This Paneer Hyderabadi curry is made without onion and garlic but is highly flavorful and delicious! It consists of pan-fried paneer in creamy, tomato-spinach-coriander-based gravy with Indian spices and herbs.

Making the Paneer Hyderabadi at home requires minimum effort, and the recipe creates a delightful restaurant-style dish. If you are bored with a paneer in red gravy, you should try this recipe!

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Highly Flavorful Paneer Hyderabadi
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Ingredients and Notes
How To Make Paneer Hyderabadi
Serving Suggestions
Recipe Tips
FAQ For Paneer Hyderabadi
More Delicious Paneer Curries
Recipe Card

Highly Flavorful Paneer Hyderabadi

If you are regular to my site, you may know that I love making different paneer curries without onion and garlic.

Like most Indian families, my family loves paneer, so I try to include it in many dishes. And being vegetarian, it is necessary to include this protein source in the diet.

So, coming back to this recipe, do not be intimidated by its color and the inclusion of spinach as one of the ingredients. The dish may look like Palak Paneer, but it tastes totally different from Palak Paneer.

Hyderabadi Paneer is spicy, flavorful, full of pan-fried and soft paneer cubes, and delicious. It has an earthy and pleasant taste of coriander leaves.

Making this Hyderabadi Paneer Masala at home is effortless, and this recipe will give you a restaurant-style dish.

I have pan-fried paneer with very little oil until they are golden brown. However, this step is optional, and you can add paneer cubes without pan frying. I cut the paneer block lengthwise into two thick slices and then pan-fried the whole slices.

It is an easier and quicker way to shallow-fry paneer. The process of pan-frying the paneer cubes is a little tedious and lengthy. So, I like to pan-fry the paneer slices, and once they are golden brown, cut them into cubes.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This Paneer Hyderabadi is without onion and garlic but full of flavors, and delicious.
The recipe is easy to follow but will give you a restaurant-style dish.
This recipe is for you if you want to try a paneer curry other than one in red gravy.
You will need whole and ground spices that are readily available in the pantry.
Paneer Hyderabadi is best served with Naan, Kulcha, Tandoori Roti, Paratha, or Rice.

Ingredients and Notes

Paneer: For the best taste, it is always essential to use fresh and soft paneer. If you use store-bought paneer, place the block in hot water for 15-20 minutes to soften it. I have pan-fried the paneer, but it is optional, and you can add paneer cubes without cooking them. If you want to know how to make paneer at home, check out this recipe: How To Make Paneer / Homemade Paneer Recipe.
Spinach: Use fresh spinach leaves and discard the wilted ones. You can also use baby spinach for this recipe. Adjust the amount of spinach by adding more or less according to your taste preference.
Coriander Leaves: Fresh coriander leaves are essential for this recipe. They provide a prominent but pleasant flavor to the dish.
Cashews: Cashews make the gravy thick, rich, and creamy. Instead of cashews, you can also use blanched almonds for the recipe.
Tomatoes: Use ripe tomatoes that are not sour for the best result.
Whole Spices: I used bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green and black cardamom, and cloves. But do not worry; if your pantry is missing one or two, you can still make the curry by skipping them.
Ground Spices: We need turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin and coriander powder, and garam masala. Add red chili powder and garam masala to taste, as the recipe also requires green chilis. If you want to know how to make garam masala or kitchen king masala at home, check out these recipes: Punjabi Garam Masala Powder / Homemade Punjabi Garam Masala and Kitchen King Masala Recipe (No Onion No Garlic).
Green Chilis and Ginger: Green chilies add spiciness, and ginger provides an earthy flavor to the dish. Add green chilies accordingly, depending on how spicy you want the Paneer Hyderabadi.
Kasoori Methi: I like to finish this curry with fragrant dried fenugreek leaves.
Cream: Cream makes the dish richer and creamier. You can add light or heavy cream. Instead of cream, you can also add full-fat yogurt (whisked). Or, you can skip the cream entirely.

How To Make Paneer Hyderabadi

Pan Frying The Paneer

Cut the paneer block in half lengthwise into two layers.
If your paneer block is long and not too thick, you do not have to cut it lengthwise.
On the contrary, you can cut it into three slices if it is too thick.
So, cut the block into two or three slices depending on how thick you prefer the paneer cubes.
Heat oil in a thick-bottomed shallow pan or skillet.
Place the paneer slices in it.

Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and red chili powder, and let them sizzle on both sides until they turn a light golden color.

Remove the paneer from the pan and cut into the desired size of cubes.
Set them aside.

Making The Gravy

Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaf, cinnamon, green and black cardamoms, and cloves.
Saute for a few seconds or until the spices are aromatic.

Add green chilies, ginger, and cashews.
Mix well and saute for a minute.

Add chopped tomatoes and salt to taste and mix well.

Cook the tomato mixture for 8-10 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Now add spinach and coriander leaves and ¼ cup of water.
Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the leaves are wilted.
Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool down a bit.

adding spinach and coriander leaves in the pan

Transfer it to the blender jar and blend it into a fine puree.

Making The Paneer Hyderabadi

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
Allow cumin seeds to sizzle.

Then add prepared gravy and mix well.
Cook the gravy for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala.
Add less red chili powder to avoid making the curry too spicy.
You can instead add Kashmiri red chili powder, which is not too spicy.

Mix everything well and cook the gravy on medium heat for 7-8 minutes, and the fat separates from the sides, stirring often.

Now add paneer cubes and salt to taste and mix well.
Cook Paneer Hyderabadi for 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat.

Finally, add Kasoori methi and cream.
Mix everything well, cook for a minute, taste, and adjust the salt if needed.

adding kasoori methi and cream in the pan

Turn off the heat and transfer the Paneer Hyderabadi to a serving bowl.

Serving Suggestions

Paneer Hyderabadi without Onion and Garlic can be served with Naan, Tandoori Roti, or Paratha.
You can pair it with Whole Wheat Kulcha (No Yeast) for a complete meal.
This paneer curry can also be served with plain rice or Jeera Rice (Restaurant Style).
If you want to make a festive meal, pair Hyderabadi Paneer with other Dal preparations and accompaniments like Boondi Raita, Pomegranate Raita, or Cucumber Raita.

Recipe Tips

Paneer: For the best Hyderabadi paneer, use Malai paneer. If you make paneer at home, use only full-fat or whole milk.
Spinach: You can add less or more spinach to your taste. However, I recommend not adding more than 2½ cups of spinach leaves. You can also use baby spinach instead of regular spinach for this recipe.
Coriander: Add the coriander leaves with the stems only if they are tender. But, if the stems are hard and thick, do not use them.
Cream: Adding cream is optional; you can skip it. Or, add light or heavy cream to make the curry richer and creamier. Instead of cream, you can also add full-fat yogurt (whisked) to the curry.
Storing: Paneer Hyderabadi can be refrigerated for 2 days. Microwave the curry or heat it on the stovetop until hot before serving.

FAQ For Paneer Hyderabadi

Can I Replace or Skip Cashews?

Cashews bring richness and creaminess to the curry and make the gravy thicker. So, I would not recommend skipping them, but if you don’t want to use cashews, try to replace them with other options.

Instead of cashews, use blanched almonds (almonds without skin).
Replace with melon seeds (Magastari Seeds), and add 2 tablespoon of melon seeds instead of cashews.
Use heavy cream instead of cashews. Add 3-4 tablespoon of cream in the final step of the recipe.
We can use Khus Khus (poppy seeds) in the recipe to replace cashews. Soak 1 tablespoon poppy seeds in hot water for 15 minutes, drain the water, and blend poppy seeds with 2-3 tablespoon of milk into a smooth paste. Add this paste to the tomato mixture and cook with the mixture.
We can combine 2 tablespoon melon seeds and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes, and blend them into a smooth paste. Add a little water or milk to make a smooth paste. Add this paste to the tomato mixture and cook with the mixture.

How To Make My Store-Bought Paneer Soft?

Place the whole block of paneer in a bowl with hot water. Submerge the paneer in hot water and leave it in hot water for at least 20 minutes. If the water gets cold, replace it with hot water. Then, drain the water completely before using it for the recipe.

Do I Need To Pan-Fry Paneer For Paneer Hyderabadi?

No, you do not need to pan-fry the paneer. The curry with plain and soft paneer will taste similarly delicious. So, if you are short on time or simply do not want to pan-fry the paneer, skip this step.

Can I Deep Fry Paneer Slices or Paneer Cubes?

You can deep fry the paneer if you want, but I do not recommend it. Deep frying will make the paneer oily and unhealthy but will not enhance the flavor, so there is no benefit to deep frying the paneer.

Highly Flavorful Paneer Hyderabadi

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Ingredients and Notes