Paneer tikka masala is a classic restaurant-quality dish. This deliciously creamy and decadent curry can be made quick and easy with a secret ingredient!
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In the world of Indian cooking, paneer is a much loved and extremely versatile ingredient! There are several varieties of paneer dishes that are extremely popular including the very well-known malai kofta, paneer tikka, paneer makhani (paneer butter masala), saag paneer, etc. Rather than pick a favorite, I’d happily eat my way through them all, given a chance!
Paneer tikka masala is made with cubes of paneer cooked in a rich sauce made with almonds, tomatoes, spices, and cream. I like my paneer tikka masala lapped up with some homemade Indian naan bread or some plain basmati rice. This recipe uses a special secret ingredient that will let you make a quick version of tikka masala in the Instant Pot!
List of ingredients
The ingredients that go into making paneer tikka masala are:
- Paneer - Use store-bought or homemade paneer
- Onions - Use red or yellow onions
- Ginger and garlic paste, or minced ginger and garlic
- Tomatoes - I like to use canned tomatoes or tomato puree for this recipe. Fresh, chopped tomatoes work too.
- Spices: Use Kashmiri Chili powder (gives a nice reddish color without too much heat), turmeric powder, cumin powder, garam masala
- Almond meal - The secret ingredient! Almond meal (coarsely ground almonds) is a quick way to get richness into that gravy! Typically, paneer tikka masala is made with a sauce that contains blended almonds. Here we use almond meal in the pressure cooker as a quick fix.
- Honey - this balances out the tang from the tomatoes
- Kasuri Methi – These are dried fenugreek leaves which are used in butter chicken, malai kofta, etc to add more flavor to the sauce/gravy of the curry.
- Cream - A just a little amount of cream towards the end
Step-by-step Instant Pot Instructions
Start by setting the Instant Pot in the Saute mode. Heat some ghee or oil, and add chopped onions. Saute the onions for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add minced ginger and garlic.
Add the spices - we are using Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, garam masala and cumin powder in this recipe. Saute for a minute more and then add 1+1/2 cups of water. Using a splatula, deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot. This step is important, in order to avoid getting a 'Burn' notice.
Add 3/4 a cup of almond meal and mix it into the rest of the ingredients. Cover the lid of the Instant Pot and set the valve to Sealing position.
Pressure cook in 'High' mode for 3 minutes. After the cooking cycle is complete, perform a quick release of pressure. Open the lid of the Instant Pot.
Add 3/4 cup of tomato purée. Use a hand blender to blend all the ingredients and make a smooth sauce. Crush a tablespoon of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) in your palm and add it to the sauce.
Add salt to season the sauce. Add a tablespoon of honey and mix to combine.
Add the paneer cubes, mix gently and saute for 3-4 minutes more. Once done, turn off the Instant Pot and cover with the lid. Let the curry sit for 5 minutes in the residual heat of the Instant Pot. Serve warm with naan or rice.
FAQs
Paneer is an un-aged cheese that doesn’t melt when heated. It is typically made by curdling milk with acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar. Paneer can be made at home and is also easily available at all Indian stores, in most parts of the world. This cheese lends itself very well to Indian curries and Indian appetizers – as the neutral flavor of paneer cheese picks up the flavors of spices and aromatics used in Indian cooking very easily. A close substitute for paneer is tofu.
Tikka masala sauce is typically made by cooking tomatoes, along with blended cashews of almonds. The sauce is flavored with spices powders (turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala), kasuri methi, and a touch of cream. Paneer cubes are added to the sauce and simmered for a while before serving.
More Instant Pot recipes
Instant Pot chicken tikka masala
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Instant Pot Paneer Tikka Masala
Equipment
- Hand Blender
Ingredients
- 14 oz paneer (approx 400 grams) cut into cubes
- 1.5 teaspoons ghee (or melted butter)
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- ¾ cup Tomato puree
- 1.5 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- ¾ cup Almond meal
- 1 tbsp Honey 1 tablespoon
- 1 tbsp Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- Salt to season
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode (More setting)
- Add the ghee, and once it heats up, add the chopped onions.
- Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the ginger and garlic.
- Add the spices, and saute for a minute more.
- Add 1.5 cups water and deglaze the Instant Pot (ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the Instant Pot).
- Add ¾ cup almond meal and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
- Pressure cook for 3 minutes on High setting. Perform a quick release of pressure after 3 minutes are done.
- Open the lid of the Instant Pot and add the tomato puree. Stir to combine.
- Using a stick blender/hand blender, blend the ingredients to form a smooth sauce.
- Crush the kasuri methi lightly in your hands and add it to the sauce. Add the honey, followed by the salt.
- Finally, add the cubes of paneer and mix to coat the paneer in the sauce. Hit the Sauté button and cook for 3 minutes. Once done, press Cancel, cover the lid and let the paneer tikka masala sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with naan or basmati rice.
I want to hug you! I've made a lot of tikka masala's (and from popular food blogs) and none of them are ever any good. Thank you for this recipe - will be adding to the rotation. Also, win-win that it's super quick and easy!! Used paprika but will have to make a trip to the store to get Kashmiri chili powder for next time.
I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for your feedback!
If I don't have Kashmiri chili powder, should I sub with Paprika? Chili Powder?
Hi, paprika is a good substitute for Kashmiri chili powder. Cayenne or any other chili powder would be too spicy. Hope you like it!