Palak Paneer Recipe (From Scratch)

Simple and easy Palak Paneer is a popular Indian dish where Indian cottage cheese is cooked with spinach puree. Delicious and healthy! Great with naan or rotis.

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT25M

Total time: PT40M

Rating

4.94 stars (222 reviews)

Keywords

Paneer, Spinach

Ingredients

350 grams spinach
1 medium tomato
5 large garlic cloves (divided, 3 whole and 2 finely chopped)
1 inch ginger
1 green chili (or more to taste)
3 whole cashews (optional, raw, unsalted, soaked for 5 minutes in hot water)
1 & ½ tablespoon oil (I used avocado oil)
1 large onion (finely chopped)
½ cup water (or as needed)
¾-1 teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon red chili powder (or to taste)
¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream (or adjust to taste)
225 grams paneer (cut into cubes)
½ tablespoon kasuri methi (crushed, dried fenugreek leaves)
lemon juice (to taste)

Cuisine

Indian

Steps

To a pot of boiling water, add a little salt and then add 350 grams spinach leaves to it. Blanch the spinach leaves for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted. Take them out using a slotted spatula and put them in ice cold water. This helps the leaves in retaining their green color.
Now, to a blender, add the blanched spinach (drain them before adding) along with 1 medium tomato, 3 garlic cloves, 1-inch ginger and 1 green chili. Puree to a smooth paste and set aside. Optional: you may add 3 raw cashews (unsalted) to this puree as well. Soak the cashews in hot water for 5 minutes before using in the recipe. This results in a creamier palak paneer.
Heat a wide heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Once hot, add 1& ½ tablespoon oil and then add the remaining 2 garlic cloves (chopped). Sauté for a few minutes until it starts changing color.
Then add 1 large onion (chopped). Cook the onion for 2 to 3 minutes until soft and translucent.
Stir in the prepared spinach puree next and mix well. Also add around ½ cup water at this point. TIP: add a pinch of baking soda at this stage to retain the green spinach color in the curry. Cover the pan and let the gravy for 10 minutes on medium heat. The spinach will bubble a lot. Stir at regular intervals to avoid sticking at the bottom.
Once the spinach is cooked, add ¾ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder and ¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste). Mix and cook for 1 minute. You may also add ½ teaspoon of sugar at this point, optional but recommended.
Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream and mix. Stir in 225 grams paneer (cut into cubes) and mix. Let the curry simmer for 3 minutes on medium-low heat.
Turn off the flame, and add ½ tablespoon kasuri methi and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (you can add mor or less depending on taste).
Serve palak paneer hot with naan , roti or rice.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 234 kcal
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Protein: 11 g
Fat: 17 g
Saturated Fat: 10 g
Cholesterol: 47 mg
Sodium: 109 mg
Sugar: 1 g

Reviews

Anil Kumar on 2026-01-18 (5 stars):
This was quite an easy one, really liked it when I made it. Thanks, Manali.
Chris Fletcher on 2025-11-08 (5 stars):
The best spinach curry we have both tried.
Mattie on 2025-10-25 (4 stars):
Very good, but with the recipe as is it is kind of tasteless. I had to add a ton more garam masala and chili flakes because the flavour was so lacking. Could definitely use more spice and flavour but everything else about it was great.
Jen on 2025-10-15 (5 stars):
Thank you for your great recipe and clear instructions. My husband and I followed your recipe as closely as possible. We tried juice from 1/4 of a fresh lemon and then added another 1/4 (so half of a lemon total) to get the tang we wanted. It was awesome! We love trying Indian restaurants whenever possible, but we can't afford to go as often as we'd like. This recipe allowed us to enjoy one of our favorite dishes until we can visit a new-to-us Indian restaurant again. Thanks so much!
Kristin on 2025-07-30 (5 stars):
I used 2 TBSP tomato paste and juice of one orange instead of lemon and no sugar was needed. I did use one can of coconut milk and baked tofu cubes. Also a bunch of chard from the garden with the spinach.
Blake on 2024-11-12 (5 stars):
I love Palak Paneer and this is my favorite recipe. Thanks for sharing