About a month ago, I had double jaw surgery to correct a pretty significant overbite. The recovery process has been pretty tough for a number of reasons, but the hardest part for me is that my diet is so restricted following this surgery. For the first week post op, I was limited to a liquid diet. As someone who spends all day low key obsessing over food, this was pretty much torture! When I was finally upgraded to a soft chew diet, I was ecstatic. One of the first dishes I cooked afterwards was Butter Paneer, and it was pretty magical.

This Butter Paneer is so flavorful, and super easy to make! It’s been a regular dish in our weeknight meal rotation for months. It’s everything I want in a weeknight dinner: quick to make, hearty and filling, and makes great leftovers for lunch the next day!

Paneer is one of my favorite vegetarian proteins to work with. It has a really mild flavor and is really easy to cook with. Unlike tofu, you don’t have to do any extra steps, like pressing out moisture, before working with it. You can find paneer in the specialty cheese section of most grocery stores.





Tools & Tips

While I know there’s an actual genetic explanation for why some people hate cilantro, if you’re not one of the unlucky people with that trait, I definitely recommend topping this Butter Paneer with a generous sprinkling of fresh cilantro! It adds a little hit of fresh, vibrant flavor that perfectly completes this dish.

I love using Kitchen Scissors to quickly chop fresh herbs and other leafy veggies. If you don’t already have a pair of kitchen scissors, I’d recommend getting some! They’re super handy, and once you have a pair you’ll end up using it all the time.

The recipe suggests simmering the Butter Paneer for 20 minutes, but you can simmer longer if you have the time for a richer flavor. The longer you simmer on a low heat, the more the flavors will develop.

I recommend serving either store bought or home made naan alongside this dish. I’ve still never managed to make naan at home that I’m satisfied with, so I always end up using store bought.

Related Recipes

Looking for more easy weeknight dinners to add to your rotation? These Chimichurri Tofu Tacos are super quick to make, and they’re vegan!

One of my favorite dinner recipes are these Cauliflower and Pepper Enchiladas. They’re super flavorful, and are great for meal prepping as well!

Print Pin Butter Paneer This butter paneer is super flavorful and so easy to make! Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 35 minutes Servings 4 Ingredients 1 pound paneer cut into 1 inch cubes

2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper feel free to double this if you like things a bit spicier

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon grated ginger

4 cloves garlic crushed

2 tablespoons ghee

1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

Chopped cilantro for serving

Basmati rice for serving Instructions In a large bowl, combine yogurt, turmeric powder, garam masala, cumin, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and ginger. Whisk until ingredients are smooth. Add crushed garlic and paneer, and stir until paneer is evenly coated in the sauce.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ghee, and once ghee is melted, add the paneer and yogurt sauce. I always use a rubber spatula to make sure and get all the sauce into the skillet.

Cook paneer for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until paneer has browned slightly in places, and the spices in the sauce have darkened slightly.

Add sugar, salt, tomato sauce, and heavy cream. Stir, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve immediately with Basmati rice and chopped cilantro. Notes This recipe was adapted from this Butter Chicken recipe on RecipeTin Eats. I use paneer instead of chicken, and modified it to have a bit more sauce.

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