Restaurant-style Palak Paneer

This cozy, super-flavorful recipe is inspired by restaurant-style palak paneer and saag paneer. It’s easy to make at home. Here’s how.

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Why we love this recipe

From central New Jersey to London, I’ve been beyond fortunate to have lived the bulk of my life within easy reach of excellent Indian food. Restaurant-style palak paneer and saag paneer have been at the top of my favorites list since childhood.

At heart, these are homey, rustic dishes — and there are as many variations as there are cooks. This version draws inspiration from my favorite iterations of both palak and saag paneer over the years. This accessible recipe is:

• Super-flavorful
• Relatively quick and very straightforward to put together
• Make-ahead friendly
• Creamy and comforting
• Positively packed with nutrients

What you’ll need

Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.

• You can use fresh baby spinach or good-quality frozen chopped spinach in this recipe. I tend to choose frozen spinach since it’s always at the ready and more efficient in terms of price and volume. If using fresh, you’ll blanch it first. Either way, be sure to drain it as well as possible, and then chop it finely, before adding it to the dish. Traditionally, palak paneer has a brighter green color, compared to the duller green of saag. If you’d like to achieve that brightness, start with fresh spinach and submerge it in ice water after blanching to set the color. I don’t typically bother.
• You’ll need about 12 ounces of good-quality paneer. You can buy it at an Indian grocery or some higher-end U.S. supermarkets, or make your own.
• You’ll use plenty of white onion, garlic, and ginger. Dice the onion very small, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Don’t be afraid to let the onion take on a golden-brown hue in the frying pan before moving on with the recipe.
• A blend of garam masala, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and a little bit of ground fenugreek creates a lovely balance of warm, cozy spice.
• You’ll add creaminess and a gentle tang with a combination of half and half and plain yogurt.
• Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.

How to make it

Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a fabulous batch of restaurant-style palak paneer. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.

1. First you’ll pre-cook, drain, and finely chop the spinach. Then cube and sauté the paneer, and set it aside.
2. Fry the aromatics, then add the spices.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until warm and creamy.
4. Stir in the reserved paneer. That’s it!

Expert tips and FAQs

More favorite Indian-inspired recipes

• Chana masala (vegan chickpea curry)
• Red lentil dahl
• Raita

4.82 from 11 votes

Restaurant-style Palak Paneer

By Carolyn Gratzer Cope

This cozy, super-flavorful recipe is inspired by restaurant-style palak paneer and saag paneer. It's easy to make at home. Here's how.

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8

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Ingredients

• ▢ 20 ounces (567 grams) frozen chopped spinach
• ▢ 12 ounces (340 grams) paneer
• ▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) safflower oil, divided
• ▢ 1 medium white onion, diced small
• ▢ 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• ▢ 1- inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated on a rasp
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (355 ml) half and half
• ▢ ½ cup (113 grams) plain yogurt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground fenugreek

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Instructions 

• Cook the spinach in the microwave according to package directions. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Transfer to food processor and pulse to create a puree that's as rough or smooth as you like. (I prefer palak paneer that's nice and saucy but still has a bit of texture to it.)
• Cut the paneer into approximate 1/2-inch dice.
• Warm two tablespoons of the oil in large nonstick skillet pan over medium heat. Add the paneer and fry, turning gently once or twice, until golden brown on several sides and warmed through. Remove to a plate.
• Return pan to stove and heat remaining two tablespoons oil over medium heat. 
• Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is substantially reduced in volume and turning a gorgeous golden brown in spots. Don't rush this process — it adds a lot of depth to the final dish.
• Add the coriander, cumin, garam masala, cayenne, and two tablespoons water and cook, stirring, until very toasty and fragrant, abouot two minutes.
• Add spinach, half and half, yogurt, fenugreek, and remaining salt, and stir to combine well.
• Simmer, regulating heat as necessary, for about five minutes, until thick and creamy and warmed through.
• Gently stir in paneer and cook a minute more to warm through.

Notes

1. If you’re using fresh spinach instead of frozen, you'll blanch it first. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water. Add spinach to boiling water and cook for one minute. Immediately transfer spinach to ice water until cold.
2. You can buy paneer at an Indian grocery or some higher-end U.S. supermarkets, or make your own.
3. Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
4. If you like, you can use a mix of leafy cooking greens, such as kale, collards, mustard greens, and spinach, in this recipe. Just keep the total amount of greens around 20 ounces.
5. I love to make this recipe a day or two in advance when possible, to give the flavors a chance to settle into each other. Once cooled, you can store this dish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
6. For a vegan version of this dish, you can substitute pressed extra-firm tofu for the paneer and full-fat canned coconut milk and yogurt for their dairy counterparts.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 130kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 722mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Sides

Cuisine: Indian

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