How to make Paneer (Indian Cheese)

If you ever wondered how to make Paneer at home, look no further & try out this easy step by step guide. Paneer is a traditional Indian cheese made with just 2 ingredients – milk and an acidic ingredient. Making it at home is super easy, involves no rocket science & you to get it perfectly soft, every single time.

But why make at home? In the past store bought paneer had additives like preservatives, corn starch and even citric acid to prolong the shelf life. Much has changed in the recent years and now you get it as good as the homemade – without additives.

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Still a lot of us want to make paneer at home for various reasons – freshness, non-availability, expensive or preference to use a particular kind of milk and acidic ingredient. Whatever be it, you will never regret for trying to make it at home. I will help you make the best quality super soft Indian cheese at home.

What is Paneer?

Paneer is a kind of fresh cheese made by curdling milk using an acidic food ingredient like lemon juice, vinegar, buttermilk, yogurt (curd) or citric acid. It is a soft yet firm, non-melting cheese that is made without using any kind of rennet. It is also not fermented or aged like other kinds of cheese so it tastes milky and somewhat similar to ricotta cheese.

To make paneer, cow or buffalo milk (or a mix of both) is boiled first and an acidic ingredient is stirred into it. The milk curdles separating the solids and the whey. It is strained to a colander, lined with a muslin or cheese cloth.

The solids are wrapped in the cloth and hung for a while to get rid of excess moisture. Lastly it is pressed with a heavy object to set. Unset cheese can be used in Paneer Recipes like Malai Kofta, Paneer Bhurji and Paneer Sandwich. Set and diced paneer can be used in many other recipes like
Palak Paneer
Paneer Butter Masala
Matar Paneer
Paneer Tikka Masala

Traditionally paneer is not seasoned but these days commercialised products do come with a little amount of salt. Enthusiastic home cooks have also been adding various kinds of seasonings like chili flakes, black pepper and cilantro so it can be eaten as is without additional seasoning or cooking.

Ingredients for Homemade Paneer

• Milk: Use full fat raw or pasteurized cow, buffalo or goat milk. Avoid low fat, skimmed milk and ultra-pasteurised milk (UHT) as they yield lesser amount of cheese.
• Acidic ingredient: Lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid, yogurt or whey from the previous batch of paneer are some options. Citric acid and vinegar are the best choices as they split the milk instantly but avoid adding a lot as it can make the cheese harder/chewy. The curdled solids need a through rinse to get rid of the citric acid or vinegar. Yogurt curdles the milk slowly but produces the softest cheese and you don’t need to rinse off. Sometimes it can be a hit or a miss unless you use raw milk (zero processed milk).

Photo Guide

How to make Paneer (Stepwise Photos)

1. Pour 8 cups (2 liters) milk to a heavy bottom pot and bring it to a gentle boil on a medium flame.

2. Keep your acidic ingredient ready such as – yogurt, lemon juice or vinegar. Please use only one. When the milk comes to a boil, turn off the stove. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar or ½ cup of yogurt. Give a good stir for 1 minute.

3. Milk begins to curdle immediately and solids separate from the whey. If it does not, stir in 1 tablespoon more vinegar and turn ON the stove. Boil till you see the solids separate completely. Note that non-homogenized or raw milk curdles faster. Homogenized milk takes longer to curdle as it is processed for a good shelf life.

4. Turn off the stove as soon as you see the milk has curdled completely. When the paneer is done correctly you will see the whey being clear and not milky. The color of the whey will be yellowish or green but not milky white.(check video). It is important you turn off when it is done. If you continue to cook longer, it becomes hard and grainy.

Drain and Set

5. Place a colander over a large bowl (to collect the whey). Layer it with a clean cheese cloth (or muslin cloth). A thin new handkerchief works well too. Transfer all of the curdled milk to the colander, in batches. Immediately pour cold water to get rid of the vinegar smell.

6. Later rinse the paneer well a few times under running water until it is clear of the vinegar.

7. Squeeze off the excess water. Make a knot and hang this over your faucet for 30 mins. This helps to drain the excess whey and this step is very essential else the paneer can break in your sauce. It should still be moist after draining.

8. Keep the entire pack on a flat colander or a plate or wooden board. Form a nice round shape by bundling the paneer. (check video)

9. Place a heavy object weighing at least 2.5 to 3 kgs. I fill my pot with uncooked rice and place over it. Any heavy object will just work well to set paneer. Allow it to set for about 3 to 4 hours. If you want you may move the entire set up to the refrigerator if it is too hot. I do this at room temperature on the kitchen counter.

10. Remove the cloth and you will find a round block of paneer. You will also notice a dent on the block. It is just normal.

11. Cube the paneer.

Use or Refrigerate for further use. I usually put the entire block in a steel box and refrigerate. I cut only when needed. You can also cut them and freeze for 3 months or refrigerate for 2 to 3 weeks.

Expert Tips

• Full fat milk that is minimally processed works the best. Else you will have lesser yield. UHT milk is ultra processed for longer shelf life so this kind of milk does not split faster and yields less.
• Bring milk to a boil on a low to medium heat else the fats can settle at the bottom and get scorched resulting in brown bits. Alternately, stir the milk occasionally while boiling.
• Always add the acidic ingredient only after the milk comes to a boil.
• Once the acid ingredient is added to the milk, stir and check if the milk has curdled completely. If not add more and turn off the stove. Do not continue to boil after it has curdled completely. This makes the paneer hard & grainy.
• Use just the right amount of acids (in batches) to curdle the milk. Using too much makes the paneer grainy and rubbery/chewy.
• I always prefer to pour some cold water or ice cubes immediately to the pot to stop it from cooking further. You can also omit this step and transfer the paneer quickly to a colander that is lined with muslin cloth. Immediately rinse it under cold running water.
• Ensure there is no excess whey in the milk solids before you keep it for setting. To ensure this I always hang the paneer for 30 min to drain it completely else the paneer can break in your sauce.

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