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This vegetarian curry uses chunks of creamy paneer in a fragrant butter-style curry sauce. It’s mild enough for the whole family to enjoy, but you can spice up this paneer curry with the addition of some fresh chillies if you like it hotter.

“Made this dish for the first time. I was impressed how easy it was to make – I like that next to the instructions you give the exact measurements, instead of having to look back at the list of ingredients. Everyone liked the dish and will definitely make this again. Thank you”

– Arlene Jansen

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Close up view of a creamy paneer curry in a large skillet with some red onion, coriander and nigella seeds sprinkled on top.

Nicky’s Notes

A woman with long brown hair and a black top smiles at the camera, sitting indoors with a brick wall and some greenery in the background.

For this paneer curry I’ve gone down a similar route to my butter chicken as my family LOVE the taste of a butter masala sauce and it compliments the paneer so well!

I played around with the spice balance so the sauce stayed fragrant and mellow. Too much heat and it loses that buttery curry-house comfort. Too little and the paneer feels a bit plain. The final version sits nicely in the middle: mild, creamy, savoury and warming.

Paneer is brilliant in a curry because it holds its shape rather than melting away. You get those lovely tender cubes tucked into a rich sauce, and it makes the curry feel properly satisfying without needing meat.

Table of Contents

Why This Paneer Curry Works

  • The sauce has layers without being complicated. The onion, garlic and ginger give the base body and sweetness, the spices bring warmth, and the passata and tomato purée give that deep tomato richness.
  • The cream softens the spices and gives the curry its gorgeous silky finish. It also helps make the sauce feel restaurant-style without needing lots of extra steps.
  • The paneer goes in at the end, so it stays tender. That’s key. Paneer is sturdy, but it’s at its best when warmed gently rather than simmered for ages.
  • It’s also a great curry for mixed tables, vegetarian, comforting, not too spicy, and easy to serve with rice, naan, chutney and a couple of sides for a proper curry-night spread.

📋 Ingredients for paneer curry

***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***

Labelled ingredients for making a paneer curry on a wooden board.

Note on the spices

For the spices in this paneer masala I’m using:

  • Medium heat curry powder
  • Paprika
  • Cinnamon
  • Garam Masala
  • Cardamom

Make it full vegetarian

Because we’re not vegetarian I do use chicken stock here but you can replace it with vegetable stock for a full vegetarian version of the is Paneer Curry!

🧑‍🍳 Abbreviated Recipe

Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Blend the onion, garlic and ginger, then sauté in butter and oil for 5–6 minutes. Stir in the spices and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant, then add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the cardamom pods, stir in the cream, then gently add the paneer cubes and cook for 3 minutes before serving.

A step-by-step collage showing paneer curry prep with onion, butter, spices, tomato purée, cream, and paneer over rice with onions and herbs.

Pro Tip

  • I like to sew cardamom pods together with a piece of natural cotton. This makes it much easier to find them and easily fish them out later.

If you wanted to spice this dish up then you could add a a red chilli in with the onions and garlic or half a teaspoon of kashmiri chilli powder when the other spices get added in.

Picture of a paneer curry in black cast iron pan on a wooden board with some garlic naan bread in the background.

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The tender cubes of paneer have a subtle creamy chewiness, complementing the velvety texture of the butter curry sauce.

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Overhead picture of a paneer curry in a black cast iron pan all sprinkled with some sliced red onion, some fresh coriander and some nigella seeds.
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4.94 from 16 votes

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Paneer Curry Recipe

By Nicky Corbishley
This vegetarian curry uses chunks of creamy paneer in a fragrant butter-style curry sauce. It’s mild enough for the whole family to enjoy, but you can spice up the paneer curry recipe with the addition of some fresh chillies if you like it hotter.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 People
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: British-Indian, Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp medium-heat curry powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 180 ml (3/4 cup) vegetable stock
  • 400 ml (14oz) passata
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree (paste in USA)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 6 cardamom pods
  • 175 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
  • 450 g (1 lb) paneer cheese , chopped into bite-size chunks

To Serve

  • Fresh coriander (cilantro) roughly chopped
  • Thinly sliced red onion
  • Nigella seeds
  • Naan bread

Instructions 

  • Place the roughly chopped onion, garlic and ginger into a food processor and blend until smooth.
    1 large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger
    Finely chopped onions and garlic inside a food processor bowl on a wooden worktop.
  • Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.
    3 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tbsp oil
    Butter melting and bubbling in a pan on a hob.
  • Add the minced onion, garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion starts to brown at the edges of the pan.
    Close-up of finly minced onions and garlic bubbling in a frying pan on a hob.
  • Add the salt, garam masala, curry powder, paprika and cinnamon. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the spices start to release their fragrance.
    1/4 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tbsp garam masala, 1 tbsp medium-heat curry powder, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp cinnamon
    Minced onions, garlic and spices are being browned and cooked in a black frying pan on a hob, with some browning and texture visible.
  • Add the stock, passata, tomato puree, sugar and cardamom.
    180 ml (3/4 cup) vegetable stock, 400 ml (14oz) passata, 2 tbsp tomato puree (paste in USA), 2 tsp sugar, 6 cardamom pods
    Tomato sauce simmering in a pan with cardamom pods, a pile of sugar, and a wooden spoon partially in view.
  • Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.
    A close-up view of tomato sauce simmering and bubbling in a pan on a hob.
  • Remove the cardamom then stir in the cream and allow to heat through.
    175 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
    A person stirs a curry sauce in a frying pan on a hob.
  • Carefully stir in the paneer and cook for a further 3 minutes, until the paneer is heated through.
    450 g (1 lb) paneer cheese
    Chunks of paneer being stirred into an orange curry sauce in a frying pan on a hob.
  • Serve with some freshly chopped coriander, thinly sliced red onion and a sprinkling of Nigella seeds. I like to serve mine with naan bread for dipping too.
    Fresh coriander (cilantro), Thinly sliced red onion, Nigella seeds, Naan bread
    A hand garnishing a bowl of rice topped with creamy orange paneer curry, sliced red onions, coriander, and black seeds on a wooden table.

Video

Notes

Tip:
I like to sew cardamom pods together with a piece of natural cotton. This makes it much easier to find them and easily fish them out later.
Nutritional Information is estimated per serving and excludes the serving suggestions.

Nutrition

Calories: 683kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 364mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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This paneer curry recipe was first posted in March 2024. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.

🍽️ What to serve it with

Serve this easy paneer curry with a sprinkling of sliced red onion, fresh coriander and some nigella seeds along with:

Close up picture oif a creamy paneer curry in a black cast iron pan with some naan bread in the background out of focus.

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Hi, I’m Nicky, bestselling author, award-winning recipe creator and food photographer. I love to cook comforting, delicious and easy recipes and share them with you.

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4.94 from 16 votes

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Comments

  1. Claire says:

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy to make! Tasted restaurant quality.

    Reply
  2. Kathleen Blacker says:

    Hi,
    Is the carb count for the entire recipe or a portion.
    I’m diabetic and need to count carbs
    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Nicky Corbishley says:

      Hi Kathleen, all of the nutritional information is per portion, not including sides. It’s also approximate (using a nutrition calculator).

      Reply
  3. Margaret James says:

    5 stars
    Absolute delishes

    Reply
  4. Nev says:

    5 stars
    What a fantastic recipe, easy to make, yet a very rich authentic flavour. Great for me and the vegetarian girlfriend. Many thanks Nicky!

    Reply
  5. Neet says:

    5 stars
    Hi can you freeze this recipe?
    Thanks

    Reply
  6. Jim says:

    5 stars
    This is glorious really enjoyed it

    Reply
  7. Laura Hurd says:

    5 stars
    Divine ! I added vegetables too and a bit of coconut milk !

    Reply
  8. Bridgett Bell Langson says:

    5 stars
    This is the first time I’ve cooked an Indian dish. My husband “hates” curry, so I called it a stew. After he said that he loved it, I told him it was curry. Success!

    Reply
  9. Carolyn Ward says:

    Thanks Nicky
    Great curry. Easy to follow. Very tasty. We all gave this recipe 9 out of 10.

    Reply
  10. Arlene Jansen says:

    5 stars
    Made this dish for the first time. I was impressed how easy it was to make – I like that next to the instructions you give the exact measurements, instead of having to look back at the list of ingredients.
    Everyone liked the dish and will definitely make this again.
    Thank you

    Reply