One-Pot Paneer Butter Masala Recipe For Creamy Indulgence

One-pot meals are not only a quick fix, but they also have a combination of all the right ingredients that make up a balanced diet. For a creamy, spicy, North Indian meal, you can make yourself paneer butter masala in just half an hour.

With the hectic work schedules, busy lives, and little time to cook, one-pot meals are what always save the day. Think of the busy weekdays, when you come back home from work and all you want to do is lie back with a chilled beverage. That’s the time when most people are tempted to order in or settle for takeout. And that’s exactly when you’d appreciate the quick one-pot meals.

And if your go-to cuisine is North Indian, nothing can beat a bowl filled with paneer butter masala. The creamy sabzi paired with a lachha paratha or naan with a side of raita and salad is what you deserve on your plate after a long day of work. So, if you want to treat yourself with a lip-smacking lunch or dinner that’s also easy to prepare, here’s a quick recipe and tips to perfect paneer butter masala.

How To Make Paneer Butter Masala At Home

Yields: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Base:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 inch ginger, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 10-12 whole cashews
• 2 green chillies (or adjust as per your spice tolerance)
• 1/2 cup water

For the Spices:

• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 2-3 green cardamom pods (elaichi)
• 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder (dhania powder)
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

For the Paneer And Garnish

• 250g paneer
• 1/4 cup fresh cream
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
• Coriander leaves for garnish

Cooking Instructions:

1. Take a large pan and heat some butter and oil over a medium flame. Add jeera, elaichi, and tej patta and let them splutter till fragrant.
2. Mix in chopped onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chillies, and cashew nuts. Sauté for about five to ten minutes till the onion and tomatoes are soft.
3. Turn off the heat and let the mixture come to room temperature. Add half a cup of water and blend all the contents till you get a creamy consistency.
4. Once you get a smooth paste, turn on the heat and add haldi, red chilli powder, dhania powder, sugar, and salt.
5. Cook for 8-10 minutes while stirring constantly once the mixture starts to thicken and deepen in colour.
6. Add the paneer cubes to the simmering gravy and cook for another two to three minutes to allow the paneer to absorb the flavour.
7. Stir in cream and crushed kasuri methi. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve it with roti, rice, paratha, or naan.

Tips To Make Creamiest One-Pot Paneer Butter Masala

Soak the Cashew Nuts

The secret to making the creamiest gravy for paneer butter masala is soaking the cashew nuts. All you need to do is take a handful of cashews and soak them in warm water for about fifteen minutes. Once you’re ready to blend the other ingredients, add in the soaked cashews, and you’ll get a much smoother and lump-free paste.

Blend Till Smooth

Blending can make or break the gravy of paneer butter masala. If you want to achieve the restaurant-like consistency of your one-pot meal, spend some extra time blending till the time there are no visible chunks in the paste. Remember, you can always add a little water to make the paste thinner or some milk to get a creamier consistency.

Slow Cook the Gravy

While the urge to turn up the heat to whip up your meal faster is real, you’ll get the well-blended flavours only by letting the gravy simmer. Slow cooking on low flame will help the spices mingle, the butter separate, and the veggies blend in, thus making a rich gravy. If you rush the cooking process, you might get raw-tasting paneer butter masala, so to save time, you can whip up rice or roti while the gravy is simmering.

Don’t Skimp On Garnishes

The added punch of kasuri methi, aka dried fenugreek leaves or freshly chopped coriander leaves, helps you achieve a restaurant-like flavour. Not only does your one-pot paneer butter masala become more aromatic, but it also adds depth to the gravy that takes it close to the authentic North Indian recipe.

Handle Paneer With Care

Paneer can easily crumble, especially when you’ve made it from scratch at home. Once the gravy is ready and you’re all set to add the paneer cubes, remember to handle the pieces gently. Remember not to over-stir the gravy after you’ve added the paneer to avoid it from crumbling. Also, you won’t need to let the gravy simmer for more than five minutes if you’ve already got a perfectly simmered gravy.

Prepare In Advance

If you know your next day will have a tight schedule, you can prepare the gravy in advance. You can either store the simmered gravy in the refrigerator or, if you’re making it in bulk, you can deep freeze it, thaw it, and then simply add paneer cubes to make your lunch or dinner prep easier.

Variations You Can Experiment With To Suit Your Taste

• If you have lactose intolerance or have a dietary restriction, you can swap paneer with tofu. As an alternative to heavy cream, you can use coconut milk and enjoy the North Indian paneer butter masala.
• For people who love spicy food, add a green chilli paste while simmering the gravy. You can also add some dried red chillies to give the paneer butter masala a fiery kick.
• To add a subtle sweet profile to the one-pot paneer butter masala, you can take some cashew nuts, soak them, and add them with tomatoes.