Authentic Makhani Sauce Recipe (Butter Chicken Simmer Sauce)

This is an easy and straightforward recipe for making smooth & velvety restaurant style makhani sauce at home. You will need loads of fresh tomatoes, handful of kashmiri red chilies along with few common spices & ingredients available in your kitcken. The sauce freezes like a charm and comes in handy whenever you are craving indian restaurant like dishes at home! Freezing and how to use instructions included!

Ever since they were toddlers, my kids have been huge fans of makhani sauce, or as they fondly called it-the "orange sauce." Because they loved it so much, I started making and freezing the sauce base as part of my meal prep. It's incredibly versatile and comes in so handy-not just for curries but also as a pizza sauce, for wings, as a sandwich spread or even while making biryani!

A great tasting butter chicken sauce comes down to a balance of tartness of tomatoes, aroma of spices, and notable sweetness. There is nothing like homestyle makhani sauce, because this is a restaurnat style gravy and is truly revered for its indulgent flavors. I have been testing this recipe for years and finally, I think I am ready to share it. So let's crack it down!

Makhani Sauce

Makhani is derived from the Hindi word makkhan which means butter. Also known as "butter chicken sauce," it is a luxurious tomato-based sauce from North Indian cuisine. It is characterized by its vibrant orange-red color, creamy texture, and rich, slightly sweet, and tangy flavor profile. The sauce is the base of popular dishes like butter chicken (murgh makhani) and paneer makhani.

Since this dish is not just 'indian" anymore, there are countless variations of makhani sauce. But what truly defines an authentic butter chicken sauce are the three distinct flavors: the tangy brightness of tomatoes, the bittersweet aroma of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), and the unmistakable richness of butter. Butter is used generously to enhance the richness, and cream is added toward the end for a grand finish.

Recently, I have been spotting a dish called naan makhani at many indian restaurants here in Vegas. It's such a creative twist on the traditional naan and curry experience. Naan strips paired with a bowl of buttery, rich makhani sauce is like the Indian answer to chips and dip! So if you are in, prepare this makhani sauce and warm up some naan!

My Recipe

1. My makhani sauce recipe replicates the robust, flavorful taste and signature orange hue of the ones you'd find in India. It is not sweet or mellow. It has a mild heat and savory taste.
2. I use beautifully ripe and flavorful fresh tomatoes in my recipe. That said, there's no need to wait for summer to enjoy this dish-I make it year-round! During the off-season, I let the tomatoes ripen for a few days in a warm spot, which works perfectly for me.
3. Traditional makhani gravies do not include onions. However, after testing the no-onion version extensively, I wasn't satisfised- without onions somehow that oomph was missing. So I do add onions in mine. For 2 lb tomatoes, you need less that 1 lb of onions(350g to be precise).
4. We don't use any food color. The beautiful color is from the combination of ripe tomatoes, whole kashmiri red chillies and kashmiri red chili powder.
5. I keep the spices minimal and let the flavors of tomato shine. Unlike most Indian sauce bases, I skip cumin and coriander powder. I add a hint of turmeric powder to enhance the red hue of the Kashmiri chili. Instead of using lot of whole spices, I go for light touch of garam masala powder at the end for a subtle finishing warmth.
6. I do like to add cashews for adding richness and smooth texture to the sauce, but go light handed else the gravy becomes overly thick or sticky.
7. The sauce is ready to use. You will just need to add butter and heavy cream whenever you are using it in your recipes.

Ingredients

• Tomatoes - I use either ripe roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine. We are going to cook them down and blend them hard so no need to worry about peeling skins and all! However, if you prefer to use canned tomatoes, choose canned whole tomatoes (ones without added citric acid or any herbs or garlic) for the best results.
• Onions - I use red onion. But yellow onions will work too.
• Ginger & Garlic - Be light handed, remember tomatoes have to shine! Throw in the whole garlic pods and roughly chop the ginger.
• Whole Kashmiri Red Chilies (non affilate link) - We need only the skins for their beautiful sanguine color.
• Cashews - My mom doesn't use cashwes but if you want the restaurant like taste and consistency- use them!
• Sugar - All that acidity of tomatoes needs to be balanced so we do need it!
• Kasuri methi (non affilate link)- Is dry fenugreek leaves and they are extremely fragrant and have a unique taste and aroma. Not optional, however unfortunately, there is no substitue. Simply skip them if you cannot find. I want to note here that if you cook north indian food extensively, kasuri methi is a great ingredient to stock (it lasts for months!)

How To Make Makhani Sauce

Make The Tomato Base

1. Start by deseeding your whole Kashmiri red chilies. Break the chilles and shake them over a plate to take out all the seeds and veins. The whole chilies are medium spicy. Removing the seeds avoids the makhani sauce from becoming overly spicy.

2. In a large cooking pot (4 qt or larger), heat up the oil on medium heat. Add the green cardamom pods and cinnamon stick and fry for 8-10 seconds.
3. Add the onions next and fry them for about 3-4 minutes just until they soften. Do not brown the onions.
4. Next, add the deseeded whole red chilies, cashews, ginger, and garlic. Fry everything together for 1-2 minutes.

5. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the butter along with the Kashmiri red chili powder and turmeric powder. Adding butter at this stage avoids it from browning/burning. Fry the spices for about a minute to let them release their aroma.
6. Next, add the roughly chopped tomatoes and sprinkle the sugar.
7. Mix everything together and sauté on medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to soften slightly. Do not add water. We are going to develop concentrated tomato flavor by cooking them in their own juices.

8. Once you see that tomatoes are starting to release juices in the cooking pot, add the garam masala and kasuri methi leaves. Turn the heat to low and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid.
9. Let cook for 35-40 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and jammy. If your tomatoes are ripe and juicy, there is no need to add any water. Check 1-2 times in between. If needed, add a tiny splash of water. Don't dry out. Switch off the stove.

Blend The Sauce

10. Let the onion tomato base cool down for at least 10-15 minutes or fully(if you have times) before blending. This helps retain the color of Kashmiri chillies since blending anything hot may fade out the color. Secondly, it protects your blender blades and blender jar (especially if you have a glass jar).
11. From the cooled sauce, pick out the cinnamom stick and discard it. Transfer the cooled tomato base to your blender. I use vitamix blender.You could also blend using immersion blender. 
12. Cover the jar with a lid and blend the sauce on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.

13. Since we cooked the tomatoes for long, their skins become super soft, so straining isn't necessary. After blending, check the sauce, and if you prefer an ultra-smooth, silky texture, you can strain it. The butter chicken sauce is now ready. This recipe yields 3.5 to 4 cups of makhani sauce. If you are wondering, we will add the heavy cream and extra butter when we use it in recipes (instructions below).

Storage

• Refrigerator - Using a clean ladle, pour the cooled makhani sauce into air tight container with lids. You can store the sauce refrigerated for 4-5 days.
• Freezer - I usually store my makhani sauce in the freezer. I use silicone soup containers to portion it out before freezing. Depending on my needs, I typically freeze a few ½-cup portions and the rest in 1-cup portions.

How To Use

In Curries

1. Place 1 cup frozen or refrigerated makhani sauce in a cooking pan on low medium heat and let warm up fully.
2. To the warmed sauce, add 2-4 tablespoons of butter (or more - be generous!) and about ½ lb to ¾ lb of cooked protein or vegetables you are using. Combine well. Taste and adjust salt if needed at this stage. Usually makhani gravies are thick so avoid adding water but it's your call.
3. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup (or as desired) heavy cream and simmer everything until nicely combined.
4. Finish with additional kasuri methi and garam masala powder if you wish.

As a Dip With Naan 

Place 1 cup sauce in a pan along with 2-4 tablespoon of butter and ¼ to ⅓(or as desired) heavy cream. Combine and let everything simmer on low heat for 2-4 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt. If you wish, you can add some kasuri methi and garam masala powder. Pour into a bowl and serve.