Paneer Tikka Masala Gravy is a flavorful dish made by adding marinated & grilled paneer pieces in onion- tomato curry, with some aromatic spices. It tastes best when served with Garlic Naan or Cumin Rice.
Restaurants serve very minimal Paneer varieties, but Paneer Tikka Masala & Butter Paneer are always on the list. Paneer Tikka Masala is one of the popular options and is loved by many. This is a simple recipe; you'll want to make it every weekend. However, If you're going to make Paneer at home, do check out my recipe for Homemade Paneer.
The post contains Helpful Tips & Tricks to make Paneer Tikka Masala Gravy. But if you're in a hurry, you can also click "Jump to Recipe' under the Heading to go directly to the Recipe Card, or you can also click Recipe Card from the Table of Contents below.
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WHAT IS PANEER TIKKA MASALA GRAVY?
WHAT IS PANEER TIKKA MASALA GRAVY?Paneer Tikka Masala is a popular Indian Paneer recipe that is spicy and smoky in flavor. It can be served with rice or Indian flatbread like naan or roti.
If you love Chicken Tikka Masalthis is the recipe's vegetarian version. It is made by adding paneer tikka (grilled paneer pieces) instead of chicken. It is made in two parts, so it is a little lengthy in cooking compared to other paneer recipes. But the final result is definitely worth it.
- First Step- Paneer Tikka: For making Paneer Tikka, marinate the Paneer pieces in Yogurt with Onions & Bell Peppers and some Tikka Spices (Kasuri Methi, Turmeric Powder, Garam Masala Powder, Coriander Powder, Salt & Ginger- Garlic paste). After marinating, grill them in Air Fryer or Stove-Top, or in a conventional Oven. Here is a quick recipe for Air Fryer Paneer Tikka that I have made in my Ninja Foodi.
- Second Step- Make Curry: After grilling paneer pieces with onions & bell pepper. The next step is to make Indian Masala by frying onions & tomatoes and grinding them into a fine paste. Then add some spices & cream to the recipe. Next, add grilled Paneer pieces to the curry. This whole process gives a nice creamy curry. And also gives a nice smoky flavor to the recipe by adding Paneer Tikka in it.
HOW TO MAKE PANEER TIKKA MASALA GRAVY
HOW TO MAKE PANEER TIKKA MASALA GRAVYMarinate Paneer:
For making Paneer Tikka, first, you need to marinate the Paneer. Then, take a bowl and add 3-4 tablespoons of Greek Yogurt or Hung Yogurt. Whisk yogurt until smooth, and add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, Tandoori Masala, and Kasuri Methi.
If you don't have greek Yogurt, you can use Hung Yogurt. Place 5-6 tablespoon of regular yogurt in a muslin cloth. and let it sit for 5-6 hours until the you're left with thick yogurt.
Next, add big paneer pieces, onions, and bell peppers. Also, add mustard oil and lemon juice. Stir the ingredients until Paneer, onions, and bell peppers are properly coated. Cover the bowl and let it sit for marination for 30 minutes or more (if time persists).
Make sure you marinate the big peiecs of paneer, bell peppers, and onions. If you add big pieces in skewers for grilling, they will not break and the tikkas will be made more properly.
Making Paneer Tikka:
Once the paneer pieces are marinated and then thread them in the skewer. You can use a bamboo skewer or metal skewer.
Bake the paneer tikka in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Then you can broil them for a more charred flavor. Or you can grill in an outdoor grill until they are soft & charred. You can also make it in the air fryer.
Making Curry Masala:
In a pan, add oil. When oil is hot, add onion and fry until they start to change the color. Also, add green cardamom and cloves.
Then add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes turn soft & mushy. Then blend it until it is pureed.
Add oil to the pan again. Add ginger, garlic, and green chili when oil is hot, and saute for 1 minute. Then add finely chopped onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until they start to change the color.
Next, add chopped tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes until they turn soft & mushy. Then add spices and blended onion-tomato Masala.
Cook for 5 minutes at low heat or until you get desired consistency. Then add paneer tikka, cream or cashew cream, and Kasuri methi. Mix and serve with rice or naan.
EXPERT TIPS
EXPERT TIPS- For marinating Paneer piecYogurtYogurt, you need YogurtYogurt. So I prefer marinating in Yogurtyogurt.
- Try to cut Paneer, Onion & Bell Pepper in about the same size. This helps in grilling everything evenly.
- I also add hot Mustard Oil in marination; this gives a nice color and smoky flavor to Tikkas.
- Always add Lemon Juice to the marination.
- Marinate Paneer for at least 30 minutes. This will make the Paneer soft and also helps in binding the flavors properly.
- I layer Paneer, Onions & Bell Peppers in a skewer. Then grill them in Conventional Oven or Air Fryer or on a stove-top using a Panini pan. You can also shallow-fry them.
STORAGE
You can store it in the refrigerator or freezer; the taste will remain the same. You can store leftover Paneer Tikka Masala Gravy in the fridge for 3-5 days. And in the freezer in a container for 1-2 months. Before using the frozen Paneer Tikka Masala, just thaw and heat it in the microwave or pan on the stove-top until hot.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can serve Paneer Tikka Masala with Garlic Naan or steamed rice. My favorite option is garlic naan with green chutney on the side.
Indian recipes are versatile, so you can change them as per your taste & flavor. For example, you can replace Paneer with Tofu to make it vegan. And you can also add coconut milk instead of cream and almond/cashew paste. With only almond paste, the curry feels creamy, but to make it creamier, you can add coconut milk.
Yes, you can make Paneer Tikka Masala without cream. I prefer to make the curry without cream. You can add almond or cashew paste to the curry (that makes the curry creamy). If you want creamier, I suggest adding almond flour to the Masala, cooking for 1-2 minutes, and then adding water or milk to the curry. That way, almond flour will get cooked and lump-free, and curry will taste creamier.
Paneer Tikka Masala is not sweet as such. In fact, it is smoky and spicy with a slight hint of sweetness.
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📖 RECIPE CARD
Paneer Tikka Masala Gravy
Equipment
Ingredients
Marination:
- 200 gms Paneer cut in big cubes
- 1 Bell Peppers cubed
- 1 small Onion layers separated & cubed
- 3-4 tablespoon Greek Yogurt or HungYogurt
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 tablespoon Ginger- Garlic Paste
- 1 tablespoon Tandoori Masala
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ½ tablespoon Kasuri Methi
- 1 tablespoon Mustard Oil heated
- Salt
For Onion-Tomato Masala:
- ½ Onion roughly chopped
- 2 Tomatoes cut in chunks
- ½ cup Diced Tomatoes
- 5 Cashews
- 2 Cloves
- 4 Green Cardamoms
- 2 tablespoon Oil
For Curry:
- 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic grated
- ½ Onion finely chopped
- 2 Tomatoes finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red Chili Powder or as needed
- ½ tablespoon Garam Masala Powder
- ½ tablespoon Tandoori Masala
- ¼ - ½ cup Cream or Cashew Cream or Coconut Milk
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi
- 1 teaspoon Honey/Sugar
Instructions
Marination:
- Take a bowl and add 3-4 tablespoons of Greek Yogurt or Hung Yogurt. Whisk yogurt until smooth, and add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, Tandoori Masala, and Kasuri Methi.(Note: If you don't have greek Yogurt, you can use Hung Yogurt. Place 5-6 tablespoon of regular yogurt in a muslin cloth. and let it sit for 5-6 hours until the you're left with thick yogurt).
- Next add big paneer pieces, onions, and bell peppers. Also, add mustard oil and lemon juice. Stir the ingredients until Paneer, onions, and bell peppers are properly coated. Cover the bowl and let it sit for marination for 30 minutes or more (if time persists).(Note: ).Make sure you marinate the big pieces of paneer, bell peppers, and onions. If you add big pieces in skewers for grilling, they will not break and the tikkas will be made more properly.
Making Paneer Tikka:
- Once the paneer pieces are marinated and then thread them in the skewer. You can use a bamboo skewer or metal skewer.
- Grill The Paneer Tikka until charred.In Air Fryer: Add the skewer in Air Fryer Skewer accessory, and Air Fry for 8- 10 minutes till they turn a bit charred.In Panini Pan: Spray Oil and add skewers ito the pan. Keep turning the skewers so that all sides are cooked evenly and are browned. Cooking in Panini Pan gives nice brown color to the pieces.In Conventional Oven: Preheat the oven for at least 15- 20 minutes before adding skewers at 450 degrees. Bake for 10 minute, then change the setting to Broil. Broil Tikkas for 2-3 minutes, till they turn a bit charred.
- Once the paneer is done then cut the big pieces of paneer, onion, and bell peppers into small bite-sized pieces.
For Onion-Tomato Masala:
- In a pan, add oil. When oil is hot, add onion and fry until they start to change the color. Also, add green cardamom and cloves.
- Then add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes turn soft & mushy. Then blend it until it is pureed.
For Making Curry:
- Add oil to the pan again. Add ginger, garlic, and green chili (optional) when oil is hot, and saute for 1 minute. Then add finely chopped onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until they start to change the color.
- Then add chopped tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes until they turn soft & mushy. Then add spices and blended onion-tomato Masala.
- Cook for 5 minutes at low heat or until you get desired consistency. Then add paneer tikka, cream or cashew cream, and Kasuri methi. Mix and serve with rice or naan.
Helen @ family-friends-food.com
This looks delicious! I love paneer but rarely make it at home. I'll have to give it a try.
SunGari
Thanks Helen....sure let me know how you like it!
Caitlyn Erhardt
This recipe looks so perfect for the cool weather months! Love that this is made in the instant pot as well!
SunGari
Yeah, thanks it is.....n I guess you will love the taste of Tikka's too in the recipe.
Beth
Delicious and easy - this is how I roll now that the kiddos are back in school! Thank you for making my weekdays quick and tasty!
SunGari
Of course....I'm glad you like it
Sapana
I love paneer tikka masala but have never made it in the IP before. Can't wait to try out this delicious recipe!
SunGari
Sure Sapana Paneer tikka if one of my favorite Paneer recipes....and with Instant Pot tastes even better.
Andrea
Oh my goodness, that first picture had me drooling already. So many wonderful flavors in this dish. I can't wait to try it.
SunGari
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback. I'm glad you like it!