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Finally just made this, but used coconut cream instead of yogurt (vegan dining guest) and it was AWESOME!! High Five to Lindsay!
Today I’m telling you about my most craved all-time favorite Indian dish.
Palak: spinach. Paneer: cheese. Healthy Palak Paneer.
It’s coincidentally also the ugly duckling of all food that ever existed. Niiice.
Please, I beg you, I PLEAD with all my food-loving heart. Do not leave based on first impressions or on looks. I know it’s easy to judge that greeny-mushy part, but I’m telling you right now: this dish has the power to change your life, making you a creamy spinach lover and a paneer seeker and an all-around Indian food lover. Plus it will decrease your monthly Indian food takeout bills. Just me? Alright then.
The night that I made this, Bjork just happened to be hanging out in the kitchen with me, which is kind of a big deal. I don’t know what your men do while you cook (or maybe they cook? or maybe you are a man? hi.) but mine is rarely in that hot little kitchen with me. More like on the couch with an iPhone in one hand and a laptop in the other and a Mountain Dew dangerously close to both. Love you babe.
So this was a special dual-cooking night, except instead of cooking, he photographed. We had a heck of a good time. I’m referring to the heck of a good time that starts with cute smiles and high hopes, continues with a few snappy remarks about someone being in the cook’s way and a large photography light falling into a pan of spinach, and ending with a big plate of our all-time favorite dish.
All’s well that ends well.
So while I don’t often do the step-by-step thing, I want to do it today to help you ease into the making and eating of the spicy green Indian food. And to give justice to this recipe that I’ve always, always wanted to make on my own. If I can do it, I pinky promise you can too.
Saute Your Aromatics.
That sounds fancy; it’s not. It’s onions, garlic, a spicy pepper, some canned tomatoes, and a palmful of spices getting all juicy and smell-goody.
Wilt The Spinach.
I have a weird aversion to frozen spinach, so for this I used half frozen and half fresh. But the first time I used it I bit the bullet and used all frozen. You can use any kind, in my opinion. Just toss it in and let it get soft, and if you have a little cilantro that can join the gang, all the better.
Pulse.
Notice I did not say blend and I definitely did not say puree until smooth like silk. Gross. It’s a personal preference thing, but the restaurant that has fostered my love of palak paneer serves a version that has a very textured spinach gravy, so that’s what I love and that’s how I make it. It doesn’t have to be chunky, but leave some yummy veggie flecks to keep things interesting.
Add The Paneer (Cheese) and Simmer.
Chop, stir, and let it all get tasty together for a while. Go put your feet up and let your neighbors wonder what the heck you’re cooking for dinner because I promise you – it smells like spicy heaven.
One thing I want to tell you: paneer is delicious and you should try it, but if you don’t frequent a grocery store that sells paneer, use firm tofu instead. The texture is really really similar and that’s what I’m using here. I like to think of it as the suburbanite’s paneer.
No more steps, cause now it’s time to eat.
Get your hungry self some naan, some basmati rice, and a big ol’ fork. You just made palak paneer that is not only homemade, but totally healthy. Well, I mean, there are big pieces of cheese that make up about half of the dish, but you know what I mean. That other kind of healthy.
Homemade Healthy Palak Paneer
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
This healthy palak paneer is low-calorie and low in fat! So creamy, spicy, and full of flavor. Perfect with warm naan and basmati rice.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 chili pepper, minced (I used a serrano pepper and left the ribs and seeds in for medium spicy)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1–2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (I had a ginger paste)
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes with garlic, drained
- 1 17 ounce bag frozen spinach
- 1 small bunch cilantro (optional, to taste)
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces cubed paneer
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onion and chili pepper until soft. Push the onion and chiil pepper to the side of the pan and add the cumin seeds. Stir the cumin seeds around in the middle for about a minute so they can crackle and pop and little bit on their own.
- Add the garam masala, ground coriander, bay leaves, fresh ginger, and minced garlic. Saute everything together for 2-3 minutes to bring out the flavors. Add the fire roasted tomatoes and saute until everything is well mixed and the flavors are blending together, about 5-10 minutes.
- Thaw the spinach in a large bowl in the microwave. Press all the excess liquid out. Add the spinach and fresh cilantro to the skillet. Saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Pulse a few times until you get the desired consistency (smooth, but not pureed). Return the mixture to the skillet, and stir in the yogurt and water. Add the salt and paneer; cover and simmer for 10 minutes to help the flavors continue to develop.
- Serve with basmati rice and naan.
Notes
Traditionally (and deliciously) palak paneer is made with cream instead of yogurt. In this recipe, I swapped the cream for yogurt to try to keep things on the lighter side.
The nutrition information below is for 1/6th of this recipe and does not include rice or naan.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition Facts
- Daily value: 12% Total Fat 9.6g
- Daily value: 0% Cholesterol 0.7mg
- Daily value: 26% Sodium 595.7mg
- Daily value: 4% Total Carbohydrate 10.9g
- Daily value: 15% Dietary Fiber 4.1g
- Sugars 4g
- Daily value: 17% Protein 8.6g
- Daily value: 55% Vitamin A 491.1µg
- Daily value: 22% Vitamin C 19.5mg
Keywords: healthy palak paneer, paneer recipe, indian palak paneer
Recently made this and it was amazing! It exceeded all of my expectations, my fiancé loved it too, we tripled the recipe and had it through the week.
Decided as a artist not to pulse this! Red and green to me is no. So I followed the recipe and left it completely chunky. Love the texture of the spinach and cilantro and the flavor depth is nice. Since it’s for later, saving the dollap of yogurt right before serving! Looking forward to dinner
Love the extra firm tofu idea.
Amazing post with best information.
It was nice to go through your post. Thanks for sharing the recipe here. Keep up the good work.
I enjoyed making this for its techniques. It is very good!!!
Used very firm tofu and serving with mixed rice. Perfect for a cold evening.
This recipe put smile on my mom face
I come back to this recipe again and again Thanks! It’s always great
So glad to hear you’ve been enjoying this one, Lisa! 😊
Always a winner!
💯
Wow. Lindsay. You have outdone yourself with this one. I am a huge fan of Indian food and have had a lot of palek/saag paneer. I did not miss the cream one bit. I used one jalapeño with seeds and the heat was perfect. One of the best POY meals I have made. Outstanding. Will definitely make this again.
So happy to hear this, Jennifer! 🎉
I made this and it turned out amazing. I didn’t have paneer as well but the tofu worked in a pinch. I also ended up adding a bit more salt, this is a game changer for having to order Indian food takeout in our house. Many thanks for sharing. Your chocolate chip cookie recipe is also amazing!!!!
So glad you enjoyed this, Jameel!
Would you have any recommendation about how I could make this with chicken instead of paneer or tofu? There was a place by my college that made it with chicken and it was amazing but I’ve never seen it again (which probably means it’s not legit but I love it anyway). I love palak! Thank you for this!
Definitely! We’d probably cook it in a skillet first until almost totally done, and then let it simmer with everything else in that last step to finish it off!
Just made this tonight and it was great! Followed the recipe exactly except I used Icelandic yogurt instead of Greek yogurt. This recipe totally duplicates and exceeds my favorite Indian restaurant.
Such amazing this information thanks for sharing this post. This is looking so yummy thanks again.
I discovered this recipe, pinned it, and have made it 3 times in the last 4ish months. I was pretty sure I could make it by heart, but wanted to double check (I can!) and decided to read the whole post instead of just the recipe (🙈 sorry). I discovered you live in Minneapolis! I’m in St. Paul. I’m going to try and find your food photography class if it still exists? I don’t even know how old this post is haha anyway, thanks for the great recipe, perfectly funny and sweet post and the inspo to finally learn how to use my fancy camera.
This didn’t turn out quite as smooth and rich as Indian restaurant palak paneer. Any suggestions?
I know that I sometimes have to experiment with the blending of my ingredients to get just the right consistency , I also add a bit more oil and spices for taste 🙏🏻
Hi–I’m going to make this tomorrow and had a few questions:
1) can we use ground cumin instead of cumin seeds?
2)if we use fresh spinach, how much should we use?
3) is 0% fage yogurt ok, or is some fat needed?
Thank you!!
This was delicious. Didn’t have any cream or yoghurt but was still really good. This recipe is a keeper for sure.👍😀
Palak Paneer is kind of staple dish in my home. Once a week it has to be Palak Paneer. If you really want to relish, add a dollop of ghee and have with Roti (Indian Chapati) nothing beats this heavenly combination.
I have tried some of them and have to save them for future use. These homemade healthy palak paneer recipe are really helpful
Hi Lindsay,
I always love your recipes especially for heathy and low calorie options you are my go-to idea bank. Palak Paneer is one of my favorite recipes and yours is nice-ish but would love it if yours could turn out green and rich like it traditionally is supposed to be. I am linking below my Palak Paneer recipe with tips on how to preserve the green color in the curry. The white of the paneer against the dark green of the palak/ spinach sauce is the key component of this recipe. Here is my recipe: http://www.thebengalirecipe.com/index.php/vegetarian-recipes/palak-paneer-indian-recipes
Made this on the weekend and not only was it easy, but my whole family LOVED it! Totally delicious as leftovers too.
My hint is to use a hand blender in the pot it’s cooking in (instead of the food processor) to make it a bit less messy and easier than transferring.
Thank you!
Made this on the weekend and not only was it easy, but my whole family LOVED it! Totally delicious as leftovers too.
My hint is to use a hand blender in the pot it’s cooking in (instead of the food processor) to make it a bit less messy and even easier!
Thank you!
Hi
I have just had a bowl of sag paneer – heavenly. I notice you dont use Methi leaves. Please do get some. You can grind or just crumble into your dish at the end. It is wonderful and makes the dish divine. Here’s to Paneer, one of my loves. 😉 x
Super delicious! ! Butter your Nan when you eat it. We used shah jeera instead of cumin seeds…came out excellent! Thank you!
Do you think it would be a problem to substitute fresh spinach for frozen? Sorry if this was asked, I couldn’t find it in the comments!
That should work fine, Tasha!