I kept seeing burrata butter chicken on restaurant reels: orange gravy, one white ball in the middle, someone tearing it open at the table. We do not cook chicken at home. I still wanted that plate.
So I made the butter masala gravy I already know, killed the heat, and set a cold burrata in the center. That is this burrata butter masala: vegetarian Indian fusion, same makhani (buttery tomato-cashew) family, no meat. The first Friday I tried it, I tore the cheese into the pan while the gravy was still bubbling. The cream center vanished into stringy soup. Now the ball goes in off the heat, and we tear it at the table.
If you can make a regular butter masala, you can make this. Let’s cook it together.
What is burrata butter masala?
Burrata is a mozzarella pouch filled with cream and shredded curd. It looks like a taut ball until you cut it, then the inside runs. Butter masala is the restaurant gravy of tomatoes, cashews, butter, cream, and kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Together they are a neo-Indian restaurant plate, usually with chicken.
This version is the vegetarian one. The gravy is homemade butter masala. The burrata sits whole in the middle, still cool, so when you tear it the cream pools into the orange sauce instead of disappearing.
It is the same idea as burrata makhani. Makhani just means buttery. If you have seen burrata butter chicken on a menu, this is that gravy and that cheese, without the chicken.
Burrata butter masala vs paneer butter masala vs burrata butter chicken
- Paneer butter masala: cubes warmed in the gravy. Weeknight. No table moment.
- Burrata butter chicken: restaurant plate, chicken plus a ball of burrata. Not vegetarian.
- Burrata butter masala: homemade gravy, whole burrata, torn at the table. Indian fusion dinner.
Use this when you want the middle of the table to look like a restaurant. Use paneer cubes when you want leftovers that reheat cleanly.
Why you’ll love this
- The gravy is the same tomato-cashew butter masala as a weeknight paneer curry
- The burrata is the showpiece: cool cream against hot gravy
- Vegetarian, and gluten-free if you serve it with rice
- Gravy can sit in the fridge; add fresh burrata only when you serve
- Mild enough for a mixed table if you keep Kashmiri chilli as color, not heat
Test note: The burrata has to go in after you turn the heat off. I timed it: 30 seconds in a simmering pan and the skin slackens, the cream leaks, and you are stirring melted mozzarella. Rest the ball 15 minutes on the counter so the center is soft, pat the outside dry, nestle it in, and spoon gravy around it, not over the top. Leave the white visible. Tear it in the serving bowl, not in the kadhai.
How to keep the cream center
Buy the freshest ball you can. If the pack is weeping a lot of cloudy water, the cheese is tired and will taste flat in a rich gravy. One 8 oz / 225 g ball is a centerpiece for 2 to 3. For 4, use two smaller balls and nestle both.
Soak the cashews in hot water for 15 minutes. Gritty cashew is the fastest way this gravy tastes unfinished. Blend until the paste looks silky, then simmer until it coats a spoon. If it is too thin, the burrata sits in soup. If it is too tight, you cannot spoon it around the ball.
Nutrition notes
Burrata is rich: protein plus a lot of milk fat, which is why a small ball is enough once the gravy is on the plate. The cashew-tomato base adds some protein and a little iron. It is vegetarian, not vegan. Serve it with instant pot jeera rice if you want the plate gluten-free.
Perfect for
- Friday dinner when you want one restaurant plate and naan
- A date-night thali with cucumber raita on the side
- Using leftover butter masala gravy from earlier in the week
- The other burrata night in your kitchen, next to a grilled peach burrata pesto sandwich
Burrata Butter Masala
Equipment
- Blender
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai
- Wide shallow serving bowl
Ingredients
For the tomato-cashew base
- 15 cashews about 1/4 cup
- 1/4 cup hot water for soaking
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 onion small, sliced
- 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 3 tomatoes medium, roughly chopped, about 2 cups
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 cup water for simmering
- salt to taste
For finishing the gravy
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2-3/4 cup warm water as needed
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional, balances tomato acidity
- 3 tablespoons fresh cream
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
For the burrata
- 1 large burrata 8 oz / 225 g, or 2 smaller balls
- pinch kasuri methi crushed
- 1 teaspoon cream or melted butter to swirl
To garnish
- fresh cilantro chopped
- pinch Kashmiri chilli powder optional
Instructions
Soak and simmer the base
- Soak the cashews in 1/4 cup hot water for 15 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the pan over medium heat. Add sliced onion. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until soft and lightly gold.
- Add ginger-garlic paste. Stir 30 seconds until the raw smell drops.
- Add tomatoes, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, coriander, cumin, and a pinch of salt. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until the tomatoes break down and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
- Add 1/2 cup water. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Cool 5 minutes.
Blend
- Blend the tomato mixture with the soaked cashews and their water until completely smooth. Scrape the sides once. The paste should look silky, not grainy.
Finish the butter masala
- Wipe the pan if needed. Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat. Pour in the blended gravy.
- Add 1/2 cup warm water. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until the gravy thickens enough to coat a spoon. Add more water if it is too tight. Taste for salt and add sugar if the tomatoes taste sharp.
- Stir in cream, crushed kasuri methi, and garam masala. Simmer 1 minute on low. Do not boil hard after the cream goes in. Turn off the heat.
Add the burrata
- While the gravy finishes, take the burrata out of the fridge. Rest 15 minutes. Pat the outside dry.
- Pour the hot gravy into a wide, shallow serving bowl. Nestle the whole burrata in the center. Spoon gravy around the ball, not over the top.
- Swirl a teaspoon of cream or melted butter around the gravy. Dust a pinch of kasuri methi and cilantro on the sauce, not on the white cheese. Serve immediately. Tear the burrata at the table.
Notes
FAQs
Q1. Do I cook the burrata in the gravy?
No. The gravy should be hot. The burrata should be cool. Nestle the whole ball in after you turn the heat off, then tear it at the table. If you simmer it, the cream center leaks and you lose the contrast that makes this plate.
Q2. Is this the same as burrata butter chicken?
Same gravy family, different protein. Restaurant burrata butter chicken is butter chicken with a ball of burrata on top. This is the vegetarian home version: homemade butter masala and burrata only.
Q3. Can I use paneer instead of burrata?
Yes, if you want a regular curry. Cut 250 to 300 g paneer into cubes and warm them in the finished gravy for 2 to 3 minutes. You will not get the cream burst. For a full weeknight version, make paneer butter masala.
Q4. Can I make the gravy ahead?
Yes. Make it through the cream and kasuri methi step, cool, and refrigerate up to 3 days. Warm gently until it coats a spoon, then add a fresh burrata just before serving.
Q5. Can I make this vegan?
The gravy can be vegan: oil instead of butter, coconut cream or blended cashew cream instead of dairy cream. The burrata cannot. Use tofu or skip the cheese. For a fully written tofu version of this cashew-tomato gravy, make my vegan butter chicken.
Q6. How do I store leftovers?
Store leftover gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat on low with a splash of water or milk. Do not store a torn burrata sitting in the sauce. Buy a new ball next time.
Serve it like this
I like this burrata butter masala with butter naan and a bowl of cucumber raita when we want restaurant night without leaving the house. Instant pot jeera rice works when you want the gravy to be the loudest thing on the plate. If you try it, tell me: did you tear the burrata at the table, or did someone sneak a spoon into the cream center first?
Made this? Share a photo and tag @petitepaprika on Instagram. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
