Creamy paneer lababdar | Paneer lababdar recipe | How to make paneer lababdar

Creamy paneer lababdar aka paneer lababdar recipe is a lip-smacking, rich, creamy, flavoured and slightly sweet Indian paneer curry recipe that is crazily popular in India and one of the most ordered panner curries in north Indian restaurants worldwide. In this preparation, paneer chunks and grated paneer are both used to provide different layers of texture. The buttery smooth lababdar gravy is prepared with onion-tomato-cashew nut with some cream and minimal spices. This inimitable delight is mostly accompanied by butter naan, kulcha, or rice items like pulao, jeera rice, plain basmati rice, etc. Learn to cook restaurant-style paneer lababdar at home following a few simple steps.

About the recipe
Health Benefits of Paneer
Tips and Suggestions
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make Paneer Lababdar (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

Here PANEER refers to Indian cottage cheese. I surfed the word ‘lababdar’ over the internet to know its accurate meaning and got to know that it means a strong desire for something for which you surrender totally. In this case, the name of the recipe refers to a dish with inimitable taste for which you can completely surrender your taste buds.

Paneer lababdar recipe is a spectacular paneer curry where tender panner chunks and grated paneer are cooked in slightly tangy, sweet, smooth, and buttery gravy prepared with onion-tomato-cashew nut with some cream and spices.

In this preparation, first, the onion, ginger-garlic, and tomatoes are cooked with whole spices and then blended to a smooth paste for the gravy. In most restaurants, the masala paste is strained for a smooth velvety texture. Then the gravy is prepared and crumbled paneer is added along with paneer cubes for a slightly chunky texture and better taste.

Paneer lababdar is not a classic recipe. It can be prepared in different ways like Punjabi style or Mughlai style. It is prepared in different restaurants in different ways. There is no hard and fast rule to preparing this indulgent curry.

• Though both the preparations are like each other but are not the same. There is a slight difference in both recipes.
• In paneer lababdar, both grated and cube types of paneer are added for a slightly chunky texture. On the other hand, only paneer cubes are added in paneer butter masala.
• The amount of butter added in paneer lababdar is much less than paneer butter masala.

• It is vegetarian and gluten-free.
• It is a vegetarian dish that is perfect to trigger the taste buds of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian people.
• It is known for its inimitable taste and unique flavour. The mildly spicy gravy with a mildly sweet & tangy taste has won the hearts of millions all around the world.
• This paneer gravy recipe is kid-friendly.
• It is one of the most versatile dishes which can be accompanied by any rice items or flatbreads.
• It is a very easy-to-make recipe prepared using minimal ingredients.
• Now a day paneer lababdar has become a part of any celebration. Any marriage, anniversary, or birthday party is incomplete without this iconic dish. Even it has occupied a place in the menu card of almost every vegetarian north Indian restaurant.

Restaurant-style paneer lababdar is one of my favourite paneer curries which I can’t stop myself from devouring till my stomach is tightly packed. In fact, I never met any person in my entire life who does not like this paneer recipe. In fact, it is one of our family favourites. We have ordered paneer lababdar multiple times when we visited any north Indian restaurants.

One day, I decided to prepare this decadent curry at home and to surprise my family. After preparing it at home, I realized that if you cook it properly, it tastes much better than restaurant-bought ones. Secondly, though it sounds complicated, paneer lababdar is one of the easiest Indian panner curry recipes which gets prepared using minimal ingredients within half an hour. In fact, it could be a perfect dish for special occasions like birthday parties, anniversaries, get-togethers etc.

The best part of preparing this scrumptious dish at home is that you will have full control to make it less rich and healthier. There is no doubt in it that paneer lababdar is a rich dish and everyone normally eats it on special occasions or events. But you can manipulate the amount of butter, cream, and cashew nuts according to your choice without compromising its taste.

Restaurant-style paneer lababdar is a simple and easy paneer recipe. Though it looks exactly like the restaurant-bought ones, the way of cooking it is quite easy. Honestly, it is a full-proof recipe, and nothing can go wrong with it. It requires all the common ingredients that are regularly used in Indian cuisine and easily available in any Indian grocery.

Paneer: The primary ingredient which provides taste, texture, and flavour to the dish. In this recipe, both grated and cube paneer is added.

Cashew-melon seeds: I have used cashew and melon seeds in the recipe. It provides richness, and creaminess to the dish and enhances the taste as well.

Onion & Ginger-Garlic: These are the most common ingredients used to prepare any Indian curry. It gives taste, texture, and flavour to the curry.

Tomato: The addition of tomatoes adds a slight tanginess and enhances the taste of the dish.

Green chilli: The addition of green chilli adds a slightly heaty taste and refreshing flavour to the dish.

Whole spices: I have used cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, dry red chilli, black peppercorns, and cumin seeds for the tempering of the dish.

Kasuri methi: Dried fenugreek leaves aka kasuri methi are used at the final stage of cooking the curry. It is very important to flavour up the dish.

Ground spices: Other than whole spices, I have used ground spices turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala powder for the recipe. All the spices help to develop a nice flavour and taste for the dish.

Salt: The most important ingredient that adds saltiness to the dish.

Sugar: Normally little bit of sugar is added to tomato-based gravy to balance the tangy taste.

Butter and oil: it is used to cook the masala and to cook the gravy. I have used butter and olive oil to cook the recipe. But you can use any edible oil instead of it. Even you can use only butter or only oil to cook the dish.

Water: Water is added for the gravy and used to adjust the consistency of the gravy.

Paneer lababdar with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks below to make the recipe easier for you. If you follow the recipe step by step, then you will surely get the perfect creamy paneer lababdar. Before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the recipe and the primary ingredient Paneer.

• Cottage cheese is very rich in Protein.
• It is high in Calcium which helps to strengthen our teeth and bones.
• It helps to control sugar levels for diabetic patients.
• The nutrients present in it help to improve digestion.
• It contains a good amount of folate which is an important component for red cell production.

• Fry the onions and ginger garlic properly before adding tomato chunks or else it won’t taste good.
• You can reduce the number of cashew nuts by adding some char magaz with it.
• Always sieve the masala paste after grinding to get a smooth velvety restaurant-like gravy texture.
• You can replace butter with other cooking oil. But butter enhances the taste, texture, and flavour of the dish. So try to use it.
• Don’t skip Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) from the curry. It will give the exact restaurant-like flavour to the dish.
• You can adjust the amount of red chilli powder and green chilli according to your own taste.
• The addition of sugar helps to balance the tangy taste of the gravy. Try not to skip it.

Homemade paneer works best for the recipe because it’s soft and fresh. But readymade paneer can also be used for paneer lababdar. But check the manufactured date of the paneer and make sure it’s fresh.

It is not necessary to fry the paneer but yes, you can slightly fry the paneer before adding it to the curry. But after frying the paneer, dip it in a bowl of warm water for 15-20 minutes. So the paneer can soak water and become soft or else the paneer may become rubbery.

Sometimes frozen paneer or readymade paneer is hard in texture. Dip them in hot water for half an hour so that the paneer can soak in water and become soft.

If too much moisture is there in homemade paneer then sometimes paneer may break during the time of cooking.

Yes, paneer lababdar is slightly sweet and tangy in taste. The addition of onion, cream, and a little bit of sugar makes the curry slightly sweet.

Any type of cream can be used for the recipe like fresh cream, double cream, whipping cream etc.

Malai is the semi-solid layers that are collected during the time of reducing the milk. You can take the malai in a bowl and whisk it till smooth and use it instead of cream.

The addition of cream makes the paneer lababdar gravy rich and creamier. But you can skip cream from the recipe. The addition of cashew paste already makes the gravy rich and creamy so you can increase the quantity of cashew paste a little bit and skip cream from the recipe.

Paneer lababdar can be prepared without cashew paste. Instead of cashews, you can use almonds.

Poppy seeds and melon seeds can be the best replacement for nuts for the recipe. If you are allergic to nuts then you can soak poppy seeds and melon seeds for some time and grind them to a smooth paste and use it for the recipe.

Honey gets toxic when it is cooked. After finishing cooking when the paneer butter masala will be warm, at that stage, you can add honey to it.

You can use ghee aka clarified butter instead of butter or you can use any other flavourless edible oil for the recipe.

You can use vegan butter and vegan cream for the recipe and instead of paneer, you can use firm and fresh tofu.

Paneer lababdar is a rich and high-calorie recipe. A generous amount of butter, cream, and cashew paste is added to the recipe. So, no one eats it on a regular basis, only on special occasions, do people prefer to eat this dish.

To prepare paneer lababdar, first, wash and cut all the vegetables and make them ready for use. Cut the paneer into desired pieces, grate some paneer, and keep them aside.

Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add some butter and oil and allow it to bubble. Add cardamoms, cloves, peppercorns, and cumin seeds to the pan.

Add the roughly chopped ginger-garlic into the pan and cook it for 2 minutes on low flame until the raw smell goes away. Then add the sliced onions into the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 5-6 minutes till the onions turn translucent.

Add the tomato chunks, dry red chilli, and salt, one by one into the pan and mix it well. Then add cashew nuts, char magaz into the pan and mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 2-3 minutes.

Now, take off the lid of the pan and add some water to it. Cover the pan and cook it for 10 minutes on low flame until the tomatoes get mushy.

Switch off the flame and put the pan down. Allow the mixture to cool down completely to room temperature.

Transfer the mixture to the jar of a grinder and close the lid. Grind it till smooth. For extra smooth restaurant-like gravy, sieve the masala. Add some water into the jar of the grinder and sieve it too for zero wastage. Keep it aside.

For the paneer lababdar gravy, put the same pan on flame and add 1 tablespoon of butter to it. Add cinnamon stick, bay leaf into the pan and stir it for a few seconds. Then add ginger juliennes into the pan and stir it for a few seconds.

Add the strained masala paste into the pan and give a nice mix. Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it over low flame for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of the spices go away.

Then add water and mix it well. Add slit green chillies, sugar, and salt, one by one into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over a high flame until the gravy starts boiling.

Then turn the flame low and 4 tablespoons cream into the pan. Mix it well.

Add garam masala, mash some Kasuri methi in your palm and sprinkle it on the gravy. Mix it evenly.

Add the grated paneer to the gravy and mix it well. Then add the paneer cubes into the pan and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it over low flame for 1-2 minutes. Then turn off the flame. Now the creamy paneer lababdar is ready to serve now.

Many Indian paneer curry recipes have already been shared in my previous post. You can check a few of them like

Paneer butter masala
Paneer makhani recipe
Achari paneer
Paneer methi malai recipe
Karahi Paneer
Shahi Paneer Recipe Mughlai Style

..And Many more…

• 1 large Onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 inch Ginger, small diced
• 3-4 large cloves of Garlic
• 8-10 Cashew nuts
• 1 tablespoon Char magaz aka melon seeds
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 2-3 Cloves (Laung)
• 2 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
• 10 black Peppercorns (Kali mirch)
• 1 dry red Chilli (sukhi lal mirch)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• ½ cup Water

• 200 grams Paneer, cut into cubes
• 50 grams grated Paneer
• 10-12 Ginger juliennes
• 1-2 Green chillies, slit and deseeded
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 2 inches Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi aka dried fenugreek leaves
• ¼ cup Heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 1 cup Water for gravy

1. Cut 200 grams of paneer into desired pieces, grate 50 grams of paneer, and keep them aside.
2. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil and allow it to bubble.
3. Add 2 cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, 10 peppercorns, and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds into the pan and let them crackle.
4. Add the roughly chopped ginger-garlic into the pan and cook it for 2 minutes on low flame until the raw smell goes away.
5. Add the sliced onions into the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 5-6 minutes till the onions turn translucent.
6. Add the tomato chunks, 1 dry red chilli, and 1 teaspoon salt, one by one into the pan and mix it well.
7. Add 8-10 cashew nuts, 1 tablespoon char magaz into the pan and mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 2-3 minutes.
8. Take off the lid of the pan and add ½ cup water to it. Cover the pan and cook it for 10 minutes on medium flame until the tomatoes get mushy.
9. Switch off the flame and put the pan down. Allow the mixture to cool down completely to room temperature.
10. Transfer the mixture to the jar of a grinder and close the lid. Grind it till smooth. For extra smooth restaurant-like gravy, sieve the masala. Add some water into the jar of the grinder and sieve it too for zero wastage. Keep it aside.
11. For the paneer lababdar gravy, put the same pan on flame and add 1 tablespoon of butter to it.
12. Add 2 inches cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf into the pan and stir it for a few seconds.
13. Add 10-12 ginger juliennes into the pan and stir it for a few seconds.
14. Add the strained masala paste (Step 10) into the pan and give a nice mix.
15. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it over low flame for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of the spices goes away.
16. Add ½ cups water and mix it well.
17. Add 1-2 slit green chillies, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt one by one into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over a high flame until the gravy starts boiling.
18. Turn the flame low and 4 tablespoons of cream into the pan. Mix it well.
19. Add ½ teaspoon garam masala and mash 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi in your palm and sprinkle it on the gravy. Mix it evenly.
20. Add 50 grams of grated paneer into the gravy and mix it well.
21. Add 200 grams of paneer cubes into the pan and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it over low flame for 1-2 minutes.
22. Turn off the flame. Now the creamy paneer lababdar is ready to serve.

Transfer the paneer lababdar to a serving bowl. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Pair up the succulent dish with your favourite rice item or flatbread and enjoy the north Indian delicacy.

Creamy paneer lababdar | Paneer lababdar recipe | How to make paneer lababdar

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

For the masala paste

• 1 large Onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 inch Ginger, small diced
• 3-4 large cloves of Garlic
• 8-10 Cashew nuts
• 1 tablespoon Char magaz aka melon seeds
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 2-3 Cloves (Laung)
• 2 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
• 10 black Peppercorns (Kali mirch)
• 1 dry red Chilli (sukhi lal mirch)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• ½ cup Water

Paneer Lababdar ingredients

• 200 grams Paneer, cut into cubes
• 50 grams grated Paneer
• 10-12 Ginger juliennes
• 1-2 Green chillies, slit and deseeded
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 2 inches Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi aka dried fenugreek leaves
• ¼ cup Heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 1 cup Water for gravy

Instructions

1. Cut 200 grams of paneer into desired pieces, grate 50 grams of paneer, and keep them aside.
2. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil and allow it to bubble.
3. Add 2 cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, 10 peppercorns, and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds into the pan and let them crackle.
4. Add the roughly chopped ginger-garlic into the pan and cook it for 2 minutes on low flame until the raw smell goes away.
5. Add the sliced onions into the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 5-6 minutes till the onions turn translucent.
6. Add the tomato chunks, 1 dry red chilli, and 1 teaspoon salt, one by one into the pan and mix it well.
7. Add 8-10 cashew nuts, 1 tablespoon char magaz into the pan and mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 2-3 minutes.
8. Take off the lid of the pan and add ½ cup water to it. Cover the pan and cook it for 10 minutes on medium flame until the tomatoes get mushy.
9. Switch off the flame and put the pan down. Allow the mixture to cool down completely to room temperature.
10. Transfer the mixture to the jar of a grinder and close the lid. Grind it till smooth. For extra smooth restaurant-like gravy, sieve the masala. Add some water into the jar of the grinder and sieve it too for zero wastage. Keep it aside.
11. For the paneer lababdar gravy, put the same pan on flame and add 1 tablespoon of butter to it.
12. Add 2 inches cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf into the pan and stir it for a few seconds.
13. Add 10-12 ginger juliennes into the pan and stir it for a few seconds.
14. Add the strained masala paste (Step 10) into the pan and give a nice mix.
15. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it over low flame for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell of the spices goes away.
16. Add ½ cups water and mix it well.
17. Add 1-2 slit green chillies, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt one by one into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over a high flame until the gravy starts boiling.
18. Turn the flame low and 4 tablespoons of cream into the pan. Mix it well.
19. Add ½ teaspoon garam masala and mash 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi in your palm and sprinkle it on the gravy. Mix it evenly.
20. Add 50 grams of grated paneer into the gravy and mix it well.
21. Add 200 grams of paneer cubes into the pan and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook it over low flame for 1-2 minutes.
22. Turn off the flame. Now the creamy paneer lababdar is ready to serve.