Palak paratha (Spinach paratha)

Palak paratha are Indian flatbreads made with whole wheat flour, spinach and spices. ‘Palak’ is the Hindi word for ‘spinach’ and paratha are Indian flatbreads made with unleavened dough. So palak paratha are nothing but spinach flatbreads. These are healthy, delicious & easy to make. Serve them with chutney, dal or curry. Wrap them with your favorite fillings and make kathi rolls or vegetable wraps.

Palak paratha are great to enjoy anytime of the day for a meal. They also go well in a school/ office lunch box. These are my kids’ favourite and they love these in their school box, rolled with some paneer bhurji & fresh veggies. I love experimenting with different kinds of stuffings in these palak parathas.

Regular use of spinach helps us to prevent iron deficiency and boosts our immunity. I always found this to be the best ways to include spinach in out diet since the leaves are lightly cooked so most nutrients are still preserved.

As I said these go wonderfully well with any chutney, simple dal or vegetable curry. This time I made these with beetroot chutney and vegetable salad.

There are 2 kinds of parathas made in Indian cuisine – plain and stuffed. These are the plain, non-stuffed parathas so they are kind of easy to make and requires no preparation. Just puree the spinach leaves and add it to the flour. Spice up to suit your taste and form the dough.

The dough needs no resting so it can be rolled immediately to parathas. Again you can make these the way I showed or make triangle and square parathas like I made these plain parathas.

These palak parathas are so good and flavorful so even the normal rolled ones taste great. If you have fussy kids who don’t not like greens then give this recipe a try.

More Palak recipes
Spinach curry
palak paneer
palak chole
aloo palak
dal palak

You can also find more Paratha recipes here.

Preparation for palak paratha

1. Pluck each leaf of spinach, check for worms. Add them to a large pot filled with water. Once done, sprinkle some crystal salt and leave it for a while. This helps to get rid of pesticide residues. Then rinse them a few times in fresh water. Drain off to a colander completely. I used about 125 to 150 grams spinach weighted without stalks. More or less is just fine.

2. Add them to a blender jar with half inch ginger or garlic and 1 green chilli. Skip chili for kids. I usually add 1 to 2 tbsp. water to the jar since i drain the spinach completely. This helps to blend to a smooth puree. Adding too much water will make the dough sticky and you may need to add more flour.

3. Add 1½  cups whole wheat flour, palak puree, ¼ teaspoon garam masala and ½ teaspoon salt. You can also use any other spices you like kasuri methi, carom seeds etc.

4. Mix all the ingredients and form a soft non-sticky dough. If required add more water. If the dough is too sticky then add little more flour. Add 1 tablespoon oil (optional).

5. Knead until the dough is soft and pliable. Smear few drops of oil. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

6. Divide the dough to equal sized balls and set aside. You will get about 6 to 7 parathas depending on the size and thickness.

How to make palak paratha

7. Sprinkle little flour over the rolling area and then over the ball as well. Flatten a bit and roll them. Lightly sprinkle flour as needed to prevent the paratha from sticking. Roll to a neither too thick or too thin palak paratha. If you want to make layered paratha you can check this post on plain parathas.

8. Heat a tawa or griddle on a high flame. When the griddle is hot enough, gently lift the palak paratha and dust off all the excess flour and transfer it to the griddle.

9. Very soon you will begin to see bubbles.

10. Flip the palak paratha to the other side and gently press down with a spatula so the paratha puffs well. Smear 1 teaspoon ghee over the paratha.

11. Gently press the paratha to help it puff up. It may not puff if it is too thin or doesn’t get enough heat. Clean up the tawa to remove any dry flour before you begin to roast the next one.

Lastly stack spinach paratha to keep them soft. Place them over a kitchen towel. When they cool down, place them in a box to keep them soft for hours.

Tips to make palak paratha

1. I prefer to puree the palak first and then add it to the flour. However you can also add them finely chopped. Since I have fussy kids I do prefer to blend them.
2. Avoid adding stalks of spinach as they sometimes lend a bitter or metallic taste.
3. I do not blanch the palak or any leaf greens. But if you are on a low oxalate diet, then yes do add the spinach to boiling water and leave for 1 to 2 mins. Then add them to cold water. Drain and use them.
4. Adjust the amount of spice powders to suit your taste. The recipe below is to make mildly spiced palak paratha.
5. You can also substitute little multi grain flour for whole wheat flour in the recipe.

Related Recipes

Recipe card