Palak Paneer is a northern Indian dish which cooks paneer cheese in a thick sauce made of spinach, tomatoes, spices, and cream. This version is made in the Instant Pot for a quick and easy recipe.
“Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!”
Recipe Origins
This delicious Palak Paneer originated in the north of India. “Palak” is the Hindi word for Spinach and “Paneer” refers to the type of cheese in this recipe. When put together they make this spinach curry recipe!
This dish is popular among Punjabis and is a very popular choice during cold winters. It is made with simple ingredients and can be made on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
This dish is made even better by the use of fresh spinach, delicious paneer, and aromatic spices for a flavorful and enjoyable dish!
Why Make this Recipe
- “Travel” to India: I’ve never been to India, but I’ve always wanted to visit! Until then, I will need to experience Indian cuisine and culture by making Indian recipes at home. And you can too!
- Instant Pot: The Instant Pot is a great way to make this recipe quickly. Everything can be made right in the pot!
- Delicious: India took spinach sauce and cheese and made it into such a delicious and special meal! This is a fun and unique recipe to try.
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Ghee: Ghee is clarified butter that originated in India. Milk solids are removed from the butter, meaning it has less lactose. You can buy ghee at any grocery store. This article teaches you how to make ghee, but if you are making it for this recipe, do not add the spices.
- Cumin Seeds: Use whole cumin seeds in this recipe.
- Green Chili: You can get green chilies from most local Indian grocery stores.
- Spinach: I use baby spinach. If you use regular spinach, cut the stems off.
- Garam Masala: Garam Masala is a spice blend that includes cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and nutmeg. You can find it in the spice aisle at the grocery store. If you’d like to make it at home, you can follow this recipe about How to Make Garam Masala (if you like Garam Masala, also check out this Kabuli Pulao recipe!).
- Paneer: I found paneer at my local Indian market.
- Cream: I use heavy whipping cream. You can also use fresh cashew cream if you prefer.
Tools
- Instant Pot: Or any other electric pressure cooker (make sure to check out my other instant pot recipes).
- Immersion Blender: If you do not have an immersion blender, you can wait until the mixture cools a bit and then add it into a blender or food processor to achieve the same effect.
What is Paneer
Paneer is an Indian cottage cheese usually made with cow or buffalo milk. The milk is curdled with lemon juice or vinegar and then is separated from the whey. It’s then pressed and a soft cheese is formed.
Paneer doesn’t need to be aged, so you can make it at home for this recipe and consume it right away! Alternatively you can always buy paneer at the grocery store (this is what I do). Paneer doesn’t melt, so it is often served in warm Indian dishes like this.
Paneer can be purchased at Costco, Sam’s Club, or a local Indian market.
Paneer is a very popular ingredient, and Palak Paneer is only one of many dishes you can make with it! Check out this article with 30 other Paneer Side Dishes you can make with this versatile ingredient.
Avoiding Bitter Palak Paneer
Avoiding a bitter dish comes down to choosing the right spinach. Make sure your spinach is fresh. Baby spinach is more likely to avoid the bitter taste, as is the lighter green spinach!
How to Make this Recipe
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”Cd6T8rOr” upload-date=”2022-05-17T15:33:19.000Z” name=”Instant Pot Palak Paneer” description=”Palak Paneer is a northern Indian dish which cooks paneer cheese in a thick sauce made of spinach, tomatoes, spices, and cream. This version is made in the Instant Pot for a quick and easy recipe.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
Step 1: Saute the Ingredients
Turn the Instant Pot to the SAUTE mode on medium heat and add the ghee. Allow it to heat up, then add the cumin seeds. Allow the cumin seeds to toast until fragrant.
Add the red onion and green chili and saute until the onion begins to soften.
Add the ginger paste and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
Add the diced tomato and saute until the tomato turns mushy.
Add the coriander powder, red chili powder, and salt and mix. Then add the spinach into the pot along with about ½ cup of hot water.
Step 2: Pressure Cook
Put the lid on the pot and turn the pressure valve to the sealing position. Turn the pot to HIGH pressure and pressure cook for 1 minute. When the time is up, perform a quick release.
Step 3: Blend
Use an immersion blender to completely blend the contents of the pot. Add the cream at this time if desired.
Then turn the pot to SAUTE and cook for a few minutes until the mixture comes to a boil.
Add the garam masala and mix to combine, then add the fresh paneer cubes. Garnish with more heavy cream if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- The more garam masala you add, the darker your sauce will be. Overcooked spinach will also turn the sauce dark. Try to not overcook the spinach in order to achieve that lovely green color!
- Some recipes call for blanching the spinach before cooking. If you prefer this method, you can certainly do so!
- Many people like pan frying the paneer to a golden brown color before adding it into the curry. If you want a crispier paneer, try this out!
- If you are looking for a vegan palak paneer option, try using tofu instead of paneer! If you would like another healthy meal from India, this vegetarian Egg Biryani is an excellent meal.
- This is a low carb, gluten-free meal that can also be made vegan if necessary!
Recipe FAQs
When you get to the pressure cooking step of this recipe, instead of pressure cooking, put a lid on top of the pot on the stove and simmer the spinach for 3-4 minutes. Remove the lid and proceed with the recipe as normal.
This Instant Pot Palak Paneer recipe is a great choice to serve with bread of some kind. It would be delicious with roti or naan. Another great choice is to serve it with jeera rice.
The sauce of Palak Paneer is made entirely with spinach. It is a common dish in India and in Indian restaurants in other countries.
Saag Paneer, on the other hand, is not very popular in India, and is instead a product of Indian influence in other countries. In saag paneer, many types of greens are used as the base of the sauce, including mustard greens, fenugreek leaves, collard greens, radish greens, etc.
Leftover Instant Pot Palak Paneer can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. If you want to freeze leftovers, they will stay good in the freezer for about a month.
Yes, paneer will get very soft, but it is a difficult cheese to completely melt. You can heat it up in a microwave or on the stove top again before eating.
Did you enjoy this recipe for Instant Pot Palak Paneer? If so, check out these other recipes I picked out just for you!:
- Oil Down from Grenada
- Spinach Pie Recipe from Greece
- Borscht Soup from Belarus
- Saag Paneer vs Palak Paneer
Instant Pot Palak Paneer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Ghee, or vegetable Oil
- 1 ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
- ½ Red Onion, finely diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 Green chili, cut into quarters
- ½ tbsp Ginger, grated
- 1 tsp Garlic, minced
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
- ½ tsp Ground Coriander
- ⅛ – ¼ tsp Red chili powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 8 oz Spinach
- ¼ cup Fresh cream , optional; (or cashew paste)
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 8 oz Paneer, cut into ½” cubes
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE and add 2 tbsp ghee. Allow it to heat up, then add 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds. Allow the cumin seeds to toast until fragrant.
- Add ½ a red onion, diced and chop up the green chili and saute until the onion begins to soften.
- Add ½ tbsp ginger paste and ½ tsp garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the diced tomato and saute until the tomato turns mushy.
- Add ½ tsp coriander, ⅛-1/4 tsp red chili powder, and ½ tsp salt and mix. Then add 8 oz spinach into the pot along with about ½ cup water.
- Put the lid on the pot and seal the pressure valve. Turn the pot to HIGH and pressure cook for 1 minute. When the time is up, perform a quick release.
- Use an immersion blender to completely blend the contents of the pot. Add ¼ cup cream at this time if desired.
- Then turn the pot to SAUTE and cook for a few minutes until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Add 1 tsp garam masala and mix to combine, then add 8 oz paneer cubes. You can add a splash of water if you think your sauce needs to be thinner (I added a few tablespoons). Garnish with more cream if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Ghee: Ghee is clarified butter that originated in India. Milk solids are removed from the butter, meaning it has less lactose. You can buy ghee at any grocery store. This article teaches you how to make ghee, but if you are making it for this recipe, do not add the spices.
- Cumin Seeds: Use whole cumin seeds in this recipe.
- Green Chili: You can get green chilies from most local Indian grocery stores.
- Spinach: I use baby spinach. If you use regular spinach, cut the stems off.
- Garam Masala: Garam Masala is a spice blend that includes cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and nutmeg. You can find it in the spice aisle at the grocery store. If you’d like to make it at home, you can follow this recipe about How to Make Garam Masala (if you like Garam Masala, also check out this Kabuli Pulao recipe!).
- Paneer: I found paneer at my local Indian market.
- Cream: I use heavy whipping cream. You can also use fresh cashew cream if you prefer.
- The more garam masala you add, the darker your sauce will be. Overcooked spinach will also turn the sauce dark. Try to not overcook the spinach in order to achieve that lovely green color!
- Some recipes call for blanching the spinach before cooking. If you prefer this method, you can certainly do so!
- Many people like pan frying the paneer to a golden brown color before adding it into the curry. If you want a crispier paneer, try this out!
- If you are looking for a vegan palak paneer option, try using tofu instead of paneer!
- This is a low carb, gluten-free meal that can also be made vegan if necessary!
Leave a Reply