You will love this air fryer butter paneer curry. It’s so easy and tastes amazing.
Many people have asked me why you would want to cook a curry in an air fryer. Fair question but the answer simple… Recipes like this air fryer butter paneer curry work and they are just another, rather new way to cook a curry.
Air frying a curry may not be for you but it is a fun way to cook a curry and I promise you will love the results!
Who would want to make air fryer butter paneer?
If you like air frying and are looking for a new recipe to cook in your air fryer, you will want to try this or one of my many other air fryer curries.
Butter paneer tastes great when cooked using more traditional methods but that doesn’t mean it can’t taste just as good, cooked in an air fryer. I have cooked many air fryer curries and they have all tasted just like they were cooked in a pan.
The cleaning up is a lot easier too!
Is cooking curry in an air fryer messy?
This is a question I get asked often and the answer is absolutely not! Look at the photo above. The sides of the pan are clean.
Many people have asked if there is a lot of steam or if the sauce spits as it cooks and the answer to that is also a big no! I have personally tried three different air fryers of different sizes and have never had any issues.
The reason for this is that the sauce is added to the pan and then you heat it in the air fryer for 10 to 15 minutes. When the curry is hot enough to serve, you take the pan out. There’s no time for the curry to get ridiculously hot enough to spit and make a mess.
So is cooking liquids in an air fryer okay?
Remember that you are adding a prepared, rather thick curry gravy when you make air fryer butter paneer.
Air fryers were not developed to cook liquids so you should never try to cook a thin beef stock or soup in it. There are other appliances that are better for that.
If you were to try to make a soup or stock in an air fryer, you would need to cook it hours longer and that would not be good on the elements. A curry sauce, however is perfect for air frying.
I’m still not convinced.
Okay. Try this. Make your air fryer butter paneer exactly as the recipe. You can always open the cooking chamber and check the progress.
If my some unexplained miracle the sauce is steaming and spitting like crazy, it won’t by the way, then cover it with foil or a lid for the remainder of the cook.
I say ‘miracle’ because sauces that are not hot enough to serve are not hot enough to spit and do damage to your air fryer.
Will you get restaurant quality results with this recipe?
I don’t think you will find the best restaurant chefs suddenly throwing out their pans and using air fryers instead. Obviously not!
If you enjoy cooking curries the restaurant way, then continue doing that. I do all the time because I love the buzz of cooking at high temperatures and standing over my pan adding ingredients.
That said, you will get amazing results using this air fryer method. If I didn’t think you would love this air fryer butter paneer, I wouldn’t have posted the recipe.
Can you adjust this recipe for your air fryer?
Yes. I have developed this recipe to use in a simple air fryer. If you have an air fryer that also has a sauté function, feel free to use that instead of air frying the base curry ingredients.
You could also slow cook the sauce but then that wouldn’t be air frying which this air fryer paneer recipe is all about.
Personally I love the air fryer version as the sauce darkens and caramelises on top. The can be stirred into the sauce for more flavour and it’s something that won’t happen in a slow cooker.
How do you cook the paneer?
For this recipe, you add the paneer tikka raw to the sauce and then let it heat through which doesn’t take long at all.
How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?
This recipe is for a curry that serves one to two people. If you make it and have leftovers, you can store them in your fridge for up to three days.
Then to reheat, simply place the curry back in your air fryer to heat through at about 200°C/400°F or easier, place the curry in your microwave for a couple of minutes.
What pan do you need to make this curry?
In order to cook a curry in an air fryer, you will need a metal pan that fits into the basket.
Small cake tins are already popular accessories for air frying casseroles and stews. I use this one <– Affiliate link, which comes in several sizes.
For my air fryer I use a 7 inch diameter pan but you will want to measure your basket before placing an order.
You can use any metal pan though as long as it fits into your air fryer basket.
Although silicone pans have their air fryer uses, I don’t recommend them for cooking curries as they don’t get hot enough and it will mean needing to cook the curry much longer.
Can this butter paneer be made in any air fryer?
Although I have personally tested quite a few, there are some air fryers that may not be large enough to cook a curry. Most can though.
I have a Ninja Foodie FledDrawer Air Fryer (<– Affiliate Link) which works perfectly for this style of air frying. It has two cooking chambers so you can air fry two different things at once which greatly reduces the cooking time.
I have used smaller air fryers with fantastic success. The cooking time below is for an air fryer with a single cooking chamber so if you have two or more, you will be able to cook these curries faster.
How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?
You should be able to keep your leftovers, covered in your fridge for up to 3 days.
This air fryer butter paneer recipe only serve 1 to 2 people. If you are reheating it all, you could place it back in your air fryer to reheat. You could also just place the curry in your microwave for a couple of minutes.
Can you freeze air fryer butter paneer.
You could but you will notice a difference in the texture of the paneer and the sauce won’t have the same consistency.
I don’t recommend freezing it for this reason.
Step by step photographs.
Get all your ingredients prepared and at the ready before starting. It’s easier that way.
Preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Toss the onions and pepper with oil and fry for 10 minutes in the basket, stirring half way through. Add the garlic and ginger paste to cook for the last two minutes.
Pour the fried onion mixture into a bowl and add the remaining sauce ingredients.
Blend until smooth. For a more authentic texture, run the sauce through a fine sieve.
Now temper the whole spices in oil for a few minutes. If you are on a reduced calorie diet, pour out some of the oil.
Pour in the blended sauce and air fry for 10 minutes. If you leave oil in, the sauce will be quite hot after 10 minutes and warm if you removed the oil.
After 10 minutes, the sauce will have darkened some on top and around the edges. Stir that in and add the cubed paneer to heat through for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the yoghurt, butter and cream.
When the curry is hot enough to serve, stir in the kasoori methi and season with salt to taste. Stir in the garam masala and lemon juice to taste before serving.
A butter paneer curry cooked completely in the air fryer. You’re going to love this!
Give this air fryer butter paneer curry a try soon!
If you like this air fryer butter paneer curry recipe, you might like to try some of these air fryer recipes too.
Air Fryer Whole Tandoori Chicken
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Air Fryer Butter Paneer Curry
Ingredients
- 250g Paneer, cubed in bite sized pieces
- FOR THE SAUCE
- 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil (optional) or oil spray
- 2 medium onions (approx. 250g/9oz), thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut in half, seeks and membrane removed
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp mixed powder or Madras curry powder
- 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
- ½ tsp sugar or to taste
- 250g ( 1 cup) passata
- 70ml (1/4 cups) vegetable stock or water. Stock cube stock is fine
- FOR THE TEMPERING
- 2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 2 cloves
- 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
- TO FINISH
- 2 tbsp yoghurt or all of the retained paneer marinade
- 3 tbsp single cream
- 1 generous tbsp butter
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Place the sliced onions, bell pepper, 1 tbsp of the oil and salt into a mixing bowl. If you are on a reduced calorie diet, spray with cooking oil to coat and mix it all up well. Pour it all into the cooking basket to fry for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Carefully spread the garlic and ginger paste over the veggies to cook for the last two minutes and then pour it all back into your mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl and then blend with a stick blender or countertop blender until smooth and set aside. If you want the more traditional very smooth sauce, pass it all through a fine sieve.
- Now pour 2 tbsp of the oil into a cake tin or another suitable metal pan that fits into your air fryer. Let it heat for 3 minutes and then add the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon stick. Let these whole spices infuse into the oil for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. If you don’t like whole spices in your curries, fish them out. Otherwise you can leave them in to continue flavouring the sauce. You can always remove them before serving. If you are on a reduced calorie diet, you could spoon out some of the oil at this stage but it’s much better left in.
- Pour the blended sauce into the pan. and air fry for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the sauce will be quite hot if you left the oil in. If not, it will be warm. Add the paneer and let it heat through in the sauce for about 5 minutes.
- If the sauce is spitting or steaming a lot, cover the pan with a lid or foil for the remainder of the cook but that has never happened to me.
- At this stage you might see some caramelisation around the edges of the sauce and a browned layer of sauce on the top. Stir that in for additional flavour.
- If using tandoori paneer, stir in the marinade or if cooking the paneer from raw, whisk in 2 tbsp yoghurt. Stir in the cream, chillies, garam masala and then add the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) by rubbing them between your fingers. Add the butter and continue cooking for 2 minutes or until the curry is hot enough to serve.
- To finish, season with salt to taste Give it all another good stir and garnish with the chopped coriander (cilantro).
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 800Total Fat: 113gSaturated Fat: 40gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 63gCholesterol: 182mgSodium: 5902mgCarbohydrates: 78gFiber: 8gSugar: 46gProtein: 53g