This Easy Palak Paneer recipe tastes incredible with a few secret tips and tricks to get that same restaurant style flavour. You don't need to pre blanch the spinach, or add too many masalas. Quick, easy but so good!!
Palak paneer is a house favourite and I've been improving my recipe for years. I'm talking about a creamy, mildly flavoured herby green gravy that doesn't have any bitter spinach flavour or is heavy on spices. This is an easy recipe which means that there are no complicated steps, no long list of masalas, no major prep work. And the flavors are so restaurant style that I might almost stop ordering palak paneer outside.
This right here is a gem! Every bite will make you close your eyes and want more. Dip some garlic naan or scoop it up with some jeera rice.
Quick Walk Through: Palak Paneer
Blanching Spinach for Palak Paneer
Most palak paneer recipes on the internet will tell you to blanch spinach in hot water for a minute or two till it wilts and then immediately transfer it to cold water to stop the cooking process. Honestly, we don't need that. That's just one extra step which results in two extra things you have to clean. My method here is really unconventional - the spinach is lightly sauteed with onion, garlic and fresh coriander till it wilts. Exactly the same result as blanching without the extra effort.
Base of the Gravy
The base of the gravy comes from onions, garlic, tomatoes and all that spinach of course. What I've tried to do here is to retain the beautiful spinach flavour while cutting out the bitterness. Cooking it lightly and blending it with cooked onion and garlic makes an extra creamy gravy.
Secret Ingredient in this recipe
The secret ingredient in my recipe is fresh Coriander. I use some and blend it with spinach. It makes this dish taste herby, fresh and keeps it green without adding any coriander flavour. Nobody will guess!
Extra Garlic Tadka
I'm a big fan of garlic and my favourite way to boost that flavour is to add a spicy garlic tadka in the end. But even I'll admit, this one time, I liked palak paneer better without the tadka. Its an option in the recipe if you want to go with it, but just taste the palak paneer without it and you'll be amazed at how good it already is, and how little it needs.
Top Tips to make Restaurant Style Palak Paneer
- Preparing Spinach: If you want a truly creamy gravy, remove the hardy stems of spinach and only use the leaves. The stems are nutritious but make the gravy more fibrous
- Use only Green Chillies: For a natural bright green colour in palak paneer, use only green chillies for heat. Don't add any red chilli powder because that's one sure shot way of making the gravy brownish. Plus we have more chilli powder in the tadka that goes on top but doesn't affect the colour in any way
- Mild Spices: Stick to the recipe and don't go heavy on the spices. This recipe really doesn't need it. Let the beautiful flavour of palak or spinach really shine
- Coriander: Don't skip the coriander in the recipe because it helps keep that green intact and also cuts the bitterness out of the dish
- Don't overcook: Palak paneer becomes brownish when you over cook the spinach puree. At both times - first when sauteeing the spinach with onions, and later after you add the pureed spinach to the pan, cook for only 1-2 minutes. Bring the puree to a gentle boil and turn off the flame, because the longer you cook, the more oxidisation will take place and you'll leave that naturally beautiful bright green colour.
- Don't skip the cream: We are not using much - just 2 tablespoons of cream in the entire recipe which serves four. It adds volume to the gravy and makes it rich and luxurious.
- Vegan Palak Paneer: Palak paneer is easily made into a vegan recipe. Swap the paneer for tofu, the cream for coconut cream and the ghee for oil.
Is this palak paneer giving you the green, healthy feels yet?
If you try this out, Iโd love to see your creations on Instagram. Tag your pictures #myfoodstory and Iโd be sure to say hi!
This post was first published on January 11, 2017 and updated on 16 June, 2021 with significant changes to the recipe to improve the flavours and new images.
Watch the Video
Easy Palak Paneer Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Ghee divided
- 6 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 1-2 Green Chilli chopped
- 1 Onion sliced
- 150 grams chopped Palak (spinach), stems and roots removed - approximately one bunch
- 10 grams fresh Coriander stems and roots removed - approximately ยผ cup
- 1 Bayleaf
- 2 Cardamom Pods
- 2 Cloves
- 1 large Tomato finely chopped
- ยฝ teaspoon Jeera Powder
- ยฝ teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ยผ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi roasted and crushed into a powder
- 2 tablespoon Cream
- 200 grams Paneer cut into cubes
For the Tadka/Tempering
- 1.5 tablespoons Ghee
- 5 Garlic Cloves smashed with skin on
- 2-3 whole dried Red Chillies
- 1 teaspoon Jeera
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and saute garlic for 30 seconds. Add sliced onions and green chillies and saute till the onion is just starting to become light brown. Add the palak (spinach) and coriander leaves and saute for a minute. Then turn off the heat and cover and let the leaves wilt for another 2-3 minutes. Set this aside to cool and then blend to a paste.
- In a bowl, add paneer and cover this with hot water. Let this sit for 10 minutes. This step is optional, but it helps soften the paneer.
- In the same pan, heat ghee and saute bayleaf, cardamom and cloves for a minute. Add tomatoes, jeera powder, coriander powder and salt and cook the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes till soft. Add kasuri methi and garam masala and cook for another minute.
- Add the pureed spinach and bring this to a gentle boil. Then turn off the heat, add the cream and paneer and let the paneer warm up in the hot gravy. If you havenโt soaked your paneer in hot water earlier, then let the paneer simmer in the gravy for a minute.
- Finally make the tadka by add ghee and garlic to a small pan. Cook the garlic till its a golden brown. Then add whole red chillies and jeera. Once the jeera starts spluttering, turn off the flame and add chilli powder.
- Pour this tadka on the palak paneer for an extra garlicky kick! Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- Use fresh tender spinach leaves. You can discard the stems or use them for any other dish. Tender stems however, can be used.ย
- I only use paneer for this dish. However, it is super versatile. You can add your favourite vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, potato etc., or even proteins like shrimp, chicken or mutton. The cook time will vary accordingly.
- To make this dish vegan, you can substitute fresh cream with coconut cream. You can also skip the cream if required.ย ย
- If the spinach tastes bitter, you can add half a teaspoon of sugar and adjust it to your liking.ย
Lana says
This looks amazing! I am going to give it a try in the next few days! I do have a question for you. Do you soak your cashews before blending or can I just use the raw cashews straight from the bag? Thanks for your time!
In case anyone needs it....a super simple recipe for Paneer....we don't have the ability to buy it locally.
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-paneer-cheese-in-30-minutes-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-57008
Richa says
Hey Lana, I don't soak the cashews before blending them. Most blenders these days are powerful enough to blend them smooth, but if you want soaking them in hot water for 10-15 minutes will soften them before you add them to the palak paneer.
Erin says
This recipe sounds great and I am excited to try it. At which point should the whole spices (bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom) be removed? It's not in the directions or the video.
thanks!
Richa says
Hey Erin, I don't remove the whole spices. They remain the curry, but while eating, we just pick them out and discard them.
Anisha Grover says
Hi...I had been wondering for a long time on how to cook the restaurant style palak paneer at home and this was where my search ended. I love the idea of skipping the 'boiling the spinach' step. Since am not a big fan of paneer, i always substitute paneer with chicken and add small chunks of chicken after frying the onions and before the tomatoes.
Richa says
Whooooaaa!! Palak chicken would be soooo awesome. I've been wanting to try it myself - thanks for the awesome idea!
Glad you liked the recipe ๐
KC says
Made it tonight (minus the cheese) and children loved it. They requested the addition of lamb next time. How would I make it work with your lovely recipe?
Richa says
Yes lamb would be perfect too! You can add the lamb along with the spinach. The cooking time would vary because you'll need to cook it long enough for the lamb to become tender.
Just Jo says
I've got some paneer draining as we speak (easy as pie to make in the instant pot!) and two giant bags of spinach in the fridge. Tomorrow we will have this dish for dinner and I am so excited. After seeing the video on Instagram it's practically all I can think of lol.
richagupta says
You are the best Jo! I can't wait for you to try it. By the way, I hope you get hold of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek) from the asian store - it does make a difference in taste!
SMS says
Can I make this without onions?
richagupta says
Sure, you can make this without onions.
Brian Jones says
Yes I am laughing ๐ That sauce looks so good, I have to confess to not being a huge lover of paneer, it joins tofu in that little niche of foods that I don't understand as it has little flavour of it's own, but I gotta try some variation on this dish, spinach is a favourite around here ๐
richagupta says
Actually paneer can have a beautiful mildly sweet, creamy, tartness to it if made well. But it's difficult to get good paneer everywhere.
Shilpa says
Spinach is not boiled?
richagupta says
No, I don't feel the need to blanch it first.
Shikha says
I saw your palak paneer post on Euphoric Delight group today (1/16/17) and decided to make palak paneer for lunch. I didnt tell my family that I am trying a new recipe. When my husband tasted it, he said "wow, tastes like restaurant. Looks like our palak paneer recipe has changed forever! Do not go back to the old one". That's when I told him about your recipe. Our daughter loved it too! Thank you so much for this delicious yet quick recipe. ????
richagupta says
Yaaay! That's a huge compliment! I'm so so glad you guys liked it ๐
Rosemary says
I have never eaten Palak Paneer before but you Richa make me want to try it! Looks amazing.
richagupta says
Thanks Rosemary!
Nikita says
Is there a substitute to kasturi methi? Since I don't think it's easily available here
richagupta says
Unfortunately not. That flavour is unique. But you can increase the amount of garlic a little.
Mary * The Goodie Godmother says
I just added paneer and more cashews to my grocery list! We have some fab Indian places a few minutes away, but for some reason it seems easier to just cook at home than order takeout? haha I just love how simple this recipe appears and look forward to trying it.
richagupta says
It is easier to make this at home! I hope you give this a try ๐
Dipti says
Looks awesome!! I have tried so many of the recipes from here and they are all amazing!!! Thank you for your blog.. You are an amazing cook
richagupta says
Thanks soo much Dipti! I'm sure so are you ๐ More power to us girls!
carlos at Spoonabilities says
I have never tried Paneer. What is the taste like?
richagupta says
It has a soft, mild flavour because it's not salted. The texture is similar to a dense tofu. It's one of the easiest cheeses to make at home and you should try it!
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says
i love palak paneer but i often replace tofu with it. i have yet to add kastur methi but i bet it makes a huge difference.
richagupta says
Tofu works just as well, and trust me that kasuri methi makes all the difference in the world!