Paneer butter masala is a delicious Punjabi dish made with paneer (Indian cottage cheese). After I did jeera pulao and paneer butter masala for a small get together, my friends wanted a step by step recipe for it, so here I am with a step by step recipe for India’s most popular paneer recipe. Today we will learn how to make paneer butter masala (Restaurant Style) in a very easy and simple manner.
Paneer Butter Masala Recipe-Restaurant style
Prep Time : 15 mins
Cook Time : 25 mins
Serves: 3-4
Recipe Category: Side dish-Paneer Recipes
Recipe Cuisine: Punjabi
Author:Padhu Sankar
Serves: 3-4
Recipe Category: Side dish-Paneer Recipes
Recipe Cuisine: Punjabi
Author:Padhu Sankar
Ingredients needed
Onion – 2
Tomato puree – 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste -1 tbsp
Paneer – 200 grams (I used home made paneer)
Cashew nuts -2 tbsp
Kasuri Methi -3/4 tsp (dry fenugreek leaves)
Salt as required
Spice Powder
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Chilli Powder – 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
For the seasoning
Butter- 2 tbsp + Oil-1 tbsp
Cinnamon -1 inch piece
Cloves- 2
Cardamom -1
For Garnishing
Fresh cream – 3 tbsp (dairy cream)
Finely chopped coriander leaves – 1 tbsp
Kasuri methi – 3/4 tsp (optional)
Preparation
Making paneer butter masala is a breeze if you keep all the 4 paste ready.
Onion Paste -Remove the skin, chop the onion into 4 pieces and boil them in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water completely and grind it to a paste.
Tomato puree – Blanch tomatoes– (ie) put the tomatoes in boiling water and close it. After 10 minutes, drain the water, remove the skin and puree the tomatoes.
Cashew nut paste– Soak 2 tbsp of cashew nuts in hot water for 15 minutes and grind it to a paste.
Keep Ginger garlic paste ready -1 tbsp
Cut paneer into cubes. I used homemade paneer.
Method
Heat 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil, add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, when it splutters, add onion paste and saute till it becomes golden brown, then add ginger garlic paste and saute for some more time.
Then add cashew nut paste and saute nicely for a few minutes till the raw smell goes.
Then add tomato puree and all the spice powder mentioned under spice powder.
Cook until the raw smell of the tomato goes and it starts leaving oil.
Meant time shallow fry the paneer in just 2 -3 tsp of oil till it becomes slightly brown.
Add the paneer cubes to the cooked tomato paste.
Add 3/4 cup of water, needed salt, kasuri methi and coriander leaves. Simmer and cook for a few minutes. You can adjust the consistency as per your personal preferences.
Garnish with fresh cream (I used amul cream) and serve hot with pulao or roti or chapati.
Hope you found it easy. So next time you can prepare restaurant style paneer butter masala at home itself and win the appreciation of family members.
Important tips for beginners
You have to brown the onions or onion paste well. If needed you can add more oil than mentioned for sauteing the onion paste. Do not add tomato paste before that.
Do not add water without cooking the tomatoes well. You have to cook till the tomatoes starts leaving oil, only then, you should add water.
Adjust water according to the consistency required.
The above tips are common for most of the Punjabi subzi/ side dishes.
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Looks very delicious ….n yum
Paneer butter masala is an all time favourite. Looks very tempting 🙂
Mmmm..that looks delicious…Very useful tips and step wise pics.
awesome paneer masala..i love this
nice tips padhu….. thank q very much…
nice one, love the rich orange colour 🙂
Very delicious and awesome looking paneer masala..thanks for sharing
Nice recipe. One more tip to add to your list. I have found deep frying the paneer and then soaking them in salted water for a minute and then squeezing the water out is an excellent way to cut back on the oil content in the dish.
i tried your paneer butter masala yesterday.
It came out delicious and tasted like restaurant one.Thanking for sharing this and for ur help in making this.
Is Blanching tomatoes done by boiling in hot water? I thought the traditional Indian way is to slow cook with little oil in a pan and covering it with a lid until cooked but not using water. Both tastes are quite different.
definitely looks promising!!!! one question..is adding not required in this recipe..as i have read some people use cream and some use cashew nut..bit confused…what difference will it make…anyways…nice blog…i am subscribing it and will be promoting it…
Tried this recipe today. All my guests simply loved it. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi Padhu tried this receipe this weekend dint expect these many compliments even small kids asked for more thank u thanks alot padhugaru
from now i vl try all ur receipes … Pavani
hi.. it looks yummy..where do we get fresh cream in US?
i made this tonight! was sooo good and easy to make after prep 🙂
Wow what an awesome reciepe. This one is defintly going in my indian cuisine section in my cookbook 🙂 Theres a lot of preperation but after that its pretty simple to make. My boyfriend commented that it smelled and tasted just like he had in the resturants. It had lots of variety of tastes packed in one dish..superb! thanks padhu 🙂
It's very nice recipe. Thank you for sharing it.
wow Thanks To you my wife did a great dish 🙂
Great recipe…i have tried it, came out so well.Thanks..keep post some western recipies also….
Tried this recipe yesterday and it was awesome similar to the ones we get in the restaurants and also hassle free.Thanks for sharing this recipe.
hi Padhu, recipes are great and really really simple to follow and cook. I had tried this "PBM", really a cool one ! people in my house liked it and me too..! Thanks for the "Simpler Recipes".
🙂
I have got to tell you this Padhu! Your recipes never go wrong. I have tried Panneer so many times and every time I make I feel something is missing and infact gave up making panneer for a while. Yesterday I was browsing through your blog and saw this recipe and thought will give one shot last time and bingo! It was awesome. Everybody at home loved it and I felt so happy and satisfied. Thank You very much for sharing this recipe. It would be nice if you can publish a book with all your recipes. I will definitely buy it!
Hi.. instead of cashews can we add peanuts or coconut ?? will that change the taste or consistency ?
Dear Poorni
Yes, it will alter the taste.
Thank you lady…
I was just thinking about some dishes with which I can grab my Husbands heart.. 🙂 🙂 🙂
I tried this and turned gr8.. thanks
andhra kitchen What a perfect and fresh summer meal. Loving your contribution here, Thorough, inspiring, delicious.
this is awesome… nice guidance for beginners like me… 🙂
hi,
I made this recently. I totally avoided the butter because of weight issues. Still none could make out and the dish was awesome – typical restaurant style food. Thanks for such a great recipe.Shobana.
Padhu, I have tried ur mango rice recipe before..It has come out superb….Today I tried ur paneer butter masala which as u have shown in pictures came out really good… Now I have become a grt fan of ur cooking..
good one
Managed to prepare decent dish first up….thanks
thanx
thanx
thanx padhu garu i made dis recipe sterday it was soo good and tasted like a restaurant one..n was soo happy n self satisfied.. plzz upload more restaurant like recipes.. 🙂
Amazing Recipes. Lovely Paneer butter masala just tried it today with jeera rice. Thanks for ur easy and tasty recipes
thanks padhu.. i tried it out today and it came out very good and tasty.. thanks for the detailed recipe.. my parents just loved the dish..
Hi Padhu, Tried your recipe today and it's fabulous 🙂 glad it's as detailed as it is. thanks for sharing!
Hi Padhu, very good recipe.. loved the taste. It really tasted like it does in restaurants. Thanks!
Hi Padhu, thanks for the recipe and I would love to try it. But I have a problem in using ground onions. whenever i use the ground onions(boiled or raw, either ways it doesn't turn out good. It turns bitter or retains the raw smell, even after I fry it in medium flame until it turns golden brown. I make sure to remove the root of the onion before using it. So, not sure what else would be the problem. Do you have any idea?
Hi Deepika, if that is the case, you can try sauteing the onions in 2 tsp of oil and then grind it to a paste. Sorry for the late reply as I was busy with Diwali celebrations
I'm new here but reading comments I will make this dish asap.I'm sure it will make my family happy.I'll let you know
hi Padhu,
I tried this recipe.. it came out well.. i have been looking for a blog like this.. with day to day recipes and simple ones.. so happy to find your blog.. keep up your great work…
Wow !! It was awesome experience to cook & taste it, thanks million for sharing it.
Had to make a dish fr 10 ppl fr a party in clg n I decided to try out ur paneer butter masala.as I dint hve garam masala at home n I was lazy to go buy I added kitchen king masala instead and I was a bit short of tomato puree so added a bit of tomato ketchup n also half glass of milk with fresh cream. N I must say d dish was really gud. . .thanks padhu . My friends loved it.. a bit high on calories though.. hehe
Wow, such a great recipe. I tried it and it turned out really awesome. I got the great comments from everyone. Thanks for your all recipes.
Hi Padhu,
I have become a great fan & admirer of yours by trying your many items including puliogare. paneer butter masala, aloo peas curry etc…Your measurements will be perfect..The way you explain recipe is good..Thank u so much.. Waiting for your many more coming dishes..
Deepa
Padhu, excellent… My roommmates used to rate me as bad cook… but today I am so proud of Paneer Butter Masala I cooked. Everyone congratulated me because of you… Thanks a lot. You have lot of talent. Major attraction was the clear explanation you given. Very good… Keep it up…
thank u for a nice recepie i will make this one at home…………….
It really comes well…And the credit is all yours..Thank you:-)
I started trying out ur dishes recently..Everything have come out so well. I shared many photos in fb and got compliments.Thanks to u.. Even today morning I made this for chapathi n it is really good.I am so happy.Thank u dear.And may I know u r from which place?And what u do.?
Love take care
Neha
Hi padhu thanks alot for this excellent recipe I tried and it came out very well 🙂 My hubby loved it 🙂
Leela
Superrrr Recipe…will defiantly try for coming weekend….!!!!! yumsssssss..
my husband loved Panner….
Hi padhu, I made this recipe today and all my family members and friends loved it. Thanks a lot for detailed recipe.
Tried it… And it turned out really very well… I added just a pinch of ajinomoto to give it bit restaurant taste… Just too good… I prefer you blog over sanjeev kapoor and tarla dalal many a times…
Hi…I am a beginner,,,,,I have tried this receipe today and it turned out delicious..your receive is much better than any other chefs….I always follow your recipes….When people praise about my dishes, I thank you for bringing this to us….Thanks a lot…..you are star
can u plz tell me hw many tomatoes and onions??
I had tried many of your receipes Padhu and this one rocks,,Keep the good work doing,,,your guidance always keep me up as good Chef in front of mah frends,,,many thanks,,
This one rocks , Padhu!!! Tastes just like the hotel style.. U r such an inspiration:):)
Your guidance is so accurate and this one rocks!! Great work, Padhu!! U r truly an inspiration:):)
When I need to check a recipe, and I google for it, my first choice these days is padhu's kitchen as compared to Sanjeev kapoor or Tarla dalal. Your instructions are simple and easy to follow. Keep up the good work!
அருமை
நன்றி.
FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS TO A T AND VIOLA… ultimate dish ready
Thanks for the recipe… it really does taste like what you get in restaurant … YUM
Thanks for the Recipe.. My Mom and Wife got Stunned and Shocked.. Infact they were not trusting my one time kitchen visit and started to prepare alternate dish.. But.. It all happened.. Thank You very much..
Hi Padma…thanks a lot for your recepies. Here you asked to blanch onions and tomatoes.why is it so.cant we make its puree directly without blanching?kindly guide.thanks again 🙂
Ashy baby – Blanching gives a different taste. You can do it without blanching also. In that case you have to fry the onions and tomatoes well and then make a paste otherwise you might get raw smell.
Thank you for the response. This trick was something that I was unaware of !
when we have to addd cashew paste????????
Remya -I have written it clearly. Add after sauteing the ginger garlic paste well.
Tried this yesterday and it came out well. My husband loved it and told it sure tasted like the one in restaurant. Thank you very much for sharing this. You are my cooking guru.
Hi I like the way you presented step by step,I hv prepared many dishes from ur site really tastes osum.thank you
Padhu, I tried your paneer butter masala last week and it came out really well than I expected. My husband liked it very much and he told it tasted better than restaurants. I felt very happy and satisfied. Thanks a lot Padhu for sharing your recipe.
Gonna try
day…
i fall in love with this dish! lol 😀
I have tried other recipes for the same dish no one stands close to this . wonderful
I tried dis n it turned out utterly butterly delicious, luvd it…
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. It came out really well. Got good comments from family thanks to you 🙂
Hi there
I love visiting cooking blogs and I stumbled upon yours when I wanted to make sambhar. . Bored of the way I make sambhar, yours provided the perfect recipe. My husband loves paneer and I decided to try out your recipe and needless to say this one is awesome. The step by step recipes with the clear explanations make it so easier. . I am grateful and thank u so much.. This is definitely a keeper.. god bless.
Hi padhu.. Thanks for your receipe.. I have a doubt.. You have mentioned coriander powder in this receipe.. Does that mean coriander seeds powder or coriander leaves powder.. Please advise..
Coriander powder means only coriander seeds powder.
Hi padhu… I look to ur blog for making at least one dish a meal.. And after a month… Not a single one has gone wrong !! My son loves all of them.. Thanks padhu.. Your recipes have changed the opinion of many in the house about my cooking.. Love your work.. Keep posting new ones !! Thanks again
Padhu, thank you so much! Love all your recepies. I am a working mother and new to cooking… ur blogs are so helpful beyond words can say 🙂 keep up the good work
This recipe has great flavor! It was fun to make our own paneer for it too. Thanks!
Hi Padhu, I have tried several recipes of yours and all of them have turned out to be very tasty. Thank you for sharing such a huge variety of recipes and helping newly weds as me to gain confidence
Contd.. Confidence in cooking . And impress my family 😀 keep up the good work. And continue posting new varieties of dishes.
Cheers!!
Wow!! It really smelled and tasted like restaurant food.. thanks a lot..
We tried this recipe and had it just now with roti, it was a super hit.
We couldn't believe we prepared this yummy dish.Your step by step pictures,clear instructions and tips for the beginners really helped us to make it wonderful.
Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe and it tasted more better than the restaurant one.
Senthil
Hello madam. If I want to cook 400 gms or more paneer , how about the measurement ? Thanks
I tried this recipe yesterday n has come out really well. Thank u so much.
Can kasthiri methi b skipped ?
Yes, it can be skipped. But it gives a nice flavor.
Hi,
I want to prepare the 2kg panner butter masala receipe .
Kindly share with me the quantity of all the ingredients which are required to prepare 2kg panner butter masala receipe .
Regards,
Preethi
Hi Padhu,tried it :)Came out well :)Now I am a great fan of yours ..!!!
Hi Padhu, your recipes are simple to follow. Paneer Butter masala is a great hit at home, my kids love it…
Shall i use evaporated milk instead of cream?
Bharathi Renganathan -Yes, you can use evaporated milk instead of cream.
This is the first dish that I've cooked…I went by whatever you said, not altering anything and voila! If was perfect! My hubby, MIL and FIL loved it! Cheers to ur blog Padhu 🙂 will try out more for sure!
Hi..I tried this today and it was delicious.my husband loved it . Thanks for the lovely recipe
Omg wat a taste…..my family loved it….great padhu….keep rocking….
Tried your recipe today.. Tastes awesome.. My husband liked it a lot.. Thanks for your wonderful recipe..
Thank yoy so much padhu. it came out really good. your tips mentioned at the end helped me to get a restaurant taste paneer butter madala.Thanx
Very useful. Actually my son introduced yr site to me. He started cooking too. We are making this v.often nowadays.
Thanks a lot.
Thanks padhu.. planning to try it tonight. Will tel u hw it turned out.
Hi padhu,
I tried it today. ….very delicious. ..Thank you very much for easy and simple instructions
Yummy masala
Very thank full for the recipie of tasty paneer butter masala a very big thnx
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
I have made this several times, it is delicious! Thank you Padhu for posting this wonderful recipe!
Hello,
mouth watering. will definitely try it since I can see so many many positive comments
Hi Padhu,
Very nice recipe. i have a doubt. is it necessary to boil onion and tomato before grinding. it will change the taste?
Thank you for liking the recipe. It is not necessary to boil the onion and tomatoes, but that method will give a different taste and this one will have a different taste.
Thanks Padhu. I will definitely try with this way.
What is kasturi meethi??is it necesary to put kasturi meethi
Kasuri methi is dried fenugreek leaves. As it gives a nice flavor to the dish,I have used it. It is optional.
I tried this receipe yesterday and it came out really well. Thank you so much for this wonderful receipe. I have tried so many receipes… But none are as perfect as yours. I'm not a very good cook.. But now my husband and children have become fans of my food after I started cooking using your receipes. Thank you soooo much Paddu. Just love your receipes.
Hi.
By boiling the veggies and draining the water, will it not loose all the vitamins and minerals in it. Though it tastes good its not healthy I guess. Just a thought.
Thank u for d receipe. Tried it without coriander powder.added a bit of milk…came out abs delicious!!
Superb recipe. I ground the cashew seeds with half an onion just to add volume. Did d same with ginger garlic. Added some green peas also. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe
Superb…Tastes great..this is my 2nd time…BUT one difference…First i roasted the paneer, separated it…Added 3/4 tsp of butter to the same thing and started to cook…Came out much more tasty..But it was very hot so i had to add the Seasoning much faster..that was all…tastes yummy..
Thanks for this Wonderful recipe Padhu
the recipe was awesome!!
Hi Padhu…. I tried it today, the taste was great, my hubby loved the dish… Thank you…:-)
Hi Padhu… Tried it… Delicious… Awesome…!
Hi padhu, really dishes canes out well. My daughter likes it very much. Thank u so much.
Hi padhu, Does dairy cream and condensed milk is the same or different ?
Can we add condensed milk instead of dairy cream ?
No they are different. Add milk/dairy cream (malai). You can skip that if you do not prefer.
Hi Padhu
Many a times I ve tried this receipe n it had turned out to b awesome.. but this time it was bit bitter. S it cos of excess coriander powder? Kindly clarify.. thanks ..
Dear n I shd say I’m a great fan of ur page for anything n everything it s nly ur page I refer to 🙂
Nice to know that you have tried this recipe several times with success. I assume that you might have burnt the onions, otherwise there is hardly any chances for it to taste slightly bitter.
Thank u. Won’t it b due to excess coriander powder dear?
There is a possibility. If you over roast the cumin or coriander seeds, the masala might have a bitter taste.
Have tried this recipe twice earlier and now again. Comes out Soo well and awesome taste
Thanks a lot Padhu Sankar
Super Recipe. Tried this, awesome taste better than restaurant
This recipe of yours is gr8 hit always. Plz start YouTube video channel
Hi dear padhu first I want to thank you first let me tell you one thing all my side dishes for chapathi I did only seeing your blog and it was great taste everyone loved it today I tried kuzhi paniyaram for first time and my kids loved it thank you very much for the dishes padhu you are my mother I am telling this from my heart
Thank you so much Anu. I feel so happy to know that you found recipes of Padhuskitchen useful. I am a mother to 2 adults. Thank you for calling me mother.I am deeply touched after reading your kind words. Feeling all the more responsible.
Padhus kitchen recipes are always how I win over my family! Thank you Mrs. Padhu Shankar
Hai, When my son searched for paneer butter masala I suggested him to go through your recipe. He followed your instruction and end up in nice gravy as per his satisfaction. I have tried all type variety rice, appam, unniappam and so on. All come out nice. All are foolproof. We thank you for your sicerity.
Hi Padhu,
It came out very well.. Thanks a lot for stepwise instructions..
But, I have left over fresh cream.. I don’t want to waste. So what else can we do with the fresh cream.. Is it possible to take butter or paneer from it..
Regards,
Kirthika
You can take butter or you can use it to make ice cream. You cannot make paneer from it.
I have made PBM several times and it has turned out very yummy every single time, thanks to your recipe. Now I want to try it out with Tofu paneer instead of regular paneer. Will it work? 🙂
Yes it will, but tofu is not as delicious as paneer in my opinion.
200 % fool proof recepie… I love ur version of paneer butter masala. Mouth watering… I’ve made a couple of times n Ppl Jus appreciated me tat it tastes more yummier than restaurants.. Thanks alot padhu sis..
Thanks a lot. Glad you loved it.
Thanks for the nice recipe. If I don’t have kasuri methi handy, can I use fresh methi leaves instead?
Thanks a lot for a superb recipe.