Paneer Butter Masala - Instant Pot
Pressure Cooker
Chunks of paneer or cottage cheese cooked in a mildly spiced tomato
gravy. This Paneer Butter Masala is so delicious and very easy to make in
the instant pot.
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Course: Main Course Cuisine: North Indian
Keyword: best, easy, instant pot, pressure cooker
Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
Total Time
30 mins
Diet: Gluten-free, Vegetarian
Servings: 4
Calories: 302kcal
Ingredients
• 1 lb Paneer or Cottage cheese chunks
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 Green chili pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 Onion cut in large pieces
• 1 tbsp Ginger minced
• 1 tbsp Garlic minced
• 4 Tomato cut in large pieces
• 1/4 cup Cashews
• 2 tbsp Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi)
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1/4 cup Cream heavy whipping or coconut cream
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Salt adjust to taste
Spices
• 1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
• 1 tsp Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin (Jeera powder) or Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Cayenne or Red Chili powder adjust to taste
Whole Spices
• 2 sticks Cinnamon (Dalchini)
• 5 Green Cardamom (Elaichi)
• 2 Black Cardamom (Moti Elaichi)
• 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
• 1 tsp Cloves (Laung)
4.8 from 98 votes
Author: Meeta Arora
Instructions
1. Make a spice pouch by adding the whole spices to a cheesecloth. Tie it such that the spices
cannot come out of it.
2. Except paneer, cream and honey, add all ingredients and spice pouch to the Instant Pot
including the spices. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
3. Set the instant pot to manual or pressure cook mode for 8 minutes.
4. After the instant pot beeps, release the pressure naturally.
5. Remove the spice pouch carefully. Blend the contents in the instant pot with an immersion
blender or regular blender to a smooth paste. If using regular blender, you may need to cool
the ingredients before blending. Get the contents back to the instant pot.
6. Add the cream and honey. Stir into the sauce.
7. Add paneer chunks. Stir them into the sauce and let it rest for 5 minutes. You can cover with a
glass lid.
8. Paneer Butter Masala is ready to be served. Garnish with dry fenugreek leaves or cilantro.
Notes
Don't have a spice bag: If you dont have a spice bag, you can skip the whole spices, and add
about a teaspoon of Garam Masala (adjust to taste) at the end.
Freezing: This gravy freezes well. Skip adding the paneer and keep this sauce handy to prepare
this or other curries.
Variations:
• Matar Paneer / Mushroom Matar / Roasted Cauliflower - You can also add different veggies
to this sauce and make delicious curries. All of the veggies can be added after making the
sauce. Simmer for 3-4 minutes on saute mode to cook the veggies.
• Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani - You can also cook butter chicken with this recipe. Add
chicken thigh pieces on top of the other ingredients before pressure cooking. Cook for 10
minutes at high pressure. Remove chicken and cut into 2-3 inch size pieces. Add back to the
sauce. Voila, butter chicken is ready! (Update: Butter Chicken Recipe here)
• Love this gravy? Make it a dip with naan and serve it as an appetizer.
• Vegan: To make this curry vegan, replace cream with coconut cream and paneer with tofu or
vegetables.
Make it a meal: Cook white basmati rice pot-in-pot (PIP) when pressure cooking the curry. Check
measurements here.
Inspired by recipe from thegirlthatmadeitall.
Nutrition
Serving: 331g | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.69g | Protein: 17.16g | Fat: 16.57g | Saturated
Fat: 6.987g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 1041mg | Potassium: 655mg | Fiber: 4.5g | Sugar: 13.2g |
Vitamin A: 3800IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 2.9mg