Indian Palak Paneer (Spinach)

My mom used to make the best Indian palak paneer, but as a child, I couldn’t stand it. All that spinach and fresh ginger – yuck! My dad loved his ginger and he would make mom put lots of it into the palak. Each bite I took would have at least one piece of ginger. She even made her own paneer at home. But I’m a little lazier than her and use pre-made paneer.

Ingredients for Indian Palak Paneer

Some fresh spinach, some Indian spices, some tomato paste, and some paneer will give you the best Indian recipe you can enjoy.

Ingredients List for this Spinach Recipe

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) – see note
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 red onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 red chili chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger grated
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 package frozen spinach (500 grams)
• 1 package of paneer (340 grams)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

---

More Indian Recipes that you will Like

---

The Masala for this Indian Spinach

I love red onions. I much prefer them to white or Spanish onions. The flavour is stronger and I find them sweeter than the other onions. I use red onions for my curries because I find they help with the colour and flavour of the curry.

Most Indian curries have what we call a masala. Masala is basically a mixture of spices and it’s what gives the curry its flavour. Palak paneer needs a masala to give it the perfect flavour as well.

The Masala for Indian Palak Paneer

Let’s start by making the masala.

• In a large pan, add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of ghee (clarified butter – see how to make your own at home here).
• Toss in 1/2 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds and let them pop.
• Chop 1 red onion, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1 chili pepper, and toss into the pan. Grate 1 inch of ginger and toss it into the pan at the same time.
• Cook over medium heat for about 5 mins or till the onion starts to brown a little.

Adding the Spices

Once the onions have cooked, we can add spices to the pan.

• add 1 tablespoon of garam masala,
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander,
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin,
• 1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder, and salt to the pan.
• Mix everything well and let it cook for about a min.
• To this, you can now add 4 tablespoons of tomato paste and cook for a further 3-4 mins. You will be able to tell it’s time to add the spinach when you see that the oil is starting to separate a little from the rest of the masala.

The Spinach

I prefer to use frozen spinach for this recipe. Again, I find it much easier to use pre-washed, pre-cut spinach rather than having to wash it and cut it. Of course, you can use fresh spinach if you prefer to do that.

• Add one 500 gram package of frozen spinach to the pan. Let it cook for about 2-3 mins just to allow it to thaw out.
• Remove the pan from the heat and either using a hand blender or a food processor, blend the entire batch till it’s smooth. Pureeing the spinach is what makes this dish smooth and delicious.
• Now you can return the pan to the stove and continue cooking for about 10 mins.

Adding the Paneer

Time to add the paneer.

• Chop and put the paneer into the pan and let it cook for about 30 mins on low heat – stir regularly. I buy a 340 gram package of paneer and chop it into 1 inch cubes.
• You can either toss the paneer into the palak as it and let it cook, or you can pan fry it in a separate pan and then add it to the palak. Some people like to deep fry their paneer too. I prefer to just toss it in as it is. I find frying just adds more grease to the dish.

Once the palak paneer has been cooking for this long, the colour of the spinach changes from a brighter green to a more dense darker green. This means the palak paneer is almost ready to be enjoyed.

• This is the time when you add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the pan.
• Continue to cook for a further 10 mins. The cream is what gives the palak paneer its richness.

Serving Suggestions for Indian Palak Paneer

Ready to enjoy homemade palak paneer? Serve it hot:

• On a bed of basmati rice,
• With Indian flatbread like we do at home. Naan, paratha, or even simple roti goes perfectly with this delicious bowl of green goodness.

Tried and Liked the Recipe?

Scroll to the bottom of the page, and past the recipe to find the comment form. Please fill out details of what you liked and what you would like to see improved. Comments are loved! I look forward to hearing how much you enjoyed the recipe!

Stay Connected

Don’t forget to sign up for the free newsletter and be the first to learn about all my new recipes. And, don’t forget to follow me on my social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter.

Don’t forget to follow me: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.