How to make Palak Paneer- a popular Indian recipe made with cubes of cheese (paneer) gently simmered in a creamy spinach sauce infused with fragrant Indian spices. Make this in 30 minutes. Keto-friendly, Vegetarian & Gluten-free! Video!
And the wheel goes round and round, and the flame in our souls will never burn out. ~Rosanne Cash~
What is Palak Paneer?
Palak Paneer is very similar to Saag Paneer, but this recipe is slightly different, or so I was told while in India. In Hindi, palak means spinach, while saag is more general and means “greens” where a variety of different greens can be used.
No matter what you want to call it, you’ll love the flavor. The luscious creamy spinach sauce can be a vehicle for so many things. Instead of paneer, pair it with crispy tofu, chicken, fish or even roasted veggies! You’ll want to lick the bowl.
You’ll find a hundred uses, and trust me, you’ll want to mop up every single drop. Serve it with fluffy basmati rice or naan bread, or keep it low-carb with cauliflower rice. The best part?
The fragrant Palak Sauce can be made in under 30 minutes!
How to Make Palak Paneer | 60-Sec Video
How to make Palak Paneer
Step 1:
Saute onions, ginger, garlic until deeply golden. Add the spices along with frozen spinach and a little water.
NOTE: You know me, of course, I made this with fresh spinach leaves in the beginning, and yes you can do this too. But it’s hard watching a whole pound and a half of baby spinach wilt into practically nothing, and in winter, it just seems more cost-effective in winter to simply use frozen spinach. Up to you.
STEP TWO:
Then simply blend it up with yogurt and cashews until you have a silky smooth vibrant green, pureed spinach sauce. A blender works best here but feel free to use an immersion blender.
Now you have the fragrant Palak Sauce!
STEP THREE:
Pan-sear or fry the paneer until golden brown for delicious texture before simmering in the sauce. Go here to learn how to make your own homemade Paneer Cheese!
Or for a lighter version, use crispy tofu, chicken or fish!
STEP FOUR:
Simmer the paneer in the fragrant Creamy Spinach Sauce until both sauce and paneer are warmed through, uncovered.
STEP FIVE
Serve! Palak Paneer is delicious with Indian Basmati Rice or Naan Bread!
A delicious simple feast, a delight for the senses!
Hope you love this restaurant style Palak Paneer recipe as much as we do, and please tell me below how you end up using it.
You may also like:
- Emerald Dal
- Indian Fried Rice
- Indian Shepherds Pie
- Frankies (Bombay Burritos)
- Naan Bread
- Indian Basmati Rice
- Raita
Happy yummy week!
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Palak Paneer (Paneer in Spinach Sauce)
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: vegetarian main, main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
Palak Paneer – Pan-seared Paneer is bathed in a smooth and luscious spinach sauce infused with Indian spices. An easy authentic recipe, perfect for weeknight dinners. This is an adaptable recipe, perfect for mixed households, see notes.
Ingredients
- one recipe for Paneer ( or 24 ounces store-bought paneer, or crispy tofu, or chicken, or roasted veggies)
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- one white or yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons ginger, rough chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1/2 –1 jalapeno or use 2 serano chillies, rough chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin ( ground or seeds)
- 2 teaspoons coriander ( ground or seeds)
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (optional)
- 10–12 ounces frozen spinach ( 1 1/2 lbs fresh BABY spinach, see notes)
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar or alternative
- squeeze lemon (optional)
Instructions
In a large skillet, (a non-stick works great here) heat a few tablespoons oil or ghee and season the oil generously with salt and pepper. Pan-sear the paneer or crispy tofu until golden and crispy, and set it aside, covered with foil.
Wipe out the skillet, heat 3 tablespoons ghee over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, garlic and chilies, and sauté until deeply golden and fragrant, stirring often, about 15 minutes, taking your time here.
Add the spices (coriander, cumin, garam masala and mustard seeds) and sauté 2-3 more minutes. Add the frozen spinach and cup of water, lower heat and simmer uncovered until the spinach is just thawed.
Place this in a blender, (see notes) topping it with the yogurt and cashews. Add the salt and sugar. Blend well, until silky smooth. If the mixture is too dry to blend, add just enough water to get the motor going. Taste, and adjust the heat by adding a little cayenne if you want more of a kick. Add a squeeze of lemon if you want it tangier.
The sauce will seem slightly salty at first but once you add the paneer, it will soak up the salt.
Place the blended spinach sauce back into the pan uncovered, on med-low heat. (Covering it will lose the lovely vibrant color ). Warm it up gently and slowly, stirring often so it doesn’t burn. Add the pan-seared paneer and continue cooking until the paneer is warmed just warmed through.
Enjoy this over Fluffy Basmati Rice, with Naan Bread, over Quinoa or cauliflower rice.
Notes
Blending: If you like more “chunky sauce” rather than a smooth creamy spinach sauce , feel free to only blend half of the spinach mixture.
Make the flavorful spinach sauce and serve it over anything you like- perfect for mixed households where some want vegan, some want meat. It is tasty over roasted cauliflower, pan-seared chicken or fish, tofu, roasted veggies, etc. Get creative!
FRESH SPINACH: Use baby spinach, mature spinach may make it bitter. Make sure to separately (it may too much to manage in the onion pan) or in batches, and add it to the onion-garlic mixture. You need about 1 ½ -2 cups wilted.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: -with 4 ounces paneer in each serving.
- Calories: 331
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 444.3 mg
- Fat: 24.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.9 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 16.4 g
- Cholesterol: 19.2 mg
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I was planning to make this ahead of time and bring to a dinner party. Would you recommend I reheat it in the oven once I arrive? Thank you!
Yes Jamie, cover it and just be careful to not over bake or it will dry out. 😉
Wonderful and so easy to make on a weeknight!
Also, the green color is so vibrant and beasutiful!
Thanks Marley- we just made this last night too. You are right, it was so quick and easy I was wondering why I don’t make it more often!
Delicious! This recipe is a must have in everyone’s meal rotation. You don’t miss the meat at all! My husband was raving about this meal for days.
So glad you liked this Dan!
Could I use almonds in place of cashew?
You could try it- I would soak them first so they get creamy.
This is one of the best recipes I’ve ever made! So impressed with the flavor! I will be making this from now on! Thank you so much for sharing your gift of cooking with us.
thanks so much Rayanne- I’m happy you liked this, I enjoy this one too!
Any recs for a cashew substitute?
Yes, I think they would work fine. Make a cashew cream and stir it in, 1/3 cup cashews (soak first) and 1/3-1/2 cup water. You may need to add a little acidity, squeeze of lemon or couple drops of vinegar.
This dish was simple and delicious. I would definitely recommend adding the lemon juice and salt. Thanks
Amazing! Great flavor!
I have been testing several Palak Paneer recipes lately trying to find “my recipe.” This one is by far the simplest and tastiest of all I have tried.
I highly recommend using whole cumin and coriander seeds to give the flavour “bursts” that make this dish so succulent!
I have made quite a few recipes from the blog (all super delicious), but this one is the crown jewel. I can’t stress enough how extremely delicious the sauce is. I lived in India and this recipe takes me right back. Very easy to put together, too.
Thank you so much!
Dear Sylvia,
I so appreciate you sharing your recipes through the Internet. Whenever I cook from your website, I am delighted by the wonderful flavors and feel so nourished. For the first time, I can reliably reproduce the flavors of Indian cooking at home. This palak paneer is a favorite, and, as you say above, the sauce is wonderful on any protein or starch, not just paneer.
A hundred thanks to you,
Hayden
Thanks Hayden- so happy you enjoyed this!
Love this!! It also freezes well (freeze the sauce only, without the paneer). I add fresh coriander (cilantro) in the blender, as I love the taste of coriander.
Love it!
I was not positive I’d like this – often I order saag paneer for the cheese and suffer through the sauce. But, man!! I could have left the paneer out and been just fine. This is SO good! I love the vibrant green, the creamy, punchy, bright flavor of the palak, and pan-searing the paneer is inspired! We paired it with your grilled tandoori chicken recipe and a quick Indian Tomato Salad. What a feast! Thank you for another beautiful recipe.
This turned out great! The only reason I’m giving 4 rather than 5 stars is that the amount of fresh baby spinach was off for my preferences. 5 oz (much less than 1.5 lb) was plenty and fit in my blender to boot. Any more and I would have been swimming in it!
Did you blend it raw?
We have made this recipe a few times now and love it more and more. We ended up reducing the garam masala to 1 tsp because it was a little clove-y and sweet for our taste the first time, but not all garam masalas are the same so I wasn’t surprised. Also, we found that Panela cheese is easier for us to find, and a very flavorful substitute for the paneer!
Thank u so much for sharing this amazing recipe wid us. Really appreciate ur efforts. It came out to be very delicious. Keep sharing more of such recipes.
This was a delicious dinner! I chose to use a combination of seared chicken and roasted veggies (cauliflower, carrot and potato) instead of the paneer. I also made the ghee and would suggest making this ahead of time if you are making this for a weeknight after work meal. We made on a Sunday and I roasted the veggies ahead of time too. I highly recommend the squeeze of lemon to top it off! Awesome flavor and I can’t wait for my leftovers tomorrow.:)
OMG! Made this tonight and it was SO delicious! Everyone at it up… including the kids – such a good way to get some greens in their little bodies. This is definitely a keeper!
Best Palak paneer wehave ever eaten
🙌 🙌
Next time I’ll add more salt and more jalapenos. Great recipe though!
I stumbled upon this blog to change up my recipe repertoire as quarantine has completely made me bored of all my current recipes on rotation. My very skilled Indian mother and I cooked this palak paneer yesterday to compare to her recipe and it was 5 stars! As she cooks without measurements (I’m not quite there yet!) and as I’m trying to learn more native dishes, we used your recipe for measurement purposes and also because it looked near my mother’s recipe. We followed the directions as written and found this to be creamy, delicious, and the spices palatable to our Indian tastebuds. I would highly recommend this recipe to someone who is venturing into Indian cooking as my entire family found this recipe to be very authentic. Looking forward to trying more of your Indian recipes! Keep them coming!
Great to hear Crystal! Glad the family approved. 😉
So yummy! Palak paneer is my go to take out dish and it was so fun to be able to make it at home. Next time we will try to make the paneer ourselves.
Yay Alice, love it!
This was absolutely delish! I did add some lemon juice to the saag at the end but otherwise followed the recipe. I received multiple compliments and cannot wait to add this into my regular rotation.
This was so so good, my family deemed it restaurant-quality! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks and happy you liked this! 🙌
This is amazing! Totally loved this dish, added a bit more cumin and garam masala: it was a hit. Thank you!