Paneer Curry Calories: Butter Masala, Palak, Matar

By NYUS Inc. · Published 29 October 2026

"Paneer butter masala calories", "palak paneer calories" and "matar paneer calories", with "per 100g", "restaurant" and "and protein", are searched in India, and the answers online differ. No primary table has a record for any of them: IFCT 2017, the Indian Food Composition Tables from ICMR-NIN, prints almost entirely raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli) and no paneer curry or other mixed dish, no cream row and no butter row; its paneer row L003 is plain paneer, and USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy has no paneer curry record. So this page does not quote a number. It works one portion of each curry out line by line: the paneer, vegetables and cashew from named IFCT 2017 rows, and the butter, cream and oil from USDA records, with weights that are our assumptions and the fat shown apart so you can see what it adds. They are estimates, shown so you can change the weights to match your pot. For plain paneer see our paneer protein guide and paneer vs tofu guide, and for the spoon measures our ghee, oil and sugar guide.

The short answer

By our working, one portion of paneer butter masala (paneer 100 g, tomato 150 g, onion 50 g, cashew 15 g, ginger 5 g, garlic 5 g, butter 10 g and 1 tablespoon of cream) is about 576.7 kcal and 24.5 g protein; palak paneer (paneer 100 g, spinach 200 g, onion 50 g, tomato 60 g, ginger 5 g, garlic 5 g and 2 teaspoons of oil) is about 478.0 kcal and 24.9 g protein; and matar paneer (paneer 100 g, fresh peas 80 g, tomato 120 g, onion 50 g, ginger 5 g, garlic 5 g and 2 teaspoons of oil) is about 505.6 kcal and 26.8 g protein. Across 80 to 120 g of paneer and the stated fat amounts the ranges are 479.9 to 673.7 kcal (butter masala, always with the tablespoon of cream), 377.2 to 578.8 (palak) and 404.8 to 606.4 (matar), every cell cooked with some butter or oil. These are estimates from the weights below, not measured values and not from a curry record. Our reading: the paneer alone is 305.4 kcal of each main case, so the gravy and fat decide the rest, and butter masala is highest of the three in this working because it carries butter, cream and cashew.

IFCT 2017 rows used, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 Table 1 prints, per 100 g edible portion, water, protein, ash, total fat and energy in kJ for each food, with carbohydrate and fibre columns where the table has them (the paneer row prints carbohydrate and no fibre). We read these 8 rows from the PDF text on 29 October 2026, as the mean of the regions shown; the kcal is ours (kJ divided by 4.184, to 0.1). IFCT prints no portion weights and these rows are raw foods, so we count raw weights. IFCT has other rows for the same vegetables (a local tomato, other onions); we use the ones below.

The butter, cream and oil: USDA SR Legacy, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 has no butter, cream or cooking oil row, so these come from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy; all three are US records. Energy is USDA's kcal with the kJ beside it; water, protein, total fat and carbohydrate (by difference) are in g, then fibre (g), total sugars (g) and sodium (mg), all per 100 g.

The data-type label on each USDA field, as the record shows it

USDA's record pages show a data-type label beside some fields and none beside others. This table copies what each record shows, read field by field from the nutrient table of each record page; "no label shown" means the record prints no label there, and "not printed" means the record has no row for that field. We do not interpret the labels beyond printing them. IFCT 2017 prints no such labels.

The household portions USDA prints for the three records

These are the entries in each record's Measures list, as printed; the other entry on every record is 100 g. The kcal in the last column is ours: the printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, shown to 0.1.

The portion sums: 173410 1 pat (1" sq, 1/3" high) (5 g): 717 × 5 / 100 = 35.85, so 35.9 kcal; 173410 1 stick (113 g): 717 × 113 / 100 = 810.21, so 810.2 kcal; 173410 1 cup (227 g): 717 × 227 / 100 = 1627.59, so 1627.6 kcal; 173410 1 tbsp (14.2 g): 717 × 14.2 / 100 = 101.81, so 101.8 kcal; 170859 1 cup, whipped (120 g): 340 × 120 / 100 = 408.00, so 408.0 kcal; 170859 1 cup, fluid (yields 2 cups whipped) (238 g): 340 × 238 / 100 = 809.20, so 809.2 kcal; 170859 1 tbsp (15 g): 340 × 15 / 100 = 51.00, so 51.0 kcal; 170859 1 fl oz (29.8 g): 340 × 29.8 / 100 = 101.32, so 101.3 kcal; 171410 1 tsp (4.5 g): 884 × 4.5 / 100 = 39.78, so 39.8 kcal; 171410 1 cup (216 g): 884 × 216 / 100 = 1909.44, so 1909.4 kcal; 171410 1 tbsp (13.5 g): 884 × 13.5 / 100 = 119.34, so 119.3 kcal. Our butter weights of 5, 10 and 15 g are 717 × 5 / 100 = 35.85, so 35.9 kcal; 717 × 10 / 100 = 71.70, so 71.7 kcal; and 717 × 15 / 100 = 107.55, so 107.6 kcal. Oil by the teaspoon (4.5 g): 1 tsp 39.8 kcal, 2 tsp 79.6 kcal, 3 tsp 119.3 kcal.

Worked example 1: paneer butter masala

Every weight here is our assumption for one portion, counted raw: paneer, tomato, onion, cashew (the usual thickener), ginger and garlic, then butter and one tablespoon of cream (USDA's printed 15 g). Each IFCT line is the kJ divided by 4.184, times the grams, divided by 100, to 0.1 kcal; each USDA line is the printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100; protein is the table's protein per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100. Spice powders, salt, kasuri methi and sugar are not counted.

The grid varies the paneer weight (80, 100 or 120 g, raw) and the butter (5, 10 or 15 g); every other line is fixed at the weight shown.

Worked example 2: palak paneer

Same method; the weights are again ours: 200 g of raw spinach (IFCT C033 is a raw leaf row; the weight of cooked, puréed spinach is not printed in any table), onion, tomato, ginger and garlic, cooked in peanut oil. No cream is counted.

The grid varies the paneer weight (80, 100 or 120 g, raw) and the oil (1, 2 or 3 teaspoons); every other line is fixed at the weight shown.

Worked example 3: matar paneer

Same method; the weights are again ours: 80 g of fresh peas (IFCT D061), tomato, onion, ginger and garlic, cooked in peanut oil. No cream is counted.

The grid varies the paneer weight (80, 100 or 120 g, raw) and the oil (1, 2 or 3 teaspoons); every other line is fixed at the weight shown.

The three main cases side by side

These are the single examples used in the short answer; each follows from the tables above and from the weights in the cell.

What stands out in the numbers

• Paneer is the largest single line in every main case: 100 g of paneer (IFCT L003, 305.4 kcal per 100 g) is 305.4 kcal, against 271.3 kcal for everything else in the butter masala (vegetables, cashew, cream and butter), 172.6 kcal for palak paneer's and 200.2 kcal for matar paneer's.
• Butter masala: its 10 g of butter is 71.7 kcal and the tablespoon of cream 51.0 kcal; the 15 g of cashew (IFCT H005) is 87.4 kcal. In this working the paneer weight (80 to 120 g) moves it more than the butter (5 to 15 g): 122.1 kcal against 71.7 kcal.
• Palak paneer: 200 g of raw spinach is 48.8 kcal; the paneer weight moves it more than the oil (1 to 3 teaspoons): 122.1 kcal against 79.5 kcal.
• Matar paneer: 80 g of fresh peas is 65.0 kcal; the paneer weight moves it more than the oil: 122.1 kcal against 79.5 kcal.
• Protein: 24.5, 24.9 and 26.8 g in the three main cases, of which the paneer is 18.9 g.
• These are estimates: no curry record exists, the weights are ours, and fried paneer, more butter or cream, or a bigger portion will be higher.

Why these are estimates, not your curry

• No record exists for the dish. IFCT 2017 prints almost entirely raw foods and no mixed dish, and USDA SR Legacy has no paneer curry record.
• The weights are assumptions. No table prints how much paneer, gravy base or fat one portion takes; ours are stated so you can replace them.
• Raw weights. Spinach, peas and tomato lose or gain water in cooking and no table prints the cooked weight, so the page counts raw weights.
• No per 100 g figure. No table prints a cooked curry weight, so a calories-per-100-g number cannot be derived from these rows.
• US butter, cream and oil data. These three rows are US records; IFCT has none of them.
• Labels are printed, not judged. Calculated, Analytical and the other labels are USDA's words on the records; we print them and draw no conclusion from them.

How to log it so the numbers hold

• Log it by parts. Weigh the paneer raw, estimate the gravy vegetables and nuts, and log the butter, cream and oil by their own weight (weight × figure ÷ 100); our ghee, oil and sugar guide has the teaspoon values.
• Say how much paneer. It is the largest line in all three; 80 and 120 g differ by 122.1 kcal in the butter masala.
• Log fried paneer separately. Frying the cubes first adds oil that is not in these figures.
• Log the roti, rice or naan separately. They are not in these figures.

Where NYUS fits (our app)

We make NYUS, so read this as ours. NYUS is an AI fitness and nutrition coach in early access on Android, with no ads and no data selling. You log foods yourself by searching 8,900+ Indian and global foods or by barcode, and a weekly check-in adjusts your calories, macros and step goal once enough is logged. Barcode coverage of Indian packaged foods is not complete, so search by name when a scan finds nothing.

What this page leaves out

• A measured calorie figure for any paneer curry as a dish: no primary record prints one, so every figure here is an estimate from stated weights.
• A calorie target, and any claim about what paneer or these curries do to your body: we have not looked up any for any person, so we give none. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant, ask your doctor or dietitian.
• Spice powders, salt, kasuri methi, sugar, coriander, and other versions such as shahi paneer, kadai paneer, paneer tikka masala and low-fat paneer: not covered; log them from their own rows.
• Restaurant, dhaba and packaged or ready-to-eat paneer curries: no table prints a restaurant weight or fat use, so we give no such figure; read the pack for packaged ones.
• Other IFCT rows for the same vegetables: they exist and are not repeated.
• Nutrients beyond energy, water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, total sugars and sodium: not covered here.

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), Table 1, per 100 g edible portion, mean of the regions shown (read from the PDF text 29 October 2026): L003 Paneer (6 regions, 1278 kJ, PDF p. 57); D075 Tomato, ripe, hybrid (6 regions, 79 kJ, PDF p. 48); G017 Onion, big (6 regions, 201 kJ, PDF p. 54); H005 Cashew nut (6 regions, 2438 kJ, PDF p. 55); G014 Ginger, fresh (6 regions, 230 kJ, PDF p. 54); G011 Garlic, big clove (6 regions, 518 kJ, PDF p. 54); C033 Spinach (6 regions, 102 kJ, PDF p. 45); D061 Peas, fresh (6 regions, 340 kJ, PDF p. 48). IFCT 2017 prints almost entirely raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli) and no paneer curry or other mixed dish, no cream row and no butter row; its paneer row L003 is plain paneer (PDF text searched for paneer, butter, cream and curry; Table 1 milk and milk products rows are L001 to L004).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 173410 (Butter, salted): Energy 717 kcal (3000 kJ), protein 0.85 g, total fat 81.1 g, carbohydrate by difference 0.06 g, fibre 0 g, total sugars 0.06 g, sodium 643 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference Calculated, total sugars Nutrient that is based on other nutrient/s; value used directly, ex. Nut.#204 from Nut.#298, kJ Calculated, water Analytical, sodium Nutrient that is based on other nutrient/s; value used directly, ex. Nut.#204 from Nut.#298; portions used: 1 pat (1" sq, 1/3" high) (5 g); 1 stick (113 g); 1 cup (227 g); 1 tbsp (14.2 g) (read 29 October 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 170859 (Cream, fluid, heavy whipping): Energy 340 kcal (1420 kJ), protein 2.84 g, total fat 36.1 g, carbohydrate by difference 2.84 g, fibre 0 g, total sugars 2.92 g, sodium 27 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference Calculated, total sugars Analytical, kJ Calculated, protein Analytical, fat Analytical, sodium Analytical; portions used: 1 cup, whipped (120 g); 1 cup, fluid (yields 2 cups whipped) (238 g); 1 tbsp (15 g); 1 fl oz (29.8 g) (read 29 October 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171410 (Oil, peanut, salad or cooking): Energy 884 kcal (3700 kJ), protein 0 g, total fat 100 g, carbohydrate by difference 0 g, fibre 0 g, total sugars 0 g, sodium 0 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference no label shown, total sugars Assumed zero (Insignificant amount or not naturally occurring in a food, such as fiber in meat); portions used: 1 tsp (4.5 g); 1 cup (216 g); 1 tbsp (13.5 g) (read 29 October 2026).
• nyus.in, the NYUS landing page, read on 29 October 2026 for the app statements in the NYUS section and the CTA.

The ingredient weights, the kJ to kcal conversions, the line values, the sums, the grids, the portion kcal, the rounding, the comparisons and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own assumptions, arithmetic or opinion, not from USDA or IFCT. The IFCT values are the means printed in IFCT 2017 Table 1; the USDA values, data-type labels and Measures-list portions are exactly as shown on the USDA record pages. The names in the first column are the tables' own names.

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