Paneer Makhani is a creamy, vegetarian Indian gravy recipe. If you are looking for a restaurant-style paneer makhani recipe, your search ends here. Be sure to watch the video!
According to Google, there are millions of results when you search for a ‘paneer makhani recipe’.
So what makes this one special? – The homemade makhani gravy masala is the answer. The magical makhani masala of mine can be prepared in advance and is freezer friendly. This is the curry paste behind all my drool-worthy restaurant-style Indian makhani dishes.
Now no need to rush to the nearby Indian restaurant for your favourite murgh makhani or paneer butter masala. Prepare a batch of makhani masala over the weekend and store it in the fridge.
We are a family that loves Indian food to the core. The rich, restaurant-style Indian curries and gravy dishes are always in demand for family get-togethers and dinner parties.
This paneer makhani is one of those Indian food recipes I have made so many times on different occasions, and each time it has gotten me tons of compliments.
My Tried & True Tips
Soak paneer in lukewarm water for 8 – 10 minutes. This process makes the paneer super soft and mouth-melting.
Use the bright red ripe tomatoes for the gravy. These tomatoes will give colour to the gravy.
After grinding, filter the makhani gravy using a sieve before adding paneer. This step makes the gravy restaurant style smooth and luscious.
Do not add too much water while grinding the masala, as the paneer butter masala has a thick and luscious gravy.
Add ¼ cup of regular or cashew milk to get the desired consistency if the makhani gravy is too thick.
Instead of sugar, you can also use ¼ cup tomato paste or sauce. Nowadays, no onion, garlic tomato sauce, or ketchup is readily available in supermarkets.
I highly recommend using Kashmiri red chillies, which are mild in taste and give a bright colour to the gravy.
Watch Paneer Makhani Video
Serving Suggestion
Paneer Makhani and Naan is a favourite food combination of many food lovers worldwide, including mine. It is the ultimate comfort food.
This Indian main course gravy dish tastes perfect with whole wheat naan, paratha, roomali roti, lachha paratha, or jeera rice.
Store the leftover paneer makhani in the refrigerator. While reheating, add ¼ cup of milk to get that creamy consistency.
FAQs Related To Paneer Makhani
The only difference between the two paneer dishes is the grilling paneer before adding it to the gravy. The cubes are marinated and grilled in paneer tikka masala to get a smokey flavour in the gravy. The paneer butter masala cubes are neither grilled nor fried separately. The taste, texture, and colour of both Indian paneer recipes are more or less similar.
Yes, tasty paneer makhani can be prepared without using onion or garlic. My Jain Paneer Makhani Recipe is a huge hit among friends and family who cook without onion/garlic. It is equally good in taste and super simple to prepare—one of the best recipes for festive occasions or any religious fasting menu.
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Paneer Makhani Recipe
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
- Blender
Ingredients
- 500 gram paneer (cottage cheese)
- 1 Cup makhani masala
- 2 tablespoon ghee or butter
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Salt to taste
- 1 bay-leaf
- 4 tablespoon fresh cream
- ¼ Cup full-fat milk (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Instructions
- Cut the paneer into equal size cubes and set aside.
- Next, prepare the makhani masala as suggested in the recipe here.
- Heat butter or ghee in a pan over medium flame.
- Add bay leaf along with the makhani masala. Stir to combine and cook the masala over low heat for 4 – 5 minutes.
- Now add the cream, salt to taste, garam masala, paneer cubes and milk. Mix nicely and allow the makhani gravy to simmer for 10 – 15 minutes over low heat. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
- Once the makhani gravy gets the desired consistency, turn off the heat. Add crushed kasuri methi and stir to combine.
- Garnish paneer makhani with cream and fresh coriander leaves just before serving.
- Serve Paneer Makhani with naan, jeera rice or lachha paratha.
Recipe Notes:
- Makhani Masala can be prepared few days before as well and can be stored in the fridge. Or you can make it from scratch just before making the dish.
- If you prefer makhani gravy real thick then skip adding milk. I add milk to tone down the thickness of the gravy.
- Many recipes suggest marinating and frying paneer before adding in the masala. But I feel frying makes paneer chewy. So I never follow this step in any of my paneer curry recipes.
- Instead of fresh cream, you can use either cashew nuts paste/poppy seeds paste to make a rich and creamy makhani gravy.
Sunjula says
This is by far the best paneer butter masala recipe I’ve tried in 5 years! Totally loved it!
Hina Gujral says
That is such a big compliment. Thanks a million!
Mohit Atri says
This really boosts my knowledge about this great dish. Looking forward to such helpful and lovely recipes. Thank you.
Hina Gujral says
Always my pleasure.
Shruthi says
Hey tried this recipe!! It’s our favorite now
Sumathi says
Looks delicious!!
Shruthi says
Sounds interesting will try it out soon!
Supreeth says
Super recipe!!!