Paneer butter masala | How to make paneer butter masala

Paneer butter masala which is also called Paneer Makhani is a popular North Indian gravy made from cottage cheese (paneer cubes) cooked in a smooth flavorful gravy.

This tasty gravy originally originated from Punjab and became famous all around the world. The base gravy is the Makhani masala prepared from the tomato puree base.

There are multiple versions available for this Makhani masala, and the authentic version uses purely tomatoes for the base gravy. This is my version of paneer butter masala, almost the same as restaurant-style paneer butter.

The highlight of this recipe is the mild tangy smoothness & sweetness of the masala, which can be achieved with a few tips.

This Paneer Butter Masala is a kids’ friendly recipe with mild spiciness and tinge of sweetness along with soft paneer cubes. For richness, usually cashew nuts paste or fresh cream is used. You can also use almond paste.

Few health notes on cottage cheese (paneer):

Paneer is high in protein, which helps to fulfill the protein needs of your body and especially good protein choice for vegetarians.

Moreover, paneer is rich in calcium as well which helps to maintain teeth health. Furthermore, paneer is rich in folates, which is very essential for pregnant women in fetal development.

Also, paneer is high in Potassium, which helps to regulate the fluid balance of the body.

Last but not least, the Phosphorus and magnesium present in paneer helps digestion and prevents constipation.

For similar delicious Paneer recipes:

Let us see a video of this paneer butter masala:

Paneer butter masala | How to make paneer butter masala recipe with video

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Paneer butter masala which is also called as Paneer Makhani is a popular North Indian gravy made from cottage cheese (paneer cubes) cooked in smooth flavorful gravy

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Course Breakfast, lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings

Calories 250 kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients:

To saute & grind:

1 tbsp oil
½ big onion
4 tomatoes
4 cashews
½ tsp salt

Spices:

2 bay leaves
3 cloves
2 cardamoms
1 cinnamon stick
¾ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

Other ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
250 gm paneer
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4 cashews optional
1 green chilli
1 cup water approx.
1 tsp salt as per taste
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp pepper powder
1 tsp kasuri methi

To garnish:

1 tbsp fresh cream
½ tsp butter

Instructions

Preparation:

Wash and chop tomatoes.
Chop onion. I use only half of the big onion along with tomatoes for this gravy. Authentic recipe uses only tomatoes for this Makhani gravy, which I feel sour.
Chop paneer into medium size cubes.
I use homemade fresh milk cream. It’s very easy to make at home. Collect the malai(top fat layer) formed from boiled milk and store in the fridge in a tight container. When you need fresh cream to take a tablespoon and blend using the small jar in a mixer. Fresh cream is ready. Or you can beat fast with a fork.

Recipe:

How to make Makhani gravy:

Heat oil in a pan, add onion, saute nicely.
Add chopped tomatoes and half a teaspoon salt to cook tomatoes fast.
Now add cashews, cover with a lid and cook for five minutes until tomatoes become soft and mushy.
Let this base masala cool down and grind them into a fine paste without adding water.
Keep this ready.

How to make gravy:

Heat butter in a kadai, add the whole spices and let them fry in butter to get a nice aroma.
Add ginger garlic paste, saute nicely to remove the raw flavor. If you don’t have ginger garlic paste ready add a piece of ginger and 4 garlic pods along with onion & tomato while making makhani masala.
Add few cashew nut bits and fry with ginger garlic paste.
Now add chopped green chilli.
When there is a nice Aroma from GG paste and green chillies add the ground tomato puree we prepared.
Cook the Makhani masala nicely until you get a wonderful orangish red color.
Add chilli powder. I do not have Kashmiri Red Chillies, so I used Kashmiri Chilli powder to get a nice color. If you have Kashmiri chillies you can use them while making the Makhani masala puree and reduce red chilli powder quantity.
Add around a cup of water and mix with the masala to get the correct consistency. the gravy should have a semi-thick texture hence add water accordingly. since we add cashew nut paste, the masala tends to get thickened after cooking.
Now add salt required for the masala. you can add a quarter teaspoon of pepper powder( optional) at this stage.
Cover with the lid, cook the gravy for five minutes in medium flame.
After 5 minutes open the lid, now the gravy is cooked well, and add crushed Kasuri methi. Kasturi methi gives a nice aroma to the gravy.
Add chopped paneer cubes. If you use store bought paneer then put them in warm salted water for a minute, squeeze them gently and use in the gravy.
Finally, add fresh cream and mix with the masala. after adding paneer and fresh cream don't cook the gravy for more than 3 minutes.
Paneer Butter Masala is ready to serve with roti, naan or any Indian bread items. It tastes great with pulao items also.
You can add a blob of butter just before serving.

Notes

Tips/notes: 1. Adding Cashew nut bits give nice feel while eating the butter masala. 2. You can avoid onions and use only tomatoes to make the puree. 3. Adjust the spice level to suit your needs. If you are using Kashmiri chillies while grinding the masala then reduce the chilli powder quantity. 4. Cooking tomatoes fully is an important step before grinding the paste. If tomatoes are not cooked properly then the masala may give a raw flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal

Keyword butter paneer gravy, paneer butter masala, paneer butter masala recipe video

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Recipe:

How to make Makhani gravy:

Heat oil in a pan, add onion, sauté nicely.

Chopped tomatoes, cashews and half a teaspoon salt to cook tomatoes fast.

Cover with a lid and cook for five minutes until tomatoes become soft and mushy.

Let this base masala cool down and grind them into a fine paste without adding water.
Keep this ready.

How to make gravy:

Heat butter in a kadai, add the whole spices and let them fry in butter to get a nice aroma.

Add ginger garlic paste, sauté nicely to remove the raw flavor. If you don’t have ginger garlic paste ready add a piece of ginger and 4 garlic pods along with onion & tomato while making makhani masala.

Put few cashew nut bits and fry with ginger garlic paste.

Now add green chilli.

When there is a nice aroma from GG paste and green chillies, add the ground tomato puree.
Cook the Makhani masala nicely until you get a wonderful orangish-red color.

Add chilli powder(If your chilli powder is too strong please reduce the quantity). I do not have Kashmiri Red Chillies, so I used Kashmiri Chilli powder to get a nice color. If you have Kashmiri chillies you can use them while making the Makhani masala puree and reduce red chilli powder quantity.

Add around a cup of water and mix with the masala to get the correct consistency. The gravy should have a semi-thick texture hence add water accordingly. Since we add cashew nut paste, the masala tends to get thickened after cooking.

Now add salt for the masala and some sugar to enhance the taste. You can add a quarter teaspoon of pepper powder (purely optional) at this stage. Please avoid pepper for small kids.

Cover with the lid; cook the gravy for five minutes in medium flame.
After 5 minutes open the lid, now the gravy is cooked well, crush Kasuri methi and add them. Kasuri methi gives a nice aroma to the gravy.

Add the paneer cubes. If you use store-bought paneer then put them in warm salted water for a minute, squeeze them gently and use in the gravy.

Finally, add fresh cream and mix with the masala. After adding paneer and fresh cream don’t cook the gravy for more than 3 minutes.

Paneer Butter Masala is ready to serve with roti, naan or any Indian bread items. It tastes great with pulao items also.
You can add a blob of butter just before serving.

Tips/notes:

Adding Cashew nut bits give a nice feel while eating the butter masala.
You can avoid onions and use only tomatoes to make the puree.
Adjust the spice level to suit your needs. If you are using Kashmiri chillies while grinding the masala then reduce the chilli powder quantity.
Cooking tomatoes fully is an important step before grinding the paste. If tomatoes are not cooked properly then the masala may give a raw flavor.
I prepare fresh cream at home from the boiled milk. Collect the top layer(malai) from the thick boiled milk and store in a container & keep in milk tray inside the refrigerator. Whenever the gravy asks for fresh cream just scoop out a tbsp, beat well with a fork, mix in the gravy. This is as good/tasty as store-bought fresh cream.

Try these: Paneer lababdar, Veg kolhapuri

Kadai Paneer

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