Here’s an easy recipe for the perfect restaurant style paneer butter masala for all you paneer (cottage cheese) lovers! I love serving this with parathas and jeera rice. It’s always a hit with family and guests!
This restaurant style paneer butter masala is definitely one of my favourite recipes forever, and it is one of my most viewed recipes on the blog. I decided to give the pictures and the post a facelift so that we can have the most amazing paneer butter masala for as long as we want!
So here’s the thing with paneer butter masala. If you are a paneer lover, it is the king of all paneer recipes.
More Paneer Recipes that you’ll love: Saag Paneer, Tandoori Paneer, Easy Palak Paneer, Paneer Bhurji, Creamy Matar Paneer and Spicy Achari Paneer
Creamy, slightly tart and makes me mop up the gravy with anything I can get my hands on. Just the thing you need when you are craving comfort food but want something that hits all the right notes.
This is completely against the healthy binge I’ve been on. But paneer butter masala has it’s own place. With some naan of course. Or tandoori roti. Or lachha paratha. Or bread. Whatever works. Or whatever’s on hand.
Because this is what I want after too many salads, or too much chicken or too much ghar ka khana and there’s nothing like it. You get that right?
This one’s a no brainer. It’s not a super long process and if you have some of my makhani gravy on hand, all you need to do is heat up some butter, let the gravy bubble up and add paneer. Done.
BTW this Makhani Gravy is mega awesome and super handy
Just in case you are wondering, paneer butter masala is also known as paneer makhani. They are made in a tomato based gravy and use oodles of butter and cream which gives the gravy a smooth, creamy texture.
If you are a paneer lover, here are some questions you will have. I know. And thats why I am here to answer them 🙂
How do you make paneer (cottage cheese) at home?
Making paneer at home is simple and needs only two ingredients – milk and acid (lemon juice or vinegar work well). You will need to heat milk and add the acid and simmer the milk till it curdles and separates into whey and paneer or cottage cheese. I have a super handy, step by step tutorial on how to make paneer here.
Coming back to my extra favourite paneer butter masala. You can always go to the whole hog and make your own paneer at home (which only takes 15 minutes BTW and is the most satisfying experience) or you can buy store bought paneer. This recipe is so versatile that if you would rather have chicken butter masala instead, you can always substitute the paneer for chicken. Works both ways!
Doesn’t that melting butter just take your heart away? And say gimme gimme.
Watch Paneer Butter Masala Recipe Video (Step by Step)
Print
Restaurant Style Paneer Butter Masala
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 portion 1x
Category: Mains
Cuisine: Indian
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Here’s an easy recipe for the perfect restaurant style paneer butter masala for all you paneer (cottage cheese) lovers! I love serving this with parathas and jeera rice. It’s always a hit with family and guests!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Butter
- 250 grams Paneer cubes (or Cottage Cheese)
- 3 Kashmiri Red Chilies
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
- 1 Bay leaves
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 3 Cloves
- 2 Cardamoms
- 1/2 teaspoon Peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons Cashew Nuts (Chopped)
- 1 teaspoon White Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus (Optional))
- 1 Onion, roughly chopped
- 6 Tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala (Powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric (Powder)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 tablespoons Kasuri Methi (Dry)
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Cream
- to taste Salt
Instructions
- In a large pan or kadhai, heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil.
- Add red chillies, ginger, garlic paste and all the whole spices (bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and peppercorns). Alternatively, you can also wrap the spices in a muslin cloth and add them to the pan (take this out after the tomatoes are cooked down). Saute for a minute or two and add cashew nuts, poppy seeds (if using) and onions. Once the onions turn translucent, add the tomatoes. Mix well.
- Cover and cook till the tomatoes start breaking down and the mixture starts leaving oil at the edges. Switch off the flame and set aside to cool.
- Once cool enough to handle, fish out as many whole spices as possible, and blend the mixture to a smooth paste in a food processor or blender.
- In the same pan or kadhai, heat the remaining butter and add the blended paste prepared in step #4. Add garam masala powder, chili powder, turmeric, ketchup, salt along with 1/2 cup water. Bring this to a boil.
- Once the curry comes to a boil, simmer and cook for 30 minutes, till the oil separates slightly. Cut the paneer into bite sized pieces, add it to the gravy and mix gently.
- In another pan, dry roast the kasuri methi and grind it to a fine powder. Mix kasuri methi and fresh cream in the curry and switch off the flame. Serve hot.
Notes
- Paneer: If you’d like to try and make paneer at home, you can check out this recipe
- Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes work best for paneer butter masala because they are not as sour as the local varieties
Thank you for the recipe! Followed it to a T (well almost), I had to skip out on the cream and replace it with whole milk as I didn’t have cream at home. Still the choice of spices you use brings out a very good flavor. The whole family loved it.
★★★★★
So glad you and your family liked it Anjana!
now it is a special dish in my house, my son loved this and if he achieved something in his study as gift he wants this dish.. so thank u for d recipe
★★★★★
That is so sweet!! Thank you for leaving a comment
awesum taste and flavors. all love this recipe.i have fried the paneer pieces
★★★★★
That makes it even more delicious
Hi Richa…stumbled upon your recipe quite by chance. First things first – my 5 yr old, my 60 yr old and my husband and me absolutely loved it!
I have always been wary about recipes that said ‘restaurant-style’, because they usually aren’t…. so naturally I was somewhat reserved as I followed your recipe… but man was I wrong! This was truly restaurant-style! Infact this has to be one of the best outcomes in my kitchen in a long while… thank you so much for sharing Richa!
Thaaanks for leaving a comment Parvathy! So glad you guys liked it.
Excellent Recipe. My family loved it.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!
Thanks for the Yummy recipe.
So glad you liked it!
Hi,
Tried this recipe today n it ws a hit at my place…. Tasted better than d restaurant one…. I dint discard the spices though…. Thank u fr d recipe
Lovely recipe, generally we go to restaurant for this type of food. But this time my wife made it and its extremely delicious test.
Awesome recipe. Everyone at my home enjoyed the dish
★★★★★
So glad Pranava! Thanks for leaving a comment here
Your recipe is avesom yummy
Thank you
★★★★★
Thanks! So glad you liked it!
I made it twice and my lil boys lived it….now it’s like hot favourite dish in our house….thank u
Thanks! So glad you liked it!
Wow, this is going to be my go to Paneer Butter Masala from now on. In fact, I am going to serve it as part of my Dad’s 60th Birthday Party Menu. Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
★★★★★
Soooo amazing! Wish your dad from me.
Hello man,today I made this for my hubby as a surprise for him,he just loved it,even my 5 year old baby love it..she said that mom its too yummy….thank u for sharing this recipe…
★★★★★
If gravy become dry ,what to do…is it ok to add some water??
Yea, you can add a little water
Awesome!! I really hope you liked it
Hi
Mam , I made it , it is so yummy n taste is like reasturant, thanks
★★★★★
Really happy you liked it Yogini!
My husband loves this dish 😍😍.I’ve made it thrice this month and every time it comes out very tasty.thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us
★★★★★
Sooo happy to hear that Dr. Akansha! Thanks for leaving a comment
This recipe works! One addition, fry the paneer a little in butter before adding it to the gravy.. Takes it up a notch!
That definitely takes it up a notch!
I added peas and cauliflower and it turned out Fantastic. Took about 1.5 hrs to fix tho.
★★★★★
Thanks Jennifer! Glad you liked it.
it was amazing i cooked it today, everyone praised, taste was really like restaurant… i hv taken photograph too.
★★★★★
Thanks Aparna!
Absolutely delicious ! I love the fact that it doesn’t feel heavy after eating, especially in our summers !
★★★★★
Thanks Naina!
Do the dried chillies go in as a whole, or should these be cut?
They can go in whole as they are blended later
Hey a very nice recipe
check youtube.com
★★★★★
By Far the Beat Paneer recipe have tried…. loved it ❤️❤️
★★★★★
So glad you loved it Anushuya!
My whole family love the recipe . They are happy and so I am . Thanks for sharing such good recipe with all. A heartfelt thanks dear.
★★★★★
So glad you and your family loved it Amrapali!
Awesome recipe… perhaps one of the best and made with simple ingredients that u are bound to find in most Indian kitchens!!!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Vidya! So glad you liked it!
The recipe is simple and tasty. Loved it. I added the whole spices, then the paste. Did not pick them out. Still worked fine. Thank you
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing your feedback Rekha! Really glad you liked it
May I know how many person does it serve for? ..and would it affect the taste if we omit onions and garlic?.. cuz I’d seen some other recipes without ’em.
Hey Athul, you can go ahead and skip the onion and garlic. And this serves 4-6 comfortably.
Mine still tastes sour, after following the recipe, it shouldnt taste sour so I dont know how to omit that out
★★★
Hey Rucha! The sourness can be a result of the tomatoes you use. Sometimes a batch can be extra sour and that can affect the taste. You’ll have to use ripe Roma tomatoes and also adjust a little sugar to take care of the sourness.
Great recipe!! Thank you for sharing. As my husband can’t have chilies, i put a little MDH Karahi paneer masala to enhance the flavours.
Perfect! So glad you liked it
I don’t have a cloth to add whole spices. Can i just add the whole spices and pick it out later?
Absolutely! That’ll work
This recipe turned out great! Thanks for sharing.
Really glad you liked it!
Excellent recipe. Came out so well. Thank you Richa
★★★★★
So glad you liked it SK!
OMG!!! Tried it….it tasted awesome just as restaurant style…..loved itt……thank u so much dear
★★★★★
Thanks Prasanna – really glad you liked it!
Worked like a charm! Wonderfully simple and delicious. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback Nargis! Really glad you liked it
Yummy Licious
Thanks for the recipe
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
★★★★
Thanks Abhishek!
Wow made it and came out the BEST 😋
★★★★★
So glad! Thanks for sharing your feedback Randhir
Wos its awesome recipe
★★★★
Thank you Evangeline!
Excellent recipe that tasted as good as I’d hoped. I substituted paneer for tofu. And it was simple enough for an amateur cook (and a Caucasian male engineer) and my wife loved it!
★★★★★
That means a lot – so glad you and your wife loved it Paul!
Hi, I would like to try this for my very fussy kids. I was just wondering if I could omit the red chilies and chili powder? Thanks.
Yes absolutely. Omitting the chillies will affect the colour and the gravy will be paler looking, but shouldn’t affect the taste. You can also substitute the chillies and the powder for something milder like paprika.
Hey there, omitting the chillies completely would definitely affect the taste and colour. How about if you omit the dried red chillies, but use some paprika while simmering the sauce (gravy)?
In the point 5. you say “… heat the remaining butter and add the curry paste.” but in the ingredients part you don’t mention the curry paste. Do you mean by that all the spices you add, which is “garam masala powder, chili powder, turmeric, ketchup, salt”?
Hey Karolina, by curry paste I’m referring to the tomato paste that was blended to smooth in Step #4. I hope that clarifies it.
Hi Richa
Your recipe is really a worth try! Everyone in my house really liked it a lot. Thankyou so much
Keep posting such nice recipes
★★★★
So glad you and your family enjoyed it Neha! Thank you for leaving a comment here
Thanks for the information
★★★★★
Hey Richa😊
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! I tried it today and I also used your recipe on how to make paneer. I was so shocked at how simple it was! Thank you so much! My husband loved it!
★★★★★
Thank you sooo much Cesalyn! Making paneer at home is the best. I’m so glad you and your hubs enjoyed this!
Delicious thank you. I used coconut milk instead of cream
★★★★★
That works too! Thanks for the comment Rebecca
“Alright! Finally got all of the ingredients and am ready to make this”
Step 5: …add the curry paste.
“Wait…what?”
Should have read the recipe and not relied on the ingredient list…
★★★★
I’m going to clarify that in the post, but the curry paste refers to the blended tomato paste that was prepared in step #4
I made a few quirks considering many ingredients were missing in my kitchen…yet it turned out to be simply superb😀… Just wondering, as I put the mixture to simmer at the lowest possible flame, there was a lot of spurting of the curry, any way to reduce that?
★★★★★
So glad you liked it Nora. There’s no way around the spurting. Best way to avoid a mess is to cover the pan with a lid while it cooks.
Tried the recipe and it turned out delicious! Everyone in the family liked it.
Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Thanks a ton Sybil!
Tastes like real panner butter masala from restaurants
★★★★★
That’s what I was going for. Thanks for your feedback Revathy!
Very nice
Hey Richa! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe. I am gonna try this out today and I believe it’s gonna be a hit!😊
★★★★★
I hope you liked it Shivani!
Hi Richa,
Thanks for the recipe.
I have one question though; why we have to discard whole spices from curry paste mixture and later add garam masala separately? Can’t we keep those whole spices and skip garam masala?
Hey Ashwini, its difficult to control the flavours if you blend the whole spices, which is why they are discarded.
Iam new learner dis recepi was very good and tasty
★★★★★
Thank you!
This was a really awesome recipe. I have tried to make swedish indian recipes before, but most of them miss that little extra. Shall I use yellow or red onion? And can I use grounded kasuri methi without roasting it? (Is fenugreek the same thing) Thanks again for this!
Thanks Susanne! I recommend red onions but yellow will work too. Ground kasuri methi without roasting it is fine too. Kasuri methi is just dried fenugreek leaves so yes, they are essentially the same thing.
Hi Richa, thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. I’m a big Paneer lover just like you and paneer butter masala holds a special place in my heart and stomach😄. You added tomato ketchup in the recipe, I really liked that. I haven’t tried it but I’m going to try it out. It’s definitely going to add a tangy punch in the recipe. Again thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
I hope you try it Prathmesh, and love it as much as I do!
Thanks Prathmesh. Ketchup is my secret ingredient that really rounds up the flavours in the recipe. I hope you like it!
Step 5 says to add the curry paste. There is no curry paste listed in the ingredientsm what kind? How much?
The curry paste refers to the blended tomato paste from step #4. I’ve clarified that in the recipe.
Have always made with great success. Didnt have to refer another recipe to improve it.
★★★★★
That means a lot. Thanks Sharath!
Made this a few days back. Came out just perfect!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!
I tried this and turned out to be really good stuff.
Thanks and best Regards
★★★★★
Glad you liked it Raghavendra!
As it is restaurant style… Will pin this recipe for future!
★★★★★
Thanks Pranitha!
Good recipient but I guess I would have avoided ketchup to make it better
Sure, I always encourage readers to make changes as per their taste
Best PBM recipe & I have tried countless others. Teenage sons LOVE PBM – have to make frequently. I have bookmarked this forever! Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Thank you Charu!!
Do we have to use cashews
I highly recommend the cashews because they add an amazing creaminess to the gravy
Very nice and delicious
★★★★
Thanks Bobby!
I tried this recipe, it was nice
★★★★★
Thanks Namrata!
Very nice recipe
★★★★★
Thanks Shilpi!
This recipe looks perfect to me. I will give it a try. But before that, I have a query. Can I use Kashmiri Red Chili powder instead of whole Kashmiri Red Chilies? If yes, what quantity should be used?
Yes, that should be okay – add 1.5 tablespoons of Kashmiri red chilli powder
S u can, but only half a table spoon
Should i use cooking butter or table butter?
Either works Anjana!
The description is toooooo long 😟
Would you please clarify Step 4? “Once cool enough to handle, fish out as many whole spices as possible, and blend the mixture to a smooth paste.” Do you mean blend the whole spices to a paste, or discard the whole spices and blend the remaining mixture to a paste?
Hey Donna, I’m sorry thats not clear in the recipe. I mean that you should discard the whole spices and then blend it to a paste. Alternatively, you can also tie up the spices in a muslin cloth (like I’ve shown in the video) and discard them and then blend everything together.
Can I get an alternative for onions as I am jain so we don’t eat onions, garlic and potatoes
★★★★★
Hey Rachana, you can skip the onions and increase the cashews (add 4-5 more), and the khus khus by 1/2 teaspoon in the recipe.
Awesome 👌🏻
★★★★
Thanks Anvesha!
I really don’t frequently consider using almond-milk in savory recipes…they all look yummy even however!
Can i add curd instead of cream?
Hey Supriya, you can but I’m not a big fan of adding curd instead of cream. The curd might split because of the tomatoes, and will make this recipe really tart. If you don’t want to add cream, increase the cashews by a tablespoon or two to get the same creaminess.
Tried paneer butter masala and it turned out very delicious and creamy the way i wanted. Would like to have more recipies from you.
★★★★★
Thanks Poonam, so glad you liked it! I hope you keep visiting the blog.
i do cream butter palak paneer
Thanks Poonam 🙂
Do you have a Mushroom receipe
Hey Sudhir, I have several mushroom recipes on the blog. Just go to the search bar and search for ‘mushroom’ and it should throw up all the relevant results.
Good paneer receipe.
Thank you. Restaurant taste at home.
Thanks for trying it out Sudhir! So glad you liked it.
I wasn’t able to quite reproduce the bland-yet-tasty flavour of panneer butter masala for a long time…this recipe is just perfect…! Everyone loved it so much and I finally got a site to follow for North Indian recipes, yayyy…surfing pasta recipes too..will comment after trying that out 🙂
★★★★★
So happy you were able to finally find a paneer butter masala recipe you like!! And I hope you try out the pasta recipes too
Can i use ghee instead of butter??
Absolutely Hema!
This looks delicious!
What kind of cloth do you use for adding the spices? Can I use a cheesecloth for this?
Thanks!
Yes, a cheesecloth would be perfect, or a small cloth pouch works too. Saves the time on fishing out the spices
Wow nice
It’s superb
★★★★★
Thanks Pramod! Glad you like this paneer butter masala recipe.
Paneer is one of my favorite dishes and Thank you so much Richa for this fabulous recipe…I loved it so much….Such a great ful one…
I have all my support with u sis..😊
Keep rocking…..and waiting for your next crackers❤ …
★★★★★
Thank you! So glad you liked this paneer butter masala recipe
Thank you for the recipe. Everyone loved it at my place.
★★★★★
So glad you and your family loved this paneer butter masala recipe. Thanks for leaving a comment!
So glad you and your family liked this paneer butter masala. Thanks for leaving a comment here 🙂
Hy Richa!!
I don’t have kashmiri chillies😕
Can I use byadgi chilli???? If yes then how many byadgi chillies should I use??????
Yes you can! Byadgi chillies are spicier so I would cut them to 2-3, but it totally depends on your taste. Also, the kashmiri chillies add to the colour which may not happen with byadgi chillies.
Its was Sooo delicious and yum 😋
My family loved it 💓
Thank you my food story💞
★★★★
Yay! So glad you liked it Sneha
I wanted to cook Paneer yesterday hence I was searching for a recipe and came across your easy and simple recipe. I tried it and my Dad said that it tasted like it was brought from the restaurant. I brought some today for lunch and my office colleague also got confused and thought that it was brought from the restaurant.
Thank you so much and I look forward to many more such recipes.
Warm regards,
Anindita
★★★★★
So glad you loved this Anindita! Like I said, restaurant like taste 🙂
It was too Yummy..!!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Pooja!
superb so yummy my kids n hubby were just relishing.
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the feedback Shradha!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.. I am an amateur cook, I made it for my husband and he loved it 🙂
So so happy with your feedback Amy! Glad you both liked it.
Amazing Paneer recipe. I always look for such recipes.
Thanks for posting it.
★★★★
Thanks!
It was really superb! My family liked it.Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Akshya
I tried this receipe & omg it was bomb! Bursting out with subtle flavours Mr.hubs was all impressed!! Thank you.
So so glad Mishi!!
Amazing recipe, Definitely going to try this today!
Thank you!
Your recipe worked great for me..😊
★★★★★
Glad you liked it Neha!
Amazing recipe! I make it twice a week! Thanks a ton !
Wow!! So so glad you liked it Madhushree!
Absolutely delicious . Made this a few times now and love every bite. All my friends and family enjoy it aswell. Have shared with many people.
★★★★
So glad everyone liked it! Thanks for your feedback Shawn!
Perfect punjabi style paneer butter masala.
★★★★
Glad you liked it Anvesha!
Dear Madam,
In description video, you have put one punch of cloth, what this? what ingredients having cloth? Kindly to be give reply in this regard and also thank you for such a great recipe
Hi Bellari, I basically wrapped the spices up in the cloth and added it to the pot. This makes it easier to fish the whole spices out.
Hey Team,
I was looking this recipe only I had searched over thousand of websites for this perfect recipe and finally found it was awesome I had tried this at my home .
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
I tried it today….it was great and perfect panneer butter masala…loved it…thank you so much for the recipe
★★★★★
So glad you liked it Fathima!
Amazing and easy reicpe! The whole family loved it. Only change I made was to add 1 tsp cumin powder.❤️
★★★★
So glad you liked it Natasha! Thanks for leaving a comment!
This looks incredible!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try making it!
★★★★★
Thanks!
Hey in this recipe you use onions but your makhani gravy recipe doesn’t mention onions. I’m super confused. Should I or should I not? That is the question 😜
Hey Vee, I just have two slightly different recipes – one with onions and one without. You can use either of them because they both taste amazing! I hope you try it out!
My husband absolutely loves Indian food and this looks like an absolute must try!
Thanks Melanie!
Dear Rciha,
I tried the Paneer Butter masala yesterday and it was yummy! the recipe was so simple , special focus on how easy you’ve explained it to us.
Got a thumbs up from family !
Thanks again Richa.
Thanks Sonal! So glad you liked it 🙂
Love that gravy! looks so yummyy!
Thanks Nasreen 🙂
It says curry paste but no curry paste in ingredients
Hey Tammy, the curry paste refers to the paste that’s ground in Step #4
Excellent recipe. Finally found the taste I was looking for. Thank u!!
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it 🙂
Thanks for the yummy ???? recipe Rucha…
Me and my husband enjoyed it so much….
Keep it up….
Thank you, glad you and your husband liked it 🙂
Niveditha, thank you so much! You made my day with your comment. So glad you liked it, and I hope you’ll try out other recipes from the blog 🙂
Hi this is the best makhni gravy that I have tried so far.. Thanks for posting it.. I have found my most favourite dish recipe so simple yet delicious.
Thank Jo, I hope you like this recipe too!
Ooo oh my this looks good! And for so few calories I could enjoy this on my fast days! saving and making asap!
Thanks Jaideep, so glad you liked it!
i absolutely loved it. Superb taste and texture. This will become my go to recipe. Thank you very much for sharing 🙂
This is one of my favorite Indian dishes Laura, and it’s actually one of the most popular ones in India. I hope you try it!
I love the sound of this – Indian comfort food. Although I haven’t made much Indian food (at least compared to other types)
Thanks everyone!
Ma’am amazing !
The recipe absolutely like the ones served in restaurant. surely going to give a try
I am officially jealous now!! Enjoy in Bangkok!
I am officially jealous now!! Enjoy in Bangkok!