Paneer Butter Masala Recipe – This is a restaurant style paneer recipe. Soft paneer cubes are simmered in creamy, buttery, spicy and vibrant looking onion-tomato gravy.
This Paneer Butter Masala Gravy is rich and creamy. This comes from the addition of heavy cream or malai. The gravy is made from onion, tomato and cashews with some spices.
To get the bright red color just like the outside one, I have added kashmiri chili powder. Yes it is not spicy so you can add little more which gives the natural color. So no food color is added here.
Recreating popular restaurant style Punjabi dishes at home is my second obsession after eggless baking. Other than this I have already shared palak paneer, kadai paneer, dum aloo, khoya kaju, paneer lababdar, veg handi and so on. I will keep sharing rest till I make all of them. Before making this kind of dishes I refer cookbooks, Sanjeevji’s and Tarlaji’s website and I come up with the recipe or ingredients proportion which suits my taste. I do make couple of time, after making required changes I share it here. And trust me all of them tastes fantastic and delicious.
This is hubby’s most second favorite curry recipe after the kaju butter masala.
Few months back my parents were here and I made this with paratha. They just loved it. Dad was saying that it is much better than restaurant one. First time he tried my food, he was like you are the same Kanan or someone else who was in India. Yes I never cooked a single dish before marriage.
Try it once, I am sure you will also fall in love with this paneer butter masala just like my family.
Check out other paneer recipes
Paneer pulao // Paneer paratha // Paneer pav bhaji // Paneer tikka tandoori
How to make paneer butter masala recipe (Step by Step Photos):
1) Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add chopped onions, sprinkle some salt to speed up the process. Cook till onions are translucent and light brown in color.
2) Add cashew nuts and saute for 2 minutes or till it is roasted and browned.
3) Add chopped tomatoes and mix well.
4) Cook till tomatoes are soft.
5) Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chili powder.
6) Mix well and cook for a minute. Turn off the stove, let it cool down a bit and make smooth paste into blender or grinder.
7) Now wipe out the pan using paper napkin to clean it. In the same pan heat the butter and oil on medium heat.
8) Add whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf). Saute for a minute or till you get nice aroma of spices.
9) Add ginger and garlic paste.
10) Cook for a minute or till the raw smell goes away.
11) Add prepared onion-tomato paste and add remaining salt.
12) Cook till all the moisture evaporates and it becomes like a thick paste. Do stir to make sure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
13) Add kashmiri red chili powder for color and green cardamom powder. In photo it looks a lot, but trust me kashmiri chili powder is not spicy at all and it gives nice red color.
14) Mix well and cook for a minute.
15) Then add water to make gravy consistency.
16) Let it come to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat.
17) Add kasoori methi. Do crush between your palm before adding, so it releases its flavor. Stir well.
18) Add paneer cubes and mix gently.
19) Lastly add cream.
20) Stir and let it simmer for 2 minutes, so paneer gets heat up.
Paneer butter masala is ready to serve. Garnish it with coriander leaves. The look and taste of the dish is same as restaurant one.
Serving suggestion: This paneer butter masala can be served with naan, paratha, tandoori roti or jeera rice. Serve some onion slices w/ lemon wedges on side. As it is spicy curry, it is good idea to serve chaas or salted lassi on side to soothe your palate.
Paneer butter masala recipe, Restaurant style
Ingredients (1 cup = 240 ml)
To saute and grind into gravy:
- 2 teaspoons Oil
- 1 medium or 1 cup Onion chopped roughly
- 2 tablespoons Cashew nuts broken
- 2 small or 1 cup Tomato chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Coriander powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Red chili powder
- Salt to taste
For paneer butter masala recipe:
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2 Cloves
- 1 Green cardamoms
- ½ inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste or freshly grated
- ¼ teaspoon Green cardamom seeds powder
- 2 to 3 teaspoons kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 cup Water
- 200 grams or 7 oz Paneer cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) crushed
- 3-4 tablespoons Heavy whipping cream or fresh cream or malai
Instructions
First make paste:
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add chopped onions, sprinkle some salt. Cook till onions are soft and translucent.
- Add cashew nuts and saute for 2 minutes.
- Mix in chopped tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
- Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chili powder. Mix well and cook for a minute.
- Turn off the stove, let it cool down a bit and make smooth paste into blender or grinder.
Making paneer butter masala recipe:
- Now wipe out the pan using paper napkin to clean it. In the same pan heat the butter and oil on medium heat.
- Add whole spices. Saute for a minute or till you get nice aroma of spices.
- Next saute ginger and garlic paste for a minute or till the raw smell goes away.
- Now add prepared onion-tomato paste and add remaining salt. Cook till all the moisture evaporates and it becomes like a thick paste. Do stir to make sure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add kashmiri red chili powder for color and green cardamom powder. Mix well and cook for a minute.
- Then add water to make gravy consistency.
- Let it come to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat.
- Add kasoori methi.
- Add paneer cubes and mix gently.
- Lastly add cream. Stir and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Turn off the stove.
Shriya Shah
Will try it. How come you have this recipe a tad different from your other gravy recipes where you cook onions tomatoes in little water for 15 minutes? just want to understand!!
Kanan
No specific reason. Just to have different taste for every gravy.
If cook onion-tomato same way in all recipes then it will taste same.
Macho
Easy recipe and it’s sooooooo good 😋😋😋😋
Kanan
thank you.
Chef
Perfect recipe
Kanan
thank you
y.Neeraja
your recipes are excellent, please let me know the northindian t5inda curry for rotis
Kanan
Thank you.
I have added tinda recipe in my to do list
Ranju
Excellent recipe came out very well. My hubby very happy after eating it. thank you so much God bless you.
I have one doubt. Instead of cream can I use thick curd?
Kanan
Glad to know that it came out good and you guys enjoyed.
You can use whisked, smooth curd. But the taste will be different.
riya
add some sugar atlast for sweetness,otherwise the recipe rocks the day
Kanan
Thank you for your feedback.
Sugar may require if the tomatoes are not ripe which has slight sour taste.
Shaily Mehta
Turned out really nice.. Thanks for sharing!!
Kanan
Good to know that
Salomie
Much much better than what is served in restaurants .thank you
Kanan
Great. Thank you.
sneha
Oh.. Turned out much better than the restaurant served, must say. Thank you for the recipe.
~~ Cheers to you.
Kanan
good to know that.
Thank you for your feedback
Hiral Sompura Desai
Hi Kanan,
Made this dish for dinner, loved it. tastylicious.
Thanx xo
Hiral
Kanan
Glad to know you liked.
Victor
I have been looking for this for a long time, thank you so much for sharing this! I’m going to try this soon and I’m looking forward to it!
Thank you again!
Kanan
Hope you like it.
Amrita
Hi,
Loved this recipe! It came out very well. Was just wondering…have you tried freezing the masala for later use?
Thanks!
Kanan
yes you can freeze the masala. Follow till step 14. the freeze that thick paste.
Whenever ready to make, defrost, add water, simmer, add kasoori methi, paneer and cream.
Freezing the thick paste without adding water will make sure that it will have longer shelf/freezer life approx 1-2 months.
sunishtha
Thank you so much for the perfect restaurant style recipe, your blog is always a life Savior to me. Whenever my in-law visit I prepare any paneer curry cuisine from yur blog and it returns me so much good compliment and appreciations. It’s all because your recipes. My dear hubby jus loved the way paneer butter masala turned out with your recipe. Love you lot.
Kanan
Thank you for your for your review.
Glad to hear that recipes are helping you.
Shivani
Yet another delicious recipe..tried today N it came out simply amazing…hubby praised alot…thanks for sharing so nice recipes ..
Kanan
great Shivani, nice to know that it came out good.
Snehal
This turned out just perfect. Thank you for posting!
Kanan
Great. Good to know that it came out perfect
Fatema
Hii.. Can i skip kasuri methi n cardamon powder for this recipe?
Kanan
yes you can skip
nirav
WOW I think from next time I should search first then ask.
thanks Kanan
Nirav
simple yet delicious one. great job Kanan. I am sure you must have had Undhiyu in India (yummy. my mouth is watery right now) so if you can share the recipe of undhiyu that’ll be great.
thanks and happy cooking.
Kanan
Thanks. It is already on the blog. use the search box from top right of the page
Anjana
Good one Kanan. Can you also share some of the everyday “sookhi Sabzi” which you prepare?? The biggest challenge is always coming up with low oil, healthy everyday meal ideas and your site is a great reference point when I am at a loss for ideas. Thanks again
Kanan
Sure will share some sookhi subzis, I have plans for that. As spring and summer is near, so many vegetables will be in season.