I always love a recipe that requires minimal ingredients & that can be made easily & quickly. This recipe for Paneer Butter Masala Recipe falls in that category. This no onion-garlic recipe of butter paneer is so aromatic & so yummy with just a handful of ingredients. The post contains Helpful Tips & Tricks to make Butter Paneer Masala. But if you’re in a hurry, you can also click “Jump to Recipe’ under the Heading to go directly to the Recipe Card or click Recipe Card from the Table of Contents below.
⭐ABOUT PANEER BUTTER MASALA
Paneer Butter Masala is a rich & creamy paneer recipe made by dunking paneer pieces in tomato-based curry. It is a tangy and little sweet in flavor. Tanginess comes from the tomatoes that are added when making this delicious curry. This Indian curry doesn’t require a whole lot of ingredients. However, you will need tomatoes, ginger, garam masala, red chili powder, Paneer, cream, and whole spices. This paneer recipe is popular in my home. Because of its aromatic flavor & taste, it is the number 1 choice of curry. It pairs perfectly with garlic naan.
🥘INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS
PANEER: Butter Paneer is incomplete without Paneer, so we definitely need it. You can use a store-bought one like Haldiram’s (in the US) or make your own at home (homemade Paneer).OIL/BUTTER: You can add oil or butter. But as the name suggests, Butter Paneer, adding butter will give more flavor to the curry. TOMATOES: This is tomato curry and not an onion-tomato one, so we need 3-4 tomatoes. Try to use red and juicy tomatoes; they will give a nice color to the curry. Or you can also use diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.GINGER: I have used ginger in the curry, but you can add garlic.WHOLE SPICES: I have a few whole spices that I always add, but in Butter Paneer, I use one unique spice (Mac Flower/ Javitri). This gives an extraordinary flavor to the curry.CASHEWS/ ALMONDS: To make curry extra creamy, Cashew Paste is always added. But if you want to save yourself from all that task, you can also add Almond flour to the curry.CREAM: You can use cream and cashew cream to make butter paneer curry creamier.SUGAR/HONEY: I use honey in the curry. Adding a little bit of honey or sugar to savory dishes balancers the flavor.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪HOW TO MAKE PANEER BUTTER MASALA
Check the recipe card below for the full recipe, but you refer here for step-by-step photo instructions.
Preparation
Make Cashew Cream: Soak cashews in water for 15-20 minutes. Then a high-speed blender, add 1 cup of cashews with 1 cup of water. Blend it until it is smooth & creamy. Store it in a container and use it in the recipe. Make Masala: Add butter/oil to the pan. Saute tomatoes, ginger, green chili, cardamom, cloves, and javitri. Saute for 3-5 minutes or until tomatoes turn soft 7 mushy. Add tomatoes to the blender and ground until tomatoes are pureed.
Making the Curry
Add oil/butter to the pan and add pureed tomatoes to it. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until oil starts to separate by stirring continuously. Add Spices: Then add the spices to the masala. Butter Paneer doesn’t need a lot of spices, so a little Garam Masala Powder and Red Chili Powder is enough. Add Paneer: Add Kasuri Methi and Paneer in the curry and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Lastly, add cream & cashews cream. STEP 4 - ADJUST & SERVE: Lastly, adjust the spices and serve hot with some garlic naan and enjoy.
💭PRO TIPS
👪SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Paneer Butter Masala is such a creamy & and aromatic curry that it goes great with anything. You can serve it with plain white Rice or Brown Rice. Or you can make it in a proper meal by serving butter paneer with some Jeera Rice, Garlic Naan, and salad on the side.
💭SWAPS FOR VEGAN VERSION
With few substitutions, you can make this delicious curry Vegan:
🧾FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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📖 RECIPE CARD
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