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Palak paneer with white paneer cubes in a deep green spinach gravy, served at the table with roti alongside
Serves4 servings
CuisineIndian
South Asia

Palak Paneer: Spinach Gravy with Soft Paneer (पालक पनीर)

How to make homestyle palak paneer for 4: blanch spinach for about a minute, cool it in ice water to help hold its green, blend it with ginger, garlic and green chili, cook it into an onion-tomato masala, then fold in the paneer, turn off the heat and add the cream. Includes ingredient choices, substitutions, fixes for dull color or watery sauce, and how palak paneer differs from saag.

Cooking flow

Cooking steps

STEP 11 / 8

Wash and briefly blanch the spinach

Spinach going into hot salted water for a short blanch
The spinach sits in just-boiled salted water for about a minute

Rinse the spinach under running water. Keep the tender stems and remove any tough, fibrous ones. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a pot, dissolve ¼ tsp salt in it, and turn off the heat. Add the spinach, leave it in the hot water for about 1 minute, then drain it. Don't keep boiling it.

STEP 22 / 8

Cool it in ice water right away

Blanched spinach being moved into a bowl of ice water
Moving the spinach straight into ice water stops the cooking

Have 3 cups of cold water ready in a bowl with 8–10 ice cubes. Move the drained spinach straight into it and leave it for about 1 minute. This stops the cooking and helps keep the leaves green.

STEP 33 / 8

Drain and blend into a smooth purée

Drained spinach blended smooth with ginger, garlic and green chili
Blend the drained spinach with the aromatics; no extra water is needed

Drain the spinach and gently press out the excess water. Put it in a blender with 1 inch ginger, 1–2 garlic cloves and 1–2 green chilies, and blend until smooth. Do not add water at this stage.

STEP 44 / 8

Bloom the cumin and tej patta

Cumin seeds and tej patta warming in fat in the pan
When the cumin crackles and turns fragrant, add the tej patta

Warm 2 tbsp oil, ghee or butter in a heavy pan over low to medium heat. If you use butter, don't let it burn. Add ½ tsp cumin seeds. When they crackle and smell fragrant, add the tej patta.

STEP 55 / 8

Build the onion and tomato masala

Tomato and ground spices added to sautéed onion to build the gravy base
Add the ground spices once the tomato is soft and oil shows at the edges

Add ⅓ cup onion and sauté until golden. Add 1 tsp chopped garlic and cook until the raw smell is gone, without letting it burn. Add ⅓ cup tomato and cook until it softens. When oil starts to show around the edges of the mixture, stir in ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp red chili powder and a pinch of hing, if using.

STEP 66 / 8

Simmer the purée into a gravy

Green spinach purée and water simmering gently with the masala base
Keep the simmer gentle while the purée cooks into the masala

Add the spinach purée and ½ cup water and stir well. Simmer gently for 6–7 minutes, without a hard boil, until the purée is cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly. Season with salt, then add ¼–½ tsp garam masala.

STEP 77 / 8

Fold in the paneer, then the cream off the heat

Paneer cubes being gently folded into the green gravy
Fold the paneer in gently so the cubes keep their shape

Add 200–250 g cubed paneer and stir gently so the cubes don't break. Turn off the heat. If you're using kasuri methi, crush it between your palms and add it. Then stir in the cream: 2 tbsp low-fat or cooking cream, or 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream. If you're using packaged or frozen paneer, follow the product's own directions as well.

STEP 88 / 8

Serve warm

Palak paneer with julienned ginger, served at the table with roti
Finish at the table with ginger, a little citrus and bread or rice

Serve while hot. If you like, add 1–2 tsp cream or butter on top, some julienned ginger, and lemon or lime on the side. Eat it with roti, naan, paratha or jeera rice.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

1 / 3

For the spinach purée

Ingredient Amount Role and notes
Spinach (palak) 250 g (5–6 cups chopped) The green sauce. Keep tender stems; remove large, tough stems
Green chilies 1–2 Heat. 1 serrano or 1–2 Anaheim peppers also work
Garlic 1–2 cloves Optional aroma for the purée
Ginger 1 inch Fresh aroma for the purée
Water for blanching 3 cups Brought to a boil, then the heat is turned off
Salt for blanching ¼ tsp Dissolved in the blanching water
Cold water 3 cups For the ice bath
Ice cubes 8–10 Added to the cold water
2 / 3

For the gravy

Ingredient Amount Role and notes
Oil, ghee or butter 2 tbsp Choose one. Ghee is shown in the photos
Cumin seeds ½ tsp Bloomed in the fat first
Tej patta (Indian bay leaf) 1 small to medium Optional if you can't find it
Onion ⅓ cup finely chopped (1 small to medium) Cooked until golden
Garlic 1 tsp finely chopped Separate from the purée garlic. Measure by the teaspoon
Tomato ⅓ cup chopped (1 small to medium) Cooked until soft
Turmeric ¼ tsp Color and earthy aroma
Red chili powder ½ tsp Cayenne or paprika also work
Hing (asafoetida) a pinch Optional
Water ½ cup, or as needed Thins the gravy. Separate from the blanching and ice water
Salt to taste Separate from the blanching salt
Garam masala ¼–½ tsp Start small and add more to taste
3 / 3

To finish and serve

Ingredient Amount Role and notes
Paneer 200–250 g Cubed. Folded in at the end
Cream 2 tbsp low-fat or cooking cream, or 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream Choose one type and use its amount. Do not add both
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) 1 tsp Optional. Crushed between your palms
Cream or butter for garnish 1–2 tsp Optional. Separate from the cream above
Ginger ½–1 inch Julienned, for garnish
Lemon or lime wedges or slices Optional, at the table
Ready-made roti as needed Optional, served on the side
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Palak Paneer: Bright Spinach Wrapped Around Soft Cubes of Paneer

What this pot should keep

Keep the spinach green and fresh-tasting, the onion-tomato base gentle, and the paneer cubes whole. Each step below protects one of those three things.

The greens go into just-boiled salted water for about a minute and come straight out into a bowl of ice water. That short sequence is the heart of the dish. Palak means spinach, and palak paneer is spinach blended into a smooth purée, cooked into a lightly spiced onion and tomato masala, and finished with soft cubes of paneer, a fresh cheese.

This recipe follows a homestyle version that Dassana Amit of Dassana's Veg Recipes presents as North Indian and describes as her mother's recipe. It includes onion and tomato, and the spinach is blanched and cooled before blending. The same source gives a separate restaurant-style recipe, which is not used here.

For more dishes from the same country, see the India page.

Ingredients for 4 Servings: Purée, Gravy and Finish

Spinach, paneer, onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chilies and spices laid out as ingredients
Ingredients are grouped by job: purée, gravy base, and finish

Ginger, garlic and salt each appear more than once because they do different jobs at different stages. Keep each amount separate.

Choosing and Substituting

Paneer. Look for it at Indian grocers, international food shops or online. Products differ in salt and firmness, so read the label and ingredient list. If you use packaged or frozen paneer, follow its thawing and heating directions first. The "fold in and turn off the heat" step in this recipe does not guarantee that every product is safely heated.

Tofu instead of paneer. Tofu is an option. It is a different food, though. You lose the milky richness, and the texture changes.

Green chilies. Use one for a milder pot and two for more heat. Alternatives are 1 serrano or 1–2 Anaheim peppers.

Red chili powder. Cayenne and paprika are both options. Paprika is milder and adds mostly color, so the dish will taste less hot.

Tej patta. Indian bay leaf has a different aroma from European bay laurel, so don't treat them as the same thing. If you can't find tej patta, leave it out.

Hing and kasuri methi. Both are optional. Without them you lose some depth of aroma, but the basic recipe still works. Neither is a must-buy.

Spinach. This is a spinach dish, so don't swap in other greens. If you mix in other leaves, the pot moves toward a saag-style dish rather than palak paneer.

Allergens

Paneer, ghee, cream and butter all contain milk. Roti contains wheat, and some hing products are blended with wheat, so check the label if you avoid gluten. Swapping paneer for tofu adds soy, and if you still use ghee or cream, the dish is not dairy-free.

Equipment

  • Pot for the blanching water
  • Bowl for the ice bath
  • Strainer or colander
  • Blender or hand blender (needed for a smooth purée)
  • Heavy-bottomed pan
  • Measuring spoons and cups

Method: From Bright Purée to Finished Gravy

The order that protects the color

Blanch the spinach briefly and cool it straight away. Then cook the purée only as long as the gravy needs. Add the paneer at the very end, then turn off the heat and add the cream.

Troubleshooting: Color, Raw Taste, Thin Sauce, Broken Paneer

Problem Likely cause What to do
The green looks dull The spinach wasn't cooled right away, or the purée cooked too long Move the spinach straight into ice water after blanching, and don't simmer the purée for a long time. Some color difference also comes from the spinach and the pan
A raw, grassy taste remains Blanching or simmering was cut short Give the spinach its 1-minute blanch and the gravy its 6–7 minutes. If you extend the simmer, taste as you go
The sauce is watery Spinach not drained well, or too much finishing water added at once Press out the excess water before blending, and add the water a little at a time
The paneer breaks apart It was stirred hard or kept cooking Fold it in gently and turn off the heat once it's in
Garlic or butter scorches The heat is too high Lower the heat. Move on to the next ingredient before the butter colors
The cream looks out of place It went in over the heat Add the cream only after the heat is off

Leftovers

The source gives no storage period, and none is given here. Follow general home food-safety practice from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Divide leftovers into shallow containers so they cool quickly, refrigerate them promptly, and do not leave them at room temperature for long. Reheat thoroughly, until the center reaches 75°C for at least 1 minute.

Variations

These are optional changes to the recipe above, not other traditional versions.

  • Milder heat: Use 1 green chili and add more heat at the table after serving.
  • Greener flavor: Use less cream than listed so the spinach's aroma and color come forward. This is an adjustment to the source's amount.
  • Pan-seared paneer: The source suggests this as an option. Lightly brown the paneer in a little oil first. Once it's in the gravy, don't simmer it. The paneer gains a toasty edge but becomes a little less soft.
  • Tofu instead of paneer: An option the source lists. The texture and milky richness will be different, and the dish will contain soy.
  • Without kasuri methi or hing: Both are optional. The aroma will be a little flatter, but the dish still holds together.

Palak, Saag and Neighboring Dishes

The name says what the dish is: palak (spinach) and paneer. Not every spinach-and-paneer recipe is the same, though. Other home cooks publish versions with different blanching times and paneer amounts, so this is one homestyle recipe rather than the only correct one.

Saag can refer to several kinds of leafy greens, which is why "saag paneer" and "palak paneer" don't always mean exactly the same thing. India's Ministry of Tourism describes Punjab's sarson da saag as a dish of mustard greens, spinach and other greens, commonly eaten with makki di roti. The same Amritsar food guide lists shahi paneer as another North Indian, Punjabi paneer dish.

Further north, the Kashmiri Wazwan feast includes Waza Palak, spinach with small meatballs, and Ruangan Chaman, paneer in a tomato and milk gravy. Both are separate dishes with their own character. Sharing spinach or paneer does not make them versions of palak paneer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are palak paneer and saag paneer the same?

Not necessarily. Saag can cover several kinds of greens, while palak means spinach. This recipe is the spinach-only version.

Can I use frozen spinach?

The source notes that frozen spinach is often already blanched. If so, thaw it, squeeze out the water and skip the blanching. Check the package directions, and adjust the finishing water because frozen spinach can hold more moisture.

What if I can't find paneer?

The source lists tofu as an alternative. Expect less milky richness and a different bite, and note that it adds soy.

What should I serve it with?

The source suggests roti, naan, paratha or jeera rice. A little julienned ginger and a squeeze of lemon or lime at the table brighten it.

Sources