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Sauces, pastes & condiments · Curry bases

Makhani gravy

Silky tomato, butter and cashew gravy with kasuri methi — the sauce of butter chicken and paneer makhani.

Also called: makhani sauce, butter masala gravy, butter chicken sauce, tomato butter gravy

Around the world: मखनी ग्रेवी (hi)

Make it yourself: Makhani gravy

What it is

Makhani gravy is a smooth North Indian restaurant sauce of tomatoes simmered with cashews, ginger, garlic, whole spices and Kashmiri chilli, blended, strained and finished with butter, kasuri methi and a little sugar. Cream is usually added when the dish is finished. It is credited to Delhi's Moti Mahal restaurant in the late 1940s.

How it’s used

  • Butter chicken (murgh makhani)
  • Paneer makhani and malai kofta
  • Enriching dal makhani

Characteristics

Taste
Buttery, tangy and gently sweet, mildly spiced.
Texture
Smooth and velvety.
Appearance
Glossy orange-red.
Sold as
paste, frozen
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked
Common in
Punjabi, Indian

Storage

Frozen. Fridge for 4 days; freeze without cream for 3 months.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Milk, Tree nuts.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains milk (butter) and tree nuts (cashews).

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
96 kcal
Protein
1.76 g
Carbohydrate
18.47 g
Fat
1.95 g
Fibre
0.8 g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Soup, tomato bisque, canned, condensed (a close stand-in).

Related ingredients

Recipes with makhani gravy

No recipe in the catalogue uses it yet.

More curry bases