This Paneer Makhanwala has soft paneer cubes (Indian cottage cheese) in a buttery, creamy, tangy, lightly sweet gravy or sauce made with onion, tomato, cashews, herbs and spices. This delicious paneer makhanwala has restaurant style flavors, taste and gets done under 45 minutes. If you like a creamy buttery taste in a paneer dish then this recipe is for you.
About Paneer Makhanwala Recipe
This recipe of Paneer Makhanwala is a variation of Paneer Butter Masala, Paneer Lababdar and Paneer Makhani – where the makhani gravy is the hero element in these dishes.
Wondering what is a Makhani gravy? It is tangy and mildly sweet tasting gravy that features butter (or makhan in Hindi language), tomatoes (usually pureed), spices, cashew paste and cream.
Some people say that paneer makhani and paneer makhanwala are the same dishes with different names and some say paneer makhani and paneer butter masala are the same. All this confusion is because of the similar gravy and the butter (makhan) which goes in the preparation of these recipes.
I won’t go into this discussion because at the end what matters is the taste and flavor. Basically all these dishes using the makhani gravy as a base taste awesome.
Generally, the makhani gravy does not have onions. However, in this recipe, I have added onions together with a few whole spices.
The method that I prefer to make paneer makhanwala is similar to my Shahi Paneer recipe except for the ingredients used. This is a rich curry and so is very filling. Together with the butter and cream I have also added cashews.
Swap paneer with tofu if you are not fond of paneer. Basically it is this makhanwala gravy that is the hero here. It is so flavorful. So you can opt to add vegetables, tofu, button mushrooms to the gravy.
This is a rich and great paneer dish to make when you have guests at home or during a festival or celebration.
Paneer Makhanwala and Veg Makhanwala is often seen in many of the Indian restaurant menus. Many years back this dish along with Chilli Paneer would be mine and my sister’s choice of paneer dish in any restaurant.
Paneer Makhanwala is best served hot with Naan or tandoori roti. The next best is to serve with chapati, roti or phulka.
How to make Paneer Makhanwala
Make Makhani Paste
1. First take the following listed ingredients in a medium saucepan.
- ¾ cup roughly chopped onions
- 1.5 cups roughly chopped tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- ½ teaspoon chopped garlic
- 10 to 12 whole cashews
- 2 thin single strands of mace
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 2 to 3 green cardamom
- 1 cup water
You can rinse the cashews with water if you prefer.
2. Stir to mix and combine. Cook these ingredients without a lid until the tomatoes and onions soften completely.
Allow this mixture to cool. Cook for a total of 14 to 15 minutes on a medium heat.
3. When warm or cooled, add all of the cooked and softened ingredients including the stock (the water in which they were cooked) in a good blender or grinder. Blend or grind to a smooth and fine paste.
Remember there should be no small pieces of chunks of cashews or the spices. Add water if needed while blending. But it is better to avoid adding water, if possible. Because if you add water, then while sautéing the masala paste splutters.
Sautéing
4. Heat 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of butter in the same pan or another pan. Make sure the pan is dry before you add the butter. Add 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf).
I have used fresh tejpatta. Sauté for a few seconds.
5. Add the ground makhani paste and mix with the melted butter. Take care while adding the paste as the mixture can splutter.
6. Add 1 to 1.5 teaspoon of kashmiri red chili powder. I recommend to use Kashmiri red chili powder as it gives a deep orange color and is not pungent or hot.
You can also use sweet paprika or deghi mirch instead.
7. Stir well and sauté the masala on a medium heat. If the mixture starts spluttering, then keep a lid half covered on the pan. Let the moisture reduce and the spluttering will stop. But do stir often while cooking the masala paste.
8. Keep on stirring often. You have to sauté the masala till you see the butter leaving the sides. It has to be sautéed so well. This takes time but patience is the key.
You have to stir often. The masala would start clumping together and begin to reduce slowly. It will thicken and look glossy.
9. Here is how the masala should look like with the fat oozing from the sides. This sautéing took me about 20 minutes on a medium to medium-high heat.
The correct sautéing of the masala is very important to get the right notes of flavor and taste in the paneer makhanwala.
Make Paneer Makhanwala
10. Now add 1 green chili that has been sliced or slit, salt according to taste and 1.5 cups water or as required. For a slightly spicier version, you can add 2 green chilies.
11. Again mix very well and bring the gravy to a gentle simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the curry or gravy has thickened slightly.
12. Add ½ teaspoon sugar and again stir to mix. Add the paneer cubes. Stir gently and switch off the heat. Preferable use Homemade Paneer.
13. Add ¼ cup light cream (cooking cream of low-fat cream), ¾ teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves that are crushed (kasuri methi) and ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder.
If using heavy whipping cream then add 1 to 2 tablespoons.
14. Stir to combine evenly. Check the taste of the gravy and add more salt or sugar if required.
15. Serve paneer makhanwala topped with 1 tablespoon of light cream and 1 to 2 tablespoons of grated paneer. Garnish with a few ginger julienne and 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves (cilantro).
Enjoy the curry hot or warm with naan or roti. You can also serve it with jeera rice or ghee rice or saffron rice.
I recommend to finish the dish the same day and do not keep any leftovers. As on reheating the paneer cubes may get overcooked and become chewy.
More Paneer Recipes
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Paneer Makhanwala
Ingredients
For makhani paste
- ¾ cup chopped onions – 80 grams or 1 medium to large onion
- 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes – 160 to 170 grams or 3 to 4 medium tomatoes
- 1 inch ginger – chopped or 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves – small to medium sized, chopped or ½ teaspoon chopped garlic
- 2 single strands of mace
- 2 to 3 green cardamoms
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 2 tablespoon whole cashews or about 10 to 12 cashews
- 1 cup water
Other Ingredients
- 2 to 2.5 tablespoons butter – softened
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoon kashmir red chili powder or deghi mirch or sweet paprika
- 1 green chili – slit
- salt as required
- 1.5 cups water or as required
- 250 to 300 grams Paneer – cut into cubes or squares (cottage cheese)
- ¼ cup light cream or cooking cream of low-fat cream
- ¾ teaspoon kasuri methi – crushed (dry fenugreek leaves)
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
For Garnish
- 1 tablespoon light cream or cooking cream
- 1 to 2 tablespoons grated paneer – optional
- 1 inch ginger – julienne
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
Making makhani paste
- First mix chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cashews, mace, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms with 1 cup water in a medium saucepan.
- Cook everything without a lid till the tomatoes and onions soften. Cook for about 14 to 15 minutes on a medium flame. Allow this mixture to cool.
- When the ingredients are warm or cool, add everything including the stock (the water in which the ingredients were cooked) in a good blender or grinder. Grind to a smooth and fine paste.
- Remember there should be no small pieces of cashews or spices. Everything should be ground very well till fine and smooth.
Making paneer makhanwala
- Heat butter in the same pan or another pan. Make sure the pan is dry when you add the butter. Add tejpatta (Indian bay leaf) and sauté for a few seconds.
- Add the ground makhani paste. Stir well to mix with the butter
- Add kashmiri red chili powder which gives a good color and is less spicy. You can also use deghi mirch or sweet paprika
- Stir well and saute the masala on a medium heat.
- Keep stirring often. You have to sauté the masala till you see the butter leaving the sides. It has to sautéed really well. This takes time but patience is the key.
- Sauteing the masala paste takes about 20 to 22 mins on a medium to medium-high heat. Check the step by step photos (picture number 9) for the consistency of how the masala paste should be before you proceed to the next step.
- Add slit green chilies, salt and water. Again stir very well to make an even curry mixture. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Then add sugar and again stir. If you want to add honey instead of sugar then kindly check the notes section below.
- Add the paneer cubes. Mix gently and switch off the heat.
- Lastly add the light cream, crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and garam masala powder.
- Mix very well and switch off the heat. Check the taste of gravy and add more salt or sugar as needed.
- Serve paneer makhanwala garnished with cream, grated paneer, ginger julienne, and cilantro leaves, hot or warm with naan or roti.
Hi,
I tried your receipe it turned out very well.very impressed by the method of showing step by step pics of the receipe along with the context.will surely try out other receipes too.
thanks rajeshwari for sharing positive review.
Hi dassana!!
Just made this yesterday for some guests we had over. It turned out perfect. Very creamy and delicately spiced. Everyone loved it.. All credit goes to you :-*
Just one small change, it isn’t restaurant -style.. It’s much much better 😀
I love your blog and have tried so many other recipes – gobi manchurian, schezwan fried rice, methi muthiya, methi theplas, methi matar malai, mawa cake, steamed bread pudding and fruit custard too… They all turned out fantastic.. Thanks a lot for your precise and beautifully illustrated recipes.
You’re my food superstar 🙂
Lots of love and thanks for being so inspiring.
thanks a lot natasha. i agree home cooked restaurant style food is much much better than the actual restaurant food:-) and thanks for the title of food superstar 🙂 i get inspired with all the positive comments i get everyday. thanks once again.
I tried out your recepie and it came so super. Thanks for this wonderful site.
welcome anima. glad to know this.
Hi Dassana,
The recipe says to add 1 inch piece of cinnamon. So, do you blend this also in Step 3? I’ve done this before and ended up with chunks of cinnamon stuck in everything 🙂
adam, you need to grind it very well. some blenders don’t do this job well. indian masala grinders work very well. otherwise you can add cinnamon powder (1/8 to 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder).
Hi
Thanks for all the recipes. I have only one word…. fantastic
Just wanted to ask that in this paneer makhanwala recipe it took me really a lot of time to bhunao masala till oil separates. Kinda an hour. . I was doing on non stick pan on induction cooktop.
Is there any faster method??
Thanks again
Dr Swati
hi swati, it should not take an hour. it just takes about 18 to 20 minutes. must be due to the induction cooktop. there is no faster method but another alternative. in this you saute the onions, spices, tomatoes etc in oil. then grind with some water to a smooth paste. don’t grind the tej patta. then heat oil again and then add this ground paste. but remember when sauteing don’t brown the onions too much. they curry will have bitter notes. a light brown or translucency is fine in the onions. and thanks for the feedback on the recipe.
Dear Dassana,
I made this dish ‘Paneer Makhanwala’ today following your recipe and it turned out to be great. I must say that I love your website and your recipes have started giving me confidence that I can cook as well. Thanks for making it look so simple!
welcome mukul. glad to know this. do try some more recipes.
I made this and your punjabi chhole recipe for a date with my boyfriend and it came out amazing!! Both of us loved it!
I have to say trying your recipes really brought out the confidence in me that I can cook well. Now the chhole recipe has become a staple and I cook it at least once a week. However, I make this super simple paneer recipe when I want to impress someone 😉
thanks ash for this positive feedback on recipes. glad to know that the blog is helping you in cooking.
hi friend….
I tried this recipe & veg handi just. it was superb. i loves cooking from my collage days. i m trying many recipies from d net. this may i m marrying. so ur recipies helps me a lot to try new recipies. i wil try peda & coconut burfi with condensed milk soon..
thnk u so much for ur recipies.
welcome rubina. glad to know this. do try some more recipes.
Hi Dassana, just tried this receipe but with a small twist. Instead of paneer I added mix veggies and it has turned out yumm. Thank you so much for all your efforts. Gos bless u!!!
thanks for the feedback verena. veggies are a great substitute. i was anyways going to add veg makhanwala recipe soon 🙂
Wonderful recipes dassana…me &my hubby enjoining with ur recipes…I request u for
Sum more chiwda or snacks recipes…plz..&kip it up..dear
thank you. there are three chiwda recipes posted on the blog. you can also find many starters and snack recipes already shared on the blog.
Went to a great indian restaraunt and was inspired to start exploring more about Indian cooking. Luckily I found your incredible generous outstanding receipes. What a gift to explain a very complicated sophiticated cusines to anyone who is lucky enough to find your site. I cannot stop exploring a new taste everyday, and new combinations. Youhave truly inspired me. I am so excited.. A gift in my mouth…. chef Susan Plunkett
thanks chef susan for the kind words. i hope you try cooking indian recipes. indian cuisine is not a complicated cuisine. but the flavors are complex and too good 🙂
wonderful recipes, I am a beginner and dont find any difficulty, thanks to u
welcome uzma
Thanks for such nice recipe…. I hv prepared it and everyone in my family loved it.
welcome shweta
Looks really delicious and very well presented.. I am going try it today… Will share it my blog too mentioning the source and providing a link to your website.
thanks shubha. crediting with a link is fine.
I was searching for the paneer recipe n pulao recipe . Thank u so much really all the recipes u explained in detail.once again thank u so much
Plz correct my name it’s geetha rao thank u
corrected 🙂
welcome geetha.