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Palak paneer recipe | How to make palak paneer recipe

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Palak paneer recipe – Indian cottage cheese in smooth creamy delicious spinach gravy. Palak paneer is one of the most loved North Indian dishes that’s eaten with roti, paratha, naan, jeera rice or even with plain rice. It is very easy to prepare and can be made in so many ways. This is an easy and healthy palak paneer recipe which I finally arrived at after trying so many other recipes.
palak paneer recipe
In this palak paneer recipe, I have not blanched the spinach to prevent loss of nutrients. In most Indian recipes spinach is not blanched and used directly to make dal palak, spinach paratha, palak rice, spinach omelette, aloo palak and many other recipes as the nutrients are lost when blanched.

This palak paneer is the best I have made in the years. Not blanching the spinach and frying it for a short time is what makes this delicious. However this recipe also works with blanched spinach. I would recommend blanching, if you have been on a low oxalate diet and do not consume spinach without blanching in any other foods.

To make palak paneer, always spinach is blanched prior to making a puree. But if you are trying to make the best palak paneer, give it a try without blanching. I am sure you will wonder how good this tastes and completely different from the one made with blanched spinach.

To get the best color, keep garam masala to minimum in this recipe and also prevent overcooking which darkens the dish. You can check more palak recipes here which I have shared on the blog.

More Paneer recipes
Paneer butter masala
Malai kofta
Paneer makhani
Easy paneer bhurji
Paneer lababdar

Palak paneer recipe card below

Palak paneer recipe | How to make palak paneer recipe

Simple palak paneer recipe - Indian cottage cheese in simmered onion tomato spinach gravy. It is served with plain or flavored rice, paratha, naan or roti.

Print
Course Side
Cuisine North Indian
Keyword palak paneer, palak paneer recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 3
Calories 159 kcal
Author Swasthi

Ingredients (240 ml cup used)

Ingredients for palak paneer recipe

  • 1 cup paneer heaped cup, cubes or Indian cottage cheese (150 grams)
  • 2 cups palak or indian spinach, tightly packed (100 grams)
  • 2 tbsp Oil or butter as needed
  • 2 to 3 green chilies deseeded
  • ¾ cup onions fine chopped or ½ cup paste
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste or garlic paste
  • ½ cup tomatoes (deseeded) or puree
  • ¼ tsp kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves
  • 2 to 4 tbsp Fresh cream or 10 cashews (refer notes)
  • salt as needed

Dry spices for palak paneer

  • 1 inch cinnamon or dalchini
  • 2 green cardamoms or elaichi
  • 2 cloves or laung
  • 1/8 tsp cumin or jeera

Spice powders for palak paneer recipe

  • ½ tsp coriander powder (optional)
  • ¼ tsp cumin powder or jeera powder
  • ¼ to ½ tsp garam masala

How to make the recipe

Preparation for palak paneer

  1. Pluck spinach and check for worms. Add to a large pot of water. I usually spray vinegar and leave for 10 mins before rinsing them to remove the pesticide residue.

  2. Discard the water and rinse them again a few times. Remove them to a colander.

  3. optional for low oxalate diet - If you prefer to blanch, then bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Then add the spinach to it along with ¼ tsp salt. Keep them for 2 mins and remove to a bowl of water with 10 ice cubes in it. After 2 minutes remove to a colander.

  4. This step is optional.  Firstly fry paneer in a pan with 1 tsp oil for 2 to 3 mins. To keep them soft, you can also drop them in water and leave for 10 to 15 mins. Drain and set aside.

  5. In the same pan, add green chilies and spinach as well. Fry for just 2 to 3 mins on a medium heat. Spinach must wilt off thoroughly. Do not overcook. Set aside to cool.

  6. Blend spinach with green chilies to a smooth puree in a mixer jar.

How to make palak paneer gravy

  1. Heat a pan with oil. Next add cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves and cumin. When they begin to splutter add onions and fry till they turn transparent.

  2. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes away.

  3. Then put in tomatoes and sprinkle salt. Next fry till they turn mushy.

  4. Next add kasuri methi, garam masala and coriander or cumin powder. Saute until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

  5. Pour half cup water and stir. Cook until the mixture thickens.

  6. Next simmer the flame, add the pureed spinach. Mix well and cook until it begins to bubble for about 2 mins.

  7. Add paneer and mix. Switch off.
  8. This step is optional. If using cream add it now. As a substitute to cream, you can soak 10 cashews in warm water for 15 mins and blend to a smooth milk cream consistency.
  9. Serve palak paneer with naan, roti or rice.

Recipe Notes

Notes for palak paneer recipe

Take care not to add too much water or too much cream as it will make your gravy thin. A thicker gravy tastes better.
If using cashews, soak them in warm water for 15 minutes and blend to a smooth puree. Alternately you can soak almonds for about 4 hours, peel off the skin and blend to a smooth paste or milk.

Nutrition Facts
Palak paneer recipe | How to make palak paneer recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 159 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 13mg 4%
Sodium 74mg 3%
Potassium 300mg 9%
Total Carbohydrates 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 3g
Protein 2g 4%
Vitamin A 42.1%
Vitamin C 16.5%
Calcium 5.4%
Iron 8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

palak paneer recipe
Serving suggestions: palak paneer goes well with
Indian flat breads like roti, naan or plain paratha.
Plain or flavoured rice like jeera rice, biryani rice or ghee rice or veg pulao.

How to make palak paneer recipe – Preparation

1. Wash cleaned palak thoroughly in a large pot filled with water. I also sprinkle vinegar and salt to remove the pesticide residue. Rinse a few times more. Drain off the water completely.

If you are on a low oxalate diet then you can blanch the spinach by following the steps mentioned in the recipe card above.
cleaning palak
2. This step is optional. Heat a pan with 1 tsp oil and saute panir just for 2 to 3 mins. You can add them to warm water and leave for 10 to 15 mins to keep them soft. Drain and set aside. I do not add to water.
sauteing panir
3. To the same pan add another tsp oil, then saute green chilies and palak on a medium heat.
saute spinach
4. Switch off when the leaves wilt off. This takes only 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overcook, spinach takes only 2 to 3 mins to cook. If there is any stock of spinach left, you can use up. You need not evaporate it.
wilted spinach
5. Cool it completely. Add to a blender with green chilies. We are not going to use red chilli powder, so the heat comes only from green chilies. Mine were not hot, so I used 3.
blend chili spinach
6. Make a smooth paste. Set aside.
chili spinach puree

Make palak paneer gravy

7. Heat oil in a pan or pot. Add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and jeera as well. Do not skip the dry spices as we are not going to use much garam masala in powder form which helps to retain a good color.
seasoning with spices to make palak paneer recipe
8. Add onions or onion paste. Fry until golden.
frying onions to golden for palak paneer recipe
9. Add ginger garlic paste or garlic paste alone. Fry until the raw smell goes off.
frying garlic paste
10. Add deseeded tomatoes or tomato puree and salt.
addition of tomatoes in palak paneer recipe
11. When the tomatoes turn fully mushy, add crushed kasuri methi, coriander powder and garam masala. You can also add kasuri methi later along with pureed palak.
addition of spice powders
12. Saute until the masala smells good for 2 to 3 mins or until it begins to leave the sides of the pan.
sauteing onion tomato mixture
13. Add half cup water and cook on a medium heat.
addition of water
14. When the gravy thickens, lower the flame completely. Next add the puree.
cooking gravy to make palak paneer recipe
15. Mix it well and cook until it begins to bubble just for about 2 mins. I do not suggest cooking for long at this stage as it discolors the gravy.
mixing gravy with puree

How to make palak paneer

16. Add the fried paneer. Mix well. Switch off the stove.
addition of panir for palak paneer recipe
17. This step is optional. To make the palak paneer gravy creamy and tasty like in restaurants, add cream or cashew milk or almond milk. If using cashews, soak them in warm water for 15 minutes and then blend to smooth puree of thickened milk or cream consistency. For health reasons, if you like to avoid cashews, you can also use almonds. Soak them in water for about 4 hours. Remove the skin and blend them.
pouring cream
Serve palak paneer with rice, roti or paratha.
palak paneer recipe

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Comments

  4. Hello I want to try your recipe, recently I had an amazing palak paneer but the spinach was not pureed, would you know how to do it in that style using your recipe?
    Thanks in advance!

    Reply

  7. Wow and wow!! I was stunned at this very good and delicious palak paneer. The flavour of palak is so much good in this dish. Thankful to you. I also tried ur kofta recipe last week . Absolute winner!!!

    Reply

  8. Very good recipe I have made it 4 times this month. Beats even the restaurant palak paneer. Keep up the good work dear swasthi!!

    Reply

  9. I made the palak paneer tasted awesome. I want to make your butter chicken with naan. Pls show me where is the naan recipe. I couldn’t find it on your blog

    Reply

  11. Hey Swasthi,
    I have tried a lot of recipes from your blog. Every recipe has turned out to be the best. Keep up the good work. Thanks a ton for the wonderful recipes

    Reply

  12. Swasthi, my husband is a big fan of palak paneer and is always looking to have a tasty one. Your recipe has done miracles and has won tremendous accolades from him! Thank you!

    Reply

  13. Swasthi, my husband is a big fan of palak paneer and is always looking to have a tasty one. Your recipe has done miracles and has won tremendous accolades from him! Thanks you!

    Reply

  15. Making Palak paneer was always a nightmare for me. Usually the curry tastes bit bland but this time it’s sucess .i just followed the recipie and the curry turned out to be too good.so thought of posting the review

    Reply

  16. This turned awesome for me..i really like the way you give detailed explanation of everything and the minute details you provide.. It makes us cook perfect recipes easily, even for beginners like me.. Thanks a lot ?

    I had a query though,i like to repeat this every fortnight. And i heard this from many that frequent combination of palak and tomato isn’t good for your kidneys… Can you suggest me with an alternative for tomato, without much compromise of taste..

    Reply

    • Welcome Deepti,
      Firstly, As per my understanding, Oxalates that may cause kidney stones are present in the tomato seeds. So it should be safe to eat tomatoes without seeds along with palak.
      Secondly, the high amount of oxalates in palak will neutralize when combined with any dairy. since paneer is used it should be fine.
      I also make this palak paneer without tomato as my kids don’t like its skin. You can try this method. Saute some cashews along with palak and puree them. Then skip tomatoes and make the recipe the same way. Just before serving I squeeze in little lemon juice for the tang. It works well for our taste. You can try it and share your feedback.
      Thanks for trying the recipes.
      🙂

      Reply

      • Hi swati
        I made the palak paneer without tomato just like the way you mentioned but added little curd for the tang. It turned out good and we all loved it.Thank you

        Reply

  17. Hello Swathi
    Today I made this recipe it came out super . usually I don’t like blanching palak but I used to do for some recipes. I liked your idea of just sauting in oil and grinding
    This gravey tasted nice with rice also.

    Reply

  18. Hey Swasthi – thank you so much for your lovely palak paneer recipe – it turned out beautifully although like most Indian and Pakistani cooks I go by instinct how much masala to add and I am one of those who is lazy to measure out things, nevertheless just followed through your recipe and this is the first time it turned out so authentic – just loved it! Bless you and your kitchen!

    Reply

  19. I used one jalapeno pepper instead of 2-3 green chilies (because that’s what was in the fridge) and it was perfect for us. As a reference when requesting food at a restaurant (Indian, Mexican or Thai) we tell them we like our food at about Norte Americano palate of 4/5 spice) Why would you blanch spinach, when you can do it this way? Saving that step was what made me decide to try this recipe….I could say I like saving the nutrients , but really, I’m just lazy.

    Reply

  21. Thanks for the recipe. It turned out very tasty. kasturi mehti added a special flavor. added one more masala star anise 2 nos( fried, grind) I also used home made fresh paneer at the end.. it was easy to follow &amp . Made our dinner remarkable by the kids.

    Reply

  22. Thanks for the recipe. It turned out very tasty. I added one more masala that looks like a flower 2 nos. I also used home made fresh paneer at the end..

    Reply

  26. Prepared today. Used raw ginger pieces instead of paste. Did not use cream or paste in the end.
    Came out very well. Sattvic. By the way I have tried a few other vegetable recipe of yours. Turned out well. Good presentation. Simple and well organized.
    Another suggestion would be:: Allow selection option for viewers on your website based on viewer rating or your own rating or comments or any other measurement. If that is possible, that would be helpful for not so good cooks to quickly select menu. Especially when some guests are expected to come suddenly who are fond of a specific dish (es). All the best

    Reply

  27. Hi swasthi,

    Yesterday my dad and I tried out your recipe (dad did most of the cooking ? and he’s a great cook) and he followed your recipe and it turned out to be awesome. I usually prefer other paneer recipes over this because palak was kind of a bland veggie for me. But you broke my misconception! Thank you swasthi. Looking forward to trying out other recipes too!.

    Reply

  30. Thanks. This recipe is flawless and very very quick. Two steps I improvised on, over your recipe :
    a. Finely puree 2/3 of the spinach, Coarsely puree/grate rest of spinach.
    b. Finely puree 1/2 the onions, other half chopped finally.

    In my batch this improved the texture and look .

    Reply

  31. Usually I used palak as an adding for various dishes. Now I see new and bright future for palak 🙂

    Thanks Swasthi for this recipe

    Reply

  37. A Very delicious and easy to follow recipe! Praised as one of the best things I have cooked! A side question, What kind of “green chili” do you use? Is there a more specific name? I used a Serrano pepper (substitute for Jwala pepper). Thanks from Austin, Texas!

    Reply

  38. Hi Swasthi,
    I was wondering can I use frozen baby Spinach for this Recipe?
    I had tried another Recipe but it was terrible! I am hoping as you have made all the steps so easy with photos and such that I can re-create your version well.
    Thank you,
    Rabea

    Reply

  39. how your palak paneer has such a beautiful green color , when i make the taste is very good but color never comes like that i think because of tomato . please help

    Reply

  40. Hi
    I made palak paneer for the first time. I dont know why but it became bitter. Can u tell me wht could have gone wrong n how i can repair it? Or improve on it the next time?

    Reply

  41. I made your homemade paneer and added it to your palak paneer recipe. I followed your instructions intently and the payoff is phenomenal. Great recipe’s. I thank you for sharing your expertise.

    Reply

    • Welcome Michelle
      Thanks a lot for trying and sharing the outcome. Very glad to know the recipes are useful.

      Reply

  43. The recipe is interesting. Can u please tell me why do we have to add garam Masala powder again. Is that really required.

    Reply

  46. Hi…swathI ,recently I tried your Palak paneer. ..It turned out to be very good…I never had such a tasty Palak paneer till this date ..Thank you..

    Reply

  54. Dear Madam,

    I can’t take the print out of this recipe. I usually follow your recipes .Please provide the printing option than download.

    Reply

  55. I like your recipes especially the paneer ones. Today I tried the egg curry.
    I’m relearning cooking after a break of over 10 years when I had live- in maids. Cookery blogs save me on many days. Thank you.

    Reply

  58. Sorry for the spelling mistake typo in my last post today.. my keyboard is a bit funny.. apologies

    following*
    Soya sauce*

    Reply

  59. Hi Swasthi.. today I have made palak paneer folloeing your recipe. I have just added a bit doya sauce along with it before adding cashew milk. Itz soooo yummy and delicious that I never thought of. As usual I am a big fan of all your recipes and shared abt ur website to all my frnds and relatives. Thankuu so much once again. Hope you are having a good time. Thank you Swasthi 🙂 Jayeeta

    Reply

  60. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Always I search all the recipes in this site it never made me upset . I tried all recipes I wanted n I loved it thank you very munch.

    Reply

  63. Awesome step by step recipe! I have an odd question, what type of blender did you use?? I have a “standard” blender that does not puree the spinach like your picture shows? Can you share the type you are using? Thanks you!

    Reply

  65. Thank you for this recipe!

    Due to time constraints I cannot make this on the same day. Can I make this a day before and reheat it the next day to serve? Will the gravy colour darken if so?

    Please reply.
    Thanks
    Amy

    Reply

  66. Hi, your easy recipe for palak paneer is very good. Tried it today and it is delicious! Thank you very much!!

    Reply

  67. Madam. Your a tap by step method helps us alot.. Your recipes are superb delicious and easy to cook.

    Reply

  69. Yum.. yum. u r awesome! all are easy healthy recipes. Tried your shahi paneer last week very delicious. Made this today just loved it. Thanks for healthy and tasty foods

    Reply

  70. Hey swasthi…thank you so much fr all d recipes…..alternate dayz I try one of ur recipe…..everyone loves it….also d recipes for babies…..excellent…..
    Keep going…gud luck!!!!;)

    Reply

  73. Hey swasthi love all ur recipes. Yummy healthy recioes made ur palak paneer, yum yum my family loved it a lot ☺?
    Thank you

    Reply