If you have ever thought that making Indian Palak Paneer (or Spinach with Paneer) was complicated, here's the recipe that will convince you otherwise. Delicious, nutritious, full-flavored, and super easy to make!
What Is Paneer?
Paneer is a fresh cheese common in Indian cuisine. It is a non-melting cheese made by curdling milk with an acid, like lemon juice. You can even make homemade paneer.
What Is The Difference Between Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer?
Saag. It's not some exotic, hard to find ingredient. Believe it or not, saag simply means a mixture of spinach and collard greens.
However, for this saag recipe, I used only spinach. This makes it more of a a Palak Paneer recipe instead of a Saag Paneer recipe.
Why This Palak Paneer Recipe Is So Good
- Pour and Cook- dump everything in and cook. Finish by pureeing with an immersion blender.
- Low Carb- Only 8 net carbs per serving.
- Vegetarian- a delicious meatless option.
- Fast- Ready start to finish in 20 minutes.
I have instructions for how to make this in the Instant Pot as well as a slow cooker, so feel free to make it whichever way you prefer.
How To Make Palak Paneer
Pressure Cooker
- Set pot to sauté and when hot, put in the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, put in the garlic and ginger and chili, and sauté for a bit.
- Dump all ingredients except paneer together and set to high pressure for 4 mins.
- When done, use an immersion blender and mush everything up into either a very smooth puree, or leave some bits un-chopped. You'll probably have to tilt the pot a little to get your blender to work.
- Gently mix in the paneer and serve
Slow Cooker
- Cook on high for 3 hours. Push the spinach down once so all gets moist.
- When done, use an immersion blender and mush everything up into either a very smooth puree, or leave some bits un-chopped
- Gently mix in the paneer and serve
Can You Freeze Palak Paneer?
Yes, this recipe actually freezes quite well. Just make sure that you're freezing it in small batches as opposed to one big container. That way it will reheat faster the next time you find yourself wanting some.
Tips And Tricks For Making This Palak Paneer Recipe
- Now in this recipe, you can either buy ready-made paneer at the Indian grocery store, or better still, you can make your own paneer at home by following my very simple, fail-proof homemade paneer recipe.
- You can use either fresh or frozen spinach for this. If you're using frozen, just break up the blocks of spinach a little.
- You can also mix up greens for this such as adding swiss chard, collard greens, or mustard greens. This would make it a saag paneer since Palak means spinach. It's actually very tasty that way.
- There's really only one additional step that you might consider adding, which is to sauté the ginger and garlic and chili in oil, to get the oil richly flavored.
Enjoy Palak Paneer And Looking For More Recipes?
- Make some restaurant-quality Indian peas and paneer or Matar Paneer in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
- Make this low carb quick Paneer Tikka with just a few spices, and pan-fry in ghee for a boost of fat to make this keto-friendly.
- This fantastic and supremely easy Instant Pot Vegetarian Paneer Biryani is an easy, authentic, kid-friendly, vegetarian dinner that is done in under 30 minutes.
- You'll love how easy this Chicken Saag is to make.
So next time you get the craving for some Palak Paneer or Saag Paneer, save yourself the unnecessary extra time and effort and follow this delicious recipe! Make sure to let me know if you enjoyed this recipe in the comments!
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below! Just click on the stars in the recipe card to rate. Don't forget to pin this recipe for later!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) Oil
- 5 cloves (5 cloves) Garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Ginger, chopped
- 1/2 (0.5 ) Jalapeño Peppers, chopped
- 1 (1 ) Onion, chopped
- 1 pounds (453.59 g) fresh spinach
- 2 (2 ) Tomatoes, chopped
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) Ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper, (adjust as needed)
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) Water
- 1.5 cup (337.5 g) paneer
Instructions
Pressure Cooker
- Set pot to sauté and when hot, put in the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, put in the garlic and ginger and chili, and sauté for a bit.
- Dump all ingredients except paneer together and set to high pressure for 4 mins.
- When done, use as immersion blender and mush everything up into either a very smooth puree, or leave some bits un-chopped. You'll probably have to tilt the pot a little to get your blender to work.
- Gently mix in the paneer and serve
Slow Cooker
- Cook on high for 3 hours. Push the spinach down once so all gets moist.
- When done, use as immersion blender and mush everything up into either a very smooth puree, or leave some bits un-chopped
- Gently mix in the paneer and serve
- Now in this recipe, you can either buy ready-made paneer at the Indian grocery store, or better still, you can make your own paneer at home by following my very simple, fail-proof homemade paneer recipe.
- You can use either fresh or frozen spinach for this. If you're using frozen, just break up the blocks of spinach a little.
- You can also mix up greens for this such as adding swiss chard, collard greens, or mustard greens. This would make it more of a saag paneer since Palak means spinach. It's actually very tasty that way.
Get support & connect with our community on Facebook!
Nutrition
Don't forget to check out my other Best-selling Instant Pot Cookbooks!
Indian Instant Pot, Keto Instant Pot, Instant Pot Fast and Easy, Healthy Instant Pot & Vegetarian Instant Pot.
Sam
When the recipe says: "dump all ingredients together" - does it mean add everything else to the instapot except the paneer? And then set the instapot to 4 minutes high pressure?
Melinda T.
Oh, my goodness, this is TERRIFIC! Easy and delicious. I used storebought paneer, but I think I'm going to try your recipe for the homemade version next time. And there will definitely be a next time!
I used a whole jalapeno, but I scaled back a little on the cayenne, trying to balance the spiciness. My husband and I like spice, but I like to feel like my tastebuds are still intact after dinner *wink*
Thank you soooo much, we will enjoy this one again and again (and I can't wait to start delving into your other recipes!).
Melinda T.
Mia
Thank you for this recipe. Palaak paneer is one of my favorites. Never fails.
Could I dump everything in (except paneer) during pressure cook instead of browing onions and ginger/garlic first? Also, do you recommend NPR 4 mins after 4 min pressure cooking?
Aaron
Hi, thanks for posting! Looking forward to trying this recipe. One quick question - I have a lot of leftover ghee, which is why I decided to go for Indian this week. Can I substitute butter for ghee in your recipe, and is it a simple 1:1?
URVASHI PITRE
Yes you can and yes it’s 1:1. It will be so delicious.
Emma
Consistently yummy! I’ve been making this recipe for about a year and it comes out delish each time. Even my 9 and 11yr old boys enjoy this! Thank you!!!
Tammie Duckworth
Just made this using a mix of collard greens, kale, and spinach. And just a splash of heavy cream while blending. Absolutely fantastic. Thank you for such a simple recipe for one of my favorite dishes!
Christie Williamson
It was really, really good. If you have people in your family who are sensitive to spice, a little yogurt stirred in makes it a little milder without sacrificing flavour.
alba
Can I use frozen spinach, instead of fresh?
Jennifer Witt
I made this tonight and it was so delicious and easy! It was just as good, if not better, than any that I have had from a restaurant. I will be making this again and again. Thank you!
Mary V
I made this last night and everyone loved it! It was a little spicy for my daughter and I but we enjoyed it none-the-less. My husband pronounced it, "A Keeper," so it will be a regular here. Thanks for the terrific recipe!
URVASHI PITRE
Glad everyone enjoyed it