Easy Instant Pot Butter Paneer! Make restaurant style butter paneer at home in no time using your Instant Pot and enjoy with naan or rice!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

To pressure cook

  • 4 large tomatoes [500 grams] (roughly chopped)
  • 4-5 garlic cloves [12 grams] (roughly chopped)
  • 1 inch ginger [12 grams] (roughly chopped)
  • 1 green chili [1 gram] or adjust to taste (chopped)
  • 8 cashews
  • 4 green cardamom (crushed)
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder (or to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup water

To finish

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2.5 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1.5 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder (for color)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 225 grams paneer (cut into cubes [around 1.5 cups paneer cubes])
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (also known as dried fenugreek leaves)

Method

  1. To the inner pot of your instant pot, add diced tomatoes, chopped ginger, garlic and green chili.
  2. Add in the cashews and crushed green cardamoms. Add the spices- red chili powder, garam masala, salt along with 1/2 cup water.
  3. Close the lid of the IP and set valve to sealing.
  4. Press the manual/pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release the pressure.
  5. Open the IP and puree the contents using an immersion blender or using your regular blender.
  6. Press the saute button.
  7. Add butter, tomato paste, heavy cream.along with more garam masala, honey, kashmiri red chili powder and salt (as required). Mix to combine everything together.
  8. Stir in the paneer cubes. Add chopped cilantro and kasuri methi and let the curry simmer for 2 more minutes.
  9. Serve instant pot butter paneer with naan or any bread of choice!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.