About Paneer Makhani Recipe
Paneer Makhani is a delectable, traditional Indian dish made with cubes of cheese cooked in a rich and creamy tomato based sauce. The word makhani means “buttery,” and is derived from the word makhan which means “homemade butter.” This dish is the vegetarian version of Murgh Makhani, which is commonly known outside of India as “Butter Chicken.” Butter Chicken was invented by Mr Kundan Lal Gujral in his Moti Mahal Restaurant in Delhi and has since become one of the most beloved Indian dishes across the globe. Turning the original recipe into one suitable for vegetarians by swapping in paneer, mushrooms or lentils is very common practice. This creamy, tangy homestyle gravy is made mostly with tomatoes, cream and spices. While very similar to my Paneer Butter Masala and Paneer Makhanwala, this tasty recipe has a slightly different proportion of spices. I also believe that a traditional makhani gravy should be made without onions, which is how I make mine. I should also note that in this recipe, I have avoided the use of cashew paste. While makhani gravies often include cashew paste (which gives these gravies a lovely consistency), I have received many requests to make traditional Punjab dishes without using expensive ingredients. This paneer makhani recipe is a result of those requests! The recipe is easy enough to make on a weeknight and tasty enough to be made for a small party or get together. You can opt to use ready-made tomato purée and paneer to shorten the cook time. (That said, I always prefer to make paneer at home.) Now let’s get cooking, shall we??
How to Make Paneer Makhani
Preparation
- First rinse and chop the tomatoes (250 grams or 4-5 medium ripe red tomatoes).
- In a blender or grinder make a smooth puree of the chopped tomatoes. No need to add any water while blending the tomatoes. TIP: To make this easy dish even faster, simply use store bought tomato purée. But try to buy tomato puree without preservatives or make your own tomato puree.
- In a mortar-pestle, crush the ginger & garlic to a paste (1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste, or ½ inch ginger + 3-4 small garlic cloves).
Make Makhani Gravy
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a pan. Add 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf) and then the crushed ginger-garlic. Sauté for some seconds or till the raw aroma of the crushed ginger-garlic goes away.
- Add the prepared tomato purée.
- Stir well and add ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper or paprika). Keep on sautéing till the fat leaves the sides of the tomato paste.
- Meanwhile chop 200 grams cottage cheese into bitesized cubes, squares or triangles.
- After 15 minutes on a low flame, the tomatoes and spices have sautéed well and the fat leaving the sides of the mixture is clearly seen. The masala will look glossy, will leave the sides of the pan and will come together.
- Now add 1.5 cups water. 10. Stir very well and let the gravy/sauce come to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer the gravy till it reduces and thickens a bit.
- Add ½ to 1 inch ginger julienne and 1 to 2 slivered green chilies. Simmer for a minute.
Assemble
- Stir and then add salt as required, ½ teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar. Also add the paneer cubes. Mix gently and switch off the heat. No need to cook the paneer cubes as sometimes they become hard or chewy even after cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons cream. NOTE: I used Indian brand of amul cream, but any will do with 25 to 35% fat. You can reduce the proportion of cream if you want.
- Stir gently but thoroughly, so that the cream is mixed uniformly with the gravy without breaking the paneer cubes. Switch off the flame. NOTE: Some of my paneer cubes broke while stirring because I used homemade paneer whose milk I cooked for too long. Oh, well! If a few of your paneer cubes break, rest assured that it will still taste absolutely delicious.
- Lastly sprinkle ¼ teaspoon garam masala and again stir gently. Check the seasonings and add more salt or sugar if required.
- Serve paneer makhani hot with roti, paratha or naan, or with steamed rice or jeera rice if you’re avoiding gluten. Enjoy! Want more Paneer Recipes? Check out some of my other favorites:
Palak paneer Matar paneer Chilli paneer Shahi paneer Cottage cheese curry
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. This Paneer Makhani Recipe from the blog archives first published in March 2014 has been updated and republished on May 2021.
