Palak Paneer Recipe is a dish of North Indian origin consisting of palak (spinach) and paneer (cottage cheese) in a thick curry sauce based on pureed spinach, onion, tomatoes, and spices made in an Instant pot Pressure Cooker or stovetop. This healthy dish can be made in under 20 minutes in an Instant Pot. Vegetarian, Low carb, Keto, and Gluten-free!
Instant Pot Spinach Dal / Dal PalakPaneer Matar Makhana CurrySpinach Paneer Dosa Pizza|Palak Paneer Dosa PizzaPalak Biryani Recipe (Spinach Biryani) • Instant PotPalak Tofu • Instant Pot & StovetopInstant Pot Matar PaneerPalak Paneer ParathaPalak Paratha (Spinach Paratha)
Instant Pot Palak Paneer (Spinach and Cottage Cheese Curry)
Published: Oct 5, 2017 · Modified: Apr 4, 2021 by Bhavana Patil ·This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases247SHARES
Palak Paneer Recipe is a dish of North Indian origin consisting of palak (spinach) and paneer (cottage cheese) in a thick curry sauce based on pureed spinach, onion, tomatoes, and spices made in an Instant pot Pressure Cooker or stovetop. This healthy dish can be made in under 20 minutes in an Instant Pot. Vegetarian, Low carb, Keto, and Gluten-free!https://08a0f202b75b632cf135af86611ceba1.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
https://08a0f202b75b632cf135af86611ceba1.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.htmlhttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.470.1_en.html#goog_158856614000:00 of 01:20Volume 0%
We love Spinach at home, I usually make Palak Paneer Paratha, Spinach Rice, or creamy spinach pasta at home. If you are looking for more such easy spinach recipes do check Palak Recipes List from my blog.
What is Palak Paneer?
Palak means spinach and Paneer means Indian cottage cheese in Hindi. Palak paneer curry is made with spinach, Indian cottage cheese along some spices. So we can also name it Indian spinach curry.
Everyone has their own way of making this dish and honestly, I also make it in a different way every time I cook it.
People often get confused with Saag paneer vs Palak paneer, The main difference is Saag Paneer is made with mustard greens and spinach whereas, Palak paneer is made with spinach leaves only.
Instant Pot Spinach Dal / Dal PalakPaneer Matar Makhana CurrySpinach Paneer Dosa Pizza|Palak Paneer Dosa PizzaPalak Biryani Recipe (Spinach Biryani) • Instant PotPalak Tofu • Instant Pot & StovetopInstant Pot Matar PaneerPalak Paneer ParathaPalak Paratha (Spinach Paratha)
Instant Pot Palak Paneer (Spinach and Cottage Cheese Curry)
Published: Oct 5, 2017 · Modified: Apr 4, 2021 by Bhavana Patil ·This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases247SHARES
Palak Paneer Recipe is a dish of North Indian origin consisting of palak (spinach) and paneer (cottage cheese) in a thick curry sauce based on pureed spinach, onion, tomatoes, and spices made in an Instant pot Pressure Cooker or stovetop. This healthy dish can be made in under 20 minutes in an Instant Pot. Vegetarian, Low carb, Keto, and Gluten-free!https://08a0f202b75b632cf135af86611ceba1.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
https://08a0f202b75b632cf135af86611ceba1.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.htmlhttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.470.1_en.html#goog_158856614000:00 of 01:20Volume 0%
We love Spinach at home, I usually make Palak Paneer Paratha, Spinach Rice, or creamy spinach pasta at home. If you are looking for more such easy spinach recipes do check Palak Recipes List from my blog.
What is Palak Paneer?
Palak means spinach and Paneer means Indian cottage cheese in Hindi. Palak paneer curry is made with spinach, Indian cottage cheese along some spices. So we can also name it Indian spinach curry.
Everyone has their own way of making this dish and honestly, I also make it in a different way every time I cook it.
People often get confused with Saag paneer vs Palak paneer, The main difference is Saag Paneer is made with mustard greens and spinach whereas, Palak paneer is made with spinach leaves only.
If you are on a Keto/Low Carb Diet I highly recommend you to try this keto palak paneer recipe.
Ingredients
- 10 oz spinach(palak) (about 256 grams)
- 1 cup paneer (cottage cheese) about 100 grams
- 2 tablespoon oil or ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- ½ inch ginger minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 large tomato finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- salt to taste
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh cream or cashew cream (optional)
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
Palak Paneer Ingredients
Here are ingredients to make best palak paneer recipe.
- Paneer: cubed into 1-inch pieces about 1 cup.
- Palak: I have used 10 oz fresh baby spinach.
- Onion, garlic, and ginger: I have used roughly chopped onions, garlic, and ginger.
- Tomato: Use one large Roma tomato diced. Alternately, you can also use canned crushed or diced tomatoes.
- Cream: I have used cashew cream. But you can also use heavy or coconut cream. In addition, you can make cashew-nut cream at home by blending a few soaked cashew nuts and water in a blender.
- Oil: use olive oil suitable for sautéing.
- Herbs & spices: I have used turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala as spices and dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) to give restaurant-style flavor to the dish.
How to Make Palak Paneer in Instant Pot
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil to the POT. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let the cumin splutter.
Next add onions, minced ginger, garlic, green chili, and saute until onions turn light brown.
Add diced tomato, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add water and deglaze the pot. Next add in the fresh spinach .
Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.
Furthermore, Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and timer to 2 Minutes. If using frozen spinach then set the timer to 1 Minute.
Once the pot beeps, Do a QUICK RELEASE (QR).
Blend the ingredients in the pot to a creamy texture using an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender then take the mixture out, cool it, and then blend in a regular blender and add the mixture back to the instant pot.
Lastly add garam masala, kasuri methi, and paneer and mix well. You can also add some fresh cream or cashew cream. No need to boil/saute again after adding paneer. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Delicious easy pressure cooker palak paneer is ready. Serve it with your favorite Indian bread variety (roti / naan / kulcha / paratha) or even plain rice.
How to Serve Palak Paneer?
Palak paneer is often served with basmati rice, naan bread, or both. But I like eating with jeera rice too. You can also include it with vegetable biryani and drinks like mango lassi on the side.
Tips & Variations
- If you don’t have paneer or tofu you can also add cubed boiled potatoes, mushroom, or boiled sweet corn to spinach curry.
- If you like you can also pan fry the paneer cubes till golden brown before adding them to the curry.
- Adding cashew-nut cream or fresh cream is optional. This is added to make the curry more rich and creamy. Make cashew-nut cream by blending a few soaked cashew nuts and water in a blender.
- You can also add kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) in the end.
- You can also skip tomato and instead can add 2 tablespoons of curd for sourness or add the juice of half lime after pressure cooking.
- Make sure to quick release after the pressure cooking and not to overcook the curry. It will lose its bright green color from the spinach.
- If the spinach is bitter, you can use ½ teaspoon of sugar.
FAQs
Is Palak Paneer Vegan?
Traditional Palak Paneer contains dairy-like paneer and heavy cream. You can make vegan palak paneer with few substitutions.
– Substitute extra-firm tofu for paneer
– Replace coconut milk/cream or cashew cream with heavy cream.
Can I make Palak Paneer in Instant Pot with Frozen Spinach/Palak?
Yes. Just ‘Pressure Cook’ on High for 1 minute. All other steps remains the same.
How long can you store Palak Paneer in the refrigerator?
Can be stored in airtight container for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
