Matar Paneer, also known as Matar Paneer Masala, is an easy and classic restaurant-style vegetarian curry made of Indian cottage cheese (paneer) and green peas cooked in a flavorful tomato-onion-based sauce. You can prepare it easily using an Instant Pot pressure cooker or on the stovetop.
Growing up during school days, eating out at restaurants was a rare treat. But whenever we did, our go-to orders were always matar paneer, paneer butter masala, or palak paneer, along with vegetable biryani.
Today, I am sharing how to make easy matar paneer at home in the electric pressure cooker Instant Pot and Stovetop pot. It can be prepared in under 30 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner.
Jump to:
What is Matar Paneer?
In Hindi, "Matar" means green peas, and "Paneer" refers to Indian cottage cheese. Matar Paneer is a popular North Indian dish made with fresh paneer and green peas cooked in a flavorful onion-tomato gravy with aromatic Indian spices. It pairs well with naan, roti, and basmati rice.
I used store-bought paneer for this recipe, but homemade paneer tastes best. But if you don't want to make paneer at home, then you can find paneer at your local grocery stores like Costco, or from Indian grocery stores.
When I have excess paneer at home, I simply cube and freeze them in freezer-safe containers. Whenever I want to use frozen paneer, I just thaw it at room temperature and put it in hot water till it turns soft.
Frozen green peas are available throughout the year. During the winter season, I love to use fresh green peas in this recipe. More green peas recipes from my blog potato peas curry, mushroom peas masala, cabbage peas stir fry, and peas pulao.
Matar Paneer Masala Ingredients
- Paneer: Use homemade paneer for best results.
- Green peas: I used frozen green peas.
- Onion, garlic, and ginger: I used roughly diced onions, along with garlic and ginger, for the base.
- Tomato: I used half a can of tomato puree (sauce) i.e, about 1 cup. You can take two large tomatoes and puree them.
- Cream: I used heavy cream. You can also use cashew cream or coconut cream.
- Spices & Herbs: I used fresh-cut coriander leaves and turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala as spices.
How to Make Matar Paneer in Instant Pot
If you are using store-bought paneer, soak it in warm water for 15-20 minutes before you start making this recipe. It will make the paneer soft.
Grind 1 medium onion (chopped), 1-inch ginger, and 3 garlic cloves to a smooth paste without adding water, and keep aside.
Also, blend 2 large tomatoes separately and keep them aside. Note I used ½ can of tomato puree (sauce), i.e., about 1 cup for this recipe.
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Once the pot is hot, add 1 bay leaf, 2 cardamoms, and ½ teaspoon cumin, and let them sizzle.
Next, add ground onion paste. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the onion paste turns light brown.
Add the tomato puree, dry spices like ½ teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, and salt to the instant pot, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add 1.5 cups of cubed paneer, 1 cup frozen green peas, and 1 cup water to the instant pot. Deglaze the pot if anything is stuck to the bottom.
For added texture and flavor, you can air fry the paneer before adding it to the curry.
Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to "SEALING". Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 2 minutes.
When the instant pot beeps, Do a QUICK RELEASE (QR).
Then add 1 teaspoon garam masala powder, 2 tablespoons heavy (or cashew cream), 1 tablespoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves, and mix well.
Lastly, garnish with 2 tablespoons coriander leaves. Instant Pot Matar Paneer Masala is ready to serve.
Stovetop Pot Method
- Grind onion, ginger, garlic to a smooth paste without adding water, and keep aside.
- Also, blend the tomatoes separately and keep them aside. Note: I used ½ can of tomato puree (sauce), about 1 cup for this recipe.
- Heat oil in a pot. Once the oil is hot, add bay leaves, cardamom, and cumin seeds. Let them sizzle.
- Next, add ground onion paste. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the onion paste turns light brown.
- Add the tomato puree, dry spices like turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt to the pot, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cubed paneer, frozen green peas, and water to the pot.
- Close the lid and let it simmer for 6 to 7 minutes on medium heat. Then turn off the stove.
- Then add garam masala powder, cashew cream, crushed Kasuri methi, and mix well. Lastly, garnish with cilantro. Mutter paneer is ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Matar Paneer Masala with naan, roti, paratha, poori, jeera rice, veg pulao, or basmati rice.
How to Store Matar Paneer Masala
- Store: You can store leftover matar paneer curry in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: Freeze in freezer-safe containers or Ziploc bags for up to 1-2 months. But I highly recommend serving this curry fresh as the texture of the paneer changes after freezing.
- Reheat: Reheat paneer peas curry in a microwave or stovetop until warm. If it's frozen, defrost first and then reheat.
Tips & Variations
A simple green peas paneer curry can be made in many ways, such as:
- KETO: You can replace peas with bell peppers or just use paneer for the keto diet. You can use coconut cream, or heavy cream instead of cashew cream. Also, use a moderate amount of onions and tomatoes for keto-adaptation.
- Vegan: You can substitute paneer with extra-firm tofu and fresh cream with cashew or coconut cream to make vegan matar paneer.
- You can also add paneer after the pressure cooking cycle and simmer the curry for 1 minute if you prefer.
- Soft Paneer: If you are using store-bought paneer, soak it in warm water for 15-20 minutes before you start making this recipe. It will make the paneer soft.
- You can also deep fry, shallow-fry, or air fry paneer and add it to the curry.
- Restaurant Style: For a restaurant-style matar paneer, add extra heavy cream at the end.
- You can also add some homemade yogurt for a variation.
Recipe FAQs
To make a vegan Mutter Paneer recipe, replace paneer with extra-firm tofu. Replace dairy cream with cashew cream or coconut cream.
More Instant Pot Indian Curry Recipes
Instant Pot Matar Paneer (Cottage Cheese and Peas Curry)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups paneer cubed
- 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cardamoms
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 medium onion (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 large tomatoes (or ½ can of tomato sauce (about 1 cup))
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- salt to taste
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh cream (or coconut cream, cashew cream)
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves to garnish
Instructions
- If you are using a store-bought paneer, soak them in warm water for 15-20 minutes before you start making this recipe. It will make the paneer soft.
Instant Pot Method:
- Grind onion, ginger, garlic to a smooth paste without adding water and keep aside.
- Also, blend the tomatoes separately and keep them aside. Note I used ½ can of tomato puree (sauce) about 1 cup for this recipe.
- Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil to the POT. Once POT is hot add bay leaves, cardamom, and cumin, let them sizzle.
- Next, add ground onion paste. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the onion paste turns light brown.
- Add the tomatoes puree, dry spices like turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt to the instant pot and cook for another 2-3 minutes
- Add the cubed paneer, frozen green peas, and water to the instant pot. Deglaze the pot if anything is stuck to the bottom.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes.Once the pot beeps, Do a QUICK RELEASE(QR).
- Then add garam masala powder, heavy or cashew cream, crushed dried fenugreek leaves, and mix well.
- Garnish with cilantro. Mutter paneer is ready to serve.
Stovetop Pot Method:
- Grind onion, ginger, garlic to a smooth paste without adding water and keep aside.
- Also, blend the tomatoes separately and keep them aside. Note: I used ½ can of tomato puree (sauce) about 1 cup for this recipe.
- Heat oil in a pot. Once the oil is hot add bay leaves, cardamom, and cumin seeds. Let them sizzle.
- Next, add ground onion paste. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the onion paste turns light brown.
- Add the tomatoes puree, dry spices like turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt to the pot, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cubed paneer, frozen green peas, and water to the pot.
- Close the lid and let it simmer for 6 to 7 minutes on medium heat. Then turn off the stove.
- Then add garam masala powder, cashew cream, crushed Kasuri methi, and mix well. Lastly, garnish with cilantro. Mutter paneer is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Tips & Variations :
- KETO: You can replace peas with bell pepper or just use paneer for the keto diet. You can also use almond paste or coconut cream, or heavy cream instead of cashew cream. Also, use a moderate amount of onions and tomatoes for keto-adaptation.
- Vegan: You can substitute paneer with extra-firm tofu and fresh cream with cashew or coconut cream to make vegan matar paneer.
- You can also add paneer after the pressure cooking cycle and simmer the curry for 1 minute if you prefer.
- Soft Paneer: If you are using store-bought paneer, soak them in warm water for 15-20 minutes before you start making this recipe. It will make the paneer soft.
- You can also deep fry the paneer and add it to the curry.
- Restaurant Style: If you want to make Restaurant Style Matar Paneer recipe, add extra heavy cream at the end.
- You can also add some yogurt for a different taste variation.
Nutrition
★ Like this recipe? FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube for more quick & easy recipes.
Giridhar Sharma
This is awesome recipe. Came out really good with instant pot.
Bhavana Patil
Thank you, Giri for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback...
Z
Wonderful! Thank you!
Z
“2 cardamom”
Please specify!
bhavana
Yes Zoe ,2 Whole pods of green cardamom,you can skip it if you dont have.
Anonymous
Thank you!!