Handmade Paneer Tikka Masala

5 from 1 vote

Homemade, soft cheese cubes take center stage of this Homemade Paneer Tikka Masala recipe. A delicious, vegetarian option for a weeknight meal!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Resting Time (Optional)1

Total Time1 1 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: Adults

Calories: 842kcal

12 Cups Whole Milk (96 oz.) Not Ultra High Temperature Pasteurized - Raw Milk is preferred, but regular pasteurized milk will work.
½ Cup Lemon Juice, Distilled White Vinegar, or Plain Whole Fat Yogurt (4 oz.)
½ - 1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds Toasted
½ teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns Toasted
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds Toasted (Substitute for ½ teaspoon ground cumin if you cannot find whole seeds.)
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes Toasted
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Turmeric
½ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
7 Cloves Garlic
1 Two Inch Piece Ginger Peeled and Minced
1 Jalapeno Deseeded, and Rough Chopped. (Add more or substitute for hotter pepper if you want more heat).
¼ Cup Water (2 oz.)
2 Tablespoons Neutral Oil
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt

Remaining Curry Paste
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Large Onion Finely Minced
1 (6 oz.) Can Tomato Paste
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Kashmiri Chili Powder Substitute plain chili powder if you can't find this.
1 Cup Heavy Cream (8 oz.)
½ Cup Whole Milk (4 oz.)
¼ Lemon
¼ Cup Cilantro Finely Minced

In a large pot, heat whole milk over medium heat until an instant read thermometer reads 200°F. Stir frequently and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to ensure milk does not scorch. (If you do not have a thermometer, bring the milk just barely to a boil. It should be steaming and slightly frothy).
Remove from heat and add distilled white vinegar/lemon juice/yogurt and stir.
Cover and rest for 10-minutes in order for curds to completely separate from the whey.
Line a colander with cheesecloth. Place a large mixing bowl underneath if saving whey.
Scoop the curd from the pot and add to colander. Grab the edges of the cheesecloth and form a ball. Gently squeeze to remove excess liquid.
Rinse well with cold water to remove any vinegar or lemon smell. (Omit this step if using yogurt).
Gently squeeze cheesecloth again and let drain for 30-minutes to 1-hour.
Open cheesecloth and add ½ teaspoon salt to curds and stir. Taste and add another ½ teaspoon if needed.
While still wrapped in the cheesecloth, remove curds from colander and form into a tight disk, square or rectangle.
Place on a plate or cutting board, and cover with a another large plate. Place a heavy weight, such as a large pot, or Dutch oven on top. Filling the pot or Dutch oven with dry rice, or cans from your pantry helps add weight. Press for 15-minutes, up to 1-hour.
Remove the paneer from the cheesecloth. Use immediately or refrigerate overnight (recommended), up to 2-days.

Toast the coriander, crushed red pepper, whole black peppercorns, and cumin until spices become fragrant in a small saucepan over medium high heat, 2 - 3 minutes. The spices should start to smoke lightly, but not scorch or burn.
Add the toasted spices to a pestle and mortar, and grind into a fine powder. (This step is optional. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, add the seasoning to the blender first and grind them before the next step).
Add the toasted and ground spices, garam masala, turmeric, ground cardamom, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, water, oil and salt to a blender. Blend until a thick paste forms, approx. 2 - 3 minutes. (Optionally, this could be made with an immersion blender, and you could drizzle the oil in slowly as you blend).

Place rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse with cold water until water runs clear.
Add water, butter, salt, and cardamom pods to InstantPot. Add rinsed rice, and cover. Set time to 8-minutes on manual mode and cook. When timer goes off, turn off the keep warm setting, and let pressure naturally vent for an additional 8- minutes.
Release the remaining pressure from the InstantPot. Remove the lid and remove the cardamom pods. Fluff the rice with a fork and taste for additional seasoning. Add additional salt as needed.

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of neutral oil to the pan and heat until slightly smoking. Add several tablespoons of the curry paste and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from the pan and let cool.
Add paneer cubes to the cooked and cooled curry paste, tossing to coat. Reserve to the side for later in the recipe.
Reduce the heat to medium and add butter to pan and melt.
Add onion and a small pinch of salt. Cook for 5 to 8-minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and some color begins to form. Scrape the bottom of the pan as the onion releases some of its liquid.
Add the remaining curry paste, tomato paste, chili powder, paprika and stir. Sauté for an additional 2 - 3 minutes, until everything starts to stick to the pan.
Add the heavy cream and milk, stirring to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a slight boil. Add the paneer back to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 - 15-minutes until thick.
Add the juice from the quarter of a lemon, minced cilantro, and stir. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Take several scoops of rice and place in half of a bowl. Place several scoops of paneer and sauce in the other half. Garnish with additional cilantro and serve warm.

The paneer amounts given in the recipe yield approximately 1 cup of cheese. Feel free to double the amount of ingredients to make more.