Paneer butter masala calories and macros
Real numbers for 1 katori (150 g), calculated from a stated recipe. We show our work below.
One katori of paneer butter masala (150 g, restaurant style) has roughly 360 calories, with about 13.8 g protein, 10.1 g carbohydrate, and 30.5 g fat. This is the most calorie dense of the common North Indian vegetarian mains, and the reason is stacked fat: 60 g of paneer brings about 15 g of it before a single spoon of butter, cream, or cashew paste enters the pan, and those three add roughly 15 g more. At 30 g of fat a katori, this single bowl carries more fat than most people expect from a whole meal. It is also genuinely high protein for a vegetarian dish at 13.8 g. A homestyle version, made with less butter and no cashew paste, comes in near 245 calories, and a rich restaurant version can cross 430.
360calories
Protein
13.8 g
Carbs
10.1 g
Fat
30.5 g
How we calculated this
- Paneer60 g
- Tomato gravy base40 g
- Butter10 g
- Fresh cream (25% fat)15 ml
- Cashew paste8 g
- Onion, ginger, garlic10 g
- Sugar2 g
Restaurant style. Paneer taken as whole milk paneer at roughly 296 kcal and 19 g protein per 100 g.
Ingredient values from USDA FoodData Central. Cross referenced against IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN).
Confidence: high
How the preparation changes it
| Style | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homestyle, no cashewOil instead of butter, a splash of cream, no cashew paste. | 245 | 11.5 | 7 | 20 |
| RestaurantThe standard preparation. This is the headline number. | 360 | 13.8 | 10.1 | 30.5 |
| Rich restaurantExtra butter, heavy cream, generous cashew paste. | 430 | 14.5 | 11 | 38 |
Common questions
Why is paneer butter masala so high in calories?
Fat stacks four times over. Paneer is roughly 25 g fat per 100 g, then butter, cream, and cashew paste each add more. A katori reaches about 30 g of fat, which is where the 360 calories come from.
Is paneer butter masala good for protein?
Yes, about 13.8 g a katori, which is strong for a vegetarian dish. The problem is not the protein, it is that the protein arrives with 30 g of fat attached.
How do I make it lighter without losing the dish?
Drop the cashew paste and swap butter for oil and cream for milk. That is roughly 245 calories a katori instead of 360, with almost all the protein intact.
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