Paneer Lababdar is a delicious, rich, creamy paneer gravy that's also surprisingly light. The flavours are warm, buttery, slightly tangy and mildly sweet. Grated and cubed paneer add layers of texture and make every bite irresistible. Serve it with butter naan, jeera rice or even just roti for a comforting and delicious meal.
As someone who loves paneer, I am always on the lookout for new recipes to try. While nothing beats my love for the lusciously smooth butter paneer masala or my creamy matar paneer, this paneer lababdar recipe is another perfect paneer curry variation I find myself craving quite often.
If you are a fan of paneer, then this is a recipe you absolutely must try. Here’s why:
- Rich, creamy gravy with a lovely texture and packed with a ton of flavour.
- Cashews, almonds and grated paneer deliver incredible creaminess minus the heaviness of cream.
- Restaurant-style taste that comes together with some basic pantry staples.
- The gravy can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator to save time.
- This is a naturally gluten-free recipe
What is paneer lababdar made of?
Paneer lababdar is made with onions, tomatoes, nuts and a mixture of whole and ground spices. The result is a creamy and flavourful deep orange gravy. Small chunks of paneer are added to this curry to make it a complete dish. It is then finished off with a generous amount of grated paneer for some extra texture and creaminess.
- Paneer – Paneer is used in two forms in this recipe. Paneer cubes are cooked in the gravy. Grated paneer is added just before serving for added texture and creaminess. While it is best to use fresh, homemade malai paneer for this recipe, you can easily use frozen or store-bought paneer as well.
- Onions and tomatoes – Onions and tomatoes in a 1:4 ratio. Both of these are finely chopped and simmered along with a few nuts and spices to form the base for a rich and creamy gravy.
- Almonds and cashews – Soaked and blended with onions, tomatoes and dry spices to form the base of the gravy. Adds natural creaminess to the gravy minus the heaviness of cream.
- Kasuri methi – Kasuri methi or dried fenugreek brings all the flavours together and add a hint of smokiness. A total must when making most Indian curries. But use sparingly as a little goes a long way.
- Spices – A mix of both whole spices (Kashmiri red chilli, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon) and ground spices (red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric and garam masala ) are added at different stages of the cooking process. I like to use my homemade garam masala, but store-bought works just as well.
- Oil and ghee - This recipe uses both oil and ghee. While oil is used to cook the spices in, ghee adds a touch of richness to the dish.
How to make Paneer Lababdar
1. Add onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cashew nuts, almonds, dried red chilli to a saucepan along with a cup of water.
2. Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
3. Cool and blend to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
4. Add oil to a saucepan or kadai and allow to heat up. Add the whole spices - cardamom, clove and cinnamon and allow to fry for about a minute or until fragrant.
5. Add chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and saute on low heat for 1-2 minutes or until raw smell goes. You can add 2-3 tablespoons water along with the ground spices if you are afraid they will burn.
6. Pour the blended mixture into the pan and bring to a boil on medium heat.
7. Cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the desired consistency is achieved.
8. Add garam masala, kasuri methi and ghee and mix to combine.
9. Add in the paneer cubes and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
10. Top with grated paneer, fresh cream and chopped coriander. Serve hot along with naan, roti or rice!
Tips to help you nail paneer lababdar
- Avoid using very sour or tangy tomatoes. I like to use Roma tomatoes or hybrid tomatoes for this recipe vs desi tomatoes
- Use fresh paneer to make this recipe even more delicious
- If you are using frozen paneer, defrost the paneer by soaking it in hot water for 20 minutes before use
- Do not overcook the paneer as it loses its softness and becomes chewy. A few minutes of simmering in the gravy is enough
- Make sure that the onion, tomato and spices mixture has completely cooled down before blitzing it to avoid splatter
- To make vegan paneer lababdar, substitute the paneer with tofu; the ghee with oil and the cream with a dash of coconut milk
Difference between paneer butter masala and paneer lababdar
While paneer butter masala has a luscious, satin-smooth gravy, paneer lababdar has a creamy but slightly coarse texture. Paneer butter masala achieves its smoothness from fats like oil, butter and cream whereas paneer lababdar uses cashews, almonds, and shredded paneer to keep things nice and creamy without making it heavy.
The Key to Soft Paneer
The best way to guarantee soft paneer is to make it at home. Making paneer is easier than you think and requires just two ingredients - use my homemade paneer recipe. The paneer is ready in 15 minutes and makes really soft paneer.
Paneer lababdar is often on the menus of most North Indian restaurants, but it may not be your go-to order. If you are someone who’s never tried this amazing paneer curry before, believe me, you are missing out! Equally comforting for a weekday dinner as it is on special occasions, you’re bound to get a lot of compliments on this one!
Serve Paneer Lababdar with
Watch the Recipe Video
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Paneer Lababdar Recipe
Ingredients
Cook and Grind
- 1 medium Onion roughly chopped, approx ½ Cup
- 2 medium Tomatoes roughly chopped, approx 1 Cup
- 4 Cashew Nuts whole
- 3 Almonds whole
- 6-7 Cloves Garlic
- ¾ Inch Piece Ginger
- 1 dried Kashmiri Red Chilli optional
Gravy
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- 1 Cardamom Pod
- 2 Cloves
- ½ Inch Cinnamon
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Coriander Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 Teaspoon Ghee
- 1 Teaspoon Kasuri Methi roasted and crushed
- 200 Grams Paneer cut into triangles or cubes
- 50 Grams Paneer grated
- 1-2 Teaspoon Cream optional
- 2 Tablespoons Chopped Coriander Leaves
Instructions
Cook and Grind
- Add all the ingredients mentioned under 'cook and grind' to a saucepan along with a cup of water. Cover and boil for 10 minutes. Cool and blend to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Gravy
- Add oil to a saucepan or kadai and allow to heat up. Add the whole spices - cardamom, clove and cinnamon and allow to fry for about a minute or until fragrant.
- Add chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and saute for 1-2 minutes on low heat. Be careful not to burn these. You can also add 2 tablespoons water if you are afraid the spices will burn
- Pour the blended mixture into the pan and bring to a boil on medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the desired consistency is achieved. Add a little water if the gravy becomes too thick.
- Add garam masala, kasuri methi and ghee and mix to combine. Add in the paneer cubes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Top with grated paneer, fresh cream and chopped coriander. Serve hot along with naan, roti or rice!
Video
Notes
- Paneer can be easily substituted with tofu, butter/ghee with oil and cream can be substituted with coconut milk to turn this into a vegan recipe.
- Avoid using very sour or tangy tomatoes. I like to use Roma tomatoes or hybrid tomatoes for this recipe vs desi tomatoes.
- If you are using frozen paneer, defrost the paneer by soaking it in hot water for 20 minutes before use.
- Do not overcook the paneer as it loses its softness and becomes chewy. A few minutes in the gravy is sufficient.
- Make sure that the onion, tomato and spices mixture has completely cooled down before blitzing it to avoid splatter
- This dish can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- This dish pairs well with naan, parathas or basmati rice.
Nutrition
This article has been researched and written by Urvi Dalal
Melissa says
Thank you so much for this recipe Richa!! I'm not a fan of paneer at all but had to give it a try after watching the recipe video and how easy it was. It turned out really well, easy to follow recipe and yes made sure that the spices didnt burn. Bookmarked to use in the future 🙂