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Palak Paneer Recipe (Spinach Sauce & Paneer)
4.8 from 491 votes

Palak Paneer Recipe (Spinach Sauce & Paneer)

Palak Paneer combines a smooth spinach puree with soft paneer cubes to create a creamy and subtly spiced dish. The spinach is blanched then ground with ginger, garlic, and chilies to preserve its vibrant color and fresh flavor. The sauce is gently sautéed with cumin seeds, bay leaf, onion, and tomato, then enriched with cream and kasuri methi for depth. Paneer is added to absorb the flavorful spinach gravy, yielding a dish with tender cubes in a thick, bright green sauce.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 265 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For spinach puree
  • 250 grams spinach or 5 to 6 cups roughly chopped spinach
  • 1 to 2 green chilies or 1 Serrano pepper or 1 to 2 Anaheim peppers - chopped
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped (optional, small to medium
  • 1 inch ginger - roughly chopped
  • 3 cups water for blanching spinach
  • 3 cups water for ice bath
Other ingredients
  • 2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil or ghee (clarified butter) or butter, generic cooking oil
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tej patta Indian bay leaf, small to medium
  • ⅓ cup onion or 1 small to medium sized onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic or 4 to 5 small to medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ⅓ cup tomato or 1 small to medium sized tomato, finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper or paprika
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
  • ½ cup water or add as required
  • ¼ or ½ teaspoon garam masala - add more if required
  • 200 to 250 grams paneer or tofu
  • 2 tablespoons cream or 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, low fat
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi leaves (dry fenugreek leaves) - optional. kasuri methi is crushed and added right towards the end. just before adding cream.
  • salt as required
For garnish
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons cream (low fat or heavy cream or cooking cream) or butter for garnish - optional
  • ½ to 1 inch ginger - julienne
  • lemon or lime wedges or slices

Instructions

Making spinach puree
    Cup of Yum
  1. Rinse the palak or spinach leaves very well in running water. Tender stem are fine. If the stems are stringy, then discard the stems.
  2. Boil 3 cups water in a pan or microwave or electric heater. Add ¼ teaspoon salt to the hot water and stir.
  3. When the water comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat. Add the spinach leaves in the hot water.
  4. Let the spinach leaves sit in the water for about 1 minute. After 1 minute, using a pasta tong, take the leaves. 
  5. Immediately add the palak or spinach leaves in a pan or bowl containing ice cold water. This method helps in preserving the green color of the spinach.
  6. Just add 8 to 10 ice cubes to 3 cups water to get cold water. Allow the spinach leaves to be in the cold water for a minute.
  7. Then drain the ice cold water. Add the spinach in a blender or grinder jar with chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies.
  8. Make a smooth palak puree. No need to add water while making the puree. Keep the spinach puree aside.
Sautéing onions and tomatoes
  1. Heat oil or ghee or butter in a pan or kadai. If using butter, melt it a low heat making sure that the butter does not brown.
  2. Add the cumin and let them splutter.
  3. Then add the tej patta or Indian bay leaf.
  4. Add the finely chopped onions. Saute till the onions become golden.
  5. Then add the finely chopped garlic. Saute till the raw aroma of garlic goes away. No need to brown the garlic.
  6. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir and saute the tomatoes till they soften.
  7. Once the tomatoes are softened and you see fat releasing from the sides of the mixture.
  8. Then add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and asafoetida/hing and mix very well.
Making palak paneer
  1. Then add the palak puree and mix well. 
  2. Add about ½ cup water or as required. Mix again.
  3. Simmer for 6 to 7 minutes or more till the palak or spinach is cooked. Season with salt. The gravy or sauce will also thicken by now.
  4. Stir and add garam masala powder.
  5. Stir again and then add the paneer (Indian cottage cheese) cubes.
  6. Mix very well and turn off the heat. Be quick as we don't want heat the paneer for more 30 seconds to 1 minute. Overcooking paneer will make them chewy and dense.
  7. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons of low-fat cream. If using heavy whipping cream, then add 1 tablespoon of it.
  8. Stir and mix gently again so that the cream gets incorporated in the gravy uniformly.
Garnish
  1. Pour the palak paneer in serving bowls. While serving you can top it with some butter or cream.
  2. You can also drizzle a few drops of lime or lemon juice on top along with ginger julienne on the palak paneer.
Serving Suggestions
  1. Stir and serve palak paneer hot with some roti. It also goes very well with Indian breads like tandoori roti, phulka, paratha or naan.
  2. Being a versatile dish, it also accompanies rice dishes from the Indian cuisine like cumin rice, vegetable pulao, ghee rice, saffron rice and even a simple steamed rice very well. 

Notes

  • Blanch spinach briefly in boiling salted water, then shock in ice water to preserve color and minimize bitterness.
  • Use fresh, soft paneer or tofu; optionally pan-fry cubes before adding to the sauce for extra texture.
  • Kasuri methi and asafoetida add flavor but can be omitted if unavailable.
  • Frozen spinach may be used as a substitute for fresh spinach.
  • Adjust consistency of gravy with water as needed.
  • The recipe can be doubled or tripled for larger gatherings.
  • For a vegan version, replace paneer with tofu and use non-dairy cream alternatives.

Nutrition Information

Calories 265kcal (13%) Carbohydrates 8g (3%) Protein 10g (20%) Fat 23g (35%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 7g (35%) Cholesterol 43mg (14%) Sodium 419mg (17%) Potassium 437mg (9%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 6132IU (123%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg Vitamin B6 1mg Vitamin B12 1µg (42%) Vitamin C 22mg (24%) Vitamin D 1µg (5%) Vitamin E 4mg Vitamin K 304µg Calcium 332mg (33%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 127µg Iron 2mg (11%) Magnesium 60mg (15%) Phosphorus 49mg Zinc 1mg

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 265

% Daily Value*

Calories 265kcal 13%
Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Protein 10g 20%
Fat 23g 35%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 43mg 14%
Sodium 419mg 17%
Potassium 437mg 9%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 6132IU 123%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg
Vitamin B6 1mg
Vitamin B12 1µg 42%
Vitamin C 22mg 24%
Vitamin D 1µg 5%
Vitamin E 4mg
Vitamin K 304µg
Calcium 332mg 33%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 127µg
Iron 2mg 11%
Magnesium 60mg 15%
Phosphorus 49mg
Zinc 1mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.