Kaju Curry | Kaju Masala
Kaju curry is a restaurant style delicious recipe of a creamy kaju butter masala with a rich, tangy, sweet flavorful gravy made with cashews, tomatoes, cream and spices. Kaju is the Hindi word for cashews. This recipe of kaju masala has an overload of cashews as they are added twice during the cooking process. Serve with roti, naan, paratha or steamed rice for a sumptuous and filling lunch or dinner.
About Kaju Curry
When and as time permits, I do prepare recipes requested by readers. This recipe of kaju curry was requested by a few blog readers. So here is the recipe.
The kaju masala curry is rich, creamy and on the sweeter side. It is also mild and not spicy, so good for kids. Whole cashews as well as powdered cashews are added in the recipe.
The gravy is tomato based one and is similar to the Paneer Butter Masala gravy I make. Garlic is added, but you can easily skip garlic and make a no onion no garlic version.
This kaju curry recipe being rich, makes for a good party dish or for a weekend meal. You can serve kaju masala with tandoori rotis, naan, chapatis. You can also serve it with jeera rice or veg pulao.
How to make Kaju Curry
Sauté Cashews (Kaju)
1. First heat 1 tablespoon butter or oil in a pan or kadai. Make sure that the butter does not brown. So melt the butter on a low heat.
2. Then add 1 cup Kaju or 120 grams whole cashews.
3. Stir and saute the cashews till they become golden on low to medium-low heat.
4. Remove them on a plate and keep them aside.
Cook Tomatoes
5. In the same pan there will be some butter remaining. Add 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf) and saute for a few seconds on low heat.
6. Then add 1.5 cups roughly chopped tomatoes and ½ cup water. About 4 medium or 3 large sized tomatoes. Stir and mix well and simmer the mixture on a medium to high heat till the tomatoes soften. You can also cover the pan and cook the tomatoes.
Make Cashew Powder
7. When the tomatoes are simmering, take 18 to 20 cashews in a grinder or blender.
8. Powder them to a very fine texture. If fat is released while grinding or blending cashews, then it is alright. Scrape the sides and powder them finely.
9. Remove and keep the ground cashews aside.
Blend Cooked Tomatoes
10. Meanwhile, the tomatoes have softened. Switch off the heat and allow the tomatoes to become warm or cool down completely.
11. Discard the tej patta and add the tomatoes to the same grinder or blender jar in which we had ground the cashews.
12. Blend the tomatoes into a smooth puree. Keep aside.
Make Kaju Masala Gravy
13. In the same pan in which we sauteed the cashews and cooked the tomatoes, heat 2 tablespoons of butter on low heat.
14. Add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (1 inch ginger + 3 to 4 garlic crushed to paste in a mortar-pestle).
Stir and saute for some seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
15. Then add the cashew powder.
16. Stir and mix to combine.
17. On a low heat, keep on stirring the cashew powder, so that it cooks uniformly. You have to stir continuously, otherwise the cashew powder sticks to the pan and can get burned or too browned.
18. Stir till the color of the cashew powder changes to a pale light golden and you get a nice aroma. However don’t brown the cashew powder.
19. Then add the prepared tomato puree.
20. Stir and mix very well.
21. Saute the tomato puree for about 4 minutes on a low to medium heat. Keep on stirring often.
22. Then add ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch. Stir and mix very well.
23. Now add ⅔ to ¾ cup water or as required. Stir and mix again.
24. Add 1 to 2 slit green chilies.
25. Simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium heat.
Make Kaju Curry
26. Then add the sautéed golden cashews. Stir. You can also keep a few cashews for garnish.
27. Season with salt as required.
28. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar. Stir and simmer the curry for a further 2 minutes.
29. Lastly add the following ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 to 3 tablespoons low fat cream or light cream or cooking cream or 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, crushed (dried fenugreek leaves)
30. Stir again till the entire cream is mixed well with the kaju masala curry. Switch off the flame. Check the seasoning and add more salt or sugar if required.
31. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve kaju masala with tandoori roti, naan, phulka or paratha. You can also serve it with cumin rice or veg pulao or steamed basmati rice or saffron rice or ghee rice.
The leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container and used within a day.
More popular Indian Curry Recipes
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
For sauteing cashews
- 1 cup cashews – 120 grams (kaju)
- 1 tablespoon Butter or oil
For kaju masala curry
- 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes or 3 large or 4 medium-sized ripe red tomatoes
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- ½ cup water
- 18 to 20 cashews
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste or 1 inch ginger + 3 to 4 garlic cloves – crushed to paste in a mortar-pestle
- 1 or 2 green chilies – slit
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder or deghi mirch
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 2 to 3 tablespoon light cream or cooking cream or low fat cream or 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- ⅔ to ¾ cup water or add as required
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar or add as per taste
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves for garnish
- salt as required
Instructions
Sauteing cashews
- First heat 1 tablespoon butter or oil in a pan. Make sure that the butter does not brown. So melt the butter on a low heat.
- Then add 1 cup cashews (120 grams).
- Stir and saute the cashews till they become golden on low to medium heat. Remove them in a plate and keep aside.
Preparation for kaju curry
- In the same pan, add 1 tej patta and saute for a few seconds.
- Then add roughly chopped tomatoes and ½ cup water. About 4 medium or 3 large tomatoes. Stir well and simmer the mixture till the tomatoes soften.
- When the tomatoes are simmering, take 18 to 20 cashews in grinder or blender and powder very fine. If fat is released while grinding or blending the cashews, then its alright.
- Remove and keep the ground cashews aside.
- Meanwhile, the tomatoes have softened. Switch off the heat and allow the tomatoes to become warm or cool down completely.
- Discard the tej patta and add the tomatoes in the same grinder or blender jar in which we ground the cashews.
- Blend the tomatoes to a smooth puree. Keep aside.
Making kaju curry
- In the same pan in which we sauteed the cashews and cooked the tomatoes, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on low heat.
- Add ginger-garlic paste. Stir and saute for some seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
- Add the cashew powder. Stir and mix very well.
- On a low heat, keep on stirring the cashew powder, so that it cooks uniformly.
- Stir till the color of the cashew powder changes to a pale light golden and you get a nice aroma.
- Then add the tomato puree. Stir and mix very well.
- Saute the tomato puree for about 4 minutes on a low to medium heat.
- Then add kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch. Stir very well.
- Then add ⅔ to ¾ cup water or as required. Stir and mix again.
- Add 1 to 2 slit green chilies.
- Simmer the curry for 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium heat.
- Then add the sautéed golden cashews. Stir to combine.
- Season with salt as required. Simmer the curry for a further 2 minutes.
- Lastly add garam masala powder, light cream and crushed kasuri methi.
- Stir again till the entire cream is mixed well with the kaju curry. Switch off the heat.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve kaju masala curry with tandoori roti, naan, chapati. You can also serve it with jeera rice or veg pulao.
Notes
- Use tomatoes that are ripe and sweet. Avoid making this dish with tangy or sour tomatoes. You can also use canned tomatoes to make this dish.
- If in case the gravy taste very sour then add some more sugar or you can add some more cream to balance the tanginess.
- Cashews should be in their shelf period. Make sure they are not rancid as this will spoil the dish. Use best quality cashews as they are one of the main ingredients in this recipe.
- You can add more or less water to get the consistency you prefer.
- If you don’t dry fenugreek leaves then skip adding it.
- For a spicier taster you can increase the amount of green chilies or add a bit more of the Kashmiri red chili powder.
- The recipe will be difficult to scale as it is.
Nutrition
This Kaju Masala post from the archives (April 2015) has been republished and updated on 22 October 2021.
I love cashews, and this recipe is just another favourite way of using them to make a tasty main dish.
I am so glad you enjoyed this dish. Cashews do add such a wonderful richness and texture to curries. Happy to know this recipe is now one of your favorites.
The cashews have to be raw uncooked and unsalted, correct?
Yes, they are raw and unsalted.
Fantastic recipe.. I made it more like a mixed vegetable with cashews but was super good!! Thank you.
Hey!! Can we double the recipe?
Since it is a curry with many flavors, you will have to add the ingredients in approximation when doubling the recipe.
Dear Dassana,
this… was fantastic!
I cheated outrageously, I have to admit: I used cashew butter and a can of tomatoes plus a tiny bit of honey instead of grinding my own – but that is also due to the fact that my real blender is still in storage, it’s winter here and I came home after working for 11 hours…
Thank you so much – this was exactly what was needed on a cold winter night.
thank you naurael for sharing this feedback and also for the variations you made. i am glad that the recipe worked well with the variations. welcome and happy cooking.
How much paneer should be added per person? I’ll try this recipe for 10 people today, so wanted an estimate for the quantity. I love your recipes!
thanks. for one person, you can easily add 3 to 4 paneer cubes – just an approximation. it can be more too. hope this helps.
Very nice recipe thanks, I added paneer as well as the sautéed cashews and it turned out very well.
thanks tom for the review and feedback. paneer can be added. even some boiled peas or sweet corn kernels can be added.
Hi is there anyway we can add onion to this? If yes, when can I add?
Thanks ????
ranjini, you can add onions. in the 14th step, before adding ginger-garlic paste, add onions in the melted butter and saute till translucent. then add ginger-garlic paste and continue with the recipe.
Awesome recipe! Tried it, came out very well. Thanks for sharing!!
Welcome Keerthana
Wow, so tasty. Adding powered cashew nut is the key here, which makes gravy thick and tasty.
Thanks for posting.
Welcome Tanmay. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
I like to your recipes.
thanks.
Superb recipe
Tried today for dinner and everyone just loved it
Thanks Saloni
I made this recipy and it was delicious … I loved it
thanks rishta for sharing this feedback. glad.
Nice recipes
thanks ashrita for positive feedback.
Hi – I wondered what your name is as I am sure we will be in contact through my thank you notes and comments here. I tried the restaurant style daal recipe you had posted and what beauty! Best daal I have cooked. I tried the mushroom masala next, however, that was more on a tangy side which made me wonder if I had more tomatoes in it than necessary. I could be right because this recipe calls for 3-4 medium tomatoes and I found 2 just enough (my perception of medium might be off). What worked was you mentioned 1.5 cups of chopped tomatoes – that’s how I knew 2 would suffice. Can I just say this recipe was finger-linkin’ good! Dear Husband loved it as well and that makes cooking so worthwhile (especially for me). I want to revisit the karai mushroom gravy so please can you advise onion and gravy ratio in cups?
Thank you again. Sharing knowledge is a wonderful thing and I want to thank you for it.
thank you maliha for this lovely comment and the feedback on the recipes you tried. the tangy side is due to the sourness in the tomatoes. for making tomato based gravies, best are to use tomatoes which are less sour and more on the sweeter side. some tomatoes can be very sour, so avoid these ones. for the kadai mushroom gravy, you can add 1 cup heaped chopped onions and 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes.
I always like your post as you describe in a simple way.. step by step and with pictures.Thanks for sharing yummy recipes.
thanks megha.
Thanks! I made this for my mom as a surprise, and this was amazing! I`m not incredibly great at cooking yet, but we all were pleasantly surprised at this.
pleased to know this jess glad your mom liked the kaju butter masala recipe 🙂 thankyou for your kind words.
It’s excellent. Thank you so much.
welcome and thankyou nirali 🙂
Made kaju butter masala at home turned out to be outstanding cant belive its made so easily at home.
Thanks for so simple and tasty recipe.
thankyou mitesh glad to know you liked the kaju butter masala recipe 🙂 and you are always welcome.
Your recipes are simple yet amazing. I am great fan of your recipes. I have enjoyed making lot of them.
thankyou saipoornima for your positive words and you are welcome.
Hi Dassana ,
i just love the way you cook i tried many of your stuff they have come very well thanks for sharing such a simple ways of cooking.
god bless you.
pleased to know this rashmi thankyou for trying so many recipes 🙂 god bless you too.
Nice
I love ur recipes and I’m absolutely hooked to ur blog..ive tried many of ur north indian dishes and all were yummm…
I tried this recipe today. ..turned out great …thanks a lot for this amazing blog. .!!
welcome hiba. glad to know this.
Lovely recipe…tried it came out very well..
thanks neha for the positive feedback.
Hi
Thank you for sharing this recipe I will love to make this recipe plz. Share with me anther panjabi recipes
welcome naqiya. check more punjabi recipes here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/recipes/punjabi-recipes/
Hi,
I really love your website and you. This site is very much help to me to continue my side business. Thanks for your sharing. Thank you so much once again. I love your all recipes, and try everyday.
welcome monalisa. good to know that the website is helping you.
Hi Dassana!
Thanks again for one more lovely dish 🙂
I have a question that in some curry or masala dishes you are adding Garam masala powder in the end steps and after that you instructed to cook for 2-3 mins..why so..I just want to update myself 😉
thanks dear:)
welcome arti. garam masala is usually added in the end, if the garam masala is made from roasted spices. otherwise if the garam masala powder is made from unroasted spices then it can be earlier when we add chilli powder and turmeric.
Hi Dassana,
Like most of the people here, I stumbled upon your website and am glad I did! Paneer lababdar was the first recipe I tried of yours and it turned out awesome. I checked your page again recently and was excited to see this recipe. Kaju masala is my fav side dish for rotis and I order the same everytime I go to a north-indian restaurant. I was searching for the recipe for a long time; somehow none of the recipes posted on other websites convinced me of the taste. Given the success with paneer lababdar and the steps/ingredients I was convinced that will come out the same taste as I yearn for in the restaurants and I was not disappointed. Thank you so very much for this!!! Lots of love for that. I have a couple of requests with respect to recipes needed some suggestions for the website.
Request for recipes:
Can you please post more on the following:
1. Thai cuisine
2. Italian cuisine
3. More milk-based bengali sweets
Suggestions on the website for easy travel between pages:
1. Can you have one more search bar at top of the home page and even in particular recipe page? It is present only at the bottom of home page.
2. Can you provide more categories/sub-categories like those made using pre-requisite preparations like khoya, rabri etc?
Thanks again for the awesome website with detailed and illustrative pix.
welcome maneesha. thanks a lot for sharing positive review on recipes, your kind words and for your suggestions. we will add the search bar at top on all pages. i will add more thai and italian cuisine. milk based bengali sweets are on my list. as and when time permits i will add them. we will do something for ingredient wise recipe search for sure soon.
I tried kaju butter masala today … it comes very well as like restaurant … my husband loves it … thanks for shraing it in a lovely manner …. really thanks a lot ….
welcome swathi. glad to know this.
I am trying to cook all the dishes and the taste is totally different I am very thankful to you because now everyday is special to me
welcome rohit. glad to know that recipes are helping you in cooking.
kaju butter masala very nice i try at home
thanks palak
Thank you for the recipe.Eager to try it.
Lalitha.
welcome lalitha
love your recipes very much
thanks a ton
welcome byomkes
I like kaju curries.ur kaju butter. Masala is so easy n simple doing.so I liked it.thks 4 yum subji.
welcome vandana. glad to know this.
Hi i tried this recipe yesterday taste was superb and my dad liked it a lot thanks a lot for this awesome recipe dassana
welcome priyanka. glad to know this.
Awesome…. I tried it tastes gud…. Guide us fr some more recipes…..
thanks prithvi
I’m new to cooking and I just like this recipe.Its so easy to follow each and every steps..Simply Awesome work..Thanks 🙂
welcome hima
Awesome recipe…… Very easy nd luks fab…… Can’t wait to try it..
thanks neha
Dear Dasanna,
Every time I visit your website, I just keep wondering how lucky your friends and family are. Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful recipes, in a quick and easy way.
Being passionate about food and appreciating it is a blessing and I guess you find loads of spiritual solace in it. Thanks again.
Warm Regards,
Kalyani.
welcome kalyani. thanks for sharing your positive feedback and kind words.
Hi So yummy!! Thanks for the recipe. Will try it soon. Frying the cashew powder first is different. I usually add it to gravy to thicken. Will try this way.
welcome sreedevi. thanks for sharing your version.
wow really nice. tempting me to prepare soon
thanks chithra