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Paneer butter masala served in a siver dish, on a blue background
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5 from 1 vote

Paneer Butter Masala

A delicious paneer butter masala made with vegan paneer and packed full of delicious herbs and spices. Vegan and gluten free recipe.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Gluten-free, Vegan
Keyword: indian main course, jamaican vegan curry, vegan paneer
Servings: 4 people
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegan paneer cubes find the recipe for vegan paneer in my cookbook 
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 4 medium tomatoes chopped
  • 1 Serrano chili pepper
  • 1 dried red chili
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds or coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 cardamon pod
  • 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 inch ginger chopped
  • 6 medium sized cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon dried Kasuri Methi. Fresh Fenugreek Leaves can also be used. optional
  • 1 cup cashews soaked in water for an hour
  • 1/2 cup non dairy milk or thin cashew cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon vegan butter
  • chopped cilantro or grated beets for garnish
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a large pan, add oil and chopped onions and let cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until the onions start to look nice and golden.
  • Add in the spices( bay leaves, cumin, coriander, turmeric, methi seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and red chili) and cook for 2-3 minutes. You can roast these spices separately before hand and keep them to be added at blending time as well.
  • Add in the green Serrano chili and garlic and ginger and cook for another 5 minutes with occasional stirring.
  • Cool the mixture a little and blend the onion spices mixture along with chopped tomatoes and soaked cashews.
  • In the same pan, add the butter and pour the blended mixture and kasuri methi or fresh chopped methi leaves, and cook on medium low heat partially covered for 20-30 minutes occasionally stirring on until the mixture thickens and starts to leave oil on the sides.
  • Add in the salt sugar, milk or cream and vegan paneer cubes and mix well. If the consistency of the sauce is too thick, add some more non dairy milk. You can use water instead as well.
  • Cook on medium-low heat, covered for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and sugar. This dish is usually quite sweet in restaurants.
  • Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro or grated beets or fried onions!
  • Serve hot with Naan, Roti or Basmati Rice.

Notes

Variations:
  1. You can eliminate onions from the curry and just roast the spices and blend with tomatoes and cashews and follow the rest of the steps.
  2. You can also use garam masala instead of the separate spices.
Nutritional value is based on 1 serving

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 854mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1085IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 4.6mg