Butter Paneer Masala

20 mins Prep Time

1 hours 0 mins Cook Time

Written By

Nadia Boachie

This Butter Paneer Masala is a super-rich creamy dish that gets its flavour from several classic Indian spices (whole, dehydrated and powdered) and its creamy texture from added butter, cream and blended cashews. The recipe involves a decent amount of ingredients but is fairly straightforward. I love this recipe because it is a great vegetarian alternative to Indian classics like butter chicken and is perfect for dinner or lunch. It keeps really well, and in the past, when I wish to prep ahead, I have made the recipe and stopped right before adding cream and paneer. When ready to eat, add cream and paneer to the heated sauce and cook until done. You can tweak this recipe to your taste by adding more or less cream, including or omitting the tomato paste, or increasing the heat in the dish by adding more Kashmiri or perhaps a chili pepper before the blending step. Check this recipe out if you are looking for a new Indian recipe to add to your repertoire.

Ingredients

Sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 green cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger paste
1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
3-4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
10-15 whole cashews raw
1 cup water

Paneer Butter Masala

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
250 grams paneer, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Chopped cilantro, to garnish

Directions

Butter Paneer Masala

11 Steps

Step 1

In a medium bottom pan, add oil, green cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 2

Add ginger paste, garlic paste and onion.
Step 3

Sauté for about 3 minute until onion is translucent.
Step 4

Add your chopped tomatoes and cashews, cover and let simmer on low for 20 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water if the pan starts drying up.
Step 5

After 20 minutes, remove whole spices, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves but leave cardamom pods.
Step 6

Let mixture cool down slightly then transfer to blender and blend until extremely smooth, adding 1 cup of water to assist with blending.
Step 7

In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and add kashmiri red chili powder and fry for about 20 seconds.
Step 8

Add your blended sauce, tomato paste (if using), sugar, salt to taste and garam masala.
Step 9

Cook for 2 minutes, add in cream and mix.
Step 10

Add in your cubed paneer and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Step 11

Serve in dish, garnish with cilantro and serve with naan or rice.