Paneer Paratha Recipe (Punjabi Style)

When you’re a paratha lover, and if you’ve never had a Paneer Paratha; then you probably haven’t done justice to your love for parathas! This is a popular North Indian stuffed flatbread made with a whole wheat flour dough, which is stuffed with a savory and spiced grated Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) mixture. Paneer Paratha Recipe is one of the most loved stuffed paratha varieties from Punjabi cuisine and usually made for breakfast. I’ve shared a simple family recipe here, do try it!

About Paneer Paratha Recipe

Parathas are super popular in Indian cuisine, especially when it comes to making dishes for breakfasts or brunches.

From the regular plain ones to the more filling and supremely delicious stuffed ones, like this Paneer Paratha – we Indians literally can’t have enough of this flatbread, ever!

On this post, I have shared a Paneer Paratha Recipe that is not very spicy, easy to prepare and just the way I have learnt it from my mother-in-law.

So, you can actually call it as a family recipe. In this preparation, you also don’t need to cook the paneer prior to making the parathas.

So, all in all, there are 2 major steps in this Paneer Paratha Recipe – first, you make a smooth, soft whole wheat flour (atta) dough and second, you make the stuffing with paneer or cottage cheese.

Simply add the spices and herbs to the grated paneer. Once done, fill this stuffing in the rolled dough and roast the parathas.

The spices that I add in the stuffing mixture of this Paneer Paratha are green chilies, red chili powder, garam masala powder and dried mango powder.

These are very typical ingredients used in most of the parathas common in Punjabi or North Indian cuisine.

To stuff the paneer filling, I usually roll out two portions of the dough with the filling sandwiched in a neat layer between them.

This is the best method to make any stuffed paratha as neither the filling comes out nor the dough tears while rolling.

Parathas are quintessential breakfast dishes in Punjabi households and I make varieties of stuffed parathas like Aloo Paratha, Gobi Paratha and Onion Paratha.

This Paneer Paratha is an an all-time favorite paratha at home and is also served in most North Indian restaurants as well as Punjabi dhabas (road side eateries).

Choosing The Right Type Of Paneer

I always recommend making your own homemade Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and use it for any paneer dish that you make at home. So, is the case with this Paneer Paratha Recipe.

Once you do this, you will actually know the difference in taste and texture that comes from the homemade paneer versus the readymade, store-bought one.

The homemade paneer retains its freshness and softness even when cooked. The filling has a lovely moistness and you will not feel any dryness in the Paneer Paratha. It also has a nice soft texture in the filling.

To make these parathas, you need paneer that is fresh, soft with some moisture in it. Do not use paneer that is dry or frozen paneer as these may not work well in this recipe.

The best way to have this paratha is with some Curd (yogurt) or Homemade White Butter. You can also have it with some mango pickle or lemon pickle.

I always like to apply a bit of butter on them while serving. However, butter can be served as a side also.

These can also be packed in the tiffin box. Usually, they are made for breakfast but you can have them for lunch, dinner or as an evening snack too.

How to make Paneer Paratha

Knead Dough

1. Take 2 to 2.25 cups whole wheat flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ghee or oil in a mixing bowl.

2. Pour about ½ cup water.

3. Mix and begin to knead. Add more water if required and knead to a smooth, soft and pliable dough.

Overall, I added ⅔ cup water. I recommend not to add all the water at once. Add water bit by bit as you go on kneading the dough.

4. Cover the bowl with a lid and allow the dough to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Make Paneer Stuffing

5. Grate 200 grams paneer (Indian cottage cheese). If using frozen paneer, then follow the package instructions.

For the best taste and texture, the paneer should be soft and fresh. Rancid paneer will make the paratha sour or bitter. Thus, better not to use it.

I recommend to grate the paneer and not crumble with your hands. Grating ensures even size of the paneer.

When crumbled with hands, you may get some bigger pieces which may break the paratha while rolling.

6. Add the following herbs and spices:

• 1 or 2 finely chopped green chilies or about ½ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies
• ½ teaspoon dry mango powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon salt or add as required

Note: You can add more salt, red chili powder or dried mango powder, if you prefer. Ensure that the green chilies are finely chopped or they will come out while rolling.

7. Mix everything well with a spoon so that the spice powders are uniformly mixed with the grated paneer.

Assemble, Fill & Roll

8. Pinch 2 small balls from the dough and roll them in your palms to make them even.

9. Dust some flour on the dough balls.

10. With a rolling pin, roll the dough balls to a disc of about 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

11. Place the prepared paneer stuffing on one of the rolled discs, keeping 1-inch space around the circumference.

Don’t under-fill or overfill with the stuffing. If you overfill the stuffing, then it can come out while rolling.

On the other hand, if you under-fill the stuffing, you get less taste of the paneer and more of the dough.

12. Cover with the other rolled dough. Press and seal the edges to close the layers.

13. Sprinkle some flour and roll the stuffed paratha to a disc of about 6 to 7 inches in diameter.

Make Paneer Paratha

14. Heat a tawa, griddle or a flat skillet and then place the rolled paratha on it. The tawa should be hot. Ensure to use medium-high to high heat.

To check the heat, sprinkle a generous pinch of whole wheat flour on the tawa. If the whole wheat flour becomes brown in some seconds, the tawa is hot enough to roast the paratha.

Remove this browned flour from the tawa by wiping it with a cotton kitchen towel, before you begin roasting the paratha.

15. Flip when one side is partly cooked, that is, about ¼ cooked (after about 1 minute or so). You will see some air pockets and light blisters on this side.

16. Apply ghee or oil on this side with a spoon.

17. When the second side is half cooked (takes about 1½ minute or so), then turn and flip using a spatula.

18. Let the side on which we applied ghee, get cooked now.

19. Spread some ghee on the top.

20. Flip again and you will many brown spots and blisters on the paratha.

21. Press the edges of paratha with a spatula so that the edges are cooked. A well stuffed and rolled paratha will puff up slightly while cooking.

22. Flip once or twice until the paratha has brown spots and is evenly cooked.

23. If serving later, place the parathas in a roti basket or casserole.

24. Optionally, you can add some softened butter on top.

25. Spread the butter on the parathas with a spoon.

26. Wipe the excess whole wheat flour if any, with a cotton kitchen napkin. So that the browned whole wheat flour particles do not stick to the parathas.

Make all parathas this way in batches.

27. Keep on stacking them in the roti basket or casserole. Spread some butter on each paratha while stacking them.

If not stacking them, then serve Paneer Paratha hot with mango pickle or mint coriander chutney. They can also be packed in lunch box.

Best to have them immediately, as soon as they are prepared. A cup of hot tea will also go very well with these parathas, during monsoons or winters.

Expert Tips

1. Dough Softness: Make sure to knead a pliable, soft and smooth dough for this Paneer Paratha Recipe. Depending on the quality and texture of flour, add water as needed to get a soft dough.
2. Paneer Quality: For best results, ensure using homemade paneer or soft, fresh and moist paneer. Discard the paneer, if it has turned rancid.
3. Grating Paneer: It is better to grate the paneer and not crumble it with hands. As grating will result in even sized paneer versus the uneven, bigger pieces of paneer when crumbled.
4. Adjusting Spices: You can add more or less spices and seasonings as per your palate preferences. Make sure to chop the green chilies finely or else they can come out while rolling the parathas.
5. Using Garam Masala Powder: If you are using homemade garam masala powder that is stronger and more aromatic, then add just ¼ teaspoon of it. For readymade garam masala powder, use ½ teaspoon.
6. Variations: Some finely chopped onions and finely chopped coriander or mint leaves can also be added in the paneer stuffing for a nice, crunchy and fresh variation.
7. Stuffing Paratha: While stuffing the parathas, make sure not to overfill or under-fill. Overfilling can lead to the stuffing coming out while rolling. Whereas, you won’t get the proper taste of the paneer mixture if you under-fill.
8. Choice of Fats: Any neutral flavored oil or ghee (clarified butter) can be used to roast the parathas.
9. Scaling Recipe: This paneer paratha recipe can easily halved, doubled or tripled to make for smaller or larger portions.

Paneer Paratha recipe from the archives was originally published on May 2012.