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Authentic Makhani Sauce Recipe (Butter Chicken Simmer Sauce)

Tanvi Srivastava
Learn how to make rich and smooth restaurant style makhani sauce at home using fresh tomatoes, spices and butter. Freezer friendly!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Cuisine Indian
Servings 3.5 -4 cup

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoon cooking oil I use avocado oil, use any neutral oil
  • 350 g onion sliced
  • 10 garlic pods use 13-15 if your garlic are small
  • 1 inch fresh ginger
  • 15-20 raw cashew nuts optional (see note #4)
  • 3 tablespoon butter
  • 900 g fresh tomatoes quartered (use unflavored canned whole tomatoes instead)
  • 15-20 g sugar adjust quantity to taste (see note #5)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

Whole Spices

  • 1-3 whole kasmhiri red chili medium heat, adjust quantity to taste (see note #1), skip if not available
  • 4 green cardamom
  • ½ inch cinnamon stick

Ground Spices

  • 1.5 - 2 tablespoon kashmiri red chili Powder medium heat, adjust quantity to taste (see note #1)
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala powder (see note #3)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

To Use the Sauce in Recipes (Instructions Below)

  • 1 cup makhani sauce
  • 2-4 tablespoon butter
  • ⅓-1/4 cup heavy cream
  • Garam Masala and Kasuri Methi as needed

Instructions
 

Make The Onion Tomato Base

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Add the onions next and fry them for about 3-4 minutes just until they soften slightly. Do not brown the onions.
  • Next, add the deseeded whole red chilies, cashews, ginger, and garlic. Fry everything together for 1–2 minutes.
  • 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.
  • Next, add the roughly chopped tomatoes and sprinkle the salt & sugar.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 Makhani Sauce

  • 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).
  • 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. 
  • Cover the jar with a lid and blend the sauce on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.
  • 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).

Storing

  • 1. 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.
    2. 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 Makhani Sauce

  • In Curries -Place 1 cup frozen or refrigerated makhani sauce in a cooking pan on low medium heat and let warm up fully.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.Add ¼ to ⅓ cup (or as desired) heavy cream and simmer everything until nicely combined.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. 

Notes

  1. Adjust the amount of whole kashmiri red chilies and kashmiri red chili powder to your tolerance. The heat level of kahsmiri red chili is medium. With the given amounts, this makhani sauce has a kick to it. De seed the whole chilies else they will make the sauce quite hot. 
  2. If you notice any tomato skins after blending, sieve the makhani sauce using a soup strainer. 
  3. Garam Masala is a strong spice. Please start with ¼ teaspoon. Once the sauce is blended you can always adjust from there after tasting. 
  4. Don't go overboard on cashews else the makhani gravy becomes overly thick/dense or sticky. Restaurants do add them, however you can completely skip them for a nut free version. Add extra heavy cream for richness if you decide to skip. 
  5. You do need sugar to balance out the tanginess of  tomatoes. Without sugar, the sauce will be unpleasantly tangy. 

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.
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