Name: Easy Matar Paneer Masala (Indian cottage cheese and green peas in spicy curry)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 100 gm paneer/Indian cottage cheese/tofu (cubed); 1/4 cup green peas (fresh/frozen); 1 carrot (peeled and cubed); 1 small onion (sliced); 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil/ghee/clarified butter or combination; Salt to taste; ½ teaspoon sugar; ½ teaspoon jeera or cumin seeds; 3 cloves; 1 green cardamom; 1 small piece cinnamon; 1 small bayleaf; ½ teaspoon garam masala powder; 1 ½ teaspoons coriander powder; 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder; ½ teaspoon turmeric powder; 1 small onion (cubed); 2 small tomatoes (coarsely chopped); 2 green chilies/jalapenos (cut into 2 pieces (optional)); 3 small cloves of garlic; ½ inch piece ginger; 8 to 10 cashew nuts or badam/almonds (or 2 tbsp almond powder or cashew powder); Crushed dry Kasoori Methi leaves; Freshly chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

Easy, one pot Matar Paneer Masala (Indian cottage cheese and green peas in spicy curry) is a quick and fast way to enjoy your favorite paneer in under 15 minutes!!

(Use tofu if vegan)

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(Recipe card as well as step-wise instructions below in post)

Made in a pressure cooker (Indian stove top pressure cooker or Instant Pot) it is a one-pot dish; no frying, no sauteing, no waiting for spices to sizzle or crackle!!

It comes out so tasty, my whole family loved it and I even had a small bowl of it for a mid afternoon snack!!

I love paneer and any dish with it!! My kids too love it and now that they are not at home, paneer dishes are rarely made!!

But today, I decided to make a quick paneer vegetable dish with our afternoon lunch with chapattis ,as I had some paneer leftover in the refrigerator which I needed to finish.

While browsing the internet, I used to come across lots of recipes which are quick and easy (my way!), and was fascinated by OPOS (one pot one shot) recipes, the rage all over the internet in India!! So I decided to try making my version of matar paneer this way.

This quick and fast method uses a pressure pan or cooker (stove top or instant pot).

The only extra step is making the onion-tomato paste

Just layer the spices and rest of the ingredients, give it a gently mix if you want, close the pan and give one or two whistles if using a stove top pressure cooker and your favorite creamy paneer is ready in minutes!!

Updated August 2019 using an Instant Pot too!

With the instant pot all the rage in many parts of the world, I decided to make this super easy Pressure Cooker Matar Paneer in my Instant Pot and I was totally amazed!

No compromise on taste, just heavenly and so, so easy to make!

Easy Pressure Cooker Matar Paneer goes great with rotis, chapattis, naan (or any Indian flatbread), toasted bread and sometimes my way, with rice too!!

For a vegan option, use cubes of potatoes or even tofu instead of paneer!

So the next time you need to enjoy paneer in a hurry or want to impress your loved ones with your cooking prowess, make my version of quick matar paneer; be it the humble Indian pressure cooker on stove top or the electric pressure cooker - Instant Pot!!

MATAR PANEER WITH RAGI/FINGER MILLET ALOO PARATHA (Updated March 2026)

This time, I made this curry to enjoy with some healthy ragi parathas.

I had some boiled potatoes leftover in the fridge and with some ragi flour and whole wheat in 1:1 ration, salt, crushed kasoori methi leaves (dry fenugreek leaves), I , made a soft pliable dough.

Rested it for 1/2 an hour and then made some parathas on a hot iron griddle.

With this stove top pressure cooker matar paneer, my meal was just delicious!

Lets check out my recipe and rustle up a quick and easy Matar Paneer Curry shall we?

Easy Matar Paneer Masala (Indian cottage cheese and green peas in spicy curry)

This delicious north Indian curry is a quick and fast way to enjoy your favorite paneer in under 20 minutes!! Goes perfectly with any Indian bread, rice or even with some soft or even toasted slices of bread.

Course Brunch, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Indian, North Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Author Vanitha Bhat

Ingredients

100 gm paneer/Indian cottage cheese/tofu cubed
1/4 cup green peas fresh/frozen
1 carrot peeled and cubed
1 small onion sliced
2-3 tablespoons cooking oil/ghee/clarified butter or combination
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon sugar

SPICES NEEDED

½ teaspoon jeera or cumin seeds
3 cloves
1 green cardamom
1 small piece cinnamon
1 small bayleaf
½ teaspoon garam masala powder
1 ½ teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder

For the tomato-onion paste:

1 small onion cubed
2 small tomatoes coarsely chopped
2 green chilies/jalapenos cut into 2 pieces (optional)
3 small cloves of garlic
½ inch piece ginger
8 to 10 cashew nuts or badam/almonds or 2 tbsp almond powder or cashew powder

FOR GARNISH

Crushed dry Kasoori Methi leaves
Freshly chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

Instructions

First make the tomato-onion paste:

Blend all ingredients to a fine paste (1 small onion, cubed, 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped, 2 green chilies/jalapenos, cut into 2 pieces (optional), 3 small cloves of garlic,½ inch piece ginger, 8 to 10 cashew nuts or badam/almonds, or 2 tbsp almond powder or cashew powder).
Set aside.
Now time To make the paneer curry:

STOVE TOP PRESSURE COOKER METHOD:

Take a pressure pan. Heat the pan on medium heat.
Now start layering the ingredients.
First add oil (2-3 tbsp).in hot pan.
Then sprinkle the whole spices (1/2 tsp cumin, 3 cloves, small piece cinnamon, 1 green cardamom, 1 small bay leaf). Allow to sizzle a few seconds.
Then spread the sliced onions (1 medium sized) on top..
Top with the onion-tomato paste.
Sprinkle the spice powders (1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 ½ tsp coriander powder. ½ tsp garam masala powder, ¼ tsp turmeric powder).
Spread the chopped vegetables (1 carrot and ¼ cup green peas) and paneer or tofu (100 gm cubed) on top Add salt to taste along with sugar.
Wash the blender jar (in which the paste was made) with a little water and add to the pan.
Add enough water to just cover the ingredients.
Give it a good mix.
Make sure there is enough water (but not too much) so that the curry does not burn at the bottom of the pan while pressure cooking.
Close the pressure pan and cook on high for 2 whistles.
Turn off the heat and let cool.
Once the pressure drops, open the pan, mix gently, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cream (optional) and heat through again on medium low to blend all the spices and flavors!!
Adjust consistency and flavor if needed.

INSTANT POT METHOD:

Turn the pot to sauté mode.
Add 2-3tbsp oil to the inner pot. Now, sprinkle the dry whole spices (1/2 tsp cumin, 3 cloves, small piece cinnamon, 1 green cardamom, 1 small bay leaf)..
Next layer the sliced onions (1 medium sized) on top.
Gently spoon the onion-tomato paste on top of the onions and sprinkle the dry spice powders (1/4 tsp haldi, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder and 1 ½ tsp coriander powder) over it.
Spread the chopped carrots (1 small carrot), ¼ cup green peas and100 gm chopped paneer (or tofu if using) cubes on top of the tomato paste.
Add salt to taste and a dash of water,, just enough to cover the ingredients and prevent the bottom of pan from burning. Do not add too much. (Use the water that you rinse the blender jar with). Give the mixture a gentle mix.
Cancel the sauté button.
Close the lid.
Pressure cook on high on seal for 2 minutes and then release pressure manually.
Once the pin drops, open the pot, stir well gently and adjust salt and consistency if needed.
You could add cream, but this is optional.
Garnish with coriander leaves or crushed kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and serve hot with rotis, naans, parathas (Indian flatbreads) or you can even enjoy this simple quick and easy paneer dish with toasted bread!!

Recipe Notes

Adjust the amount of spices according to preference.
Instead of paneer, you could use tofu or even potatoes or any vegetable you like.
Make sure to see there is enough water in the pan to prevent the curry from burning at the bottom of the pan while pressure cooking. (You can use the water used to rinse the jar which you used to make onion-tomato paste.
Add just enough water to cover the ingredients; not too much.
Adding cream is optional.
Make the gravy thin or thick.
Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!

STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE MATAR PANEER MASALA:

PRESSURE COOKER METHOD:

First make the tomato-onion paste:

Add the ingredients for masala paste in a blender jar.

Blend all ingredients to a fine paste; add a bit of water if needed.

To make the paneer curry:

Take a pressure pan. Heat the pan.
Now start layering the ingredients.
First spread oil, then sprinkle the whole spices (cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf).

Then spread the sliced onions.

Top with the onion-tomato paste. Spread it. Wash the blender jar (in which the paste was made) with a little water and add to the pan.

Sprinkle the dry spice powders on top (chilli powder, garam masala powder, turmeric and coriander powder).

Spread the chopped vegetables and paneer on top and add salt to taste along with sugar.

Close the pressure pan; add a dash of water if needed, just enough to cook and avoid burning.
Pressure cook on high for 2 whistles.
Turn off the heat, remove from heat and let cool.
Once the pressure drops, open the pan.

Mix gently, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cream (optional) and heat through again on medium low to blend all the spices and flavors!!

INSTANT POT METHOD:

Turn the pot to saute mode.
Add oil to the inner pot. Now, sprinkle the dry whole spices.
Next layer the sliced onions on top.
Gently spoon the onion-tomato paste on top of the onions and sprinkle the dry spice powders (haldi, red chili powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder) over it.
Spread the chopped vegetables and paneer cubes on top of the tomato paste.
Add salt to taste and a dash of water if needed, just enough to cover the ingredients; do not add too much. Give the mixture a mix.

Cancel the saute button.
Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes and then release pressure manually.
Once the pin drops, open the pot, stir well and adjust salt and consistency if needed.
You could add cream, but this is optional.
Garnish with coriander leaves or kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and serve hot with rotis, naans, parathas (Indian flatbreads) or you can even enjoy this simple quick and easy paneer dish with toasted bread!!

Enjoy and Happy Eating!

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