Easy Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is a classic north indian vegetarian dish made with soft paneer chunks in a fragrant spinach sauce. My easy palak paneer is nut free, gluten-free and is best served with warm naan or roti or steamed rice.

During winters, my grandmother use to make palak paneer using homegrown spinach. Her house had a vegetable patch that sprung to life with all sorts of greens under the winter sun. One of the best palak paneer I have eaten ever is cooked with freshest spinach plucked right off that vegetable patch.

Spinach was a very commonly used leafy green in our home in dishes like aloo palak and palak dal khichdi and palak paneer was a regular. Fresh spinach leaves, vibrant indian spices, creamy paneer cubes, it is hard to not fall in love with the simplicity of this classic indian spinach dish. 

Jump to:

• What is Palak Paneer?
• What Kind of Spinach To Use?
• What Is Paneer?
• Saag Paneer Vs Palak Paneer
• My Recipe
• Ingredients
• How To Make Palak Paneer (Step By Step)
• Some Useful Tips
• How To Make Vegan Palak Paneer
• FAQs
• Easy Palak Paneer Recipe

What is Palak Paneer?

Palak is Spinach. Paneer is non aged indian cheese which finds its way into numerous vegetarian dishes in the indian cuisine.

Palak paneer is one of the most popular among vegetarian indian dishes. It features paneer chunks in a spiced creamy spinach sauce.

Packed with the goodness of spinach vitamins & minerals and protein rich paneer, this is a healthy palak paneer recipe which gets a nod from my family every time I make it.

My homestyle palak paneer is made without nuts or loads of ghee or heavy cream. It is light, nutritious and our favorite. I use just 1 tablespoon of cream to finish and that can be skipped as well. 

What Kind of Spinach To Use?

Since Palak is the main ingredient here, go for the freshest, good quality greens. You can use any kind of spinach. In American stores there are largely three kinds of spinach available. 

Frozen spinach, Baby spinach which is usually used for salads and is fit to be eaten raw since it has a sweet delicate taste. It has very tender stems and the leaves are super soft.

If you happen to hop on to the other side of the produce section where they stock the leafy greens, you will find spinach bunches that are sometimes referred to as cooking spinach. In some stores, I have also seen it being sold bagged. Spinach bunches have large leaves with thick juicy stems - its happens to be similar to the spinach we get in India and will give the palak paneer best taste. 

I recommend using spinach bunch (similar to this) but there is no reason not to use frozen or baby spinach in this recipe. I love using the spinach bunch because the leaves have a smooth robust taste.

• Choose young & vibrant looking light green color spinach leaves.
• If you feel that the stems are tough and fibrous, discard them. I dont mind using juicy, tender parts of the stems.
• I like to choose organic spinach greens just because spinach is the main ingredient in this recipe, however you dont have to, quality fresh spinach(organic or non organic) is great.

What Is Paneer?

Paneer is  fresh, unaged indian cottage cheese that is a popular ingredient the indian subcontinent. Paneer is made from full fat milk by the process of curdling the milk using an acidic agent - lemon juice or vinegar. The resulting curds are super soft, milky and unlike the regular cheese, they dont don't melt when heated.

There are hundreds of ways paneer is used to cook different dishes all across India. With its milky creamy taste and soft texture post cooking, paneer is undoubtedly a favorite source of protein for vegetarians in India.

You can easily buy paneer in indian or pakistani stores. There are many brands available and over time you will be able to figure out the one that you like. It is now very easy to find in stores like Whole foods or Sprouts.

Making paneer is easy to home using milk and an acid agent and definitely homemade is better than store-bought paneer.

Saag Paneer Vs Palak Paneer

Saag is a hindi word meaning "leafy greens". Growing up, there was only one saag- which used to be sarson ka saag cooked with mustard greens. I hardly ate any other saag dish in India. When I came to United states, I found saag dishes on menus of restaurants. These saag dishes are brainchild of famous chefs outside india. They are delicious, no doubt - be it saag chicken or saag lamb or saag paneer. However, the green gravy is made using a variety of leafy greens and not just spinach. 

Palak Paneer uses only spinach for the green sauce. Saag Paneer uses a combination of leafy greens and/or herbs for making the green sauce. Palak paneer has a taste of spinach. However, the taste of saag paneer is dependent on the combination of greens that are being used. Without a doubt both the dishes are delicious and healthy in their own way. 

As long as you stick to using 8 to 10 oz of greens, you can use a variety of greens (like Kale, amaranth, chard or herbs like dill ) and use my palak paneer recipe to make saag paneer. 

My Recipe

I first shared this recipe in 2014. Many of you have loved this recipe and I am so happy to hear whenever someone leaves a good feedback. Here are a few things that I feel make this yummy homestyle palak paneer recipe stand out. 

• The texture of spinach. When I grind the blanched spinach, I avoid blending it too fine. I grind the spinach on a slow speed and leave a little texture on it. That way, the sauce has great texture too. It isnt gooey like blended soup or smoothie .
• No addition of Red Chili powder. I use only green chilies, thai bird chilies specifically for adding heat. The heat of green chilli is grassy and it really complements the taste of spinach. 
• I dont go overboard on spices. Using too many spices can take away the delicate taste of the spinach sauce in my opinion. Go lightheaded on spices.

Ingredients

• Spinach Bunch. Or Use baby spinach or frozen spinach.
• Spices. Whole & Powdered - Fennel, clove, cumin, garam masala & coriander powder.
• Onions & Tomatoes . Finely Chopped Onions & fresh tomatoes. You can use food processor to chop.
• Ginger & Garlic - Fresh ginger and garlic simply pounded in a mortar pestle. Avoid using store bought ready to use ginger garlic pastes.
• Mustard Oil. Substitute With Avocado Oil or Ghee.
• Paneer. Now a days skimmed milk paneer is also available in the markets but I recommend choosing full fat paneer. It adds a creaminess to the dish. Since we are not adding nuts and just 1 tablespoon of cream in the recipe, soft, milky full fat paneer really makes it taste yummy.
• Kasuri Methi / Kasoori Methi - Are super fragrant, dried fenugreek leaves. Fenugreek leaves are used as a finishing herb as well as in marinades and they impart aroma and unique taste to many punjabi dishes. You can easily find them online or in indian stores. I use Peacock brand. A little kasuri methi goes a long way and unfortunately there is no substitute. Simply leave them out if you cannot find.
• Heavy Cream. You need just 1 or 2 tablespoon. You can skip it if you wish.

Please see recipe card for the quantities.

How To Make Palak Paneer (Step By Step)

Some Useful Tips

• Using a wide mouthed kadai, pan or pot really helps while sautéing the spinach, the liquid evaporates faster and the spinach is sautéed properly.
• I recommend using food processor rather than blender to grind the spinach.
• To preserve the color of spinach, you can add ¼ teaspoon of sugar to the hot water. Also, saute the dish on very low heat for not more than 6-8 minutes.
• Slowly add water to adjust the consistency of palak paneer. After adding water, mix it and let the spinach bubble up again before adding water again. This makes sure that at the end of cooking water will not separate from the spinach sauce. I prefer a thick smooth sauce.
• If you are using frozen spinach to make palak paneer recipe, let the spinach thaw in a bowl. Add the thawed spinach along with the liquid that is collected to the blender or food processor and grind the spinach.
• To make palak paneer without tomatoes, skip the tomatoes and add 1 to 2 tablespoon of thick, plain yogurt and saute with the onions and spices. The yogurt should not be too sour.
• Avoid cooking palak paneer in cast iron pans. Palak can turn really dark in color and the dish will get a metallic taste.

How To Make Vegan Palak Paneer

• Use extra firm tofu instead of paneer (Palak tofu).
• To make dairy free palak paneer, skip or instead of heavy cream, mix in 1 tablespoon cashew cream at the end. You can add a little coconut cream as well. 

FAQs