Palak Paneer is one of the most popular Indian dish made with succulent Paneer cubes (Indian cottage cheese) in a smooth spinach sauce. I share two ways to make this healthy dish – a homestyle version and a restaurant style version with a charcoal smoking method (brought back on reader’s demand). Both the vibrant green palak paneer recipes are made with fresh spinach leaves (palak in Hindi), aromatics, herbs and spices. Make these super delicious spinach paneer recipes with my easy step-by-step photo guide and video.
Homestyle Palak Paneer Recipe
Palak Paneer is one of the most popular Indian curries around, and with good reason. This deliciously creamy and vibrantly green dish is made with paneer in a mildly spiced fresh spinach sauce. This is a delightful and easy to make vegetarian main you just have to try!
This delicious palak paneer is a family recipe that my Mom passed down to me. She has been making this recipe for our family for years, and I am so happy to get to share it with you here.
It is one of the most popular and well-liked spinach paneer recipe on the blog, not to mention our favorite at home. Packed with healthy nutrients like calcium, iron and vitamin C, this is a meal that I can feel good about eating.
Table of Contents
In this recipe, I show you how to quickly blanch the spinach. This is done so that the dish has a nice green color, as well as for some health benefits.
Did you know that blanched spinach is healthier than raw? For this reason, I always recommend blanching spinach before using them in my collection of Palak Recipes.
This delicious palak paneer goes well with roti, naan, or paratha. If you are gluten-free, you can also serve it with cumin rice or biryani rice, saffron rice or ghee rice.
Palak Paneer and Saag Paneer Difference
Saag paneer and palak paneer are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they are actually different dishes. Palak paneer is an authentic Indian dish made with only spinach puree, whereas saag paneer is made with a mixture of 2 to 3 various types of greens.
In the Punjabi or Hindi language the word ‘saag’ means greens, and ‘palak’ means spinach. Various leafy greens fall under this category of ‘saag’, including: amaranth leaves, spinach, dill leaves, radish leaves, mustard leaves, fenugreek leaves and purslane.
Saag paneer seems to have been popularized outside of India, however it is still very uncommon in India. My mother-in-law never makes saag paneer per se, however, there are four variations of palak saag that she makes.
One is made with lentils (Dal Palak), another with white chickpeas, the third with potatoes (Aloo Palak) and the fourth with paneer – popularly known as palak paneer.
Even though they are different dishes, both palak paneer and saag paneer are healthy and delicious vegetarian curries.
How to make Palak Paneer Recipe
Recipe 1
Blanch and Purée Spinach
1. Using a colander or strainer, rinse the palak (spinach) leaves (250 grams or 0.55 pounds), very well under running water.
2. Boil 3 cups water in a pan, microwave or electric heater. Add ¼ teaspoon salt to the hot water and stir.
Then add the spinach leaves to the hot water. Let the spinach leaves sit in the water for about 1 minute.
If doing this on a stove-top, be sure to remove the pan from the hot burner.
While the water is coming to a boil, make a bowl of ice water and set it aside. Just add 8 to 10 ice cubes to 3 cups of water to get cold water.
3. After 1 minute, strain the spinach leaves.
4. Immediately transfer the palak (spinach) leaves to the bowl containing ice cold water. This method of “shocking” the spinach helps preserve the vibrant green color of the spinach.
Allow the spinach leaves to stay in the cold water for a minute to stop the cooking process.
5. Drain the ice cold water and press the spinach to remove any excess moisture. Add the spinach in a blender or grinder jar with 1 inch chopped ginger, 1 to 2 garlic cloves and 1 to 2 chili peppers (green chillies).
You can use a hand-held immersion blender to make the puree if you prefer.
6. Make a smooth spinach purée by blitzing the ingredients together. There should be no need to add any water to make the purée. Set the spinach purée aside.
Make Spinach Gravy
7. Heat 2 tablespoons oil, ghee or butter in a pan or kadai (wok). In the photos below I used butter. If using butter, melt it on a low heat making sure that it does not brown.
8. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter.
9. Then add one small to medium-sized tej patta (Indian bay leaf).
10. Add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions (1 small to medium sized onion).
11. Sauté until the onions become golden.
12. Then add 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic. Sauté till the raw aroma of garlic goes away, but stop short of browning the garlic.
13. Add ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes (1 small or medium sized tomato).
14. Stir and sauté the tomatoes until they soften.
15. Once the tomatoes are softened and you see fat releasing from the sides of the mixture, then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or substitute cayenne pepper or paprika) and a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
You can find asafoetida at your local spice store or on amazon, but if you don’t have it, you can skip it.
Also, please note that many commercially available brands of asafoetida are processed with wheat. If you are gluten intolerant, please be sure to purchase gluten free asafoetida.
16. Mix very well.
17. Add the spinach purée to the pan.
18. Mix well.
19. Add about ½ cup of water or as required. Mix and stir again.
20. Simmer the gravy for 6 to 7 minutes or more until the palak puree is cooked. Season with salt as required. The gravy will have thickened by now.
21. Stir and add ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala powder.
Assemble Palak Paneer
22. Stir again and then add the paneer cubes (200 to 250 grams cottage cheese) directly to the gravy.
You can also opt to lightly pan-fry the paneer cubes in some oil until they are lightly browned and then add them to the palak gravy. In this case, you don’t need to cook the paneer further.
23. Mix gently and turn off the heat.
24. Lastly add 2 tablespoons of light cream or cooking cream or low-fat cream. I used Amul brand cream. If using heavy whipping cream, then add 1 tablespoon of it.
You can also add 1 teaspoon crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) at this step, however this is optional.
25. Stir gently so that the cream gets uniformly incorporated into the gravy.
26. Serve palak paneer hot with roti, naan or paratha or cumin rice or ghee rice. You can top it with some butter or cream also while serving.
Drizzle a few drops of lime or lemon juice on top along with ginger julienne. Enjoy!
Restaurant Style Palak Paneer
This recipe is a restaurant style version of palak paneer made with spinach puree, onions, spices and paneer. It does not include tomatoes and is one of the best restaurant style palak paneer recipe that you can make.
This delicious recipe was shared by my dad who had got it from one of his Punjabi friend, who owned a popular dhaba in the Mumbai suburbs.
On occasions, my dad would get us palak paneer or Paneer Butter Masala and dal makhani from uncle’s dhaba and we would always relish it as kids. This dhaba is closed now, but the memories remain.
On some days, when we are in a mood to have restaurant-style food at home, I make this palak paneer recipe. The homestyle version that I have shared above is very different from this recipe.
The first difference is in the proportion of some ingredients included in this restaurant style palak paneer recipe. The second big difference is flavoring the dish with a unique charcoal smoking technique (known as ‘dhungar‘) that really make it a top notch recipe.
There is no tangy or sour ingredient that I add in this palak paneer recipe. If you want a bit of tang, feel free to add 1 small to medium tomato after sautéing the ginger-garlic paste. Alternatively, you can add a few drops of lemon juice or dry mango powder.
Serve the spinach paneer hot with tandoori roti, naan, chapati or jeera rice or biryani rice. It also pairs well with as simple steamed rice.
How to make Restaurant Style Recipe
Recipe 2
Ingredients You Need
For Spinach Puree
- 250 grams spinach or 8.81 oz
- 3 cups hot boiling water for blanching
- 2 cups water for ice bath
- 8 to 10 ice cubes
For Pan Frying Paneer
- 250 grams paneer or 8.81 oz
- 3 tablespoons oil
For Spinach Sauce
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 small tej patta or 1 medium to large tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- ⅓ cup tightly packed finely chopped onions – 60 to 70 grams or 1 medium-sized onion
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste (1 inch peeled ginger crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle)
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste (6 to 7 small to medium peeled garlic, crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle)
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies – swap ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne with green chilies)
- 1 pinch turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper – crushed in a mortar-pestle – optional
- 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) – for more hints of bitterness you can add overall 2 teaspoons of dry fenugreek leaves
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¼ cup light cream or low-fat cream or 2 to 3 tablespoons whipping cream
- 1 pinch of sugar
- salt as required
Method
Blanch Spinach
1. Rinse 250 grams spinach leaves very well in running water. Once they are rinsed, place them in a colander, so that the excess water drains off.
If the stems are tender, then keep them. But if they are hard or fibrous, then discard them.
2. Boil 3 cups water in a pan. You can also boil water in an electric heater and then take it in a pan or bowl.
3. Add the spinach leaves in the water. Mix to combine and immerser the leaves in the water. Blanch the spinach leaves in water for 3 minutes.
4. When the spinach leaves are blanching, in another bowl, take 2 cups some water and add 8 to 10 ice cubes.
5. After 3 minutes, remove the blanched spinach leaves from the hot water and add them to the cold water. Stir gently so that all the leaves are immersed in the cold water.
After 1 minute, remove them with pasta tongs or using a strainer/colander drain all the water.
6. Place the spinach leaves in a grinder or blender jar.
7. Grind or blend to a smooth puree. No need to add any water while grinding or blending. If you prefer you can also blend the blanched spinach leaves to a slightly coarser puree.
Pan Fry Paneer
8. This step is optional but recommended as lightly golden pan-fried paneer cubes taste good.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a well-seasoned pan or non-stick pan. Place the paneer cubes (250 grams).
9. Turn over when one side is lightly golden and fry the other side.
10. Fry till the paneer cubes are light golden evenly. Avoid frying too much or for a longer time, as then the paneer cubes become dense.
11. Remove and then drain the fried paneer cubes on kitchen paper towels.
12. To soften the paneer more, keep them immediately in water. Let the paneer to be in the water for 3 to 4 minutes. Then lightly squeeze them and keep aside.
Note that this is an optional step and you can skip it.
Make Spinach Sauce
13. Now in the same oil, in which we had pan-fried paneer, add the following spices – ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and 2 small tej patta or 1 medium to large tej patta (Indian bay leaf).
Fry till the cumin splutters on low to medium-low heat.
14. Then add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions.
15. Stir well. Sauté the onions till they turn light golden on medium-low to medium heat.
16. Then add 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon garlic paste and 1 to 1.5 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies.
You can also add ½ to 1 teaspoon green chili paste instead of chopped green chilies. ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper can also be added instead of green chilies.
17. Stir and sauté till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
18. Now add the ground spices and herbs:
- 1 pinch of turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, crushed in a mortar-pestle, optional
- 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) – crush the dry fenugreek leaves between your palms and then add to the sautéed onions.
19. Stir and mix well.
20. Add the spinach puree.
21. Season with salt according to your taste preferences.
22. Add in a pinch of sugar. Stir and mix.
23. On a low to medium heat, for about 6 to 7 minutes, simmer the gravy till it slightly thickens.
If the consistency looks very thick to you, then add in a splash of water. Mix and simmer for a few minutes.
Make Spinach Paneer
24. Add ¼ cup light cream or low-fat cream (or 2 to 3 tablespoons whipping cream) and ½ teaspoon garam masala powder.
25. Stir to combine to an even mix. The cream should be mixed very well with the palak sauce or gravy. Then turn off the heat.
26. Add the paneer cubes.
27. Mix them well with the rest of the gravy. Cover the pan and set aside.
Charcoal Smoking Method
28. This is an optional step, but I highly recommend it. Burn a small piece of natural charcoal on a stovetop with the help of tongs.
Place a small flame proof rack or a grill pan like shown in the photo below on the stovetop.
On top of the rack, place the charcoal. Burn the charcoal carefully till its red hot using a pair of heat-proof and fire-proof metal tongs.
29. Now place a small bowl or some layers of an onion in the gravy. Place the charcoal on top.
Add ½ teaspoon oil on the charcoal. You can also keep 1 clove or ½ teaspoon cumin seeds on the charcoal and then pour the oil. As soon as you pour oil, smoke will emit from the charcoal.
30. As soon as the smoke begins to emit, immediately cover the pan tightly with a lid. Keep the pan covered for a minute so that the charcoal’s smoky aroma and flavor gets infused with the dish.
For a slight tang you can add ¼ teaspoon dry mango powder or a few drops of lemon or lime juice and stir before serving.
31. Serve restaurant style palak paneer with tandoori roti, naan, chapati, paratha or cumin rice or saffron rice. The lightly spiced spinach sauce or gravy also pairs well with steamed rice.
You can top the palak paneer with some butter or cream or grated paneer while serving. Also, you can drizzle a few drops of lime or lemon juice on top paired with a few ginger julienne, when serving.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Spinach: Use fresh, tender spinach leaves. Remove the stems from the leaves if they are dense or stringy; any tender stems can be added. You can also use frozen spinach instead of fresh. If you use frozen, the leaves have already been blanched, so you can skip that step. Squeeze of the water from the frozen thawed spinach very well.
- Blanching: I recommend blanching the spinach in the recipes. It only takes a few extra minutes and has so many benefits! Blanching removes the raw taste, bitterness and metallic flavor of spinach making it more palatable.
Blanching also gets rid of harmful microorganisms and pesticide residues, as well as makes the nutrients of the spinach more bioavailable. It also helps to preserve the green color of the spinach leaves, making your palak paneer more beautiful. That, my friends, is a win-win-win. - Paneer: For the homestyle palak paneer recipe, you can opt to lightly pan fry the paneer cubes and then added to the spinach sauce for added richness. If possible try to use fresh, Homemade Paneer. For packaged or frozen paneer, follow the instructions written on the pack.
- Special Ingredients: Dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and asafoetida (hing) can be skipped if you do not have these.
- Vegan options: If you’re vegan, you’re in luck! You can easily swap in tofu for the paneer in this recipe. I have made palak tofu many times, and the smooth spinach gravy tastes very good with the tofu. You can use cashew or coconut cream in place of regular cream, or just skip the cream altogether.
- Restaurant style flavors: The homestyle palak paneer recipe can also be smoked using the charcoal technique (dhungar method) that I have illustrated in the restaurant style version.
FAQs
Sounds like you skipped the blanching step. Raw spinach leaves have high levels of a compound known as oxalic acid that causes a bitter taste.
Blanching your spinach leaves (i.e. cooking them briefly in hot water) will remove the oxalic acid, which not only makes the spinach taste better but will also make the nutrients more available for your body.
If you blanched the spinach and it still tastes bitter, try adding a tablespoon or two of 35-50% cream. The fat content will help to smooth the bitter taste.
I would not recommend freezing palak paneer because the paneer will lose its soft texture when you reheat it again.
Moreover as per Ayurveda, fresh cooked food has maximum prana (life force). It is therefore better to eat palak paneer (and all foods) when they are freshly cooked and hot or warm.
Feel free to swap in cashew paste, malai (a layer of cream collected on top of cooled milk that has been boiled earlier), or coconut cream.
Good question! Prior to freezing, spinach is already blanched to protect the cellular structure of the veg.
As such, you can skip the blanching step and move along to blending. But remember to squeeze all the water from the thawed spinach.
Spinach stems become rather fibrous as they get older and bigger. Be sure to remove any thick stems prior to blanching.
You can also opt to use baby spinach leaves instead, as they are extremely tender and don’t require you to remove the stems.
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Palak Paneer Recipe (Spinach Sauce With Paneer Cubes)
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 small to medium garlic cloves – roughly chopped (optional)
- 1 inch ginger – roughly chopped
- 3 cups water for blanching spinach
- 3 cups water for ice bath
Other ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil or ghee (clarified butter) or butter
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onions or 1 small to medium sized onion
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic or 4 to 5 small to medium garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup finely chopped tomatoes or 1 small to medium sized tomato
- 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 low fat cream or 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 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
- Rinse the palak or spinach leaves very well in running water. Tender stem are fine. If the stems are stringy, then discard the stems.
- Boil 3 cups water in a pan or microwave or electric heater. Add ¼ teaspoon salt to the hot water and stir.
- When the water comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat. Add the spinach leaves in the hot water.
- Let the spinach leaves sit in the water for about 1 minute. After 1 minute, using a pasta tong, take the leaves.
- 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.
- 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.
- Then drain the ice cold water. Add the spinach in a blender or grinder jar with chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies.
- Make a smooth palak puree. No need to add water while making the puree. Keep the spinach puree aside.
Sautéing onions and tomatoes
- 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.
- Add the cumin and let them splutter.
- Then add the tej patta or Indian bay leaf.
- Add the finely chopped onions. Saute till the onions become golden.
- Then add the finely chopped garlic. Saute till the raw aroma of garlic goes away. No need to brown the garlic.
- Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir and saute the tomatoes till they soften.
- Once the tomatoes are softened and you see fat releasing from the sides of the mixture.
- Then add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and asafoetida/hing and mix very well.
Making palak paneer
- Then add the palak puree and mix well.
- Add about ½ cup water or as required. Mix again.
- 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.
- Stir and add garam masala powder.
- Stir again and then add the paneer (Indian cottage cheese) cubes.
- 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.
- Lastly, add 2 tablespoons of low-fat cream. If using heavy whipping cream, then add 1 tablespoon of it.
- Stir and mix gently again so that the cream gets incorporated in the gravy uniformly.
Garnish
- Pour the palak paneer in serving bowls. While serving you can top it with some butter or cream.
- You can also drizzle a few drops of lime or lemon juice on top along with ginger julienne on the palak paneer.
Serving Suggestions
- Stir and serve palak paneer hot with some roti. It also goes very well with Indian breads like tandoori roti, phulka, paratha or naan.
- 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.
Video
Notes
- Blanching: I always recommend blanching spinach when making palak paneer recipe. Blanching removes the raw taste, bitterness and metallic flavor of spinach and makes it palatable without having any after taste. Apart from preserving the green color of the spinach leaves, it also gets rid of harmful microorganisms and pesticide residues.
- Pan-frying paneer: The paneer or tofu cubes can also be lightly fried and then added to the spinach sauce. In this case, you don’t need to cook the paneer or tofu in the gravy as when frying they are already cooked.
- Spinach: Use fresh tender spinach leaves. Remove the stems before from the leaves if they are dense or stringy. Tender stems can be added. You can also use frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach.
- Paneer: Use fresh and soft paneer or better to use homemade paneer. For packaged paneer or frozen paneer follow the instructions written on the pack.
- Optional ingredients: Kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and asafoetida (hing) can be skipped if you do not have these.
- Vegan variations: Substitute paneer with tofu. Use cashew or coconut cream in place of regular cream, or just skip the cream altogether.
- Scaling: Make a large batch of this recipe if making for parties or get-togethers.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Palak Paneer recipe from the archives first published on May 2013 has been updated and republished on November 2022.
Great recipe. Tasted so much better than other recipes. Kids raved about it.
Wonderful and thanks for sharing this lovely feedback.
Nice recipe
Turned out like a gourmet recipe. I added a dot of raw sarson oil on top.
Amazing recipe
Omg I love love this dish so much even though I do not like to eat cheese. I have been to different restaurants in Istanbul that offered to substitute the cheese with something else.
Anyways it always satisfies me because I mostly like that its made with spinach.
Thanks for sharing Dassana.
One of the most reliable recipes I followed to get great results! Thank you 🙂
Thank you and nice to know.
Great Recipe, My family loved it!
Nice to know and thank you.
Tried first time and it really turned out good 🙂 I will never plan to order from restaurants going forward 🙂 Thank you.. and I come out for most North Indian veg recipes to your Page and everything you have explained very simple..
First time making palak paneer! Your recipe is great. It came out perfectly!
Thanks a lot.
wow i love spinach but there are not many recipes with it in our country. it seems not difficult to cook. since i can find spinach easily here i feel i am going to cook this almost everyday !!!
If you want people to know how is Indian food – this is the recipe! All time favourite.
I’ve made the restaurant style Palak Paneer 3 times already and WOW… every single time – my family loves it! Thanks for sharing your amazing recipes. I’m looking forward to trying more.
Namaste,
Karla
Namaste! Great to know and thanks for this awesome feedback. Yes, do try some more recipes and I am sure you will like them. Happy Cooking.
Amazing! Thank you 🙏
Thanks and welcome Ana.
So delicious ! I can’t wait to cook this again
Thank you Dassana
Welcome Jolie and glad to know you liked the recipe.
Made this last night. Thanks mam.
Welcome Swarn.
Hi Dassana,
I a fan of all your recipes, and all my family and friends love when I make your recipes. Made so many recipes from your blog, including this one. 😍😍😍😍💖💖💖
Thanks a lot Suneetha. Thanks also for the feedback on the recipes you have made including this one and for the rating too. Happy Cooking.
Lovely recipe Dassana! I have tried many many of your recipes and they all turn out lovely! My kids used to love only restaurant North Indian dishes. Being a South Indian, I could never capture that. But with your recipes, my kids are enjoying home food 😊 Thank you!!
Thanks a lot for sharing your feedback and experience. Glad to know that your kids now enjoy home food. Thanks for the rating on the recipe too. Most welcome.
I’ve made this a few times, and except for steaming the spinach instead of boiling it, I follow this recipe very closely. When I want to spoil my husband I make it. He says it’s better than our local restaurant (owner is from India), and it’s a very good restaurant!
Thank you Robin and lovely to hear your feedback. Steaming spinach is a good idea. Also thanks for rating on the recipe.
I made this recipe today and it turned out looking like the pictures at each step of the way. Next time I make it I will double all of the spices as I found it too mild. Maybe my spices are too old? It helped me ( a non-Indian cook) a great deal to have all of the ingredients prepared and measured out before starting. I made mine with canola oil and coconut cream instead ghee and cream. I also made my paneer from scratch and next time will use my tofu press to make it more firm and let it press overnight in the fridge. It rather crumbled in the palak. Thank you for sharing this recipe and for the very clear instructions.
thanks memy for the detailed feedback. palak paneer has a mild flavor and taste, but it can be perked up by adding more spices. any neutral tasting oil can be used. coconut cream also works well and give a nice balance in the dish. i am glad that the clear instructions were helpful. thanks again and welcome.
Made this last night for my mom and dad. It was a big hit, my mom says its the best she’s ever had, way better than any she’s eaten in restaurants. Thank you for sharing your recipe, and the great step by step photos.
hi karen, so glad to read your’s and your mom’s feedback on palak paneer. thanks for sharing. welcome and happy cooking. thanks for the rating too.
Tried Palak paneer first time ! Such well described recipe steps. Anyone can cook reading this blog.
Thank you for your kind gesture !!
One of the best indian food recipes blog. I follow your receipes almost every other day. Today I am going to try this recipe with palak+bathua. Hope it will turn great… thank you again for sharing with description.
thanks a lot shweta for this lovely feedback. palak and bathua is a good combination and the taste is also good. i hope you like the end result. happy cooking.
The recipe turned well except that there were a quite a few strands from the stems left in the puree.. what could be the reason for the same.. did i make a mistake in cleaning the spinach or grinding it? As these did not get cooked later even and had to be discarded time and again while eating.
prachi, thanks for the feedback and rating. when making palak paneer or any dish with spinach puree, always use stems which are fresh or tender. if the stems are not tender, then they will have strings in them which gives a stringy texture in the gravy. so remove the stems if they are dense or fibrous. while grinding, use a good grinder or a blender so that it yields a smooth puree. there should be no visible strands of stem in the palak puree. i hope these tips help.
I have made this recipe many times, it’s my favorite Palak Paneer recipe ever! I usually double it, as it keeps well in the fridge/freezer. This last time I added a pinch of Red Boat Salt, and it gave it a nice subtle depth. Thank you so much for posting it!
Thank you- your clear instructions lead to an amazing meal. As a non-veg eater I used hot-smoked chicken for the protein and finished with a splash of sesame oil. I see you have over 2 million Facebook followers… well deserved ????
thank you and welcome.
Really awesome recipes…
M following ur recipes from past many years…
Thanks for updating the dishes regularly..
Request to add Rajasthani dishes too.
thank you rashmi. glad to read your feedback. yes i do plan to add some rajasthani recipes.
My son is very fond of paneer.i have tried out many of your paneer recipes .This is one of his favourites.
Thanks Winnie. Glad to know that you like this palak paneer recipe.
This recipe is awesome. Normally if palak paneer was made at home, it would sit in the fridge for a couple of days because too many leftovers. Moreover paneer tends to be heavy also.
I mean honestly before whenever we made palak paneer at home it was because there was leftover milk and organic spinach at hand so everyone would sort of eat it reluctantly you know and that too only thinking about the health benefits. 🙂 But this recipe is so yummy and light despite the paneer that everyone just lapped it up and no leftovers though everyone wanted it the next day too. 🙂 Winner!!
thanks paramjit for this honest comment on palak paneer recipe. so glad to read it. thanks for the rating too. happy cooking.
This is the best blog I’ve come across.I’ve been referring to it almost every day.
thanks arushee.
I love this blog. I’ve tried many paneer recipes you shared. It’s easy and most reliable.
One of the best blog. I love vegrecipesofindia. ????
thank you veena ????
Thank you for this blog. After trying to make curries in the past with little luck, I discovered your blog and this has changed everything. It took some practice, but finally made a palak paneer that I enjoy. I look forward to trying other recipes.
thanks suzanne. glad to know and yes do try the other curry recipes as well. i am sure you will like them.
I love the way you have put down the recipes along with images of every step.
thanks pratibha.
Hi Dassana. I am a regular follower of your website. Your recipes are simple and the results are mindblowing. The illustrations ease the process. Keep it up.
thank you swati. so glad to know. happy cooking.
I tried this tonight and the taste was really really nice. Thank you!
My paneer was a little bland so i shallow fried it before adding it to the gravy. The taste of the gravy was wonderful!
welcome and thanks V for the review and feedback on palak paneer.
Hi.
thank you so much.
Can I use malaai from boiled milk instead of cream?
welcome chez. yes you can use.
I follow your website for practically everything I make. It is very useful and detailed. Could you please advise if my dish has become too hot how I can make it less spicy. I haven’t used cream. Could it be due to that and I used 1.5 green chillies while blending.
thanks rekha. the spiciness and pungency of green chilies is not felt in the palak gravy without cream. sometimes some green chilies are too hot, so its best to add them in less amounts. some mashed potatoes (about ¼ cup) can reduce the spiciness. some cashew paste or almond paste will also reduce the spiciness. you can even add some full fat milk. hope these suggestions help.
Can I use kaju paste instead of cream??
dimpi, you can easily use kaju paste instead of cream.
This recipe is delicious! The recipe yielded a creamy restaurant style green gravy that was very authentic. I highly recommend it. The flavours were well balanced. Thank you!
Welcome Geeta. Glad to know that you liked this palak paneer gravy recipe so much.
Thank you for the recipe.. I prefer your website first for any recipes… I suggested to my friends too.. I followed ur website for more than 2 years… Thank you
Welcome Meera. Glad to know this. Thanks for recommending the website to your friends.
As always, thanks for sharing your wonderful receipe. . Just one small doubt. If you soak the palak in hot water, will it not loose its nutrition?
thanks sandy. some nutrients are lost, but you can use this same water to make the gravy. even i do it.
Hey,
I have been following your recipes for years now…and all the dishes I tried they came out so very well everytime…thanks to the picture guide for every step…its a blessing for all such amateur cooks like me who love to cook but has no idea about the exact recipes for every dish…had followed your recipes during my hostel days and now cooking for my family…Thank you for being the saviour… Tried Rajma masala, daal tadka, Palak paneer for the first time recently from your website and am super amazed by the taste…thanks to your precise guidance. Just can’t thank you enough.
Love,
Tanu
Welcome Tanu. Glad to know that you are following the blog for so many years. Thanks for sharing this awesome feedback on recipes. Felt good reading your nice words about the recipes.
Dear Dassana,
First of all thank you so much for this awesome recipe. We loved it and it came out very well. I have made this a couple of time (Using tinned palak also).
On a personal note, I have been following your website for about two years now and never posted a comment as I was too lazy. But I figured I should thank you for being a lifesaver for me as I am a south Indian, married to a Punjabi. All thanks to you, that my husband now thinks I am a great cook hehe.
Welcome Priya. Glad to know that recipes are helping you. Thanks for your positive feedback. Its great to know that blog is helping people in learning different recipes and cuisine.
Absolutely yummy! I loved the simplicity of your recipe, the use of very few spices, precise, just perfect! Cant wait for the family to try it this evening, assuming i do not finish it myself before then.
Thanks Farzana for this positive and sweet feedback on palak paneer recipe. Glad to read your witty comment.
Hi Dassana, made this recipe today for the first time. Loved it totally and was a bit sceptical about the spinach being little bitter but it turned out beautifully. Added fresh curd instead of fresh cream.
Have been married for 3 years and always use your recipes and they are amazingly good each time. Thanks for introducing me to maharashtrian cuisine. Would love to see some innovative salad recipes too.
thanks Divya for this lovely feedback. i will try to add some different salad recipes.
Thank you for such a wonderful yet simple recipe
Welcome Nanditha
Will try this recipe tomorrow.thanks alot. Ur step by step with pictures recipe is really helping.thx alot for this hard work for us.
Welcome Saima. Thanks for your positive feedback.
Hello, I was wondering, if i need to do anything different if I use frozen spinach?
Thank you.
manu, for frozen spinach. just thaw them and then grind. no need to blanch.
I am norwegian, and have previously only tried tikka masala, tandoori and butter chicken. Since I first tasted this dish at a restaurant this year, I wanted to try to make it myself.
I followed your recipe and served this to my family today, and they loved it! It was even better than I remembered!!
Thank you for sharing!
Welcome Ingrid. Glad to know that everyone liked the recipe. Do try some more recipes.
This look delicious!
Thanks
Welcome Rakhi
This recipe turned out really good but I had a variation of not adding onions, I think the last time I did that, it turned out little bitter! good work..keep it up… I also added dhana-jeera masala and it tastes really good with that as well 🙂
Welcome Shweta. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback and the tips. Nice to know them.
Thank u so much for sharing this awesome recipe….It tastes great…My husband and family members loved it..I have become a huge fan of yours..Keep up the good work!!
Welcome Ayushi. Glad to know this. Thanks for your kind words and positive feedback.
Hi Dassana. thanks to you I prepared the yummiest Palak Paneer. Great recipe!! Thanks a lot.
Welcome Zena. Glad to know that you liked palak paneer recipe.
This recipe looks so colourful and delicious and variety of palak recipe.thanks for sharing this
Welcome Sohan
This is the BEST RECIPE ever for palak paneer and my search for finding a fantastic recipe has ended now. Thank you Dassana, you are the BEST!
Welcome DEEPTI. Glad to know that you liked the recipe so much.
Hey..I have tried Palak paneer recepie itz not only quick and simple but very delicious..I have tried ur some of the other recepies too they are all amazing..keep up the good work!..
I have one question..I use dairy cream ..instead of amul..I use it because I think it contains less preservatives compared to amul..am I ryt??..n using cream does it affect our health??
Thanks Pooja. Any thing has to be used in moderation. too much of cream is not good unless one is able to burn that much fat. our lifestyle have changed so diet should match that.
Hi..I have recently shifted to USA..Dallas..though I could find almost all Indian grocery I couldn’t get amul cream..how can I replace it..as now my palak paneer is not having that restaurant type flavour..plz guide!
Poonam, use any cream which has 35 to 50% fat or use heavy cream.
Hello Dassana ,
I love the way you write and show the recipes . It helps me learn and correct myself . I made your palak paneer recipe just the way you wrote .. It tasted yummy . I never have to go to a restaurant to have palak paneer . Thank you for sharing it . Dassana can you please share recipes of some vegetarian malwani dishes , especially those that can be made with the ready malwani masala .
Thanks again for your blog and you .
thanks a lot. nice to know. malwani masala can be used in many recipes like dals, bhaji (sabzis), masala rice and usal. you can use malwani masala in the following recipes easily instead of goda masala or garam masala. but add less as the masala can be too overpowering. so add accordingly.
1. mix sprouts usal – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/mixed-sprouts-usal-recipe/
2. misal pav – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/misal-pav-recipe-misal-pav/
3. moong sprouts bhaji – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/moong-sprouts-sabzi-recipe/
4. vangi bhaat – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/vangi-bhaat-recipe/
5. masala bhaat – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/masala-bhaat-recipe-masale-bhat/
6. akkha masoor – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/akkha-masoor-recipe/
7. chawli usal – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/chawli-usal/
8. matki amti – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/matki-amti-recipe-amti-recipes/
9. matar usal – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/green-peas-usal-matar-usal/
10. kala chana usal – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/kala-chana-usal-or-black-chana-usal/
11. vangi bhaji – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/vangi-bhaji-vangyachi-bhaji-recipe/
12. amti recipe – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/amti-recipe-maharashtrian-amti-recipe/
This recipe worked out great! I used sour cream instead. Your recipes are the best! Easy to follow!
Thanks Amritha for your positive feedback on recipes.
Hi Dassana,
I tried this recipe and it turned out awesome. It was finished faster than i thought with rotis.
Thanks
welcome sai. glad to know that everyone liked it.
Dear Dassana, your blog has been my go to blog for north indian recipes… I don’t know whether this question has been asked before, and I don’t want to scroll through 4 years worth of comments. I am in Africa and here also there is a green spinach which is easily available. it is not palak per se. but can I substitute this local spinach instead of palak to make this Gravy?
Thanks Jyoti. I won’t be knowing the local spinach. You can try. I think it should work. Just adjust the ingredients accordingly.
I often cook this dish but today I learned that I was missing some spices and will try in your way. Let’s try cooking it in style.
Thank you.
Welcome Vijay. Thanks and do try this palak paneer recipe.
I tried palak pander…it was made awesome…thankyou so much
Welcome Supriya
Hi Dassana,
Tried the palak paneer recipe. Was awesome. God bless you.
Welcome Louiza. Thanks for your best wishes.
Thanks a lot for wonderful recipes.. your all recipes turn out great. Palak paneer was superb and all my family members loved it. Thanks again Dassana..
Welcome Amita. Glad to know that you all liked the palak paneer recipe.
I tried many Palak paneer recepies but this was the best…my whole family loved it..thank u so much
thats great. thanks a lot sowmya for this wonderful feedback.
Hi Dassana
Your every recipe comes out Wow Its Yummy n Delicious.Ur doing faboulous job.Thanks for ur just hard work.You have made my life lovely by spreading smiles on each of my family members.Thanks a lot.
welcome gauri. glad to know that recipes are helping you.
thanq soo much for the recipe..I have stone pbm so I need to avoid palak and tomato mixing together in recipe…can I avoid tomato in palak paneer
vani, yes please do so. do not add tomatoes.
I love this bcoz very helpful to me make new dish thank you..
welcome prathana.
u r my life saver
thanks jyoti.
Hi Dear,
Happy Diwali to you and your family. I wanted to tell you something that due to your amazing recepies I love cooking, you are amazing.
wish you and your family a happy diwali sharda. thats nice to know that the recipes have inspired you to cook. thanks a lot.
Wish you very very happy Diwali mam… May God bless u and your loved ones always..Keep your good work up
thank you poonam. wish you also a happy diwali.
Hi mam,
I love all your recipes n I specially palak paneer I was just yummy everyone loved it got compliments all thanks to yu?
thanks syeda for the feedback on palak paneer. also thanks for sharing your experience. nice to know that you got compliments.
To add cream is necessary???
not necessary but it balances the taste of spinach very well. you can skip if you want.
Hi.. could you please tell me if I can skip Cream or can I substitute cream with something else?
just skip it. or you can add some milk too. adding milk or cream is to just balance the typical taste of spinach.
Thanks for your quick reply!
welcome archana.
Hi.. i am an ardent follower of your blogs..the recipes are just perfect..i tried out the Palak Paneer recipe today..tastes amazing..however it was a little bitter..i blanched it well and pureed it as mentioned..but still a little bitter..is there a way to correct that?
thanks narmada. bitterness in palak paneer is when small leaves or baby spinach is used. if you use the large spinach leaves, then there won’t be any hints of bitterness. you can add a few tablespoons of cream to balance the bitter taste.
I’m not Indian, but my husband is. I’m using yours recipies to cook for him. Everything always come out delicious just because of yours simple explanations and pics. Thanks for the great job!!!!
welcome anna 🙂 thanks for positive views.
Thank u fr the recipe, never thought it to be so easy
welcome narayani, thanks for your positive view!
Hi, I tried a couple of your recipes and all of them turned out well especially the palak paneer. Its very easy to make and tastes really good.
thanks aarti for positive feedback, glad you liked the palak paneer recipe.
I can see that there are so yummy and lovely recipes over here….
thank you aboli for your positive views 🙂
Hi, I was reading your blog regularly and today I tried ur palak paneer and it came out delicious. Whole family loved it! It was very easy especially with photos & videos. Thank you dear. Keep blogging.
Welcome Ambily. Glad to know that everyone liked the palak paneer recipe.
Am a silent follower of your blog.but today I tried this palak paneer receipe which turned out really well.Am glad that my husband loved it.And I would love try all your receipes from now.Again thanks a lot.
very pleased to know this thank you for your positive views 🙂 surely try more recipes and do share your feedback, you are welcome.
Thank you for sharing the recipe with detailed steps and photographs. It is very good. I didnot use tomatoes because tomatoes and palak combination leads to kidney stones. Still the recipe came out well.
wasn’t aware about this information thank you lakshmi for sharing your views on palak paneer recipe and you are welcome.
v nice n easy steps
thank you pavi 🙂
Hi
can you use coconut milk instead of cream? Thank you!
you can use coconut milk. but with coconut milk, there will be a taste of it. and since i use coconut milk in many dishes, it will taste good with palak paneer too.
Thank u for the recipe , my husband is Indian n I’m from Mauritius so I always try to please him by making his favourite Indian dish n palak paneer is one of them.
welcome yanita and thank you so much 🙂
My kids loved it! Thank you
welcome and thankyou azma 🙂
Nice
Thank you so much
welcome sabita
My in laws loved this dish so much that they request me to make palak paneer wherever we meet. Thanks so much for this yummy recipe!
thats nice to know shreyasi. thanks for sharing 🙂
so nice is is very easy to cook thanks alot
thank you siva kumari 🙂
Hello ma’am,
Thank you for the recipe, i want to know can i mash tomatoes completely so as to avoid small chunks of tomatoes? Or chopping them finely as you did will itself blend tomatoes in the puree?
Regards
aparna, you can mash the tomatoes. even chopping them finely will do. you can also grate or mince them.
Yummy!!??
Thanks very good anu
Made Palak Paneer today with home made Paneer. Just followed your recipe step by step. Result was amazing. Never it was this tasty and colorful. Thanks a ton. Can’t wait to try more from your cookbook:-)
pleased to know this thankyou so much vas 🙂
Yesterday I tried to make palak paneer. This was my first try of it. Your recipe helped me to make an awesome Palak paneer.. My husband and ma bro in law ate it and appreciated a lot.. 🙂 today I’ve tried pongal also from your blog and it came out tasty.. 🙂
Thanks a lot..
Will try some more recipes from your blog surely and try to be a good chef of our home .. 😉 😛
Thanks again..j
thankyou so much sheetal means a lot to us 🙂
Hi can I use kale for making palak paneer
aarthi, i don’t know how it will taste. i generally make kale dal. never tried kale in palak paneer recipe.
Hi..thanks for so nice recipe. It was too yummy..lovely
welcome tejaswini and thankyou for your kind words 🙂
I haven’t yet cooked this, but I do believe that it would be great.
thankyou so much maria 🙂 do try and let us know.
Now its time for report card…just one word…yum yum…My Husband gave me 9.5/10 marks as there is always scope for improvement..:) Just faced one problem i used food processor for grinding palak initially but it was not smooth so i have to shift palak mixture along with tadka into my grider to make smooth puree…and the result was awsome..i always thought that home made palak paneer may not be same in taste as per hotel dish but..guess what…you and your recipe proved me wrong…and i m so happy like…Mogambo khush huya…hahaha…thank u so much for your hard work…..and one thing ..that pakwangali is not a site but a facebook page….
Yesterday i also try your jeera rice recipe along with Restaurant style Dal tadka…Both came out really well …My husband didnt like arhar dal much but he likes this recipe.and even ate one katori dal after finishing dinner without rice……Thanxx once again
thats nice to know poonam. thanks again for sharing your experience.
thanks much poonam. food processor does not make a smooth puree of greens like spinach or mustard leaves. i have also experienced the same when i had a food processor. but still glad to know that despite this the recipe worked for you. when our loved ones feel good, then really nothing else matters in this world. i still need to check on pakwangali. will do in some time.
Going to try this recipe for dinner tonight…Will let you know later about the result…:)).Do you also have facebook page named Pakwangali as i saw this same pic of palak paneer in there recipe also…?? One thing i like most about you n your blog is that you reply to each comment posted on your blog unlike other food blogs…Thats very sweet…Thanxx n God bless you…
thankyou so much poonam 🙂 for your honest, encouraging words. no we don’t have any such page called pakwangali but thanks for updating us would check that site soon. god bless you too.
Hii mam..
I am a big of yours..
When ever i want to make any thing special i always search recipe on google.. and every time i found that your blog is always on top.. yours recipes are awesome comes out really good.. the way you present your recipe on blog is too good.. i am inspired from you.. keep posting your recipe…
thanks a lot poonam.
I am just learning how to cook Indian food from scratch. Your recipes look like a good place to learn! I have a few questions though.. I’ve seen a few recipes where you used an Indian Bay leaf. I’ve only ever used “standard” bay leaves here in the US. So firstly, what’s the difference in taste? Is it something I should order online or just stick with a regular (US version) bay leaf? Secondly, in a few of your recipes, I noticed that there was not an instruction to remove the bay leaf, as I have always done in American cooking. I saw some things pureed with no mention of removing it and I’m not used to that. Maybe this is obvious, so you didn’t state it, but I’m not Indian and learning everything like a child! 🙂 Please clarify. Thank you!
thanks elie. there is no english name for tej patta. i have to write indian bay leaf so that readers get an idea. in fact even the word indian bay leaf is a misnomer. the standard bay leaves are different and do not give the aroma which tej patta gives. they both have different aromatic profiles. generally unless mentioned, tej patta is not removed from the dish like pulaos and curries. in fact we even use to make garam masala and biryani masala powder. while making a puree, you can remove it though. let me know in which puree recipe, i have not removed the tej patta. i must have overlooked this.
Your palak paneer recipe turned out to b excellent…I’ve tried many of ur recipes n d results were wonderful….thanks n keep up d gud work…just wanted to know if u can post some chicken recipes as well
thankyou uzma 🙂 however we are pure veg so no chance of posting any chicken recipes.
hiii
i hv tried this recipe n it ws awsome n simple too. Can u post some new reciepies for vrat.
Thanku so much.
thankyou sarika 🙂 have taken you request on our file.
It’s a great side for the new recipes.
I have tried so many recipes fRom this side.after my marriage I get a nice reply from everyone of my family members.thank you so much.
pleased to know this sneha 🙂 god bless you.
Your recipes are my favourite. Loved the way you’ve written this post. Thanks for sharing.
Till yesterday I was eating palak panner in restaurants. First time gave it a try. Have go say it was best.
Thanks again
welcome sid we are pleased to know you liked the palak paneer recipe and thankyou for your positive words 🙂
This is one of the greatest palak paneer recipe, thank you for sharing with us!
I made few times and each time it was a hit
thankyou alex 🙂 pleased to know this.
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe! This was the first time I ever tried making palak paneer and your instructions were easy to follow and the pictures were beautiful. I can’t wait to make it again. Also, my spinach purée didn’t have fibers and I wonder if it’s because I used baby spinach leaves? Just thought I’d throw that out there in case anyone else wanted to try it.
thank you sibyl for the positive review. baby spinach leaves are tender and thus there won’t be fibers in the puree. i usually make palak paneer with regular spinach leaves. but after your feedback, i think i should try with baby spinach leaves also 🙂
Hi
I want to make this but I cannot make it the same day due to time constraints.
Can I make it the day before, put it in the fridge and reheat the next day?
Thanks
Rod
yes you can make palak paneer a day ahead, refrigerate and then reheat it the next day.
Thank you Dassana and Amit
I followed your recipe to the letter. It was simple. The palak paneer was hit in my family of American husband and 1/2 Indian children. Thank you. The beautiful pictures are appreciated too. I need to look around your other offerings since we are solely vegee eaters. We are into meditation too. Thought that was interesting.
Anna
anna pleased to know you liked the recipes and you are into meditation 🙂 thankyou so much for your kind words.
Thank you very very much for this wonderful recipe. I followed it as it is and it was wonderful. My father and mother ate more than they normally would and I am so happy. Delicious. Thank you.
welcome. glad to know this.
Thanks for the recipe. I tried it, and it was hit with kids.
welcome vasudha. glad to know this.
For Garlic, do you mean cloves of garlic or the actual whole garlic? I’m going to attempt this recipe this weekend.
cloves of garlic and not the whole garlic. i will update in the post.
So made an attempt. The flavour is bland. Is there a way to make it more flavor-full? Also, I got the cottage cheese (16cubes) but some of them starting to crumble and fall apart while I stir gently. Is there a way to keep the cottage in its form?
Just add some more green chilies or red chili powder. Palak paneer has a kind of bland taste. There is not much you can do with the paneer. Depending on the quality, they keep well or crumble. Its best to make paneer at home.
This has been maybe my 8th attempt at finding the style of palak paneer that I’ve been searching all over for. I LOVED this recipe. I brought it to work and everyone raved about it.
Hi, i read in one of the comments below that straining the puree would get rid of the fiber strings. But my concern is the fiber is really fine and it might also get mixed with the puree. Please help. I love this dish but the fiber is marring the delight.
I never strain spinach puree for any dish. If the fine fiber is coming in way, then strain with a fine strainer. This will help.
Thanks for the recipe. Followed it ditto. For some odd reason, after I puree the soft spinach leaves, there is a lot of ‘strings’ or fiber which mars the eating experience. I have tried many methods – boiling it for a few mins till it’s soft, boiling it for 20 mins, cutting the leaves and stems into small pieces. Nothing seems to get rid of the ‘strings’. It’s like the green part of the leaf ‘disconnects’ from the veins in the leaf leaving the strings. I tried to take out a few but it was time consuming!
Pls advise how I can avoid this.
The strings usually comes from the stems. Try using spinach which us tender. If the stems are stringy then don’t add stems. Just add the leaves. Blend or grind very well and as i have mentioned in my earlier reply use a fine strainer.
Hi Dassana
I tried this recipe it was awesome. One question when palak is sitting in hot water for 3 minutes covered that time can the gas be turned off because water is already boiling hot please let me know, thanks
welcome simmi. the gas has to be turned off as the water is hot.
Thank you again, Dassana. This was very good.
welcome sari
Hi,
can I add milk/curd instead of fresh cream??
jayashree, don’t add curd. but you can add milk. taste will change.
Thanks for sharing this. Mine turned out to be a little bitter. What could be the reason?
welcome supriya. its the spinach. some spinach leaves especially the baby spinach does have slight bitter taste.
2 Times v drain d palak thn what abt vitamins. V Dnt get any vitamins so plz tel abt tht
binita, you can use that stock instead of water.
Hi Dassana,
Yummy recipe. Thanks a tonne. Also Your presentation of each recipe is very helpful and makes it easy to follow. I wanted to know if You make Garam Masala at home or get the ready-made ones. If making at home, could You please tell methe ingredients You add. If not, which brand do You pick?
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work. <3
welcome sadiya. thanks for sharing your positive feedback. i prefer to make garam masala at home. here is the recipe – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/punjabi-garam-masala/
Hello Dassana dear
Thanks for your reply. I will follow your instructions on water addition. Also you have mentioned Kasoori methi to add in this recipie but I guess you forgot to mention when to add so I added it when I added salt and garam masala please let me know if thats okay.
Also I tried your strawberry icecream recipie. Awesome and delicious recipie. My 7 year who is a picky eater loved it like anything. My icecream didn’t turn out smooth as shown in your pics is it due to less blending or something else, please advise.
It will be greatly appreciated if you also tell how long icecream should be kept in freezer for the first time and second time to set.
Keep up the good work! Looking forward to hear from you soon.
Kindest Regards
Simmi
hi simmi, welcome. kasoori methi is added when you add the cream or when you add garam masala. i will add in the step wise pics too. i had run out of kasoori methi when i added the new pics. so did not add then. ice cream mixture has to blended well. so could be thats the reason. when the ice cream is semi soft or partially set, then thats the time you blend again. blending this way makes the ice cream smooth and soft. the time will vary on the temperature settings in your fridge.
I enjoyed making this recipe, but in the end I felt my Palak Paneer was kind of bland. Also thr garlic that I added in the sauce just prior to blending it into a smooth mixture I feel is a bit over powering becuase the fresh galric. How can I save my meal? Make it less bland? I will still eat it nevertheless.
palak paneer is generally bland. nothing can be done about the garlic. but for changing the blandness, add some more red chili powder and garam masala powder.
Hi Dassana
Really glad to find your website, tried this palak paneer recipie today and it really turned out very well except the fact it was liitle dry can you please advise what can I do to make it little liquidy.
thanks simmi. add some more water and simmer till you get required consistency. may be you have added little less water. it should not happen.
i really love the way you present the recepies…. I have learnt most of the receipies from you… In palak paneer, if you grind some fresh coriander leaves it will taste better. Try and let me know….
thanks sanchita for your positive feedback and for your suggestion.
Delicious as always! My husband loved it. 🙂 Thanks Dassana!
welcome sneha
hey! I just wanted to know if I can make the spinach puree at night and store it in refrigerator and make the whole stuff next day in morning.. will it effect the dish in any way either health or taste….. do reply…. and thanx 🙂
welcome akanksha. yes you can. some taste and color will change. health wise its best to eat fresh food and not refrigerated food. as per ayurveda fresh cooked food has maximum prana (life force). so its better to avoid reheating the food and eat it when its still hot. stale food or refrigerated food is not good as per ayurveda.
Hey i loved the recipe n i used all the ingredients … I had a question… If i use cream will it spoil the next day?
thanks harshima. no it does not. just refrigerate and have it next day.
Very easy t o prepare.everyone loved it.nice restaurant lke taste.thanks a lot
welcome jaykumar
Really awsome!my mom tried it .It was ally yummy THANK YOU VERY MUCH 😀
welcome saba
Awesome thanks for ur recipe
welcome muhammad
i often make it, really tasty!
thanks ruma for sharing positive feedback.
I’m trying this recipe tonight. It looks simple yet extremely delicious! I just want to tell you that I absolutely love your blog. It’s the only one I follow consistently for Indian veg recipes and recommend it to everyone too.
thanks devyani for this positive feedback. glad to know this.
Hi,
Can i use mother dairy full cream milk ‘s cream when we are supposed to add the cream since we use tht milk n we get rich cream in tht.
Thanks,
Teena
welcome teena. yes you can use that.
Fantastic use of pictures for each step of the recipe. This worked wonderfully for me, who’s very new to cooking! Thank you!
welcome maya. good to know this.
I am a novice cook, just started cooking 2 weeks back ever since I got married. So I loved the step by step instructions, simple to follow with pictures! Perfect for a oh-i-hate-cooking type of person (me!). And loved the results. It is yum! Immediately sent a pic to my mom. Feeling proud! Thanks so much! and I added 2 more tomatoes than what you suggested. Thanks again!
welcome shruti. glad to know this. thanks for sharing your experience. cooking can be fun also as well as creative.
Hi Dasssna,
Simply love your recepies , you make things so simple and easy to make. Thank you so much
welcome ambika. thanks for your positive feedback.
Hii Dassana
Loved your recipe. I always loved palak-paneer. But my hubby dear isn’t a fan of either. Infact he never touches palak. Being newly weds he tasted it for my sake. Tried your recipe exactly as u mentioned only substituting paneer with potatoes. It turned out sooo yummy , my hubby has demanded it asap. Planning to stick with paneer next time. (:p)
Thank you soo much.
welcome rashmi. glad to know this. thanks for sharing your positive feedback and experience.
Hi,
I am in US. I don’t think we get amul cream here. What other substitute can I use ??
shah, use any low fat cream.
u can add any other cream. or u use some milk instead of cream.
ruma, you can add any other cream. but milk won’t work.
Awesome sabji!!!
thanks pooja
Paalak paneer recipe purrrrrrfect..
It came out awwwesome.
My child loved it said better than any restaurant 🙂 thanq for all recipes I always follow
welcome kanishka. thanks for sharing positive review on palak paneer recipe. glad to know this.
Paalak paneer receipe is awesome. My saasuma also liked d paalak paneer……
thanks pooja. glad to know this.
My mom used to cook Palak paneer, but today I saw her this recipe step by step and told me that she will make it in this way.
I will comment you tomorrow about this recipe.
Meanwhile I hope that the cream is alternative.
Thanks Dasanna.
thanks yuvina and do let us know the feedback.
hello, To whoever is serving a really good and delicious recipe,
I have made PALAK PANEER from your recipe , I loved it. I am also using ur recipe more for other food. I am a vegetarian , and I loved it.
your measure is almost close to my taste.
thank you so much.
I have made mushroom Manchurian and I did not use garlic or onion still it turn out so tasty….. this is the perfect recipe for Manchurian and that I was looking for it…. thank you so much. I am looking for hot and sour noodle style soup in vegetarian for my son . he loves it but I do not know how to make it.
thanks for sharing the positive feedback. you can have a look at the hot and sour soup here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/veg-hot-and-sour-soup-recipe/
glad to read your positive feedback. thanks for sharing it.
Thnx dassana I made it today for first time and it turned out really tasty..thnx again..ur recipes R really easy to make..n delicious too..
welcome umme. thanks for sharing positive review on recipes.
it was great experience cooking it by this way 🙂
thanks chaitrali
After the fifth time making this recipe in the past two months, I figure I should thank you for such a great meal. Great instructions and great recipe blog!
thanks jacob for sharing positive review on palak paneer recipe. glad to know this.
I love your step-by-step pictures as well your video. Great way to learn something new. This looks delicious!
thanks betsy
I tried this recipe by substituting paneer with tofu. It turned out to be great! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
welcome shruti. thanks for sharing your experience and positive review.
Excellent. I make it exactly the same way. Only one variation in my method, is I add a few sprigs of coriander leaves while grinding the palak, which helps in retaining the green colour, some of it is lost while boiling the palak. Thanks
thanks seetha for sharing positive feedback and also for your tip. i am sure it will help the readers.
Awesome Receipe,My hubby really liked it
thanks kanika
Thank you so much for the recipe. i tried it and it was fabulous. My hubby, and others loved it 🙂
thanks leeza for sharing positive feedback. glad to know this.
Very tasty. Did find it a bit spicy. Added 1 chopped potato and 2 tbsp curds instead of cream.
thanks sunitha. good you varied the recipe as per your taste.
It was awesome dassana thanks for sharing
thanks and welcome huda.
This recipe i tried at home with d same method nd its awsum
i got lots of gud comments n my dish was asked more dan my mom’s one
aftrall thnks to u
plzzz provide some gud recipe that i cn make at home thnk u…..
welcome sumi. thats good to know. there are many recipes posted on blog. you can have a look at these quick 30 minutes recipes – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/recipe/30-minutes-recipes/
very tastey
thanks suvarna
Very well shown! What type / brand of garam masala did you use?
thanks sonia. i mostly make at home. you can check punjabi garam masala recipe – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/punjabi-garam-masala/
.finally a recipe which made my palak paneer perfect….thanks so much..added sugar to cut the bitterness
welcome anitha. glad to know this.
i love all ur recipes..u make cooking so easy by ur simple and detailed steps …also i love the pics u post of foods….i wil try this tmrw
thanks garima for sharing this positive feedback on recipes and food photographs. happy cooking.
I tried this recipe as mentioned, & it was just amazing. Me & my husband just loved it.
Especially the visual narration of the recipe helps visualize the process much better.
thanks vidisha for sharing positive feedback. glad to know.
A very useful n easy recipe. Turned out to be really delicious!
Thanks for sharing…had prepared it for the first time.
welcome sammy. glad to know this.
Very thankful to dis web
thanks shahnaj
Amazing recipe. Have tried it number Of times. It always turns out to be perfect.
thanks rhino
Very Goood Presentation of the Recipes
thanks rita
Wonderful recipe!!! This was a lot easier than I had anticipated and was soooooo tasty!!
I shared the recipes with my friends as many of them would like to make it too!
thanks shadee for sharing this positive feedback. glad to know.
Very good instructions. Spinach stayed bright green , cheese texture excellent. I adjusted spices slightly to what I had available, served with plain boiled Basmati rice and a small amount of mango chutney. Thank you for this recipe. I have saved your website and will definitely return for more ideas.
welcome penny. thanks for sharing your positive feedback. yes do try some more recipes.
Wow!! it turned up extremely good!!
I dint have bay leaves…so i added some cinnamon and cloves!!
thanks sandeep for sharing your positive feedback.
too tasty to leave in the plate
this is really so much tasty and we can enjoy with our family.
the recepie is too easy to make by seeing the pictures instead of seeing the videos. last time i have tried paneer butter masala n evryone enjoyed it n i got amazing comments. now i will try palak paneer. i really liked your recepies .thank you vegrecepiesofinda.
welcome anuzz. thanks for sharing your positive feedback on the recipe and its presentation.
Just finished eating this and it was yummy! It was very close to my favorite restaurant’s palak paneer (they probably add way more cream and butter though!). I did a couple of things differently:
1) I added a sprinkle of cinnamon.
2) I pureed everything because my husband and I like it smooth.
3) I used more than 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
4) I only used 1 jalapeño pepper, which was plenty spicy for us
This took me an hour to make but it was worth it. Hopefully next time I will be faster. I might add a spoonful of sugar whenever I make this again to cut some of the acid/bitterness from the tomatoes and spinach.
Thanks for the great recipe!
welcome amber. in india we don’t get spinach which is better. so it is a good idea to add some sugar. good to know that with all the variations the palak paneer turned well.
I’d like to make this for one of my relatives, but they have a severe stomach ailment that will not allow them to eat anything very spicy (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being really spicy, they can have about a 2.5). I see that this recipe uses chilis and red chili powder. Where does this recipe fall on the 1 to 10 spicy range? Is there a way to cut down the spices (if needed) and still maintain the proper flavor? Thank you.
Ashley, the dish is not spicy. i would rate it 3 in a scale of 1 to 10. but i suggest skip adding green chillies and red chilli powder… as people from different region will rate differently for spice factor.
Seems to be fantastic but I am yet to try the dish but will do so and then revert. Thanks dear for this easy n fast dish which is mind blowing.
welcome blanche. yes do try this recipe and share your feedback.
It was a super hit breakfast with ur palak pander recipe. My son and myself loves palak paneer so much, but ur recipe tasted differently and everybody loved it. A big thanks 🙂
welcome shruthi. glad to know that you and your son, both liked the recipe.
It’s simply superb…
thanks pranitha
I love palak paneer.
thanks for sharing this recipe..very easy to made and its very delicious..my family loved it..í ½í¸í ½í¸
thanks for the feedback.
FATASTIC! Simple and easily understandable.good Job!
thanks maya
Thanks a ton for the lovely recipe’s on your website,I am a big fan
I have a query Can we use frozen Spinach instead of fresh ? I live in europe and sometimes it is very difficult to find fresh Palak.
What is quantity of Palak in grams ?
Regards
John
i would suggest adding fresh spinach. a reader had tried frozen spinach and the result was not good. i will be adding the quantity in grams when i buy spinach soon,
I can understand but i live in Denmark and here its very difficult to find fresh Palak and if we do find it it is very very costly,So i would still like to try the dish but with frozen Palak
Thanks
John
i know. however, you still try. i hope the dish turns out good.
Hello Dasanna,
I have been trying your recipes for a long time now. I have loved every single one of your recipes. I tried many palak paneer recipes and never did like any of them, until I tried your recipe above. Simply excellent!! You are and will be my go to person for trying out new recipes.
Best Regards,
Aakanksha
thanks aakanksha. agree the recipe is simple as well as good. sure, do try the other recipes as well.
Made this just now! It turned out really well – thanks!
thanks meghana for the feedback.
hi…am new to your site.Kindly give me the measurement of the palak.How much is 1 bunch.Thanks
you can add about 3 to 4 cups of chopped spinach.
This looks delicious. However I don’t know how much spinach to use… I have a 1lb plastic box of baby spinach. Can you tell me how many cups or how many ounces one bunch equals? Thanks!
i am not sure about ounces, but you can use 3 to 4 cups of chopped spinach.
Super easy and came out excellent. The key I think is in grinding the ginger, garlic and green chillies with the spinach. Thanks!
welcome priya. i agree.
Very tasty, but if u give what amount or weight of ingredients of Vegetable its Very easy. Thank you.
when i posted this recipe, i did not have a measuring scale, so not taken the weight. probably when i make the next time, i will try to measure the weight and update too.
Very nice tasty recipe.. simply superb.
thanks suganya
Tried it today and it was the best palak paneer I hv ever eaten
thanks priya for your honest feedback.
palak paneer is one of the most favrt dish of all indian ……..: ), ; )
I made this for lunch today… It was so yummmm.. Thanks a lot 😀
Love <3
Mukta
welcome mukta
Thank you for responding to my question. I tried this recipe exactly as is and it turned out wonderfully delicious. I must say better than I have tried in any restaurant in the US. Thank you again for all the awesome recipes.
welcome sonya. glad to know that you found the recipe delicious.
Hello, Thank you for sharing this recipe. I plan to make this for a Friday evening party the day before. You think this will taste as good as fresh?
regards
the taste will mellow down a day later. but still taste good. no worries 🙂
Really this is very useful . I have learned very easily . Thank you
welcome raj.
It’s very clear & nice.
thanks for the receipe
it is wonderfulllllllllllllll
welcome sowmya
I love ur website. I use it quite often. The pictures r very helpful. The fact that u hv a virtual and written recipe is excellent. And the dishes I hv cooked has always turned out really well. Thank you
thanks sunita for your kind words.
This was the tastiest palak paneer I ever had. Thanks to your site, I make north Indian curries at home(I’m a malayali but both I and husband loves Punjabi and other north Indian recipes). In fact, if I want to try a recipe I do it without any hesitation if its there in your site.thanks again for this wonderful site, I don’t have to search for a good recipe anywhere else:-)
thanks nimitha for the generous and positive feedback. pleased and nice to know 🙂
Everybody at home liked this recipe very much and nothing was left after dinner. Just that I added a pinch of roasted methi powder to it. Thanks
welcome neelima. good to know that everyone liked it. happy meal time.
I tried this way many times and also many combinations but I am not happy with the color. The green color vanishes completely. Is there any way to retain the fresh greenish color
the ice bath helps in retaining the color. some people also add baking soda to keep the green color.
Very nice recipe.but sometime my spinach becomes bitter after blanching n sometime perfectly fine.what could be the reason.plz help me as it spoils the taste of complete dish
not sure what is the reason for spinach becoming bitter. i have never faced this issue ever. possibly you can source the spinach leaves from a different vendor or shop.
The only time I ever tasted bitter spinach was as a child and the homegrown spinach leaves were large, thick and somewhat bitter. My mother said that she waited too long before picking it. These days I only use organically grown baby spinach for all spinach recipes. Suggest that you purchase it from farmers’ markets, Costco, or Trader Joe’s, if you have access to any of these.
thanks for your inputs.
Very nice recipe.. Very well explained.. Thanks..
welcome ranjana
I am appreciating you for some different reason beside your recipe, for whom you have already got 5 star. The way you have explained every step s with supporting pictures is fantastic. Thanks a lot to take so much pain.
welcome vinay. thanks to you for giving 5 star rating and for your kind words.
I have to say I have used many of these recipes from this website and all I can say is Omg it’s like eating restaurant food with out all the preservatives or the price lol….my husband has never been so happy….only I found was with the palak paneer I needed to add a tbs of tomato puree and to us it tasted better…..even my 4 year old has never eaten so much food as compared to now since I have been following these recipes….
welcome tara. nice to know that you liked the recipes. thanks for the suggestion of increasing the amount of tomato puree, i will give it a try.
Dear Madame,
Your recipe found to be easy to follow and the Palak Paneer turned out to be excellent and everyone at home appreciated as it tasted as perfect as from a north Indian kitchen!!!
Best regards.
thanks.
Hey yesterday my mum made palak paneer according to your recipe and it was yummmmyyyyy n i am now demanding various dishes to her n she is using this website for making them Thankyou
welcome priti. glad to know that you liked palak paneer recipe.
Hey dear,basically from india but since an year I’ve been living with my husband in brazil and most of indian items are unavailable here.even the language being different I coundnt find spinach from a long time and finally I found it ‘espenifre’ is its name here.I loved palak paneer but had never known cooking during my college days and when first time I made this recipe it came out to be fantastic.thankyou I have even tried other recipes of yours.they too came out to be good. Bye tc
i can understand the difficulty when living abroad. and i know the local names can be so different. thanks for the feedback on palak paneer. i am glad it turned out so good for you, being the first time cooking.
Thanks for the recipe! I fell in love of Palak paneer few weeks ago, and I think about it every day! I will try your recipe soon, and all the recipes in this amazing blog! The pictures are so beautiful!
thanks marina.
Well, Thank you for providing all the recipes which include Spinach puree. This helps those of us searching for family, religion, and heritage. Although many of us are from Rus, Taman Peninsula into Uzbek, we found our way to India (somehow) and the memory of this being cooked in the kitchen makes those feeding us a North India region. Thanks! (Now I can research them all).
welcome eileen.
thanks for the good recipe its yummy
welcome adithi
hi this is malathi I cook south Indian curry.for a change started to cook north Indian curry then I got your recipe paneer butter masala it tasted so yummy.. but as u said oil from pan did not come sides I stirred it for 20 mts but till it did not come out.. another one question alternative for cream can I use cashew paste
thanks malathi. yes you can use cashew paste. you can see the oil. if you would have continued to cook further, you would have seen the oil. it also depends on which temperature you are cooking. you can have a look at this step by step paneer makhanwala post, to see the how the masala looks after sauting and how oil is seen at the sides. you can cashew paste as an alternative for cream.
lovely recipes dassana…
thanks a lot…
welcome dipti
Hi Dassana, Thank u for posting such a great ad popular recipe…..i had a quick question….can i use sour cream instead of normal cream?
no, avoid using sour cream. fresh cream is better.
Hello,
I am planning to make this receip today and want to know whether i can use the paneer got from the mall directly or is there any thing that i should do to cook panner before placing it in the palak gravy.
aparna, you can just add paneer to the gravy and let it cook for a few minutes.
I love this recipe
This recipe helped me in an emergency when I had to serve my guests with palak paneer
thanks shree for positive feedback.
Thank you for the recipe. Enjoyed week-end with home made Palak Paneer and hot chapatis. It was so easy to follow…
welcome sandeep
Hello Dassana,
I LOVE your website. My partner is Indian and he loves when I make your recipes. And the Palak paneer (I usually substitute chana) is one of his favourites. But I have a question. I use the asofeteida, but I really have no idea how it affects the flavour of a subji. If you could answer me this, I would be very grateful. And thanks so much for these wonderful and easy to prepare dishes.
thanks lorne. asafoetida does give a flavor to the dish. it would be difficult to explain the kind of flavor. in this recipe of palak paneer, it gives a subtle flavor. asafoetida has a pungent garlicky flavor. so usually a pinch is added. in most recipes its added as it helps in digestion. i add asafoetida in all the indian lentils based dishes i make. also asafoetida is used as a substitute for onion and garlic. in most indian recipes which do not use onion and garlic, asafoetida is added as a substitute.
Read it,cooked it…..served it and ate it too….really awesome….THANKS FOR PALAK PANEER RECIPIE….
Welcome AK SHARMA. Glad to know that you liked it.
Very good recipe, must try… Thank you
welcome roona
Hi guys, just made this and it absolutely delicious, great recipe, thank you x
welcome stephen
thanks for the recipe.. i tried this step by step and this was toooooooo good.. thanks again!
welcome smrithi. glad to know that you liked the recipe.
Well I tried this with frozen spinach and it came out really slimy. Not at all like I just had in Delhi last week… I think fresh spinach is required if I try this again. Every recipe from this site is better than every book I’ve ever used! Thanks and keep them coming. OnB
fresh spinach and not frozen spinach. i freezed spinach once and i know what happens. so next time i would suggest you to use fresh spinach. thanks a lot.
Nice recipe. Just a tip for all spinach lovers. The astringent taste of spinach is countered by the sweetness of the onions. If you use a pound of spinach you need a large onion (100 grams) which needs to be cooked till brown. The caramelized onion will be sweet will help in combating the astringent/bitter taste of spinach. The same effect is achieved when you add cream. Cream sweetens the gravy and gives it the thick texture. The sweetness of cream counters the astringent taste of spinach. Secondly the use of tomatoes is limited in palak paneer. Its main purpose is to give it the dish a little acidity which is served by adding a small-medium (~ 65 grams) tomato. Remember spinach has mild flavour and adding strong overpowering spices and flavours will not help bring out the taste of spinach. Lastly blanching spinach is a simple process of adding spinach leaves to boiling water (unsalted is fine as we do not want to increase the temperature of water for spinach). Timing is important. According to me 30 seconds to a minute is more than enough for blanching spinach. After all the gravy also cooks the spinach so under-cooked spinach is not a real risk in this dish.
thanks a lot anand. you have mentioned all that i have mentioned here and there in bits in the comments and not in the actual post. i will update the post with your wise tips and suggestions soon 🙂
Big thank u for the recipe.. i tried it at home & the result was excellent.. my hubby kept licking his fingers..!
welcome sreerupa
I don’t have paneer- could I use chickpeas and turn this recipe into Palak Chana or is the recipe too different?
I am so excited to try it!
you can make palak chana with this recipe. but i usually spice up palak chana more than palak paneer. you can have a look at this recipe of palak chana or palak chole – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/palak-chole-recipe-palak-chole/
tanx 4 ur recipe it is easy but i want to know if i dont hv cream what should i use .
you can add some milk. you can also add cashew paste or almond paste or finely powdered cashews and almond. cashew or almond paste has to be sauted before you add the spinach puree.
This was awesome. thanks for the recipe
welcome vini
Too good and so yummy
Awesome recipe! I’ve been wanting to make palak paneer for 3 years, and it has taken 3 years to find the courage because hubby has always said it is so difficult. I used a 1lb container of washed baby spinach and doubled the other ingredients (except the green chili). This was so easy and is restaurant worthy.
thanks jenn for your feedback.
Never liked palak paneer but after preparing as per ur instruction loved it, not only d taste was gud but the color of palak was just like restaurants fell in love of palak paneer thnx for d delicious palak paneer
welcome sushma and thanks for the positive feedback.
Hi your recipe was really good
and with the help of my mom it was awesome…..
thanks vaibhav
Hi Dassana,
accidentally landed on your site and tried some of your recipes. they are truly awesome. your palak panner just came out superb. Your clear explanation of ingredients and method are very encouraging.
Thank you for posting.
Kay
welcome kay. glad to know you liked the website.
it was yummyyyyyyyyyyyy! it was very easy to follow with simple ingredients from the pantry.Thanks for a waonderful receipe
welcome urmi
I always like to see all these reciepies to learn new things and I enjoy making these reciepies. Thanks to all of them who have contributed to these reciepies.
welcome smt.khanolkar
This is the best recipe for palak paneer I have tried so far !!!!! Came out so good and delicious .
thanks poornima for the positive feedback.
Delicious recipe.
My thanks to the chef for this easy to follow and most tasty dish!
thanks 🙂
Hi Dassana,
I tried this out today for the first time and I must say it came out really good !! 🙂 It was my first attempt at Palak Paneer and my husband who is not really a big fan of Palak, loved it!
Thanks a lot for sharing it, it is one of the healthiest recipes!
Cheers,
Tejaswini.
thanks a lot tejaswini 🙂
Hi dasana I love your recipes and also try your recipes. And the results are reallygood. I want to share an old recipe of my father and that one is not available on your website. But I can’t give you exactly amount of ingredients so please tell me how can I sendyou that recipe so you can try.
thanks lubna. you can share the recipe. its alright if you don’t know the proportions. you can mail me at vegrecipesofindia(AT)gmail(DOT).com. please use the @ for (AT) and . for (DOT) in the email. the email is written this way to avoid spam emails.
Thanks for the recipe! I want to try this but I’m wondering roughly how much spinach one should use?
you can use about 3 to 4 cups of chopped spinach.
Yup ! This is one of the best and healthy recipe. I really enjoyed !!!
Thanks a lot……….
welcome rekha
Great recipe! I love Palak Panee. Girrl Wednesday I went and bought every ingredient you listed. I couldnt go back to sleep 3am sat morn, this morning and made it exact! Delicious! Eating it for breakfast. Thanks4the recipe.
welcome laura. glad to know that you liked the palak paneer recipe. its healthy as well as tasty.
Love it
Can we had milk instead of cream.
yes you can.
Your palak paneer preparation is looking yummy. Your Photographs of preparation is also very good. Its really very good. Keep it up
thanks reshu
your procedure was nice
thanks junaid
I recently tried this dish in restaurant in New York for the first time and loved it. Later, I decided to cook at home by using your recipe it turned out to be very delicious, thank you!
welcome kashif
really gud and useful…..
i have tried it seems good
Hi dassana
Tried palak paneer recipe yesterday. It was perfection! My husband loved it and said it tasted better than that served in restaurants
Thanks a lot. Gonna try your lazuli kofta recipe today
welcome farah. thanks for the positive feedback.
Loved the recipe. The technique of adding the leaves to a bowl of cold water was fantastic. It did preserved the green colour. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
welcome rumana and thanks for sharing the positive feedback.
Thnx for recipe its favorite
welcome garima
your recipe is awesome n I’m ur fan.
thanks shivam
Hey..I am staying in Dubai..This recipe is amazing, Best palak paneer ever had .. Thank You!!
welcome kapil. glad you liked the palak paneer
it is a wow recipe.
thanks vasudha
Wow..yummiest…it was surprisingly delicious palak paneer,my wife prepared as per your website.more tasty than what we get from restaurant .
Thank you very much…for spreading the tasty ideas.
thanks muneer for this positive feedback. always nice to know that readers are liking the recipes.
Hi Dassana
Thank u fr the recipe…been following ur blog for a while now…yummy stuff
welcome manasa
in the palak paneer recipe i did not understand the ingredient “creame”. please inform what is it.
its milk cream. in hindi we call it “malai”. cream is easily available in india in amul tetra packs.
will this work if i don’t have a blender?
you will have to boil the spinach leaves very well. don’t add the stems. chop the leaves and cook them till they are softened completely. then using a a slightly medium to large holed strainer mash the leaves with a spoon or fork. you can also just mash with your fingers and no need to strain if the puree does not have any fibrous parts. the puree you get you can use that. but its too cumbersome to cook this way.
bohot achi hain aapki recipe mam
aapka khana acha laga
thanks ashish
Hey Dassana, I’m a college student and I made this palak paneer. What I made doesn’t really taste like the restaurant paneer and I omitted some ingredients that I didn’t have on hand. Could you please tell me what ingredients were essential to make this restaurant style? I omitted using:
1 bay leaf/tej patta
1 or 2 tbsp cream
2 tbsp oil or ghee or unsalted butter
1 tsp kasuri methi leaves/dry fenugreek leaves (optional)
I thought that the cream and butter were for consistency more than taste and I didn’t have a bay leaf. I didnt have kasuri methi either and it says optional so I didnt use it. Pls let me know what was an essential ingredient that altered the taste because I’d very much like to make this again. Thank you for sharing!!
hi aishwarya,
1: palak is somewhat bland and has a typical taste. adding bay leaf/tej patta brings some flavor and aroma in the otherwise bland palak puree. so better not to skip it. if tej patta is not there, then add some 2-3 cloves or 1/2 inch cinnamon.
2: its also important to add cream as it balances the taste of the spinach and brings about a subtle sweetness in the dish. so i would not suggest to skip it either. you can also use malai. just whip it well and then add it to the palak paneer. if you are not adding cream, then 1 tbsp of maize flour (makki ka atta) or gram flour (besan) can be added. this will thicken the gravy as well as bring a light sweetness in the dish.
3: some fat should be there. otherwise it will taste like a soup made without butter or oil.
4: kasuri methi is not necessary. just to get the aroma in the dish.
so next time when you make, don’t skip on the tej patta and cream. you can substitute with the ingredients that i have mentioned. they won’t give you a restaurant like taste, but the palak paneer will be good. also use oil or butter while making the palak paneer.
I can’t wait to try this dish for my guests this weekend. I have never made palak paneer before. I just purchased a block of paneer. Can you please suggest what would compliment the palak best, lightly fried paneer, which does not require extra simmering/cooking or should I just add the paneer as it is and cook it into the curry? I have never used paneer before.
I don’t have this spice- asafoetida (optional). I will use a cinnamon stick if I do not have Bay leaf available. Will whipping cream work? Can I add 3 TBSP of cream for extra richness? My mom replaces cream with mayonnaise, if she does not have cream available. It adds in that subtle sweetness. Would tomato paste instead of a fresh tomato taste better? I heard that tomato does not compliment palak. As for the butter, can I double the quantity suggested, as I am serving guests who love rich foods.
Would you think that this quantity is sufficient for around 10 guests, with 8 other main course available.
Would you happen to have a butter chicken recipe available.
– lightly fried paneer tastes good. but at home we prefer to add paneer directly. but use a non stick pan while frying the paneer as otherwise they stick while frying.
– if using cinnamon stick, then just add a small piece, about 0.5 to 1 inch. you don’t want the aroma of cinnamon to overwhelm the whole paneer dish. you can also add 2 to 3 cloves.
– you can add 3 tbsp cream. i have never used whipping cream, so am afraid, i don’t how well it will work or not.
– tomato paste is fine, but reduce the quantity. i always add tomatoes as it gives a slight tang in the dish, which won’t be there if you skip them.
– you can double the butter.
– this quantity is sufficient for 3-4 people only with this as the main course. i think it would suffice if there are 8 other main courses. but still you can make a little extra.
– will email you the butter chicken recipe
Too yummy..my favorite curry
Thnx.
I ll prepare for this my husband.
welcome manu
Dear Dasanna,
I am not the types who cook too often, but, off lately i have started to, since I have taken a break in my career. My hubby the other day said I am bored of this regular south indian food sambar rice and stuff, so make something in north Indian…(Verbatim).
So thanks to google the first thing that came to mind was palak paneer, so, that’s it I googled & got Googleed though…Thanks a Ton!….awesome…the video helped me so much, I have my system in the room and I just can’t mobilize my wifi to kitchen I don’t get signal….so this video helped in pausing in each step and then …tada …my palak paneer comes out awesome.
Thanks once again for this simple yet delicious recipe…looking forward for a lot more of such recipes of course with video please.
Great writing to to you. Glad that I managed to search this on Google.
Warm Wishes & Happy cooking!
Radha Raghuram.
welcome radha. your comment is very motivating for me. i am glad to know that u liked the palak paneer recipe and the blog.
Ur recipe is awesome! I loved it….I’ll make it fr my parents…thnx fr sharing dassana….:)
Thnx again….luv,fm
welcome fm
Nice blog your description is so good every layman can understand the cooking recipe.
we expect more recipies like this. Thank you.
I’ve tried all the above recipes since my hubby nd my mom(mother-in-law) love paneer. All the dishes were mouth lingering. I won their hearts for cooking such delicious dishes..
krithikamohan, glad to know that u r cooking excellent dishes now 🙂
hi, i wanted u to post d recipe of besan ladoo which we get in market… i love besan ladoo… please….
i already have a besan ladoo posted on the blog. link below. i will be adding one more method & recipe of making besan ladoos soon.
https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/besan-ladoo-ganesh-chaturthi-recipe/
This was amazing and pretty much identical to my favorite restaurant Shalimar. I am so pleased with this recipe, thank you so much!
welcome brittney. now you can enjoy restaurant style palak paneer at home 🙂
Hi Dassana, I am unable to use the ‘reply’ link; nothing happens when i click on it, hence this new post. Thanks for both the suggestions, i will try them out soon for sure! Nandita
alright nandita 🙂
Also want to ask u…why didnt u use onion paste and tomato puree inspite of chopped….does it tastes different…??
the taste will be little different with onion paste and tomato puree. you can try the palak paneer this way too.
Hi Dassana,
I have 2 questions;
When I made this dish, the tomatoes i used were ripe, but firm, so they do not blend and mashed up really well, I finally let the onion-tomato mixture cool a little and put it in the blender. Do you face the same problem or have any suggestions regarding the same?
Also, I make Paneer at home just before making the curry, and have realised that the Paneer is super soft and nice when the curry (any curry) is warm / hot; however, when the dish cools down the paneer hardens. Is it supposed to happen with paneer? Or is it happening because i over cooking it?
Thanks so much!
hi nandita
1: i never have any issue with tomatoes when making an onion-tomato based gravy. in india we get tomatoes which blend very well and become mushy and soft when cooking. i suggest you to add a pinch or two of salt when cooking tomatoes. it helps them to cook faster and also softens them. actually it depends upon the water content in the tomatoes. so when sauting, you can sprinkle some water and saute. this will also soften the tomatoes.
2: with paneer, i have never faced this issue. even after the curry or sabzi cools down, the paneer cubes are still soft. i wonder what is causing this issue with the paneer. a suggestion would be to just cook the paneer for a minute after you add them. then you can see whether they harden when you do this way.
Came out excellent! Thanks again!
thanks nandita for giving the feedback
I’ve been playing around with home made Indian food for a couple years and just recently got serious about it. Your recipes have helped me perfect my techniques and make better food for my fiancé and myself. Most palak paneer recipes would tell you to use frozen spinach. Blanching the spinach is so, so much better. As much as I love my local Indian restaurant, being able to make my own curries at home is wonderful. Thanks for the awesome recipes!
thanks lauren
This recipe was really awesome and my daughters and husband loved it. Thank you for sharing it.
thanks melissa
Thank you! This recipe turned out beautifully, even though I didn’t have all the spices. It’s definitely the most time consuming recipe I’ve ever used, but I grew up American (ie, I didn’t cook and neither did my family!). Delicious!!! To those of you who have never cooked, don’t be afraid to try this! I’ll definitely be making this at least twice a month.
thanks gazelle for writing such a positive feedback. i am sure it will inspire more readers to try this delicious palak paneer recipe.
Dear Dassanaji,
I have cooked a whole bunch of dishes following your recipes and videos and they have all been GREAT! Thank you so much. I follow quite a few indian cooking blogs and yours is my favourite! Well, rushing off to make your palak paneer recipe…..again! 😀 p.s. yes, it also tastes awesome with tofu.
Love and many thanks from Hamburg, Germany, Anuradha.
dear anuradha ji
thanks for writing such a motivating comment.
it helps me as well as other blog readers to try the recipes.
love
You are an inspiration! I hated cooking but with your help, i have started relishing the pure culinary joys… your palak paneer is so simple but delicious!!! tried and tested like so many others! 🙂 thanks!
thanks anam for the positive feedback and for trying the palak paneer and other recipes.
Love the palak paneer..saw the video,its nicely done and ur voice is also very sweet dassana..
thanks pratibha.
This looks wonderful Dassana! Palak Paneer is my fiancé’s favourite dish to order when we go out. I cannot wait to make it at home for him. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
welcome courtney.
Very delicious recipe.. Your voice is sooo sweet, Dassana 🙂
thanks chandana.
Healthy delicious recipe with an informative video Dassana :)! Loved it…
thanks anamika.
Thats an incredibly vibrant colour. Dassana. love this recipe and your beautiful photography
thanks sayantani.
Deliciousss!! Followed the recipe as it is… It came out so well…. Thank you.. Before leaving the office, i have quickly checked how to make palak paneer for dinner at home and found your site. I would like to thank you for helping me make this wonderful dish… 🙂 🙂 🙂
welcome deepthi. thanks for sharing positive on palak paneer. do try some more recipes.
I tried this and it was very tasty and very simple to make
thanks kailash
Thanks for the great recipe. Just had a wonderful dinner with my mom and sister
welcome murali. good to know this.