Paneer Butter Masala

5 from 6 votes

For all the paneer-lovers - here is a delicious paneer butter masala recipe where soft and succulent paneer pieces are simmered in a deliciously rich and smooth gravy that delights all palates!

Prep: 10

Cook: 20

Total: 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

Calories: 692kcal

Author: Ruchi

Ingredients

BASIC GRAVY

3 tablespoons Butter
½ cup Onions roughly chopped
1 inch Ginger
6 cloves of Garlic
30 - Cashew nuts
1 cup Tomatoes chopped

ASSEMBLE PANEER BUTTER MASALA

3 tablespoons Butter
1 tablespoon Oil
1 - Bay Leaf
1 inch Cinnamon stick
2 small Black Cardamom
2 - Green Cardamom
3-4 - Cloves
2¼ teaspoons Kashmiri Red chili powder
2¼ teaspoons Coriander powder
½ teaspoon Turmeric
- - Salt to taste
3 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 teaspoon Sugar or honey
½ cup Water adjust the consistency to your liking
2 tablespoons Kasoori Methi
2½ cups Paneer cut into cubes
3 tablespoons Cream

GARNISHES

- - Cilantro leaves
- - Cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

BASIC GRAVY

Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan. Once the butter starts to melt, add chopped onions to the pan. Sauté until the onions turn translucent.
Add ginger and garlic to the onions. Sauté the ginger and garlic for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add cashews to this mix. Cook cashews for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring intermittently.
No add chopped tomatoes to the pan. Sauté the tomatoes with onions + cashews. Lower the heat to the low setting and cover the pan. Allow the mixture to simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are soft and tender.
Once the tomatoes are soft, uncover the pan. Take it off the heat and allow the masala to cool.
Once cooled, transfer this mix to a blender. Puree the cooled masala in the blender until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

ASSEMBLE PANEER BUTTER MASALA

Heat a heavy-bottomed cooking pan or Kadai over medium heat. Add butter and oil to it. As the butter starts to melt, add bay leaf, cinnamon, green cardamom, black cardamom, and cloves to the pan.
Sauté for a few seconds until the whole spices are fragrant. Now add Kashmiri red chili powder to the whole spices.
Mix until fully combined. Do not cook for long or the chilies will burn. Next, add the butter gravy back to the pan. Mix until the sauce is fully blended.
It’s time to season our masala. Add the coriander powder, turmeric, sugar, and salt to the masala. Stir around a while until the spices are well blended in the gravy.
Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add the tomato paste and garam masala powder to the cooking gravy. Cook for another 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Keep stirring.
Now add water to the butter masala gravy. Depending on the consistency you like, add water slowly. If you prefer a thick gravy, add less water than recommended in the recipe.
By now, the masala will start to ooze oil from the sides. Add Kasoori methi to the cooking gravy; mix it well. Now, add our star ingredient – paneer cubes to the gravy.
Gently mix the paneer into the gravy. Add cream to the gravy. Cover and allow the paneer butter masala to simmer for 4-5 minutes on low heat. After the time has elapsed, take the pan off the heat, and our delicious and creamy paneer butter masala is ready to be devoured.

GARNISH

Transfer the paneer butter masala to a serving dish. Spoon the remaining cream over paneer, garnish with chopped cilantro leaves, and serve hot with warm tandoori roti or naan.

Video

Notes

Tips to make the best Paneer Butter Masala Recipe

» If using store-bought paneer for this recipe, make sure you soak the paneer in warm water until it's soft (soak for 2-3 minutes at the max). Do not soak the paneer for long. Oversoaking will result in chewy and rubbery paneer.

» The dish's name leaves little to the imagination - paneer butter masala, therefore, do not compromise or cut down on the butter. Butter is what gives this dish an amazing richness and restaurant-like creamy texture. However, if you prefer, you can use a combo of oil + butter for cooking this paneer curry, but you will surely miss that authentic, creamy, and buttery taste.

» Always use red tomatoes for cooking paneer butter masala. Ripe red tomatoes lend a warm, vibrant color and intense flavor to the curry.

» Do not swap tomato paste for fresh tomatoes. Tomato paste bumps up the overall flavor and color.

» Cashews give this butter masala a luscious and velvety texture that is pleasant on the palate, but if you are allergic to cashews - try swapping it with almonds or melon seeds.

» This butter paneer is mildly spiced, but if you prefer an extra spicy dish, feel free to toss in 1-2 green chilies to make it spicy.

» For a creamy and silky texture, blend the masala well. The creamier, the better. If the masala/gravy is still grainy after mixing, pass it through a strainer.

» This Paneer butter masala contains no artificial colors. This dish gets its rich orange color from the tomatoes and Kashmiri red chili powder. Therefore, I would strongly suggest that you use Kashmiri red chili powder for that brilliant orange color.

» After the paneer butter masala is cooked, you can discard the whole spices if you like, just before serving.

» To add a boost of flavor to our Paneer makhani, add kasoori methi. Do not skip this herb. Kasoori methi gives a lovely aroma and just the right amount of flavor to the curry.

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