Paneer Butter Masalaਪਨੀਰ ਮੱਖਣੀ

Name: Paneer Butter Masala
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Punjabi
Ingredients: 300g paneer, cut in 3cm cubes; 3 tbsp butter; 1 tbsp oil; 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped; 4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped; 12 raw cashews; 1 inch piece ginger, sliced; 4 garlic cloves; 1.5 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder; 0.75 tsp garam masala; 3 tbsp heavy cream; 1 tsp, crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi); to taste salt

⏱ Prep 15m🍳 Cook 40m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegetarian

Video: Vismai Food (YouTube)

Paneer butter masala is the dish that introduces many visitors to Indian cooking: velvety, mildly spiced, the orange-tinged tomato sauce rich with butter and cream, and cubes of soft paneer floating through it. It belongs to the Punjabi tradition but was refined in the hotel kitchens of Delhi. The secret is in blending and straining the tomato-onion base until completely smooth, and cooking it long enough that no raw taste remains.

📍 Make it in Plano

This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.

Finding Desi spots near Plano…

Ingredients

▪paneer, cut in 3cm cubes300g
▪butter3 tbsp
▪oil1 tbsp
▪yellow onion, roughly chopped1 large
▪tomatoes, roughly chopped4 medium
▪raw cashews12
▪ginger, sliced1 inch piece
▪garlic cloves4
▪Kashmiri red chili powder1.5 tsp
▪garam masala0.75 tsp
▪heavy cream3 tbsp
▪dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)1 tsp, crushed
▪saltto taste

🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions

Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) is the quiet flavour element in most Punjabi restaurant gravies. It is widely available at South Asian grocery stores abroad. If it is truly unavailable, the dish is still good without it, but that distinctive savoury finish will be absent.
Raw cashews blended into the base give body and creaminess. Blanched almonds are a reliable substitute; or skip them and increase the cream slightly for richness.

Method

1Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and cashews. Cook 5 minutes until the onion softens. Add the tomatoes, Kashmiri chili, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down fully.
2Cool slightly, then blend the mixture to a completely smooth puree. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing hard to extract maximum liquid. Discard the solids.
3Return the pot to medium heat and add the butter. Pour in the strained puree and cook, stirring regularly, for 10-12 minutes until the masala thickens and the butter rises to the surface.
4Add about half a cup of water to reach your preferred consistency. Stir in the garam masala and salt.
5Add the paneer cubes very gently so they do not break. Simmer on the lowest heat for 5 minutes.
6Pour in the cream. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms and sprinkle into the pot — this is the restaurant-finish detail. Taste for salt and serve with butter naan or paratha.

A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.