Healthy Palak Paratha Recipe

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Palak Paratha is a healthy mouth-watering unleavened Indian flatbread that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is made with spinach, whole wheat flour, chilies, carom seeds and is onion-garlic free. Serve this tasty spinach flatbread for breakfast with white butter, curd, or pickle.

palak paratha, spinach paratha, palak paratha recipe

About This Palak Paratha

Paratha is an unleavened Indian flatbread that has many variations with different stuffings. Parathas are usually named after their stuffings and palak means spinach in Hindi language so this dish is called “palak paratha”.

This spinach paratha has a beautiful vibrant green color and is a fantastic healthy alternative that includes healthy greens. It is especially good for children who do not like spinach.

Parathas are a popular breakfast choice in Northern India amongst Punjabi families. In Punjab, a lot of ghee is used to fry the parathas to make them crispy brown but you can also use oil to fry them as I do. These parathas are a little crisp as we fried them with extra oil. For a less crispy paratha use less oil.

When making parathas, it’s better to follow the rolling and folding technique. While you roll the dough, apply oil or ghee and fold. By doing this you get layered parathas with a soft texture inside. For this recipe, we made square-shaped parathas. You can also make triangular parathas as I did in this plain Paratha recipe.

Palak paratha can be eaten with lemon pickle, mango pickle, curd, or white butter and it is great during winters or monsoons with a cup of hot ginger tea.

Another great thing about parathas are that they keep really well and can be added to lunch boxes and taken on one-day journeys.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Palak Paratha

Making Palak Puree

1. Rinse 200 to 250 grams of spinach leaves very well with water and then drain them. If possible use organic spinach or grow your own spinach.

If buying spinach from outside make sure to soak them in a mix of water, vinegar and baking soda for 4 to 5 minutes. This removes some of the pesticides from the spinach leaves. Then rinse them again thoroughly with fresh water a few times. Drain all the water and set aside.

spinach leaves in a bowl

2. Heat some water in a pan until it boils. Remove the pan from the stove top and keep the pan on your work surface.

Add the spinach leaves and blanch them for 5 to 6 minutes. If you want you can strain and reserve some of the water that was used to blanch the spinach.

boiled spinach leaves in hot water for 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Add the blanched spinach leaves to the blender.

blanched spinach leaves in a blender

4. Make a smooth puree without adding any water.

palak puree

Kneading Dough

5. Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour, ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain), 1-2 finely chopped green chilies (if using), 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing), and salt as required to a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together well.

whole wheat, flour, carom seeds, green chili, hing, and salt in a large bowl

6. Then add the spinach puree and 2 teaspoon oil to the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon.

spinach puree, 2 tsp of oil and dry ingredients in a bowl

7. Add the required amount of the blanched stock or water. Add water in smaller portions and continue to knead.

water added to palak paratha mixture

8. Knead into a smooth and soft dough.

palak paratha dough

Rolling Palak Paratha

9. Make a medium size ball from the dough.

medium-sized palak paratha dough balls

10. Roll the dough ball into a small circle and sprinkle some flour on top while rolling the dough ball.

dough ball rolled into a small circle

11. Spread some oil or ghee on the top of the rolled dough. I have used ghee.

ghee on the top of the rolled palak paratha dough

12. Fold from both sides.

folded palak paratha dough on a board

13. Apply the oil or ghee to the folded side.

apply ghee on rolled palak paratha

14. Fold again on the other sides to make a folded square shape.

square shaped palak paratha on a board

15. Roll into a medium-sized paratha.

rolled palak paratha on a board

Cooking Palak Paratha

16. Place the palak ka paratha on a hot tava or skillet.

palak paratha on a hot skillet

17. Once you see some air pockets on the paratha and its ¼th cooked, then flip it.

1/4 cooked palak paratha

18. Drizzle some oil or ghee on the top side. I used ghee (clarified butter) to roast the paratha.

oil on palak paratha

19. When the second side is half cooked then flip again.

half cooked palak paratha

20. Again apply some oil or ghee on the top side (or second side).

oil or ghee on the other side  of palak paratha

21. Press the paratha edges with the spatula or back of a spoon so that the paratha cooks evenly from all sides. You can flip a couple of times for even cooking.

Pressing the paratha edges with a spatula

22. Cook palak paratha till they are crisp and brown on both sides. Make all the parathas this way. Before making the second paratha wipe the tava (skillet) with a kitchen napkin if there is any excess or extra whole wheat flour on it.

cooked palak paratha on tawa

23. Serve the palak paratha hot with yogurt or pickle. We usually have them with mango pickle or lemon pickle. You can also stack the palak parathas in a roti basket or casserole and serve them warm later.

They can also be packed in lunch boxes or eaten for lunch, dinner, or as an evening snack with a cup of tea.

palak paratha served in a plate

Expert Tips for Best Palak Paratha

  • Cooking parathas: It is very important to roast the parathas on medium to high heat to achieve the best results. If you roast them on low heat they will become chewy and hard and if the heat is too high then the parathas will burn.
  • Kneading: Make sure that the paratha dough is soft and smooth once you have finished kneading it. The dough should be relatively moist so if it is on the dry side then add a splash of water and knead it until you get the desired texture. Conversely, if the dough is too wet and sticky then add some wheat flour.
  • Veggies: Feel free to add any pureed or grated veggies of your choice to this dish. For example, you can add mixed veggies, carrots, or pumpkins.
  • Lunch box: If you want to add parathas to your lunch box then wrap them in foil tightly while they are still hot. You can also include mango pickle or lemon pickle as an accompaniment.
  • Scaling: This recipe can be doubled or tripled if you need to feed a crowd.

FAQs

What is paratha in English?

Paratha is a Hindi word which is a combination of the words parat (layers) and atta (whole wheat flour or dough). Thus in a simple English language the word Paratha refers to layers of the dough that have been cooked.

Can I puree the palak, refrigerate it and use it later? Will this affect the nutritional value of the parathas?

Yes, you can puree the palak, refrigerate it and freeze it for later. When most foods are in raw form or pureed they lose some nutrients. However, all of the nutrients won’t be lost so the puree can still be used. But as a healthy practice always use the palak puree fresh.

What is the difference between paratha and chapati?

Paratha is different from naan, roti, and chapati. While a plain paratha is served with accompaniments, stuffed paratha can be considered as a stand-alone dish. Parathas are usually made with whole wheat flour, they are mostly round, pan-roasted, and are sometimes stuffed with veggies or paneer. Serve parathas with a host of accouterments.

Can I replace spinach with red spinach in this recipe? 

Yes, you can add red spinach. In fact, you can add any greens of your choice to the parathas. You can either choose to puree them or finely chop. But do make a note of adding finely chopped fenugreek leaves and not its puree – as this would result in bitter tasting parathas.

How do I ensure that the parathas stay soft?

To ensure that the parathas stay soft place them in a warm casserole as soon as you remove them from the tawa/skillet and cover the casserole.

If you want to add the parathas to a lunch box then remove the whole batch from the casserole while the parathas are still hot and pack them tightly in a foil.

Make sure that they don’t become cool while you are packing them in foil as this will make the parathas dense. In addition, using oil instead of ghee to cook parathas can help them to stay softer for longer.

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

palak paratha

Healthy Palak Paratha Recipe

Palak ka paratha is an unleavened Indian flatbread made with spinach, whole wheat flour and spices. They are a popular and healthy variation of layered paratha made for breakfast.
5 from 28 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Cuisine Indian, Punjabi
Course Breakfast
Diet Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 9 palak paratha
Units

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 200 to 250 grams spinach or palak
  • 1 or 2 green chilies, finely chopped – optional
  • ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
  • 2 teaspoon oil or ghee for kneading dough
  • 4 teaspoon oil or ghee while folding the parathas
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
  • salt as required
  • oil or ghee (clarified butter) for roasting the paratha

Instructions
 

Making spinach puree

  • Rinse the spinach leaves very well in water. Drain them.
  • Heat enough water in a pan until it begins to bowl. Place the pan on your work surface. Add the spinach leaves in the hot water and blanch for 5 to 6 minutes.
  • If you prefer you can strain and keep some of the stock in which we have boiled the spinach leaves for kneading the dough.
  • Straining all the water take the blanched spinach leaves in a blender and puree them to a smooth consistency. Do not add any water while making the puree.

Kneading dough

  • In a large bowl mix the whole wheat flour with salt, carom seeds, green chili and asafoetida (hing).
  • Add the spinach puree and 2 tsp oil. Mix well.
  • Add the required amount of stock or water in parts. Mix and knead to a smooth soft dough. The dough should not be sticky or dry. It should be soft and slightly moist.

Rolling palak paratha

  • Take a medium size ball from the dough. Roll the dough ball into a small circle.
  • Spread some oil or ghee on the top of the rolled dough. I have used ghee.
  • Fold from both sides. Apply the oil or ghee on the folded side.
  • Again fold from one side. You will get a square shape. roll into a medium-sized paratha.

Making palak ka paratha

  • Place the paratha on a hot tava.
  • Once you see some bubbles on the paratha and its 1/4th cooked, then flip it.
  • Drizzle some oil or ghee on the top side. i used ghee to roast them.
  • When the second side is half cooked then flip again.
  • Again apply some oil or ghee on the top side (or second side).
  • Press the paratha edges with the spatula or back of a spoon so that the paratha cooks evenly from all sides. You can flip a couple of times for even cooking.
  • Cook them till they are crisp and brown from both sides.
  • Make all paratha this way. While making second paratha wipe the skillet or tawa with a kitchen napkin, if there is any excess or extra whole wheat flour on it.
  • Serve the palak paratha hot with yogurt or pickle. You can also stack them in a roti basket or casserole and serve them warm later or packed for tiffin box.

Notes

  • The recipe can be doubled and tripled.
  • You can use other greens to make this recipe instead of spinach leaves. Either chop them finely or grate them. If you are using fenugreek leaves then I recommend to finely chop them and not puree them as the puree can make your parathas taste bitter.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Healthy Palak Paratha Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 197 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 29mg10%
Sodium 293mg13%
Potassium 221mg6%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 3g13%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 2440IU49%
Vitamin C 6.8mg8%
Calcium 31mg3%
Iron 1.6mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Palak Paratha Recipe is from the blog archives (June 2013) has been republished and updated on 30 May 2021.

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Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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55 Comments

  1. Hey Thank You so much for all the awesome recipes

    I just got married on 13th February and with help for your RECIPE I am able to impress my in-laws.

    I elder sister in law whose son who is 3 yrs old and since I started making different parathas using your RECIPE he started eating solid food.

    Looking forward for more RECIPE

    Thank You so Much and bless you .5 stars

    1. welcome razia. thats good to know. i will be adding some more paratha recipes soon. wish you all the best in your married life and hope you keep on cooking delicious food.

  2. simply superb. my family enjoyed palak parathas. now no going out to restaurants. Ur paratha recipes are both nutritious and yum.5 stars

  3. In this particular receipe, did you cut the spinach? Because I just checked other sites, the pureed palak paratha is looking total green, where as yours look yellow and green spinach. Please let me know which way it is better. I love your blog and first thing when I want to try something, I visit your site.

    1. thanks neelima. my mother in law pureed the blanched palak/spinach in a strainer and not in a blender. so the consistency was not very smooth. you can puree the palak also. but if pureeing in a strainer then just use the leaves and not the stem. both the methods taste good.

  4. I would like to try this recipe but how many cups is 250 gms of spinach you would say?
    Thanks.