Name: Punjabi Palak Paneer Recipe
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 500 gms. Spinach Leaves (- keep the stems as well); 150 gms Paneer or Cottage Cheese (Replace it with Tofu for Vegan option); 2 Tomatoes (- cut in 4 cubes); 1 Onion (Medium Size - cut in 4 cubes); 8 Cloves of Garlic; 2 inches Ginger; ½ tsp Jeera or Cumin Seeds; ¼ tsp Shahi Jeera or Black Cumin Seeds (Optional); A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida Powder; Salt to Taste; 1 tsp Cumin Powder; 2 tsp Coriander Powder; 3 tbsp Ghee to cook (You may replace it with Mustard Oil for Vegan option); ½ tsp Kasoori Methi/Fenugreek Leaves; 2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup; 1 tsp Fresh Cream (Omit for Vegan option); 2 Dried Red Chilies; ½ tsp Garam Masala Powder

Gluten Free Vegetarian

Palak Paneer is probably one of the most popular dishes in any Indian restaurant. The spinach gravy is creamy and luscious with cottage cheese cubes (or Indian fresh cheese). And this palak paneer recipe is even better than the ones served at the restaurants!

Punjabi-style palak paneer is mildly spicy and pairs well with butter-slathered naans. It is gluten-free and power-packed with essential vitamins and minerals. So if you are a fan of Indian food, especially North Indian cuisine, this palak paneer recipe will make you forget the Punjabi restaurant near your place.

Yes! I claim that my Palak Paneer is way BETTER than what is served at some of the Punjabi cuisine restaurants. And, my work on this recipe over the years has somewhat earned me this bragging right!

One of the most essential aspects of making a good palak paneer recipe is that the spinach gravy should be luscious and completely free of fibrous stalks and stems. For me, anything lesser than that is completely unacceptable.

Also, I simply refuse to have a green goop being served as Saag Paneer. Well, what’s with the name Saag Paneer? In Hindi, ‘Saag‘ means greens which may include a variety of leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, spinach, chenopodium, fenugreek leaves, radish greens, etc. So, if it contains spinach then it is Palak Paneer (palak means spinach).

So, this Punjabi Palak Paneer recipe is smooth, mildly spicy, adequately rich, and has all the nutrients of the greens intact!

Table of Contents

Palak Paneer Recipe Ingredient

Spinach – alternate would be Kale or Chard
Paneer or Indian Cottage Cheese – alternate would be Tofu, Halloumi or Mozzarella
Onion
Ginger & Garlic
Tomatoes
Spices like Cumin Seeds, dried Red Chilli, Hing or Asafoetida, etc.
Powdered Spices like Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala Powder.
Kasuri Methi or dried Fenugreek Leaves – alternate would be fresh Fenugreek Leaves
Mustard Oil – alternate would be any oil
Ghee – optional
Fresh Cream – optional

Recipe to make Palak Paneer (even better than the restaurants!)

Can anything be simpler or easier than this recipe? Well, I don’t think so. If one has all the ingredients then it takes no more than 30 minutes to whip up some magic for dinner. However, if I am left with some leftovers, then I don’t mind! By the way, this Palak Paneer tastes even better the next day!

Pressure cook the Palak or Spinach leaves with its stem with Salt and 1/4 cup of water. Let it whistle for 3-4 times before taking it off the heat.
Once it cools, open the lid and blend the entire content into a smooth puree. While you may keep it aside to cool off completely before running it into your mixer, otherwise, if you are in a hurry, blend it hot without the lid, but covering the mixing jar with a clean kitchen towel. This would allow them to escape the steam and prevent the splattering of the green slurry everywhere around. Believe me, it’s a pain to clean a green mess, as it tends to stick!! 🙁 Experience speaks here….
Once it’s done, keep this puree aside. Make a puree of tomato, onion, garlic, and ginger.
Heat the ghee/mustard oil in a pan. Keep the heat on medium and temper the ghee or oil with cumin seeds, black cumin seeds, dried red chilies, and asafoetida or hing.
Once they start splattering, add the puree of onion and tomato to it. Fry till the tomatoes-onion mix loses the raw texture. It should also reduce in amount
Add ketchup, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder & kasoori methi to the onion mix. Fry till you can see some of the fat separating from the edges of the masala mix.
Now, add the Palak or Spinach puree to the fried masala and mix everything well. Let it simmer for the next 15-20 minutes on medium-high heat. Keep stirring it once in a while to prevent it sticking at the bottom. You may put the lid on while it simmers as it tends to splatter and mess everything around.
Once you see that the water content has been reduced, fry the rest on high heat for 2-3 minutes.
Now, add the paneer or cottage cheese cubes and some cream. Mix everything well and let it bubble-boil once. Turn off the heat and serve. Note, that I shallow-fried the Paneer cubes in a teaspoon of ghee before putting them in the gravy. That is what my family prefers. However, this is optional.

Pairing ideas with Palak Paneer

Usually, Indian flatbreads like Chapattis, Rotis, Naans, or Parathas are served with Punjabi palak paneer. This kind of combination would be common on an Indian dinner table. However, on a special menu like at weddings or parties, Palak Paneer is also served with Lachha Parantha, Missi Roti, or even stuffed Naans.

Making chapattis or rotis at home is no rocket science. All that is needed is some tricks and tips to get the softest chapattis on your dinner table.

Recipe variations

Vegan Palak Paneer – You can replace paneer with tofu and use coconut milk instead of dairy
Mushroom Palak – You can serve stir-fried slices of mushroom instead of paneer for another vegan version of this palak paneer
Palak Kofta – If you are feeling fancy then you can make some delicious koftas and dunk them in the luscious palak gravy

More paneer recipes

Dhaba style Shahi Paneer Recipe — Shahi Paneer

More spinach recipes

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Punjabi Palak Paneer Recipe

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 15 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Punjabi

Keyword: Paneer Recipes, Restaurant style Recipes, Spinach Recipes

Servings: 3 People

Calories: 357 kcal

Ingredients

500 gms. Spinach Leaves – keep the stems as well
150 gms Paneer or Cottage Cheese Replace it with Tofu for Vegan option
2 Tomatoes – cut in 4 cubes
1 Onion Medium Size – cut in 4 cubes
8 Cloves of Garlic
2 inches Ginger
½ tsp Jeera or Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Shahi Jeera or Black Cumin Seeds Optional
A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida Powder
Salt to Taste
1 tsp Cumin Powder
2 tsp Coriander Powder
3 tbsp Ghee to cook You may replace it with Mustard Oil for Vegan option
½ tsp Kasoori Methi/Fenugreek Leaves
2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1 tsp Fresh Cream Omit for Vegan option
2 Dried Red Chilies
½ tsp Garam Masala Powder

Instructions

Pressure cook the Palak or Spinach leaves with its stem with Salt and 1/4 cup of water. Let it whistle for 3-4 times before taking it off the heat.
Once it cools, open the lid and blend the entire content into a smooth puree.
While you may keep it aside to cool off completely before running it into your mixer, otherwise, if you are in a hurry, blend it hot without the lid, but covering the mixing jar with a clean kitchen towel.
This would allow to escape the steam and prevent the splattering of the green slurry everywhere around. Believe me, it's a pain to clean a green mess, as it tends to stick!! 🙁 Experience speaks here….
Anyways, once its done, keep this puree aside. Make a puree of the Tomato, Onion, Garlic and Ginger.
Heat the ghee/mustard oil in a pan. Keep the heat on medium and temper the ghee or oil with Cumin seeds, Black Cumin Seeds, dried Red Chilies and Asafoetida or Hing.
Once they start splattering, add the puree of Onion and Tomato in it. Fry till the tomatoes-onion mix loose the raw texture. It should also reduce in amount
Now, add Ketchup, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala & Kasoori Methi to the Onion mix. Fry till you can see some of the fat separating from the edges of the masala mix.
Now, add the Palak or Spinach puree into the fried masala and mix everything well. Let it simmer for next 15-20 minutes on medium-high heat. Keep stirring it once in a while to prevent it sticking at the bottom. You may put the lid while it simmers as it tends to splatter and messes everything around.
Once you see that the water content has been reduced, fry the rest of on high heat for 2-3 minutes.
Now, add the Paneer or Cottage Cheese cubes and some cream. Mix everything well and let it bubble-boil once. Turn off the heat and serve.
Note, I shallow fried the Paneer cubes in a teaspoon of ghee before putting them in the gravy. That is how my family prefers. However, this is totally optional.