Palak Paneer Recipe || Restaurant Style Spinach Paneer Curry

This recipe for nutritious green paneer is made mostly with the thick paste of spinach 

puree. The simple palak paneer recipe is essentially from Punjabi or popular north Indian 

cuisine, and it is usually served with naan and tandoor flatbread. This is a restaurant-style 

spinach cottage cheese curry, though there are various variations.

I've always loved paneer recipes, especially the North Indian ones that are made with roti 

or chapati. However, the palak paneer dish is the one that is made the most often in my 

home because I have a particular fondness for it. In contrast to the other curries, which are 

either orange or red in color, it can be the texture and color. This dish's mouthwatering 

gravy-based curry is enhanced by the soft and supple fried paneer cubes and its creamy 

dark green color. Although roti or naan are typically served with this dish, I also like it with 

rice and pooris. My personal favorites are the palak gravy and jeera rice in particular. Every 

time I finish preparing, I make sure to make this combination.

In addition, I want to share some hints, recommendations, and modifications for the 

restaurant-style palak paneer recipe. First of all, I cooked the handmade paneer before 

adding it to the curry in this recipe. Additionally, make sure to soak the paneer in boiling 

water before frying it if you like it soft and moist. Second, I made the gravy sauce using dry 

spices, tomatoes, and onions. Actually, a chef told me to include tomatoes for sourness, 

but you can omit them if you don't want to. Finally, you can substitute soy-based tofu 

cubes for paneer cubes in the vegan version of palak paneer. You might also need to omit 

the cream if you're vegan. As an alternative, you can prepare almond or cashew milk and 

include it into the finished gravy.

Finally, in addition to this Palak Paneer Recipe post, I invite you to look at my other Top 

Paneer Curries Recipes Collection. Pandai paneer, matar paneer, chilli paneer, paneer 

butter masala, khoya paneer, paneer hyderabadi, paneer kolhapuri, and paneer kofta curry 

are among the recipes it contains.

About Palak Paneer

This well-known, high-quality North Indian curry recipe combines paneer as the main 

ingredient, a blend of dry spices, herbs, and spinach puree. To put it another way, Palak 

Paneer is a delicious, creamy stew with a green hue that is renowned for its vibrant, black 

texture. It is a well-liked curry, especially for celebration feasts and when dining at 

restaurants and dhabas for lunch or dinner.

The key difference between the various varieties of Palak Paneer or Spinach Paneer recipes 

is the way the meal uses spinach leaves. Blanching the palak leaves and then blending 

them with herbs and spices to create a smooth paste is the most common method. A 

creamy curry is created by cooking this spinach puree with a base of tomatoes and onions. 

Using the finely chopped palak leaves with paneer cubes is another well-liked method. This 

curry turns out to be semi-dry even without the gravy.

Cooking Advice for Palak Paneer

The palak paneer recipe is simple and follows the same basic idea as any other paneer or 

curry preparation. However, here are some essential pro suggestions for the ideal gravy:


Fresh Ingredients: The freshness of the ingredients is essential to a curry's flavor and 

balance. For a creamy and delicious dish, combine fresh and soft spinach leaves with moist 

and fresh paneer.

Cleaning: Palak leaves are typically given in bunches and carry a lot of dirt and dust 

particles. Additionally, the leaves might contain pesticides, therefore it is imperative that 

they be well cleaned.

Blanching: Curry recipes based on palak come in a variety of forms. However, blanching 

spinach leaves is required for a creamy, flavorful, and dark green color. Additionally, make 

sure to fully simmer the spinach puree in oil or ghee to eliminate any remaining raw flavor.

Consistency: Blend the spinach leaves into a lump-free, smooth paste after they have been 

blanched till dark green. In order to get a smooth, silky puree, mix it in a blender without 

adding any additional water.

Seasoning & Toppings: Add crushed kasuri methi and garam masala as extra seasonings 

once the spinach gravy has finished cooking. To make it creamy and reduce the heat of the 

spices, you may also add full cream cooking cream as a topping.

How To Prepare Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

For the palak puree: 

1 bunch of spinach or palak

2 garlic cloves

One inch of ginger

Three chillies

For the curry:

1 tsp butter and 2 tbsp oil

One dried red chili

One teaspoon of cumin

One bay leaf

One onion, chopped finely

One tablespoon of ginger garlic paste

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cayenne powder

Half a teaspoon of black pepper

One teaspoon of salt

Two tomatoes,  one cup of water

One tablespoon of cream

One tablespoon of crushed paneer

250 grams of cubed paneer

½ teaspoon garam masala

One teaspoon of crushed kasuri methi

Instructions:

1. Rinse the 250 grams (0.55 pounds) of palak (spinach) leaves thoroughly under running 

   

    water in a colander or strainer.

2. Use an electric heater, microwave, or pan to bring three cups of water to a boil. Stir the 

     heated water after adding ¼ teaspoon of salt.

    The spinach leaves should then be added to the heated water. Give the spinach leaves a         

    minute or so to soak in the water.

    Take the pan off of the hot burner if you're doing this on a stovetop.

    Prepare a dish of ice water and set it aside while the water is boiling. To make cold water, 

    simply mix three cups of water with eight to ten ice cubes.

3. Strain the spinach leaves one minute later.

4. Move the palak (spinach) leaves right away to the dish with the ice-cold water. 

     This technique of "shocking" the spinach helps maintain its vivid green hue.

      To halt the cooking process, let the spinach leaves remain in the cold water for one                 minute.

5. Press the spinach to get rid of extra moisture after draining the ice-cold water. Put the 

    spinach, 1 inch of minced ginger, 1 to 2 garlic cloves, and 1 to 2 green chilli peppers in a 

    blender or grinder jar.

6. Blend the ingredients to get a smooth purée of spinach. The purée should be made 

    without adding any water. Put aside the puréed spinach.

7. In a pan or kadai (wok), heat 2 tablespoons of oil, ghee, or butter. I used butter in the 

   pictures below. If using butter, make sure it doesn't brown by melting it over low heat.

8. Let the cumin seeds sputter after adding ½ teaspoon.

9. Next, include one tiny to medium-sized Indian bay leaf, or tej patta.

10. Include 1 small to medium-sized onion and ⅓ cup of finely chopped onions.

     onions and sauté until golden.

11. Next, add 1 teaspoon of garlic, minced finely. Don't brown the garlic; instead, sauté 

      it until the raw smell disappears.

12. Include one small or medium-sized tomato and ⅓ cup of diced tomatoes.

      tomatoes cook, stirring, until they are tender.

13. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or use paprika or 

     cayenne pepper instead), and a pinch of asafoetida (hing) once the tomatoes have 

     softened and you can see fat escaping from the sides of the mixture.Mix Well.

14. Pour the puréed spinach into the pan.Stir thoroughly.

15. As needed, add approximately ½ cup of water. Stir and mix once more.

16. Simmer the gravy until the palak puree is cooked, at least 6 to 7 minutes. Add salt as 

      needed. By now, the gravy should have thickened.

17. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder and stir.

18. Add the paneer cubes (200–250 grams of cottage cheese) straight to the gravy after  

      stirring once more.

     Another option is to add the paneer cubes to the palak gravy after lightly pan-frying 

     them in little oil until they are just beginning to brown. You don't need to cook the                

     paneer any more in this situation.

19. Gently stir and remove from the heat.

20.Finally, add two teaspoons of low-fat, cooking, or light cream.Add 1 tablespoon of    

     heavy whipping cream if using.

    At this stage, you can optionally add 1 teaspoon of crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri        methi).

21. Gently stir to ensure the cream is well mixed into the gravy.

22. Serve hot palak paneer with ghee rice, cumin rice, roti, naan, or paratha. When 

      serving, you can add drizzle some cream or butter over top.

      Top with ginger julienne and a few drops of lemon or lime juice. Have fun!