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Palak paneer curry served with roti and onions one the side.
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Palak Paneer Curry - Spinach Paneer Recipe | Healthy Palak Paneer | Easy Saag Paneer Recipe

Paneer or Indian cottage cheese in smooth creamy delicious spinach gravy infused with spices.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course / Side dish, Side Dish / Curry
Cuisine: Indian (North Indian)
Keyword: Palak Paneer, Spinach Paneer, Saag Paneer, Palak Paneer Without Cream,
Servings: 4
Author: Padma Veeranki

Ingredients

  • 300 grams Spinach

For the Paste:

  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 4 Cashews
  • 1 inch Ginger
  • 4 Garlic Cloves
  • 2 Green chillies
  • 1 Large Onion Roughly Chopped
  • 1 Large Tomato Roughly Chopped
  • ½ Cup Water To blend

For Tadka:

  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 2 Dry Red Chillies
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • 1 ½ tsp Coriander Powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin Powder
  • ½ tsp Garam Masala Powder
  • 1 tsp Kasoori Methi Crushed, Optional
  • Salt to taste
  • 200 grams Paneer Cut into cubes
  • Butter/Cream/Cashew Paste Optional

Instructions

Preparing base for Palak Paneer:

  • To blanch spinach, heat water in a pot and add palak leaves. Take out after 2 minutes when spinach starts to wilt and add to ice cold water. Set this aside.
  • To a pan, add in some oil. To this add cashew, ginger, garlic pods, green chillies and chopped onion. Sauté until the onions turn tanslucent. Now, add in chopped tomato. Add a little salt and sauté for a minute until they turn soft. Turn off the heat. Allow it to completely cool down and transfer to a blender.
  • Now, drain out the spinach and add to the blender. To this add half a cup of water. Blend to a very smooth paste.

Tadka for Palak Paneer:

  • Add oil/butter or ghee to a pan as per your preference. I’m using oil.
  • To this add cumin seeds and a few dry red chillies.
  • Once these get lightly toasted, add in some turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.
  • Give it all a nice mix for a few seconds so that they get lightly toasted in oil. Make sure not to burn them.
  • Now, add the palak puree. Add in some water to adjust the consistency. Give it all a nice mix. Add in required salt to your taste.
  • In a minute or 2 it starts to boil. Add in some powdered garam masala. Give it a mix.
  • Add in the paneer cubes. Alternatively, you can also lightly shallow fry paneer in a little oil until light golden brown and then add.
  • Gently fold in the gravy to cover the paneer and turn off the heat.
  • At this stage, you can optionally add some cream or butter.
  • Palak paneer curry is ready to be served with roti, naan, paratha or jeera rice.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • You can use homemade paneer or store-bought paneer for this recipe. Homemade paneer tends to be softer in texture compared to store bough one.
  • Adjust spice levels to suit your taste.
  • This recipe can be made with any greens of your choice.
  • Vegan Version: you can substitute the paneer with pressed extra-firm tofu. Use oil to cook everything, and swap the cream with cashew cream or coconut milk. 
  • To make Cashew Cream, blend 1/3 cup of raw cashews with 1 cup of water in a high-powered blender. You will have more than you need for this recipe. Store the rest.
  • If spinach is bitter, optionally you can add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
  • If you like, you can also pan-fry the paneer cubes in a little oil until golden brown before adding them to the curry.
  • Adding lemon juice at the end makes sure the iron from spinach is absorbed by the body. You can use it to your preference.