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    You are here: Home / Recent Posts / Shahi Paneer

    Shahi Paneer

    Last Updated On: Feb 17, 2023 by Sharmilee J

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    Shahi Paneer is a rich delicious delicacy from the popular Mugalai cuisine. Shahi Paneer is one of the most popular dishes in restaurants. ‘Shahi’ means royal so as the name suggests Shahi Paneer is a royal gravy using paneer from the mughalai cuisine. Shahi Paneer Recipe with step by step photos and video.

    Shahi Paneer

    Shahi Paneer is a very rich delicious gravy that can be prepared by either using tomato onion nuts base or without tomatoes as in restaurants. I have shared Shahi Paneer Recipe both with tomatoes and without tomatoes.

    About Shahi Paneer

    Shahi Paneer is made by simmering paneer in a nut based rich creamy gravy along with spices, spice powders, fresh cream and saffron for flavour. This is one of the popular dishes in restaurants. Do try this popular Mughalai Shahi Paneer and enjoy.

    If you are looking for a warm, comforting rich sidedish to go with with roti, paratha,phulka, jeera rice, basmati rice then this is a perfect fit. This is also easy and quick to make when compared to tomato based gravies as tomatoes take time to cook. 

    I usually make Shahi Paneer using tomatoes, I never knew white gravy existed until I tasted it at an restaurant. We ordered Shahi Paneer waiting for a rich tomato based gravy looking orange in color but we were surprised to see a white gravy. It was too bland for our taste buds and the cream was too overpowering so I decided to recreate it at home as we loved the flavour and aroma of this dish. After that no looking back, this gravy has become our absolute favourite.

    What is Shahi Paneer?

    Shahi means royal, Paneer is cottage cheese so Shahi Paneer translates to royal cottage cheese. Shahi Paneer is a gravy from Mughalai cuisine where paneer is cooked in a creamy gravy made of onion, nuts along with milk and cream, flavoured with aromatic spices and spice powders. Shahi paneer is a rich gravy made popular by restaurants all over India.

    Shahi Paneer Ingredients

    • Paneer : Use fresh soft paneer for best results. I have added paneer as such but you can shallow fry them and add too. But soak in hot water after frying to avoid it from becoming hard. If you use frozen paneer thaw it first then add it to gravy.
    • Nuts : Cashews, almonds and melon seeds are a must for this recipe. Make sure the nuts are fresh as it is the main base for the gravy.
    • Dairy : Milk and fresh cream are used here. I always add boiled milk(cooled) to gravies to avoid milk from curdling.
    • Spices : The spices used here are very aromatic like shahi jeera, cinnamon, bayleaf, cardamom, cloves, cardamom along with saffron to give a rich flavourful gravy.
    • Spice powders : The basic spice powders including red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder are used here.
    Shahi Paneer

    Shahi Paneer – A royal treat!

    • Make nuts onion paste : First cook onion, nuts in boiling water for few mins, drain stock and grind onion nuts to a smooth paste.
    • Temper the spices : Temper the aromatic spices in butter
    • Add milk and spice powders : Cook the nuts onion paste until fat releases then add spice powders. Cook for few minutes then add milk and reserved stock water. Cook until gravy thickens.
    • Add paneer : Add paneer to gravy and simmer.
    • Garnish : Finally garnish it with kasoori methi and fresh cream.

    Shahi Paneer Methods

    Shahi Paneer can be made

    • With tomatoes : Tomatoes can be blanched, pureed and added or fresh tomato puree can also be added. Adding tomatoes makes it taste more like a regular paneer gravy.
    • Without tomatoes: Here no tomatoes are used instead a rich gravy is made using onion and nuts along with aromatic spices. This is a rich gravy perfect for the term royal.

    It can be made using milk or curd

    • Milk : I prefer to use milk for a rich taste. Use boiled and cooled milk to avoid curdling while adding to gravies.
    • Curd : Curd can also be added but I feel a slight sour taste so very rarely add curd to this gravy.
    Shahi Paneer

    If you have any more questions about this shahi paneer recipe do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter .

    Tried this shahi paneer recipe ? Do let me know how you liked it. Also tag us on Instagram @sharmispassions and hash tag it on #sharmispassions.

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    Shahi Paneer

    Shahi paneer is a rich delicious sidedish from the popular Mugalai cuisine. Shahi paneer is one of the most popular dishes in restaurants.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Servings3
    AuthorSharmilee J

    Ingredients

    • 200 gms paneer (roughly 1.5 cups)
    • 1 tablespoon fresh cream
    • a generous pinch of kasoori methi
    • 3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
    • a tiny pinch saffron
    • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder (optional)
    • 1/4 teaspoon rose water / kewra water
    • salt to taste

    To blanch and grind:

    • 1 medium sized big onion
    • 2 tablespoon whole cashews
    • 2 tablespoon almonds
    • 1 tablespoon melon seeds
    • 2 cups water

    To temper:

    • 2 teaspoon oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon shahi jeera
    • 2 nos green cardamom
    • 2 nos clove
    • 1 inch cinnamon
    • 1 small bayleaf

    Video

    Nutrition Facts
    Shahi Paneer
    Amount Per Serving (120 g)
    Calories 358 Calories from Fat 252
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 28g43%
    Saturated Fat 12g75%
    Trans Fat 0.01g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
    Monounsaturated Fat 6g
    Cholesterol 50mg17%
    Sodium 67mg3%
    Potassium 275mg8%
    Carbohydrates 16g5%
    Fiber 4g17%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 14g28%
    Vitamin A 245IU5%
    Vitamin C 7mg8%
    Calcium 422mg42%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sharmispassions or tag #sharmispassions
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    How to make Shahi Paneer

    Make onion nuts paste

    1.First boil 2 cups of water.

    boil water

    2.Add onion, cashews and almonds and melon seeds to it.

    add onion and nuts

    3.Boil until onions turn soft. Switch off.

    boil well

    4.Strain and reserve the stock.

    strain the boiled ingredients

    5.Cool down then add to mixer jar along with little stock. Add very little stock grind then add more if needed. It should a thick paste so be acreful while adding stock / water.

    cool down transfer to mixer

    6.Grind it to a fine paste. Set aside.

    grind it a smooth paste

    Temper the spices

    7. Heat butter – add shahi jeera cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bayleaf let it fry fro few seconds then add ginger garlic paste and fry fro a minute. Be careful while frying the spices do nit burn as it will alter the gravy taste.

    temper the spices

    8.Add nuts onion paste.

    add onion nuts paste

    Add spice powders and milk

    9.Cook for 5 mins until it is thick and raw smell leaves. Now add red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder.

    cook well add spice powders

    10.Mix well and cook for 2 mins.

    cook well

    11.Add milk, reserved stock and required salt. If stock is more do not add fully, add half of it and use the remaining for soups.

    add milk, stock

    12.Mix well the gravy will be slightly runny at this stage.

    mix well

    13.Boil for atleast 7-10 mins or until the gravy thickens. Then add saffron, cardamom powder and sugar.

    add safrron, cardamom powder

    Add paneer

    14. Give a quick mix and cook for 2 mins then add paneer cubes.

    add paneer

    Garnish

    15.Mix well then garnish with kasoori methi and fresh cream. Give a quick mix.

    garnish with coriander leaves, fresh cream

    Shahi paneer gravy ready.

    Variations

    • You can add tomato puree to this gravy, Check for tomato version below this recipe.
    • You can replace milk with curd.
    • If you don’t like flavouring skip kewra / rose water.
    • I used whole cashews you can use broken cashews too.
    • Replace butter with ghee if you wish to.
    • If you want to make the gravy a bit more spicy then add 1.5 teaspoon red chilli powder along with 3/4 teaspoon coriander powder and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder.

    Serving and Storage

    Serve Shahi Paneer along with roti, paratha,phulka, jeera rice, basmati rice etc.

    As nuts and dairy is the base for this recipe I would suggest to consume it the same day you have prepared. But if you wish you can store in fridge heat it up and use it for the next day but not beyond that.

    Expert Tips

    • You can add more cream if you like say 1/4 cup but balance it with spice powders accordingly. I usually add 1 tablespoon cream and more of milk still the gravy is rich and creamy.
    • Always use fresh ingredients be it nuts or milk or paneer as it forms the base of this dish.
    • If using curd make sure it is not sour.
    • If adding tomatoes make sure they are ripe and juicy.

    FAQs

    1.Why is Shahi Paneer called Shahi?

    Shahi is the term for royal (in reference to the Imperial Court of the Mughal Empire). Paneer is a persian word for cheese. Hence Shahi Paneer literally translates to roya cottage cheese.

    Source : Wikipedia

    2.What goes well with Shahi Paneer?

    Shahi Paneer goes along with any flatbreads like roti, paratha,phulka, nan etc and rice dishes like pulao, , jeera rice, basmati rice etc.

    3. Can I make this dish vegan?

    Yes you can. Replace tofu for paneer and add cashew or almond milk / yogurt to make the gravy. If using cashew / almond milk for this recipe then skip it while grinding.

    4.Can I make it low fat?

    Yes you can make shahi paneer low fat by adding low fat yogurt or low fat milk. Skip cream, cashews and proceed with the recipe. Instead of cashews you can add 4 tablespoon almonds itself.

    5.What is the difference between PB Masala and Shahi Paneer?

    There is a whole lot of difference in taste and flavour between the two. PB Masala is a tomato based gravy which is medium spicy but Shahi Paneer is slightly on the sweeter side with full flavour that comes from nuts and dairy.

    6.Which one tastes good Shahi Paneer with tomatoes or without tomatoes?

    I personally prefer the restaurant style white colored ivorish Shahi Paneer as it tastes unique from our regular tomato based paneer gravies. But if you are a person who cannot have gravies without tomatoes then shahi paneer with tomatoes version is just right for you. So it is purely your personal taste and preference.

    Shahi Paneer Recipe

    Shahi Paneer with tomatoes

    Shahi paneer recipe

    Ingredients

    • 200 gms paneer 
    • 2 medium sized tomatoes
    • 1/4 cup fresh cream
    • a generous pinch of kasoori methi
    • a tiny pinch of cardamom powder (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder

    To blanch and grind:

    • 2 small sized big onions
    • 8 nos garlic cloves
    • 1/4 inch piece ginger
    • 10 nos almonds
    • 5 nos whole cashews
    • 1 teaspoon melon seeds

    To temper:

    • 2 teaspoon oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon shahi jeera
    • 1 no black cardamom
    • 1 no green cardamom
    • 1 no clove
    • 1/4 inch piece cinnamon
    • 1/4 torn bayleaf
    • salt to taste

    Shahi paneer step by step

    1. Chop onions lengthwise,peel garlic and keep other ingredients ready. Boil water.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step1
    2. When it starts to boil add the ingredients listed under ‘to blanch and grind’. Boil for a minute and switch off.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step2
    3. Cool down then transfer it to a mixer jar. Grind it to a fine paste.Cube the paneer and set aside.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step3
    4. Chop tomatoes roughly ,transfer to mixer jar and puree it.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step4
    5. Heat oil in a pan – add the items listed under ‘to temper’ let it crackle then add tomato puree.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step5
    6. Let it boil in low flame for 2mins, then add all the spice powders along with required salt.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step6
    7. Cook until the mixture is dry and the raw smell of tomatoes goes. Now add cashew onion paste.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step7
    8. Mix well,cook for a minute the mixture will be thickish, now add fresh cream.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step8
    9. Add cardamom powder along with required water.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step9
    10. Let the gravy boil for 5mins in low flame.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step10
    11. Add paneer cubes along with kasoori methi,mix well cook for 2mins then switch off.
      How to make Shahi paneer recipe - Step11

    Serve hot.

    Serve hot with any mild pulao or roti.We had it with soft phulkas.

    Shahi paneer recipe

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    Filed Under: Paneer Dishes, Paneer Sides, RandomPosts, Recent Posts

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Harshitha

      March 17, 2017 at 8:09 am

      Lovely pics as always

      Reply
    2. sathya

      April 26, 2017 at 11:28 pm

      ?its makes me to grab

      Reply
    3. Ranjita's Kitchen

      April 13, 2024 at 5:04 pm

      Nice recipe

      Reply
    5 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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