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons says
March 4, 2011 at 10:18 ami cant eat lammy poo but i’m sure as hell making that gravy to douse my chickpeas with! <3 deeelish girl!
I made chickpea tikka masala last night and can't get enough! <3
have a great weekend!
Michelle says
March 4, 2011 at 11:02 amSounds delicious. Love the freshly grated ginger in there.
Rosa says
March 4, 2011 at 11:22 amThat dish looks really good! Delicious flavors.
Cheers,
Rosa
mimi says
March 4, 2011 at 11:39 amI haven’t experimented much with Indian food, but this looks like a good recipe to get me going.
Mimi
Mollie says
March 4, 2011 at 11:47 amI LOVE Indian food! My roommate freshman year was Indian too, and her parents owned a restaurant in NYC so when they came to visit they brought tupperwares of food for us – yummm! I will definitely try this recipe, I’ve been meaning to stock up on Indian spices.
Thanks for sharing!
Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook says
March 4, 2011 at 12:19 pmI’ve never really had Indian food, maybe once, years ago. I should change that, your dish looks delicious and so flavorful!
Katerina says
March 4, 2011 at 12:35 pmThis dish is haunting me. I want to make it only with this and that I haven’t got the chance yet. it looks delicious Faith!
Heavenly Housewife says
March 4, 2011 at 12:48 pmTikka Masala is a great intro to Indian food, not to spicy, but super flavorful and delicious. I use Gordon Ramsay’s recipe, and it is awesome: http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/gordon-ramsay/gordon-ramsay-s-top-10-restaurant-classics/display/image/chicken-tikka-masala
*kisses* HH
Erica says
March 4, 2011 at 1:24 pmI think I’ve told you this before, but I had a bad experience with Indian food and have been afraid to try it since! This looks totally interesting and do-able though! Hope your trip is going well :)
Victoria says
March 4, 2011 at 1:57 pmTikka Masala is one of my favorite curries. Never tried it with lamb, but sounds really good.
Swathi says
March 4, 2011 at 2:18 pmLooks delicious. I love curries.
Steve @ HPD says
March 4, 2011 at 3:30 pmi love indian food … but i need to take a class in indian food terminology! i just can’t remember what means what. cheers!
Monet says
March 5, 2011 at 12:00 amThis looks even better than what I order at my favorite Indian restaurant here in Austin. I need to make this as soon as I can! Thanks for sharing with me tonight. Enjoy your weekend…take time to rest, laugh and eat some great food!
Angie's Recipes says
March 5, 2011 at 12:33 amThis looks marvelous! I love this creamy and flavourful sauce a lot.
LeQuan says
March 5, 2011 at 1:58 amI don’t eat lamb, but hubby does and he loves lamb tikka masala. I really need to learn to make this for him. Yours looks so wonderful and authentic. Someone I know would be drooling over this. Hope you guys are having a great vacation.
marla {family fresh cooking} says
March 5, 2011 at 8:10 amFaith, I hope your trip is wonderful. In the mean time I look forward to reading your posts. This lamb looks perfect!
Faith @ lovelyascharged says
March 5, 2011 at 10:39 amOh man, Indian food is the best. The flavors are just absolutely insane…now I’m craving it like whoa!
Raina says
March 5, 2011 at 12:01 pmI have never tried this dish. It sounds wonderful with all of those spices and flavors. Thanks for sharing it:)
Tanvi@SinfullySpicy says
March 5, 2011 at 12:28 pmLoves tasty.What a twist to tikka masala.Love the color of gravy
Nutmeg Nanny says
March 5, 2011 at 1:05 pmYum! I love tikka masala! Since a lovey friend sent me some delicious spices I can give this a try at home…yum!
Lucy says
March 5, 2011 at 3:32 pmI love Indian food but the ease of buying it stops me making it often, which is bad! Your delicious tikka masala looks like just the inspiration to get back to the kitchen :)
grace says
March 6, 2011 at 1:19 amchicken finger subs? no no no! this is the way to go, for sure. :)
Anna Johnston says
March 6, 2011 at 4:50 amI can’t believe you only just tried Indian food? I’m impressed you stuck with the chicken finger subs for as long as you did, Indian food is wonderful, bet you were kicking yourself after that? :) Im not a big lamb fan, but it is better in Indian food as you can mask the taste of the meat more easily. LOL. I know… Weird right?!
Nourhan @ Miss Anthropist's Kitchen says
March 6, 2011 at 5:02 pmI love this!! And I hope you have a great time in the Middle East, darling! :)
Veronica says
March 7, 2011 at 1:45 amThis has a lot more going on than the recipe I’ve been using. I think I need to try it!
Krista says
March 8, 2011 at 11:22 amI love Indian food…esp tikka masala! I’d use chicken, too.
Biren @ Roti n Rice says
March 9, 2011 at 1:01 pmThis looks so appetizing and flavorful! Need lots of basmati rice to go with this…yumm!
Mia says
March 12, 2011 at 3:36 pmI imagine how muc fun u guys must have had.
We love tikka masala too and this recipe is sure absolutely fantastic.
AM sure ur having a wonderful trip and lods of fun.
Dan says
May 2, 2011 at 9:33 pmLook delicious. Never seen tikka masala with lamb before.
Barbara Barry says
January 1, 2018 at 10:42 pmI just tried this recipe. It turned out great, but the ginger was a little overpowering. I think I’m going to try it again but with a 1/3 less ginger. Could just be my taste though. Thanks for the recipe!