Paneer Butter Masala recipe – made in restaurant style. One of the most popular dish across India and also popular in all hotels. The gravy goes well with butter naan, roti, toasted bread and also jeera rice. We make this dish quite often at home and love butter paneer masala which just disappears in matter of few mins.
When you make this at home your house would be full of aroma. You could make a low fat dish by replacing butter with oil and cream with milk. But we love our recipe with load of butter and cream.
This is my sister’s recipe from her treasure-bank. One of the best recipes and tastes much better than the ones you get in any restaurant. I had mine with steamed rice and hubby ate with rotis.
It would be better if you use firm paneer and not crumbled paneer for this dish. Otherwise your paneer would be all over the gravy losing its shape which we don’t want. I have shallow fried the paneer before adding them to the gravy. This helps in keeping the paneer firm.
The taste of paneer butter masala is slightly towards the sweeter taste. If you aren’t fond of sweet taste then add some green chilies to make them spicy. If you don’t have paneer it’s okay just add mushrooms or tofu instead.
How to make Paneer Butter Masala recipe stepwise:
1. Firstly make a small cross over the tomatoes. Boil them in 3 cups hot water with little salt for 6-7 mins. Also add bay leaf while the boiling tomatoes.
2. Once the tomatoes are boiled their skin would peel.
3. Allow to cool, peel the tomatoes. Chop and blend them to a smooth puree.
4. Add 1 tbsp butter + oil in a heated pan. Shallow fry the paneer.
5. Once they get the lovely golden color switch off the gas.
6. Remove the paneer and place aside.
7. In the same pan add rest of butter and oil. Saute ginger and mace for a minute on low heat. I forgot to add mace in the excitement but you don’t forget 😉
8. Add chilies and saute for 20 secs.
9. Pour the cashew nut paste.
10. Mix all nicely and fry the paste.
11. Keep frying and stirring until the paste thickens.
12. Add the tomato puree.
13. Simmer the tomato puree until it thickens.
14. The gravy would thicken and reduce.
15. Once the gravy starts leaving oil towards the edges. Add all the spice powders, sugar and salt.
16. Add the fried paneer. Mix all nicely and switch off the gas.
17. Stir in cream.
18. Sprinkle some kasuri methi.
19. Serve your paneer butter masala recipe hot with naan, rotis or rice.
If you love paneer then do check paneer 65, paneer pulao, paneer masala, paneer biryani, malai paneer, paneer tikka masala, malai paneer tikka, chili paneer, paneer pasanda and methi malai paneer.
Paneer Butter Masala recipe card below:
- 250 gm cottage cheese (paneer)
- 5-6 medium sized
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil
- ½ inch ginger chopped into julienne
- 2-3 green chilies slit lengthwise
- mace- 2 strands
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- ½ tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 16-17 cashewnut soaked in hot water for 5-120 mins then grounded into a smooth paste
- 1 cup water or as required
- 2 tbsp cream or as required
- salt as required
- 1 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- Firstly make a small cross over the tomatoes. Boil them in 3 cups hot water with little salt for 6-7 mins. Also add bay leaf while boiling tomatoes.
- Once the tomatoes are boiled their skin would start peeling.
- Allow to cool, peel the tomatoes. Chop and blend them to a smooth puree.
- Add 1 tbsp butter + 1 tsp oil in a hot pan. Shallow fry the paneer.
- Once they get a lovely golden color switch off the gas. Remove the paneer and place aside.
- In the same pan add rest of oil and butter, Saute ginger and mace for a minute on low heat. I forgot to add mace in the excitement but you don't forget 😉
- Add the chilies and saute for 20 secs.
- Pour the cashewnut paste.
- Mix all nicely and fry the paste.
- Keep frying and stirring until the paste thickens.
- Add the tomato puree.
- Simmer the tomato puree until it thickens.
- The gravy would thicken and reduce.
- Once the gravy starts leaving oil towards the edges. Add all the spice powders, sugar and salt.
- Stir in cream.
- Sprinkle some kasuri methi.
- Serve your paneer butter masala recipe hot with naan, rotis or rice.
2. Adding cream is optional but it enhances the taste of the dish.
3. I have added oil along butter as butter tends to get brown.
4. If you like spice then add more green chilies
5. You could add dash of orange color I haven't added.
6. The consistency of the gravy has to be thick.
Serra says
Loved it ! Have been referring to your recipes and all of them have turned out very good and appreciated by all !! Thank you for making a ‘no cook’ like me to a much better one now . I have sure come a long way thanks to you and your recipes 🙂
maria says
Very pleased to know this Serra 🙂 thanks for positive feedback. Glad to know you like all the recipes and your family loves them too. All the best I am sure you are a great cook.
Rajkumar jain says
Really Its no 1 receipe of butter paneer masala.
maria says
thankyou so much 🙂
Chaya Ashtekar says
It came out great maria. thanks again. The pictures and the narrative makes me visit your blog frequently.
maria says
Pleased to know this Chaya thankyou for your positive feedback 🙂 also keep sharing your views we like to read your feedback.
Neeta says
Panir Makhani or butter masala is y children’s favorite and my sons in law love the chicken makhani. I used this same recipe to make both. Prepared the chicken as per your instructions. The vegetarian panir I prepared without cashews since I can’t have it. Used hemp seeds and it was so good. As I have diet restrictions of ginger and garlic, used one onion in the panir masala. It amazed me how flavorful everything still turned out to be. My kids thought I had taken so much trouble to make two kinds of dishes besides all the vegetables. Thank you for this simplified recipe that earned me compliments of “tastes just like the one served in restaurants”.
maria says
Very pleased to know this Neeta thankyou so much for your kind and positive words. Glad your family loved them and you are always welcome god bless you 🙂
Alefiyah says
I found ur recipe and cooked the paneer..it turned out perfectly delicious..my family loved it!! Thankyou so much for sharing it..
maria says
Very pleased to know this Alefiyah 🙂 glad your family loved the paneer butter masala. You are welcome.
rose says
this time tried your version and came out better than the hotel ones. My family loved it thankyou so much wish u happy diwali.
maria says
hey rose thankyou so much for trying the paneer butter masala that’s my sisters recipe 🙂 you are welcome and glad to know your family liked them. wish you too a happy and prosperous diwali.
sunita says
Hi Dear Maria
Whts up and how r u doing? After a long time yeah……hope all is fine with u and i tried this last week.Very easy recipe and super yuuuuuuummmmmssssss.
It came out delicious. Thanks for the great recipe. Waiting for the chicken manchurian and koli masala plzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Lv and Tk cre
Sunita
maria says
You are always welcome Sunita and happy to see you back after a long time… surely would update you with the garlic chicken and east indian bottle masala recipe…… give me some time I am on a small vacation….
sunita says
Okay! enjoy yr vacation.
lv and tk cre
sunita
maria says
Thanks Sunita 🙂
Viji says
love it! I have been using ground cashew to replace the cream all these days:)
maria says
Thankyou Viji 🙂