I am a big-time lover of Restaurant Style Punjabi food and so making Shahi Paneer is sure on the deck of my North Indian specials every time. Creamy, rich and very slightly sweet, this easy curry is perfect to serve your guests or make on special occasions. Here is how to make it at home.
Cottage Cheese or Paneer in any form is loved by my family. In addition, I try to make different recipes with paneer each time.
And this time I made this rich and creamy Shahi Paneer. I have made this recipe before many times and it has been appreciated each time I made it.
About This Recipe
It is a side made from delectable pieces of paneer cooked in a rich creamy base of almond and cashew.
It tastes delicious with roti, paratha, naan, or rice.
In addition, Lahsooni Methi Paneer, Paneer Butter Masala, Kadai Paneer is a nice twist on a paneer dish, while Paneer Pasanda, Paneer Lababdar tastes something similar.
So, do try them as well!
This recipe is
- Sweet
- Spicy
- Keto
- Rich
- Restaurant Style
- Easy to make
Ingredients
Since it is a shahi recipe, I have added almonds, cashew nuts, and saffron in the curry. These give the curry a very rich and creamy flavor.
You can also add a tablespoon of melon seeds or Magaj to make it even richer.
You will need some ghee and oil and whole spices like cloves, black peppercorns, black cardamom, green cardamom, and cinnamon.
They lend a beautiful flavor to the curry.
Onion, ginger, garlic, and tomato puree make the base of the curry.
I recommend using store-bought tomato puree to make this recipe as it is more concentrated and deep in flavor.
Khoya is added to make the gravy even richer.
Lastly, to balance the flavor, honey and lemon juice are added and you will also need fresh paneer cubes, fresh cream, and a few drops of kewra essence.
How to make it at home?
The gravy of this sabzi is of utmost importance.
It is made by simmering almond, cashew paste with tomato, chopped green chilli, and spices like coriander powder, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander leaves, green cardamom et al.
Let it cook for a minute or more along with khoya and other ingredients.
Finally, add the paneer cubes to it and simmer the luscious motley at peace.
It can be an amazing dish to be served during parties as we Indians love eating a desi sabzi along with Kulchas or Parathas.
Also, for a homely meal, Shahi Paneer is not at all a bad option. Instead of savoring this sabzi in a restaurant, make it at home using my recipe. Read on:
How to make it Jain Friendly (Without Onion Garlic)?
To make Jain version of this dish, do not use onion and garlic in the recipe and keep the remaining recipe the same as described below.
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Step by Step Recipe
Soak almonds and cashew nuts in warm water for 15 minutes.
Soak saffron in warm milk for 15 minutes.
Heat oil and ghee in a pan.
Add cloves, black peppercorn, black cardamom, green cardamom and cinnamon.
Add onion and fry till they turn pinkish.
Add ginger and garlic and fry till onion turns golden brown.
Finally add tomato puree and cook for a minute.
Remove the pan from heat and let the masala cool. Blend the masala in a blender along with soaked almonds and cashew nuts to make a smooth paste.
Transfer the paste in the pan. Add khoya and saffron soaked in milk Cook for another minute.
Add Kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt and a cup of water and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add paneer, honey, lemon juice, cardamom powder, kewra essence and a cup of water and cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes.
Adjust water according to your preference Add fresh cream and cook for a minute.
Recipe Card

Shahi Paneer Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Almonds
- 2 tablespoon Cashew nuts
- 8-10 strands Saffron
- 2 tablespoon Milk (warm)
- 3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 3-4 Clove
- 5-6 Black peppercorns
- 2 Black cardamom
- 2 Green cardamom
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 1 and ½ cup Onion (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste
- 3 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 2 tablespoon Khoya
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- 400 g Paneer
- 2 teaspoon Honey
- 2 teaspoon Lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 5-6 drops Kewra essence
- 2 tablespoon Fresh cream
Instructions
- Soak almonds and cashew nuts in warm water for 15 minutes.
- Soak saffron in warm milk for 15 minutes.
- Heat oil and ghee in a pan.
- Add cloves, black peppercorn, black cardamom, green cardamom and cinnamon.
- Fry for 10-15 seconds.
- First, onion and fry till they turn pinkish.
- Add ginger and garlic and fry till onion turns golden brown.
- Finally add tomato puree and cook for a minute.
- Remove the pan from heat and let the masala cool.
- Blend the masala in a blender along with soaked almonds and cashew nuts to make a smooth paste.
- Transfer the paste in the pan.
- Add khoya and saffron soaked in milk
- Cook for another minute.
- Add kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt and a cup of water and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add paneer, honey, lemon juice, cardamom powder, kewra essence and a cup of water and cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes.
- Adjust water according to your preference
- Add fresh cream and cook for a minute.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and fresh cream and serve hot with Naan or pulao.
Manjula Bharath
rich and tempting shahi paneer 🙂 looks very delicious !!
chowringhee
Simply awesome and delicious looking Wonderfully prepared.
rohit aggarwal
Thanks for the information
Neha Mathur
🙂
Vincent
Hi,
What’s the difference between shahi paneer and paneer butter masala? Both recipes look amazing!
Neha Mathur
Shahi Paneer is sweeter and creamier than Paneer Butter Masala.