Looking for easy to make yet delicious restaurant style palak paneer recipe? I bet your search ends here. This is the BEST Punjabi palak paneer recipe I have ever made.
Palak paneer is served best with naan or jeera rice or plain basmati rice with a side of Indian onion salad (laccha pyaaz)
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❤️About This Recipe
Palak paneer is a popular dish from North India (Punjab). Here soft paneer (Indian cottage cheese) cubes are simmered into smooth, creamy, medium spicy, vibrant green spinach gravy.
This tastes exactly restaurant style Palak paneer. If you are one of them who thinks that any spinach dish is bland and tasteless, then I bet you haven’t tried this recipe. Try it once, I am sure you will love it.
NOTE: this palak paneer recipe was first posted in 2012 (in the first month of my blogging journey). Over the years, I have modified the recipe slightly to make it easy, yet taste super delicious. Trust me, this latest version is too good.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Here is the pic of the ingredients used in making this restaurant style palak paneer. Please check out a few notes after this image.
Paneer: you can use a store-bought one or homemade paneer. Here in the USA, I had a good experience with Nanak malai paneer which is easily available in Indian grocery stores. But recently looks like they’ve changed their recipe/method, I find that brand paneer a little chewy. I have also tried gopi, haldiram and Brar paneer (while I was in Canada). All were good in quality.
Palak (Spinach): It is hard to find Indian-style desi spinach leaves here in the USA. So I mostly use the baby spinach or sometimes I get regular spinach here in Costco. If you are using desi palak then do not use the stalk (stems, dandiya) which makes the gravy bitter and tastes metallic.
Green chilies: This is the only ingredient that provides the spicy taste and heat to the dish. So use accordingly. if you like spicy add more. If you want a mild dish then use fewer chilies.
Cashew nuts: It provides a rich and creamy flavor to the gravy.
Heavy whipping cream: Traditionally the malai is used. But the whipping cream is the closest one. This gives the smooth and creamy texture the gravy.
🎥Watch The Recipe Video
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Making Onion Puree:
1) Take onion gravy ingredients (onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies, cashews, salt and water) in a saucepan and turn the heat on medium.
2) Let it cook for 15 minutes or until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
3) Let the mixture cool down slightly and then transfer to the blender jar along with its cooking water.
4) Blend into a smooth puree.
5) Pour the puree into a bowl and keep it aside. We’ll use the same blender jar to make spinach puree.
Blanching Spinach And Making Puree:
1) Bring 5 cups of water to a rolling boil. Keep this pot on another stove while onions are cooking as water takes time to get to a boil. Add spinach leaves and push the leaves in the water using a spatula.
2) Let it cook for exactly 4 minutes.
3) With the help of a pair of tongs takes all the leaves out.
4) And add into the ice-cold water immediately to stop the cooking process. This ensures the spinach keeps the bright green color intact.
5) Now drain the cold water and take spinach to the blender jar.
6) Blend into a smooth puree.
Making Palak Paneer:
1) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add tomatoes.
2) Cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. With the back of the spatula mash the tomatoes.
3) Add prepared onion puree.
4) Mix and simmer for 2-3 minutes only. Do not brown the gravy.
5) Add remaining salt, black salt, garam masala and crushed kasoori methi.
6) Mix well.
7) Add prepared spinach puree.
8) Mix well, adjust the gravy consistency by adding water (if needed) and let it simmer for 2 minutes only. Do not cook for longer otherwise, the gravy will lose its green color.
9) Add paneer and heavy cream.
10) Mix well and let the gravy come to a simmer and turn off the stove right away. Palak paneer is ready to serve.
🍽 Serving Ideas
- Serve palak paneer with any Indian bread (e.g. paratha, tandoori roti, naan, garlic naan)
- OR it can be served with jeera rice or plain basmati rice.
- A side of laccha pyaaz and a glass of chaas or salted lassi will complete the meal.
💭Expert Tips To Keep Gravy Vibrant Green
- To keep the green color intact, spinach must be blanched using the RIGHT method. Please follow the exact time and method shown.
- Do not add any spice powders like turmeric, red chili powder. Those can alter the green color.
- Do not simmer the gravy for a longer period of time, especially once the blanched, pureed spinach is added.
- Do not add more tomatoes than the mentioned amount.
- Do not brown the onion paste. Just saute for a couple of minutes only.
🥣 Storage Instructions
In the refrigerator, palak paneer can be stored for 2 days in an airtight container.
In the freezer, it stays good for up to 2-3 months. I like to freeze the gravy only in silicone cupcake molds. So using this spinach gravy I can make many other curries. E.g. add boiled potatoes for aloo palak, boiled chickpeas for palak chole. You can add sauteed mushroom or mixed vegetables too.
thaw on the counter or in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or stovetop.
FAQs
I have already shared the instant pot palak paneer recipe. Check it out, it is quick and very easy to make.
To make it vegan substitute the paneer with extra firm tofu. Skip the addition of cream. And increase the amount of cashews by ½ cup, so it compensates for the creaminess of the cream.
Check Out Other Restaurant Style Paneer Recipes
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review.
📋 Recipe Card
Palak Paneer Recipe (Restaurant-Style)
Ingredients
For Onion Puree:
- 1 cup Red onion chopped
- ½ inch Ginger chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic chopped
- 2-4 Green chilies chopped
- ¼ cup Cashew nuts
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 cup Water
For Spinach Puree:
- 5 cups Water
- 6 cups Spinach (Palak)
For Palak Paneer:
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- ¼ cup Tomatoes finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black salt (Kala namak)
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kasoori methi (Dried fenugreek leaves) crush between your palm before adding
- 7 oz (200 grams) Paneer cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons Heavy whipping cream or fresh cream or malai
Instructions
Making Onion Puree:
- Take onion gravy ingredients (onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies, cashews, salt and water) in a saucepan and turn the heat on medium.
- Let it cook for 15 minutes or until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
- Let the mixture cool down slightly and then transfer to the blender jar along with its cooking water. Blend into a smooth puree.
- Pour the puree into a bowl and keep it aside. We’ll use the same blender jar to make spinach puree.
Blanching Spinach And Making Puree:
- Bring 5 cups of water to a rolling boil. Keep this pot on another stove while onions are cooking as water takes time to get to a boil. Add spinach leaves and push the leaves in the water using a spatula.
- Let it cook for exactly 4 minutes.
- With the help of a pair of tongs take all the leaves out and add them into the ice-cold water immediately to stop the cooking process.
- Now drain the cold water and take spinach to the blender jar. Blend into a smooth puree.
Making Curry:
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add tomatoes.
- Cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. With the back of the spatula mash the tomatoes.
- Add prepared onion puree. Mix and simmer for 2-3 minutes only. Do not brown the gravy.
- Add remaining salt, black salt, garam masala and crushed kasoori methi. Mix well.
- Add prepared spinach puree. Mix well, adjust the gravy consistency by adding water (if needed) and let it simmer for 2 minutes only. Do not cook for longer otherwise, the gravy will lose its green color.
- Add paneer and heavy cream.
- Mix well and let the gravy come to a simmer and turn off the stove right away.
Notes
- To keep the green color intact, spinach must be blanched using the RIGHT method. Please follow the exact time and method shown.
- Do not add any spice powders like turmeric, red chili powder. Those can alter the green color.
- Do not simmer the gravy for a longer period of time, especially once the blanched, pureed spinach is added.
- Do not add more tomatoes than the mentioned amount.
- Do not brown the onion paste. Just saute for a couple of minutes only.
Paul Webb
Wonderful recipe. I doubled the recipe using two pounds of pre-washed baby spinach. I only used five green chilies and that was hot enough for me. I will cut back a bit on the water used for the onions etc to perhaps 3/4 cups (1.5 cups if recipe is doubled). I would up the garlic, ginger, garam masala, and fenugreek leaves a bit to suit my tastes. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful recipe!
Kanan Patel
Thank you for detailed feedback.
Glad that you liked this recipe.