Easy Mattar Paneer (restaurant-style!)
Mattar paneer is a delicious Indian curry recipe made with peas and a soft cheese called paneer (although tofu is a good substitute). The sauce is similar to a butter chicken sauce and is so tasty. We've simplified the cooking method to make it easy to make and it is every bit as good as any restaurant mattar paneer!
Curry is best served on a bed of steamed basmati rice or cauliflower rice. If you love paneer, you may also want to try our easy palak paneer.

Mattar paneer, matar paneer, or mutter paneer, no matter how you spell it one thing is for certain … it's delicious!
But most mattar paneer recipes border on too complicated to try to make at home. Which is silly because we've figured out how to streamline the cooking process into just 4 steps so that it's easy to make.
How to make restaurant-style mattar paneer at home
- Soak the paneer in cold water. This helps to soften it so it will taste more like homemade paneer.
- Cook the onions, garlic, and ginger until deliciously well-browned. Add the spices to cook off their raw flavor for about 1 minute.
- Blend the onions with some canned tomatoes to create the sauce. Then pour the sauce back into the pan.
- Now all that you have to do is add the softened paneer, peas, and some yogurt and warm the curry.
See how easy it is to make this curry recipe?
Full recipe in the recipe card below.

Which spices are used in mattar paneer?
We use cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala. The curry also gets a ton of flavor from the well-browned onions, ginger, and garlic.
How long will this curry keep?
Mattar paneer will keep for 5-6 days in a covered container in your fridge and it tastes even better the day after you make it. Reheat it either in a microwave or with a splash of water in a pan on the stove.
Can I freeze mattar paneer?
Yes! This recipe freezes very well. We love these big reusable Stasher Bags for freezing leftovers.

Popular easy curry recipes
- Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
- Black Chana Masala {chickpea curry}
- Mango Chicken Curry
- Coconut Black Lentil Curry (vegan dal makhani)
- Easy Butter Chicken

Mattar Paneer Recipe
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 1 package paneer, 350 grams – see notes
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons EACH: ground cumin and coriander
- 1 teaspoon EACH: turmeric and garam masala
- 14 ounce can tomatoes, fire roasted, if possible
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the paneer into cubes, put them in a bowl, and cover them with cold water. (This helps to soften store-bought paneer.)1 package paneer
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook until the onion is well browned, about 8 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala and let the spices cook for 1 minute.Ā1 tablespoon cooking oil, 1 medium onion, 2 tablespoons minced ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons EACH: ground cumin and coriander, 1 teaspoon EACH: turmeric and garam masala
- Transfer the onions to a blender. Add the tomatoes and blend on high until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan.Ā14 ounce can tomatoes
- Stir in the peas and yogurt. Drain the paneer and add it to the pan then heat the curry gently over medium heat. Add up to ½ cup of water to thin the curry, if needed. Season with salt, to taste.1 cup frozen peas, ½ cup plain yogurt
Notes
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I have to believe the person who left the ātoo much gingerā comment used ginger powder instead of fresh ginger lol. This was a super quick, easy weeknight meal. Iām not sure about the authenticity but honestly I appreciate getting something on the table quickly! I pretty much followed the recipe as is although I added Kashmiri chili to the spice mix for a kick, cooked out the tomatoes longer to get rid of the canned taste, and added fenugreek leaves at the end. My family enjoyed it and it will def make it into our quick meals rotation. Thanks for the recipe!Ā
The method saysĀ Transfer the onions to a blender. Add the tomatoes and blend on high until smooth. But there is only one onion in the ingredients and that is the one that you fry. How many onions do you blend with the tomatoes?
Just the onion that you saute. š
Thank you so much, your recipes are so delicious, yet easy and quick!
I tried your recipe and I HIGHLY recommended way less ginger! I had to trash it all due to the overwhelming taste of ginger that was difficult to offset.Ā
Made this yesterday and loved it. The flavor was great and we all loved the creamy sauce. Next time I’ll double to recipe so we can have more leftovers!
Yes! Leftovers are the best part. š
Made this tonight. It is good now but I’m hoping it will be more flavorful tomorrow. We did feel it needed some salt added but maybe this is because we used tofu instead of paneer. We also used two spoonfuls of mayonnaise instead of yogurt dice I can’t do dairy. Very easy to make!
Yes you do want to salt to taste at the end. š
Could you also use an immersion blender instead of transferring?
Yes that will work!
hey looks good – would like to substitute tofu for paneer- how should I cook the tofu? thanks š
The tofu only needs to be warmed through so you can add it at the end, just like with the paneer. š