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Palak Paneer – Indian Creamed Spinach with Paneer

Palak paneer is a spinach curry with cubes of paneer, a firm Indian fresh cheese. Paneer does not melt when fried and soaks up the spices of the sauce. You blanch the spinach briefly, shock it in ice water, and puree it. That keeps the sauce bright green.

By Laura Chen · October 27, 2026
Palak Paneer (KI-generiertes Bild)
40 Mintotal
4servings
330kcal
IndianCuisine ›
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You can buy paneer at an Asian grocery store and in the refrigerated section of many supermarkets. You can also make it yourself: bring milk to a boil, curdle it with lemon juice, strain, and press. 2 l of whole milk gives you about 250 g, exactly the amount for this recipe.

Serve the spinach curry with pan-fried naan or rice. A Dal Tadka makes the meal a complete vegetarian one, and meat eaters can add Butter Chicken.

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Palak Paneer – Indian Creamed Spinach with Paneer

Laura Chen
Servings

4

Prep time

15 minutes

Cook time

25 minutes

Calories

330

Cuisine

Indian

Category

Main course

Palak paneer is a vegetarian Indian curry of pureed spinach and pan-fried paneer. Onion, tomato, ginger, and garam masala season the green sauce, and a splash of cream rounds it out. It takes 40 minutes and serves 4.
Palak paneer (AI-generated image)

Ingredients

  • 500 g fresh spinach leaves or 450 g frozen leaf spinach
  • 250 g paneer (Indian fresh cheese), cut into 2 cm cubes
  • 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 1 piece ginger (2 cm), finely grated
  • 1 green chili, finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes (200 g), diced
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (mild red chili powder)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 100 ml water
  • 1 tsp garam masala (Indian spice blend)
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 50 ml heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and set out a bowl of ice water. Blanch the fresh spinach for 1 minute, until it wilts, and shock it right away in the ice water. If you use frozen spinach, just thaw it.
  2. Squeeze out the spinach and puree it with 3 tbsp water into a smooth paste.
  3. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a nonstick pan and fry the paneer over medium heat for 4 minutes, until golden all over. Put it in a bowl of warm water to keep it soft.
  4. Heat the remaining ghee in a pot and toast the cumin for 30 seconds. Fry the onion for 6 minutes, until golden.
  5. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, and salt and cook everything for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes break down.
  6. Stir in the spinach puree and the water and simmer the sauce gently for 3 minutes. Simmering longer turns it grayish green.
  7. Drain the paneer and add it to the sauce with the garam masala, crumbled kasuri methi, and cream. Warm everything for 2 minutes and adjust the salt.

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More recipes: Indian Recipes · Curry Recipes · All Asian Recipes

Image: AI-generated.

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