Malai Paneer
Craving for soft, creamy and melt-in-mouth Malai Paneer and don’t really want to step out of the house or order it online? Don’t worry, this Malai Paneer is here to save you. This recipe will not only give you a restaurant style dish at the comfort of your home, but is ultra-easy without using too many ingredients and gets done within 20 minutes. Don’t believe me? Well, go for it this time and know what that I’m really not kidding!
About Malai Paneer
I have adapted this Malai Paneer from the cookbook ‘1000 Great Indian Recipes – The Ultimate Book of Indian Cuisine’ and modified it as per me and my family’s preferences.
While I was reading through the recipe in this book, it stuck with me as I felt it was too quick and easy paneer dish that came from the restaurant chefs.
The quickness and ease of this specific recipe of Malai Paneer made me try it at home, without a second thought. And I’m glad I made it and created my version of it which is actually a recipe for keeps.
I added one more signature way of making a popular dish in my kitty, which I could refer to whenever I had unexpected guests or relatives. The same goes for you too.
Whenever I am making a paneer dish at home, I usually make it with the paneer that is also made at home the night before. I avoid buying it from the market. Same goes for this Malai Paneer as well.
I suggest you refer to this How To Make Paneer post of mine and make it at your home too. Once you get used to homemade paneer, you too will never head out to purchase it.
For this Malai Paneer, I halved the recipe, reduced the ridiculous proportion of oil and increased the proportion of cream from what was mentioned in the cookbook.
Also, added the quantity of spices which suited us and did not make the dish unbearably hot. In the original recipe, dry fenugreek leaves were not added. However, I added it in my version to give the dish an added aroma and flavor.
More On The Recipe
The paneer cubes in this Malai Paneer have a similar taste like that of the Malai Paneer Tikka. However, this entire dish is made in a pan and in flat 20 minutes, if you have the paneer ready, unlike the tikka which is marinated and grilled.
Just add a couple of minutes, which you will require to chop the onions and crush the ginger-garlic. If you add this time as well, it’s going to be a total of 25 minutes. Isn’t it one of the best dishes in the quickest possible way?!
This Malai Paneer has a semi dry consistency and a nice moistness due to the cream. I have used light cream in this recipe. If you’re outside India, you can use any good quality cream with 25% to 30% milk fat.
The rest of the ingredients are easy to get, except for the dried fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi. So, if you’re facing trouble in sourcing it, skip it.
The Malai Paneer is an apt choice for a sumptuous starter or mocktail/cocktail snack. Since, we at home, are mostly roti and rice people, I serve it with that only along with a side of onion-lemon salad or cucumber-carrot salad.
You can even garnish it with chopped coriander leaves before serving and relish it with phulka or naan as well. Make this dish for a large number of people by simply doubling the recipe.
How to make Malai Paneer
Make Masala
1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan or a small kadai/wok. Add ¾ cup finely chopped onions.
2. Sauté the onions on low or medium heat, till they start to turn golden.
3. Then, add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and sauté for about 15 to 20 seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
By this time all the onions would also have browned. Make sure you don’t burn the onions as this will give a bitter taste in the dish.
4. Lower the heat and add these spice powders:
- ¾ or 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Stir and sauté the ground spices for a couple of seconds without burning it.
Make Malai Paneer
5. Stir well and then add 250 grams paneer, cut into cubes. On low heat stir and sauté for 1 minute till the masala coats the paneer well. Do not cook the paneer for more time at this point.
6. Add ½ cup light cream (or cream with 25% milk fat). Gently stir to mix and sauté till you see oil leaving the sides or the cream has coated the paneer cubes.
Just cook for about 2 to 3 minutes after you add the cream. Also, add salt after you add the cream.
7. Switch off the heat and sprinkle ⅛ or ¼ teaspoon crushed kasuri methi and ⅛ teaspoon garam masala powder. Stir to mix gently.
8. Serve Malai Paneer hot garnished with some chopped coriander leaves, as a starter or with phulka, roti or naan.
FAQs
I stay in the US. What can I use as a substitute to the malai?
In US, various types of cream like light cream, whipping cream, heavy cream or other readymade low-fat cream are available. You can use any of these. But if using heavy cream or whipping cream which has a higher proportion of milk fat, add ¼ cup.
In this recipe, is possible to use milk in place of cream?
I won’t suggest adding milk, as it will alter the consistency. Instead, you can collect the clotted cream (malai) and refrigerate it for 2 to 3 days. Then, blend in a blender or mixie to a smooth cream and use it.
Can evaporated milk be used in this recipe?
Not really, as using evaporated milk might lend a sweet taste, which is not apt for this dish.
What do I do if I don’t have kasuri methi?
Make the dish without it or you could opt to add a pinch of fenugreek seed powder instead.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
- 250 grams Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
- ½ cup light cream or 25% to 30% fat cream
- ¾ or 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder or deggi mirch or ⅓ teaspoon of any red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons oil – any neutral oil
- ¾ cup finely chopped onions – about 1 medium to large onion
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste or ½ inch ginger + 2 to 3 small to medium garlic cloves crushed to a fine paste in a mortar-pestle
- ⅛ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ⅛ or ¼ teaspoon crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) – if the kasuri methi leaves are too bitter, then just add a pinch, (optional)
- salt as required
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves – for garnish
Instructions
Preparation
- First chop the paneer into cubes and set aside.
- Finely chop the onion.
- Peel and crush the ginger-garlic to a fine paste in a mortar-pestle.
Making malai paneer
- Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the onions.
- Keep on stirring while the onions are sautéing, so that there is uniform browning.
- Saute till the onions start turning golden on low to medium-low heat.
- Then add the ginger-garlic paste. Sauté till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away – takes about 15 to 20 seconds.
- On a low heat add the coriander powder, red chili powder and turmeric powder.
- Stir and saute the spice powders for a couple of seconds. Make sure you don’t burn them.
- Then add the paneer cubes. On a low heat gently mix, sauté and stir for one minute till the paneer cubes are coated with the masala. Do not cook the paneer too much at this step.
- Add cream and and continue to gently stir till the cream coats the paneer cubes well.
- On low heat, cook for about 2 to 3 minutes after adding the cream. Season with salt and stir to mix.
- Lastly sprinkle crushed fenugreek leaves and garam masala. Stir to mix again gently.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve Malai Paneer hot as a starter snack or with naan, roti, chapati or bread.
Nutrition
This Malai Paneer post from the archives first published in May 2014 has been republished and updated on 24 July 2022.
Dont we need to add salt?
yes salt needs to be added. i have already mentioned about salt in the ingredients, instructions as well as the step by step post.
This one was a super duper hit…it tasted awesome, the cream gave it such a royal and silky texture.
And it took only 20mins to make.
Thank you.
Welcome Preeti. Glad to read your positive comment on malai paneer recipe.
Hi Dassana,
I am ur big fan!!!
Thank you so much for sharing so many wonderful veg delcacies’
i just love this recipe as well, i live in USA and i am not sure what will be the best substitute of malai most the recipes having malai as an ingredient.
toral, in USA one gets various types of cream like light cream, whipping cream, heavy cream. you can use light cream, whipping cream or heavy cream in the recipes.
I want to ask that instead of cream which you used, can I use maionese cream to make the dish. Thank you for the recipe.
don’t use mayonnaise. it won’t be tasting good in this recipe.
Awesome and to much yummy ????
Quick to make it. ????????????.
Thanks Shishirdube
Thank you Dassana. You really make cooking fun,full of love and flavourful.
Thank you for blessing us with love of cooking.
God bless you…
Welcome Megha. Thanks for your positive feedback and best wishes.
Hiiii ma’am
I have tried almost every recipe of yours and they have came out really well.? Being a girl I have to learn about cooking?, and this site and ur simple way of explanation for every single recipe makes it more easier for me.?…thank u for that…lots of love….?
Actually i tried a dish today in a restaurant named Veg. Nilgiri Korma…I even searched the recipe but nothing helped me….can u pls add it? Please☺️
And yes…this malai paneer was finger licking good?….keep up the good work…and ya thanks from mom…again?
Aey
thank you very much. i have taken the recipe on our request file. so will see if i can add.
Made this yday..turned out super awesome.. Thanks dassana .. U r a blessing..
thankyou ankita glad you liked them 🙂
Awesome…I was looking for some paneer recipe without tomatoes & I found this one…I am sure it would taste good…Thanks
welcome prerna. glad to know that you liked the recipe.
Hello!!!!!dassana can u use milk instead of cream because it is very difficult to get hold of cream in my area
you can use malai. just collect malai and keep covered in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. then with a hand held blender just blend the malai and you will get smooth cream. adding milk will give a different consistency. so i won’t suggest adding milk.
Can we use evaporated milk instead?
evaporated milk might lend a sweet taste which won’t go well in this dish.
Tried this recipe out and it turned out delicious! Truly has a restaurant touch with the rich creaminess and melt in your mouth bites of paneer were appreciated by everyone in my family.
Great work on the blog Dassana, keep it up:)
thanks aparna for this positive feedback.
Have tried loads of ur recipes with success. yours is my go to blog when it comes to cooking Indian food. kudos to u for putting in so much work into ur recipes.
thanks verma for this positive feedback and kind words.
Tried out this recipe today. Everyone loved it. Thanks for posting everything in such a simplified manner. I love your site, it basically taught me cooking.
welcome swati. glad to know that the blog is helping you in cooking.
dis recipe is simply awesum. i am a new kitchn entrant and ur blog is a perfect guide. most recipes have turned out 2 b superhit.
thanks arpita for your feedback.
Thank you soo much…
I was soo happy to see the expression on my daughter and wife’s face when they tasted this. It was soo good that I told my daughter that I brought it from hotel.
It was soo easy, soo simple and soo tasty…
Thanks a lot for such a wonderful recipe…
welcome girish. glad to know that you all liked the recipe.
I tried this recipe yesterday, it turned out so delicious that there was nothing left for me to eat 🙂
And for someone who cooks, what could be a better compliment than that!
Thank you so much Dassana for the recipe. To add to it, whatever I have tried from your blog has always turned out right 🙂
welcome anusha. glad to get this comment from someone who knows cooking. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes. it helps and make a difference to us as well as to other readers.
Tried out this recipe with tofu and it came out excellent!!!
Thanks Dassana!
welcome dhanalakshmi
Tried this yesterday, and it came out delicious.
I think you have missed mentioning garam masala at Step4.
thanks for the recipe.
thanks for the feedback. will add the missing bit.
Tried this recipe, came out tasty.. thanks for the recipe.
It will be great if you can make a recipe index.. its difficult to scroll and navigate when we want to see the list of recipes.
thanks V. we are working on the recipe index. it was there before. now we want to make it better so working on it. thats why its not visible.
what kind of malai do I use ? I live abroad and not sure what to use as malai…..milk over here don’t give us malai or cream at all…..please suggest! Many Thanks
meera, please use readymade low fat cream.
Wonderful! Quick, simple and tasty! What else can I ask for. My family loved it.
As a regular visitor of this blog a kind request- can you please post some more baking recipes eggless ones?
thanks megha. yes, i will do.
Superb Blog..I am new in the cooking nd loves paneer,so thought of starting with paneer recipies..this blog is better than any others..explaind well,and pictures are too good…
Thanks to You Dassana Amit
welcome parvathy and thanks for this positive feedback. i am touched and humbled.
This has always been my all time favourite, the step by step method with images is the best guide. I realised my previous mistakes from your given illustration and will certainly follow the illustration and trust that the dish turns out splendidly enticing. Thanks a million Dassana.
what mistake you made 🙂 welcome hitul.
Wow.. paneer looks so succulent.. lip smacking..
Dassana..you are a star!! You explain a recipe in such a way that the most difficult one seems so easy… this paneer recipe and all other paneer recipes are just fantastic… you have made everyone a chef… hats off to your cooking skills… i am a big fan of your blog… keep it up!!
welcome monika and big thanks for your positive feedback.i feel you are over rating me but i am happy to read it.
so tasty malai paneer. sure treat for the paneer lovers
Love malai paneer, also a quick and delicious recipe. Surely would try it.
Malai paneer recipe looks yummy and is a change from usual matar paneer which is common in indian household
Swati
oh very easy one , any thing for paneer. I loved the cream and paneer combo
Yummy malai paneer:)
I’m just 14 & I just love cooking ……I tried this recipe it was so tastyyyy & mango & cheese cake was also so tasty …………I just wanna thank u for these dishes which we feel were so difficult when we use to eat it in hotels I just wanna ask a question that can we use home made cream also
sukhmeet, at this age your are doing wonders. way to go. all the best for your future. yes you can use homemade cream too. in fact i am surprised how you know that cream can be made at home too. thanks for the feedback on the recipes.