Paneer Tikka Masala is the king of vegetarian curries in north-Indian cuisine. Tender pieces of Indian cottage cheese, called Paneer, simmered in an aromatic tomato-onion gravy and finished with a splash of heavy cream, which gives this curry its iconic creamy taste.
Here's a no-fuss recipe using an Instant Pot or stove, ready in just 30 minutes!.

Easy 30-Minute Recipe for a Restaurant Favorite
This is such an easy dish to make, which makes it perfect for treating yourself on a weeknight too! I use the same recipe for entertaining too by the way- it's that special!
The sauce is the key ingredient in this dish, and by using the Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker), I am able to infuse all the flavors in the sauce and achieve that rich, slow-simmered taste in a short amount of time.
In the end, you get the same authentic restaurant-style flavors in under 30 minutes.
To marinate paneer or not?
Some restaurants go the extra mile and marinate and grill the paneer cubes. Having eaten and made this dish both ways, I personally prefer when the paneer cubes are added as-is.
I feel they don't dry up (when they're grilled) and soak up the tikka masala flavors really well. In the end, it's totally up to you!
This curry is a vegetarian variation of Chicken Tikka Masala, only more delicious!! There are many variations of this recipe. Dishes like Butter Paneer Masala/Paneer Makhani, Paneer Pasanda, Paneer Lababdar, and so on.
You might also like: Quick & Delicious Paneer Recipes
Jump to:
- Easy 30-Minute Recipe for a Restaurant Favorite
- What is Paneer?
- Is Paneer Tikka Masala the Same as Paneer Makhani ?
- Ingredients- Notes & Substitutions
- Step Step Instructions- How to Make Paneer Tikka Masala
- Stove-Top Recipe
- How to Make Dairy-Free Tikka Masala?
- Serving Suggestion
- Recipe Tips and Notes
- Common Questions
- More Paneer Dishes from my Kitchen
- 📖 Recipe
What is Paneer?
Paneer is a firm cottage cheese commonly used in dishes across the Indian subcontinent. A great source of protein, it is made by curdling milk with an acid like lemon juice or vinegar. It's an un-aged soft cheese that doesn't melt at high temperatures.
Here is an easy recipe for homemade paneer.
Is Paneer Tikka Masala the Same as Paneer Makhani ?
Paneer Tikka Masala is probably the most popular vegetarian entrée at any Indian restaurant. It is said that this recipe was developed in an Indian restaurant in the UK. It is an adaptation of the original Punjabi recipe for Paneer Makhani.
To me, the big difference that separates the two is the use of onions in Paneer Tikka Masala. To make the Tikka Masala curry, I start by sautéing onions with tomatoes and aromatics. Whereas, I skip the onion when making the Butter Masala or the Makhani curry.
I also add more garam masala in the Tikka Masala curry. As a result, it's a bit spicier (warm not hot) than the Makhani Curry. Here's a detailed recipe for Paneer Makhani or Paneer Butter Masala.
Ingredients- Notes & Substitutions
Paneer and sauce are the main components of this dish. Let's see what all we need to create this magical dish at home in 30 minutes:
- Paneer: You can find paneer blocks in most Indian and international food stores. Due to its popularity, you can also find it in select Costco, Whole Foods and Safeway locations. Alternatively, you can use extra-firm Tofu, cut in ½ inch pieces.
- Tomatoes: Ripe plum or Roma tomatoes are ideal to make a ruby-red sauce in this dish. Go for the bright red, slightly firm, but ripe tomatoes for maximum flavor. If you cannot find them, canned plum/diced tomatoes will work as well. A 14oz can is enough for this quantity.
- Onions, ginger, garlic: The holy trinity of Indian cuisine is used here as well to create a flavorful foundation for this curry. White or red onions work great here. As for ginger and garlic, fresh or frozen is my preference over the jarred pastes that you find in stores.
- Cashews: Cashews add a sweet-rich taste and texture to the sauce and also make it creamier, even before you add the cream.
- Spices: Usual suspects like salt, garam masala, ground cumin and coriander flavor this sauce beautifully and a combination of turmeric, Kashmiri red chilies and paprika gives it that gorgeous crimson color. If you cannot find Kashmiri chilies, you can replace that with half the quantity of cayenne or just use more paprika instead.
- Herbs: We use a combination of dried fenugreek leaves and fresh cilantro to finish this curry. Fenugreek leaves, also known as Kasoori Methi add an earthy note that balances the richness of the sauce. There isn't any close substitute for it, so if you cannot find it, just skip it, you'll still end up with a stellar tikka masala!
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This is the grand finale to this recipe. By using just ½ a cup of heavy whipping cream, you end up with a silky-smooth and rich sauce. Always check for expiration date of heavy cream and give it a taste if it's nearing it. Heavy cream develops a subtle sour taste the longer it sits in the refrigerator after opening, which might take away from the flavor of this dish.
- Optional Ingredients-
- Agave/honey/sugar: You can add ½ teaspoon of either to balance the tartness and acidity of tomatoes. Add this after stirring in the heavy cream. Feel free to skip it if your curry tastes perfect as-is.
- Butter: Stirring in a tiny amount of butter towards the end gives this curry a gorgeous shine. It is optional however and doesn't alter the taste.
Step Step Instructions- How to Make Paneer Tikka Masala
Here are the step-by-step directions on how to make this delicious curry using the Instant Pot, or any comparable electric pressure cooker!
- Turn on Saute mode to pre-heat your Instant Pot. Wait 30 seconds and add butter (or ghee). Add onions and sauté for a minute. (pic 1)
- Add minced ginger and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, until onions become translucent.(pic 2)
- Add tomato, cashews, salt and spices. Stir well and cancel Saute.(pic 3)
- Add water and use that to deglaze the brown bits that may have stuck at the bottom of the pot.(pic 4)
- Lock lid in place and select Pressure cook/Manual for 3 minutes at high pressure, on sealing mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes (NPR) followed by quick pressure release. Open the lid only after the pin drops. (pic 5)
- Using an immersion blender, puree the cooked ingredients into a smooth sauce. To avoid splashes while blending, carefully lift and tilt the pot so the blender head gets fully submersed in the sauce. (pic 6)
- Turn on sauté and add paneer cubes, dried fenugreek, butter, heavy cream and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until paneer cubes soften and curry becomes creamy. Check for taste and if the sauce seems too acidic from the tomatoes, add ½ teaspoon of agave, honey or sugar (optional). Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with Naan or Jeera rice. (pic 7 & 8)
Stove-Top Recipe
Paneer Tikka masala can be made on the stove-top too. This is how:
- Heat a Heavy Bottom Deep Skillet or Wok on medium-high heat. Wait 30 seconds and add butter. Add onions and sauté one minute followed by ginger and garlic paste, and sauté another minute.
- Now add pureed tomato, cashews, spices and saute for a minute. Add 1 cup of water, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes in medium heat. Stir in between and add more water if needed.
- Open the lid. Using a hand blender or a blender jar, blend the curry into a smooth texture. Add kasoori methi, heavy cream, paneer cubes, and simmer on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Check for taste and if the sauce seems too acidic from the tomatoes, add ½ teaspoon of agave, honey or sugar (optional). Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
How to Make Dairy-Free Tikka Masala?
You can easily customize this recipe to your suit your preferences. For a dairy free version, substitute:
- butter/ghee with olive oil
- heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream
- paneer cubes with extra-firm tofu, or soy chunks
Serving Suggestion
Here are some popular pairings with Paneer Tikka Masala to enjoy a complete meal:
- Cumin Rice/Jeera Rice: Cumin flavored basmati rice
- Spinach Rice: Basmati rice cooked with a chopped spinach to make a healthy and flavorful side.
- Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower-Potatoes) or Green Beans and Carrots- to add a complimenting veggie side dish in your meal.
- Boondi Raita- A cooking Indian yogurt dip with crunchy chickpea flour pearls.
If you're eating low-carb, you can pair this curry with Indian Cauli rice (riced cauliflower).
Recipe Tips and Notes
- If you cannot find Paneer in Indian or international stores, use 14-16 ox of extra-firm tofu cut in ½ inch pieces.
- Look for bright red and ripe tomatoes for best results. Alternatively use one 14 oz. can of plum or diced tomatoes.
- Cashews add a rich texture and taste to this curry. They can be substituted with an equal quantity of blanched almonds.
- For finishing we use a dried herb called Kasoori Methi. These dried fenugreek leaves add an earthy note that balances the richness of the sauce. There isn't any close substitute for it, so if you cannot find it, just skip it, you'll still end up with a stellar tikka masala!
- Always check the expiration date of heavy whipping cream before adding. If it's nearing it, do a quick taste test to make sure it hasn't turned sour.
- To avoid splashes while blending the sauce, carefully lift and tilt the pot so the head of the immersion blender gets fully submersed in the sauce.
- If using a regular blender, for safety reasons, wait for the sauce to cool down and then puree.
- Optional step: After stirring in cream check for taste and if the sauce seems too acidic from the tomatoes, add ½ teaspoon of agave, honey or sugar.
Common Questions
Many restaurants and recipes grill or shallow fry the paneer cubes before adding to this curry. Having made this dish both ways, I find that paneer dries up if you cook it twice. I prefer to add paneer as-is and allow it to absorb the tikka masala flavors while simmering.
The process to make both is the same, however, cottage cheese may contain salt and heavy cream. Paneer usually comes set in a firm block, whereas cottage cheese is often sold in a semi-soft form.
More Paneer Dishes from my Kitchen
This recipe is part of the Paneer Recipes Collection.
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📖 Recipe
Paneer Tikka Masala in Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter or ghee
- 1 cup onion, roughly chopped about 1 medium onion
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced 2-3 cloves
- 2 teaspoon ginger, minced ½- inch ginger
- 4-5 roma tomatoes pureed, OR 1 (14oz) can of diced/crushed tomatoes (about 2 cups)
- ¼ cup cashews whole, raw
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder or ¼ teaspoon cayenne (skip for mild)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom Powder optional
- ½-¾ cup water adjust to pressure cooker size
For Finishing (add after pressure cooking)
- 14 oz Paneer cubed in to ½- inch pieces (or use extra-firm tofu instead)(about 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter (optional- adds a shine to the sauce)
- 2 teaspoon Kasoori Methi dried fenugreek leaves
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon agave/honey/sugar (optional- see notes)
- 1 tablespoons cilantro chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Turn on Saute mode to pre-heat your Instant Pot. Wait 30 seconds and add butter (or ghee). Add onions and sauté for a minute.
- Add minced ginger and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until onions become translucent.
- Add tomato, cashews, salt and spices. Stir well and saute for 2-3 minutes, until tomatoes begin to soften. cancel Saute.
- Add water and use that to deglaze the brown bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Lock lid in place and select Pressure cook/Manual for 3 minutes at high pressure, on sealing mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes (NPR) followed by a quick pressure release. Open the lid after the pin drops.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the cooked ingredients into a smooth sauce. To avoid splashes while blending the sauce, carefully lift and tilt the pot so the head of the immersion blender gets fully submersed in the sauce. If using a regular blender, for safety reasons, wait for the sauce to cool down and then puree.
- Turn on sauté and add paneer cubes, butter, dried fenugreek, heavy cream and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until paneer cubes soften and curry becomes creamy. Check for taste and if the sauce seems too acidic from the tomatoes, add ½ teaspoon of agave, honey or sugar (optional). Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with Naan or Jeera rice.
Stove top recipe
- Heat a Heavy Bottom Deep Skillet or Wok on medium-high heat. Wait 30 seconds and add butter. Add onions and sauté one minute followed by ginger and garlic paste, and sauté another minute.
- Add pureed tomato, cashews, spices and saute for a minute. Add 1 cup of water, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes in medium heat. Stir in between and add more water if needed.
- Open the lid. Using a hand blender or a blender jar, blend the curry into a smooth texture. If using a regular blender, for safety reasons, wait for the sauce to cool down and then puree. Add kasoori methi, heavy cream, paneer cubes, and simmer on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Check for taste and if the sauce seems too acidic from the tomatoes, add ½ teaspoon of agave, honey or sugar (optional). Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you cannot find Paneer in Indian or international stores, use 14-16 ox of extra-firm tofu cut in ½ inch pieces.
- Look for bright red and ripe tomatoes for best results. Alternatively use one 14 oz. can of plum or diced tomatoes.
- Cashews add a rich texture and taste to this curry. They can be substituted with an equal quantity of blanched almonds.
- For finishing we use a dried herb called Kasoori Methi. These dried fenugreek leaves add an earthy note that balances the richness of the sauce. There isn't any close substitute for it, so if you cannot find it, just skip it, you'll still end up with a stellar tikka masala!
- Always check the expiration date of heavy whipping cream before adding. If it's nearing it, do a quick taste test to make sure it hasn't turned sour.
- To avoid splashes while blending the sauce, carefully lift and tilt the pot so the head of the immersion blender gets fully submersed in the sauce.
- If using a regular blender, for safety reasons, wait for the sauce to cool down and then puree.
- Optional step: After stirring in cream check for taste and if the sauce seems too acidic from the tomatoes, add ½ teaspoon of agave, honey or sugar.
- This recipe was updated in 2020 to add steps to prevent a 'burn' signal while cooking in an Instant Pot. Instructions have been updated to add clarity, and cashews have been added to enhance the taste and texture of the sauce.
Nutrition
This recipe was updated in 2020 with clearer instructions and updated process shots and recipe images.
Ash says
Very easy to make , quick and delicious!
Aneesha says
Thank you so much 🙏🏼
Lee MacArthur says
I’ve made your lamb korma several times now and I just love it. Tonight I made THIS recipe and it was was another HOME RUN!!! and will be a great alternative to a meat dish when I want to cook something special for when my vegetarian daughter is home from college.
Aneesha says
How wonderful, thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe as well. I hope your daughter loves it too!
DebG says
Fantastic. Whole family loved it. Made the latest blizzard bearable—thank you for sharing this incredible recipe!
Aneesha says
Thank you! I'm so glad your family enjoyed it.
Rochelle says
I have high cholesterol and can not have a lot of fat. Can I use half and half or whole milk rather than heavy cream?
I love Indian food and really want to try this.
Aneesha says
Instead of milk I would recommend using yogurt. See this recipe for Chicken tikka masala recipe for reference: https://spicecravings.com/no-cream-skinny-instant-pot-chicken-tikka-masala
Falguni Dalal says
I make this with half and half all the time. I think it still turns out great!
Aneesha says
That's a clever substitute to use. Glad you enjoy it.
Lynette A. says
I’ve already made this recipe repeatedly - it’s just SO good! First time I used spinach, but since then I’ve started just using whatever greens I have on hand: arugula, spring mix, even some leftover leaves/stalks from kohlrabi and some miscellaneous fennel! (Okay, that turned out a bit stringy, like I’d used grass from the yard, ha ha.). But it’s always been DELICIOUS! Thank you!
Aneesha says
Hi Lynette, thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy this recipe. But if I'm not mistaken, this is for Palak paneer recipe:) Thanks for taking the time to rate the recipe!
Kartik Bhamidipati says
Incredible recipe -- has all of the flavor and richness I've been searching for. Thanks!
Aneesha says
Hi Kartik, Thank you! So nice to hear you enjoyed this recipe! It's one of favorites 🙂 Hope you try other restaurant favorites on the blog too!
Shanti says
I have made this recipe so many times and it is simply delicious. And so easy to make. Thank you. I have tried your other recipes too- quick and easy indeed.
Aneesha says
Hi Shanti, Thank you! It's always good to hear that. I'm so happy you enjoy it so much. Thanks for trying my recipes and sharing your feedback 🙂
Monica Larmon says
This might be one of the best things I've ever eaten. I made it this past weekend with the spinach rice, and we devoured it. I've never been so excited to have leftovers. Thank you so much for such an easy delicious recipe. I can't wait to make it again.
Aneesha says
What a wonderful way to start my day! Hi Monica, thank you for such a lovely comment. I am so glad you enjoyed these dishes so much. It's one of my kid's most requested combination:) Thank much for sharing your experience!
Ravi says
Thank you! I am going to try this and will update. Need to go out and buy some of the ingredients.
Aneesha | Spice Cravings says
Hi Ravi, you're most welcome, I hope you love it! Look forward to your feedback!
Ravi says
Excellent and yummy! Will start trying your other recipes (:
Aneesha | Spice Cravings says
Hi Ravi, Thank you so much. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. I would love to hear if you try more! Thanks for sharing!
Casey Markee says
This looks fantastic, can't wait to try it!