Paneer Butter Masala
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Paneer butter masala is a dreamy vegetarian curry recipe. It’s a straightforward recipe to make, and the sauce’s flavor is similar to butter chicken sauce, without the meat, of course. You’ll love it!
Paneer butter masala is very similar to my easy butter chicken recipe —only it’s made with paneer instead of chicken. I based this recipe on my popular easy butter chicken, and the result is a rich, creamy sauce with beautifully balanced flavors.
The buttery-soft cubes of paneer swimming in that flavorful curry gravy are pure comfort food. If you want to change things up, try adding 2–3 cups of diced vegetables and letting them cook right in the sauce, or stir in a cup of peas at the end. And if you like a little heat, a pinch of cayenne does the trick nicely.
Since you enjoy paneer, you might also like my Easy Mattar Paneer, Sweet Chili Paneer, and Easy Palak Paneer recipes.
Ingredients in this paneer butter masala recipe
- Onion, garlic, and ginger sautéed in a little oil.
- A can of tomatoes – fire-roasted for bonus points.
- Cashew butter – much easier to blend than traditionally used whole cashews.
- Ground spices – we use chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and cardamom.
- Salt and brown sugar – to taste.
- Cream – we love to add cream to make the paneer butter masala extra creamy and rich, but you can skip the cream if you’d like.
- Paneer – cut into bite-sized paneer cubes.
What to serve with paneer butter masala
A side of basmati rice is almost mandatory with any curry recipe. And some warm naan is wonderful for dipping in the sauce. If you’d like to serve this paneer butter masala as part of a bigger feast, here are a few other curry recipes you could include:
Store leftovers
Store and reheat: This curry recipe will last for 4-5 days in a covered container in your fridge. Reheat it gently over low heat and add a splash of water if you notice the curry getting too thick.
Freeze: This recipe freezes very well. Let it cool completely,y then transfer it to freezer-safe containers and store it in your freezer for up to six months.
Paneer Butter Masala Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil
- 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted tomatoes are great in this recipe)
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cashew butter (can sub almond butter)
- 1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
- Optional: 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Optional: ½ cup heavy cream
- 12 ounces (350 grams) paneer (cut into bite-sized cubes)
- Cilantro (to serve)
The Spices
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (can sub curry powder)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- Seeds from 4 cardamom pods (omit if you don’t have this)
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large skillet or medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook until the onion is very well-browned, about 10 minutes.2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil, 1 large onion, 2 tablespoons chopped ginger, 4 cloves garlic
- While the onion is cooking, add the spices to a small bowl. When the onion is well-browned, add the spices and let them cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and water to the pot and scrape the bottom to remove any stuck-on bits.14 ounce can diced tomatoes, ½ cup water, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon turmeric, Seeds from 4 cardamom pods
- Add the cashew butter then carefully transfer everything to your blender. Blend on high until smooth then pour the curry back into the pot. Season to taste with salt and, if using, the sugar. If you find the curry too thick, add another ½ cup of water.2 tablespoons cashew butter, 1-2 teaspoons salt, Optional: 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Add the cream, if using, and the paneer to the pot and warm it on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes. Cover the pot to prevent splatters. Serve with a little cilantro over the top.Optional: ½ cup heavy cream, 12 ounces (350 grams) paneer, Cilantro
Video
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Popular vegetarian curry recipes
If you love curry as much as we do, make sure to check out all of our curry recipes!
I sieved the sauce as I used fresh tomatoes and half a tin of chopped. We didn’t have cashews butter but did add a dash of cream. Plus a bit more spice but it was absolutely delicious. I should have taken a photo before we’d eaten it!
That sounds absolutely wonderful! Sieving the sauce is such a great idea when using fresh tomatoes, and that dash of cream with extra spice sounds perfect. I love that it disappeared before you could snap a photo — that’s always the best sign. Thanks so much for sharing your tweaks! 🍅✨
Can you add chicken ?
Absolutely! You can either sub chicken for the paneer or add then together. Just make sure to simmer the chicken pieces until they are cooked through – about 10 minutes for bite sized pieces.
maybe it’s my fault but I subbed the cashew butter for natural peanut butter, and the whole recipe tasted like peanut butter, so I had to add a bunch more spices. Other than that, it was fine
Peanut butter is much more flavorful that cashew butter, so yep, that would be why it tasted like peanut butter. 🙂
I made this a couple of weeks ago and I was super excited about how well it turned out. I was worried it wouldn’t be nearly as good as my favorite restaurant’s. It did not disappoint! I’m making it again tonight because IT IS SO DELICIOUS
I have made this multiple times. I make with fresh cashews instead of cashew butter and just blend the same. I never add the cream and it freezes well. I add peas after grinding and we have had with both paneer and leftover rotisserie chicken. It’s a great sauce.
Made this easy recipe last night and my meat loving husband had 3 huge servings! This one is a keeper!!
Can you freeze any leftovers?
Yes! This freezes very well.
I add freeze the sauce without paneer, but have done it with. You can buy and add that fresh for better taste and less space in the freezer.
This was so easy to make and super delicious!
Thank you for the recipe was great
I could eat this recipe everyday! It reminds me a lot of butter chicken – which I miss eating since becoming vegetarian. I’m happy to have this version. I think it’s actually better than butter chicken!
Made this last night with basmati brown rice and the Tandoori Cauliflower and it was a hit! My husband who usually doesn’t like Indian food says that it was a keeper and my daughter agreed. I didn’t have cream so added some milk to thin the Masala, and only added half the brown sugar (think that I’ll leave it out next time). Thanks for a wonderful recipe.