COOK: Palak Paneer (Curried Spinach or Greens with Fresh Cheese)

• Serving Ideas & Pairing Suggestions
• Vegan Palak “Paneer” or Saag Paneer Variations
• Palak Paneer Recipe Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment & Cooking Method Variations
• How to Make Palak Paneer (Instant Pot or Stove-top)
• Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
• Curried Spinach with Fresh Cheese (Palak Paneer or Saag Paneer)

This homemade palak paneer recipe is so flavorful, and flexible! This is one of my favorite vegetarian curries, dotted with cubes of fresh paneer cheese swathed in a creamy spinach curry sauce. It’s packed with authentic Indian flavors, and can be made with an Instant Pot, pressure cooker, slow cooker, or on the stove-top. It makes a big batch, perfect for meal prep or feeding a crowd.

This vitamin-rich vegetarian curry has a perfect blend of sweet spices and a bit of heat. But no worries, if you can’t take the heat, you can adjust this veggie curry to your comfort level, from hot-hot-hot to super mild!

No Instant Pot? No problem! You can use a regular pressure cooker if you have one, but you can also make this in a regular pot on the stove top or even in the oven. You can even use your slow cooker (and a skillet). The Instant Pot method is the most convenient, but it’s definitely not the only way to make it. It’s a pretty versatile recipe, but no matter how you prepare this dish, it’s a delicious vegetarian entree!

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Serving Ideas & Pairing Suggestions

This creamy spinach and cheese curry is delicious over hot basmati rice or with fresh garlic na’an, chapati (roti), or your favorite flatbread.

You can pair your homemade palak paneer or saag paneer with a lentil dal, spiced chickpeas, or your favorite chicken, beef, lamb, or goat curries.

You can add contrast by serving these with a side of cucumber and yogurt raita, coriander chutney, pear or other fruit chutneys and mango or citrus pickles.

Vegan Palak “Paneer” or Saag Paneer Variations

I’ve also included ingredient substitution suggestions below to make a vegan version of this palak paneer. Even if you aren’t vegan, this variation is great if you’re lactose-intolerant, or serving this with along with a meat curry in a kosher household or to accommodate guests who are.

To convert this to a vegan palak paneer recipe, you can use firm tofu instead of the fresh cheese, and coconut milk or cream instead of the regular cream, half and half, or yogurt.

Want to make this recipe into saag paneer (mixed wild greens and cheese curry)? You can do that! This saag paneer recipe version has a more robust and slightly bitter flavor and packs a nutritional punch!

To convert this to a saag paneer recipe, substitute part of the spinach with baby or young tender mustard or radish greens, lambsquarter leaves (chenopodium), or your favorite wild foraged greens (make sure you know what you’re foraging and only pick from clean, unsprayed areas).

Palak Paneer Recipe Ingredients

spinach (or mixed greens for saag paneer):

You can use fresh or frozen spinach for this curry. Either bunch spinach or bagged baby spinach are fine. Remember if you’re using fresh spinach that it will cook down a LOT, so don’t worry if it looks like too much at first!

If you are using bunch spinach, only trim the very tough last inch or two from the stems (which tend to be hiding places for grit). The rest of the stems will be tenderized by simmering and then pureeing, so you can leave them in the dish. Wash bunch spinach well in several changes of cold water to remove any dirt or grit.

Bagged spinach just needs a quick rinse, and frozen spinach can be used as is, no need to thaw first.

onion:

Use one jumbo onion, two medium onions, or three smaller onions. You can use white or yellow onions for this palak paneer recipe.

paneer cheese:

Paneer is a fresh, un-aged cheese that is crumbly, mild tasting, and does not melt. A good substitute is panela cheese, or firm tofu if you want to make a vegan version of this palak curry.

You can make your own homemade paneer cheese in a couple of hours (mostly pressing/waiting time), or use store-bought firm paneer.

I used two gallons of milk to make a large batch of paneer, but only added half of the paneer to serve (I saved the other half of the cheese to add when reheating the sauce for a second meal, in case the cheese broke up when reheating it).

tomato & green chiles:

You can use fresh paste-type tomatoes (peeled and diced) if they’re in season, or canned whole or diced tomatoes. Use fresh green chiles, stemmed and chopped, or canned green chiles.

For an easy shortcut, we’re using Rotel canned tomatoes with green chiles.

spices:

This curry recipe has a combination of whole spices, ground spices, and a bit of garam masala blend. If you make your own fresh garam masala, you can substitute that for some or all of the ground spices if you prefer.

I used Kashmiri red chili powder (not chili powder blend), but you can substitute cayenne or paprika. Use mild/sweet paprika for a less spicy palak paneer. Or, you can reduce the quantity of chili or omit it completely if you are cooking this for people who can’t handle spicy food.

The asafoedata (hing) powder is optional, so if you don’t have or don’t like it, you can omit it, but it adds an interesting flavor even in very small amounts!

I like to make a sachet or use a stainless tea-ball to infuse some whole spices into this curry. If you add whole spices loose into the mix, it’s very difficult to remove them before blending. You can skip this step and use ground spices if you prefer. If you substitute ground spices, reduce the volume, using about half as much… you can always add more but you can’t take it out!

yogurt or heavy cream:

These are both optional, but make a richer, creamier sauce. Using yogurt adds a tartness that’s a good contrast with the milky cheese and spiced spinach curry sauce.

To make this dish vegan (if you are substituting tofu for the paneer), you can use coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk. This will change the flavor a bit, but it’s also delicious this way!

These are added to the palak curry after simmering or pressure-cooking, and before pureeing the sauce and adding the cheese.

Kitchen Equipment & Cooking Method Variations

Instant Pot, Crock Pot, enameled dutch oven, or stainless pot:

I used my 8 quart Instant Pot to make this palak paneer recipe, which is really convenient. You should still be able to do a full batch in a 6 quart Instant Pot, though you’ll have to add the spinach in stages if you’re using fresh spinach. Add more spinach to the pot as it wilts and cooks down.

Stove Top version:

No Instant Pot? No worries! You can still make this dish without one in a dutch oven or non-reactive pot on your stove-top (you can braise in the oven after sauteeing if you prefer for less stirring).

Instructions for making this dish are basically the same, though the timing may be different, and you’ll need to stir periodically, especially if you’re simmering the sauce on a burner instead of braising it in the oven (either method works… put the covered pot in a moderate oven (325-400F) for 35-50 minutes (longer at a lower heat, less time in a hotter oven).

I’d use this method if I already had a preheated oven or in winter (at least in our cold climate and old, drafty house), and use the stove-top method in summer or when I wasn’t already baking something.

Crock Pot version:

You can also use a slow-cooker and a saute pan. Saute the onions and spices together on the stove-top until the onions are translucent and the spices are very aromatic.

Transfer them to your crock pot insert, add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and other dairy). Cook on medium until the spinach is wilted and soft and the flavors have combined.

Proceed as with the other methods. The crock pot is slower, and will take several hours to cook everything down to a nice sauce. It’s fairly hands-off though, so if you plan ahead and start your palak paneer sauce early, this is a nice way to go.

Immersion blender (or regular blender):

After you simmer the spinach curry, you’ll remove the whole spices, and then puree the sauce. The easiest way to do this is with an immersion blender… you can puree the sauce right in the pot (check heat tolerance ranges if you don’t have a commercial or heavy-duty immersion blender with a stainless blending head… you may want to let your sauce cool a bit first).

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully blend it in a regular blender or food processor. You may have to work in batches, and this is a lot messier, but it will work!

You could also use a food mill, though I wouldn’t do this unless it were the only option, as it will be quite messy and tedious.

Be careful when blending hot liquids, and always use a kitchen towel folded over the top of the blender to hold the lid down and avoid spatters and burns.

How to Make Palak Paneer (Instant Pot or Stove-top)

Prep all ingredients:

• For fresh bunch spinach: Wash the fresh spinach in several changes of water to remove all dirt and grit. Pick through and remove any slimy leaves. Trim an inch or so from the ends of the stems and leave the rest.
• Bagged spinach just needs a quick wash, and frozen spinach can be used as-is. Drain but do not spin or pat dry.
• Peel the garlic and trim the root ends. Peel and dice the onions, and measure all the spices. Trim the stem from the green chile(s) and roughly chop.
• Place the whole spices into a metal tea infuser, or wrap in a small bundle of cheesecloth and tie with butcher’s twine.

Saute onion & spices:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat or preheat a large Instant Pot using the saute setting.
• Add the vegetable oil and quickly add the chopped onion. Briefly saute, then add the salt, dry spices, green chiles, and the whole spice sachet or tea infuser.
• Stir and saute a few minutes, just until fragrant and the onion is beginning to soften a bit.

Add spinach & tomatoes and simmer:

• Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, pressing down gently until all the spinach is in the pot.
• Add the canned Rotel or chopped fresh paste tomatoes. Stir again until the spinach wilts down by half or more. (for IP or pressure cooker, skip the next step).
• Reduce the heat on the pan to low, cover, and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the spinach is very tender. You can also transfer the mixture to a slow cooker and cook for several hours.
• If you are using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, after adding all of the spinach, cover the pot and close the vent. Use the Soup setting, and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes with quick or natural release.

Puree palak paneer sauce:

• Add the yogurt or cream to the cooked spinach mixture and stir (see notes first if you are freezing all or part of the palak paneer sauce).
• Remove the sachet of whole spices. Then, puree the mixture with an immersion blender, or carefully transfer to a regular blender to puree and then back to the pot.
• Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary, adding more cream, yogurt, salt, or spices if needed.

Add paneer cheese & serve:

• Dice the paneer into large 1-2″ cubes. Gently stir into the spinach curry sauce, and heat gently until the cheese is warmed through-out.
• If your fresh paneer is not very firm, add it just before serving, as it may dissolve into the dish.
• Serve your palak paneer with hot basmati rice, naan, or other flatbreads.

Storage & Make-Ahead Tips

This is a relatively large batch palak paneer recipe, great for feeding a big family or crowd. But if you have a smaller household or hate leftovers, the delicious spiced spinach sauce for this dish also freezes well. Or, cut all of the portions in half (especially if you’re using a smaller Instant Pot).

Portion out the sauce before you add the cheese, and serve half now, and put the other portion in the freezer for a quick meal-prep simmer sauce to have on hand for a busy day!

However, if you are freezing all or a portion of the sauce, you may want to add the cream or yogurt after you portion out the sauce for the freezer. Add half the dairy to the portion you are serving right away (after blending the sauce and just before adding the paneer cheese or tofu).

Freezing can cause the dairy to “break” and separate, or make the cheese chewy and crumbly. This is why I recommend freezing just the spinach curry sauce without the cheese or cream. This separation and texture change is harmless, but changes the appearance and the mouthfeel a bit. It’s a question of aesthetics vs. convenience, so do what works best for you!