Paneer Tikka Masala is a flavorful and aromatic curry made with marinated and grilled paneer cubes simmered in a rich onion tomato gravy along with warm spices. This restaurant quality Paneer Tikka Masala is so easy to make in the instant pot, that you will not consider take-out again.
Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and mix well. Add paneer, onions and bell pepper. Stir and coat with the marinade on all sides. Let is rest 15 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Brown the marinated Paneer (optional - This step can be done while the curry is cooking in the instant pot)
Heat a pan on stovetop on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoon oil. Spread the paneer, onions and bell pepper pieces and lightly brown on each side for about 2 minutes.
Prepare the sauce
Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the instant pot. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes, spices, cashews and mix well.
Add water and deglaze the pot making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. Press cancel and close the lid with vent in sealing position.
Pressure Cook the Curry
Change the instant pot setting to high pressure for 5 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, let it rest for 5 minutes then manually release the pressure.
Blend the contents in the instant pot with an immersion blender or regular blender to a smooth paste. If using regular blender, you may need to cool the ingredients before blending. Get the contents back to the instant pot.
Add roasted paneer, onions and bell peppers. Add cream, kasoori methi and any leftover marinade. Stir well and let the curry sauté for 2 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro. Paneer tikka masala is ready. Enjoy with basmati rice and naan.
Video
Notes
Marination: Use plain full fat or greek yogurt for the marinade. In a hurry? You can skip sautéing the marinated paneer and veggies when in a hurry. Dont skip marinating for at least 15 minutes (while you get the other things ready). Make it Vegan: I have not tried making this vegan version, but here would be my suggestions to make Vegan Paneer Tikka Masala.
Use olive oil or another fav plant based oil
Use tofu for paneer in the marinade
Skip the yogurt when marinating the tofu, just marinate in spices.
Use coconut milk in place of heavy cream
Make it the traditional way: Add the marinated paneer, peppers and onions to skewers (one piece at a time in that order). Bake and broil in the oven until they start to brown on the edges. Then use add to the sauce.Stovetop Method: For a stovetop pressure cooker, cook the sauce ingredients for 2 whistles. For a pan, after adding the sauce ingredients, cover and simmer until the onions and tomatoes are well cooked in about 15 minutes. Then puree and add the marinated paneer. Tomatoes: I use fresh tomatoes in this recipe. You can replace with 1 cup of canned diced tomatoes.Created: This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Pressure Cooker.