Instant Pot Palak Paneer is one of the most popular Punjabi dishes. As Spinach has a very bland flavor, the spices used in the Palak Paneer turn it amazingly yummy. It is made by combining boiled spinach with onion-tomato masala, paneer, and spices.
Palak Paneer or any other Spinach dish (Saag, Palak Corns, Palak Aloo, etc.) are very popular during cold weather in India. It is often served with Makki ki Roti.
Earlier, while making Palak Paneer, I used to boil Spinach first and then grind it coarsely. Then, I used to add that boiled & pureed spinach in the onion-tomato masala, But with Instant Pot, making Palak Paneer is so much easier as I can do everything in one pot and in half of the time.
The post contains Helpful Tips & Tricks to make Palak Paneer. But if you're in a hurry, you can also click "Jump to Recipe' under the Heading to go directly to the Recipe Card or click Recipe Card from the Table of Contents below.
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⭐WHAT IS PANEER?
Paneer is Indian Cottage Cheese made by curdling milk by adding either lemon juice or vinegar. It is made fresh and cannot be aged. Instead, this unsalted variety of Indian cheese is pressed to remove all the liquid from the curdled solids and then later shaped. Paneer can not be melted, and hence it is used in many Indian curries, rice, sides, etc.
How to Store Paneer:
You can use Homemade Paneer, or you can also buy the Paneer from the stores. Store-bought Paneer is frozen and stays good for a longer time. You can store homemade paneer in the refrigerator for 10-15 days. And for longer use, store in the freezer.
Where to get Paneer From:
Paneer is easily available in most stores like Costco, WholeFoods, Indian stores, etc. However, my favorite is Haldiram's Paneer, which I get from Patel Brothers (Indian Store). It is fresh, soft, creamy, unlike other paneer varieties.
💭WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAAG PANEER AND PALAK PANEER
There is just one difference between saag paneer and palak paneer. Palak Paneer is made just with spinach, aka. Palak. And hence the name Palak Paneer. While Saag Paneer/ Saag is made by combining different greens (spinach, mustard green, bathua, red spinach, etc.).
Saag or Palak recipes are made during cold weather in India, as these greens are easily available there during that time. However, not all greens are available everywhere. So I try to add the greens that I can find here. I usually use Mustard Green & Spinach and sometimes Collard Greens. Though adding collard greens makes saag a little bitter.
🥘INGREDIENTS
- SPINACH: Palak Paneer is incomplete without spinach. I have used fresh baby spinach. You can use loose leaf spinach or can also use frozen spinach bags.
- PANEER: You can use Paneer or Tofu in the recipe. For a better flavor, grill or fry the pieces before adding in the recipe.
- TADKA: The base of all Indian dishes is onion-tomato masala. You can first make the masala in the pot. Or if you have frozen masala, you can use it as well. I prefer making masala fresh as it only takes 5-7 minutes of my time and also tastes so much better.
- GINGER-GARLIC: Any spinach based recipe requires lots of ginger & garlic to the recipe.
- GHEE/OIL: As I have mentioned earlier, spinach dishes are incomplete without ghee. Add a generous amount of ghee in the Palak Paneer or Vegan Butter for a vegan option.
🔪HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT PALAK PANEER
For the full recipe, check the recipe card below but you refer here for step-by-step photo instructions.
- Make either the fresh Tadka or use the frozen/ refrigerated one. For making tadka first, fry onions. In generous amount of oil, saute onion until they start to change the color.
- Then add tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes or until they turn soft & mushy.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and spices to it. Cook for 1-2 minutes until masala/tadka is ready.
- Then add fresh/ frozen spinach leaves with a little bit of water and boil them. It doesn't require a lot of water as spinach has a lot of water content in it, so when spinach is boiled it leaves water too.
- Once the spinach is boiled, the next step is to grind it. Remember to blend it coarsely and not smooth like a paste. Otherwise, it will turn like a soup and we don't want that.
- Then add Paneer cubes in the pot. You can first grill/air-fry or fry them before adding. This will add a nice flavor. You can also add Tofu in the recipe.
- You can also add tempering by frying garlic in oil with cumin seeds, and Kashmirri Red Chili Powder.
- Last and final step is to add ghee (Clarified Butter) in Palak Paneer just before serving).
📖 VARIATIONS
- TOFU PALAK PANEER: You can make Tofu Palak Paneer, if you are looking for vegan option. Grill the tofu pieces before adding in the curry.
- PALAK CORNS OR PALAK ALOO: You can also add potatoes(aloo) or sweet corns in the recipes instead of paneer.
- SAAG: You can make Saag Paneer by adding different combination of greens.
STOVE-TOP PALAK PANEER
Stove-top Palak Paneer is a 3-step process. In the first step, spinach leaves are boiled and pureed. In Step 2, the masala (or tadka) is prepared. Then the boiled and pureed spinach is added to that masala. Lastly, Paneer is added.
This is the authentic way that is used in India. I also used to make my Palak Paneer in the same way. However, now I personally prefer my Instant Pot version.
💭TOP TIPS
- I usually boil Spinach and Green Lentils together. Adding green Lentils makes the recipe healthier and also gives a taste similar to Saag.
- I also add roasted gram flour to the recipe, this helps in the texture. Roasted Gram Flour will thicken the curry, if the curry is too watery. Or you can add Almond Flour if you don't want to roast gram flour. Both are healthy options.
- You can add Tofu or Paneer in the recipe. But I'll recommend before adding them, either grill the pieces or shallow-fry them. I usually use Air Fryer to grill them. It takes about 5-8 minutes and you'll get a nice golden color.
- I don't add any cream to the dish. The Palak Paneer tastes great even without cream and has fewer calories.
- In India, Saag or any other spinach dish is not considered complete unless there's desi ghee in it. Ghee enhances the flavor of the dish and makes it yummier. But if you want the recipe to be Vegan, don't add it or add vegan Butter.
WHAT TO SERVE IT WITH?
Serve Instant Pot Palak Paneer with Indian Chapatti (Roti), Naan, or steamed rice. Everything goes well with this spinach-based curry.
STORAGE
If you have some leftover Palak Paneer, you can store it in a refrigerator or a freezer. You can store some leftover Palak Paneer in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. And in the freezer for up to 1-2 months. When re-using, just warm it or boil in a microwave or stove-top and eat it with rice or naan.
🧾FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Although Palak Paneer recipe is a Vegetarian dish, Paneer is a milk product. So to make the dish Vegan, you can add Tofu instead of Paneer. It will taste pretty much the same. Before adding Tofu to the recipe, squeeze most of the water of the Tofu out by pressing it for a few minutes with some heavy utensils. And then grill or air fry them.
Indian Spinach dishes are incompleted without Ghee (Clarified Butter). I add 1-2 tablespoon of Ghee in Palak Paneer. So to make the dish vegan, you can avoid it. You can add any Vegan Butter to get that flavor in your dish or coconut oil.
Spinach has a little bitter taste, so the curry might turn bitter sometimes. Always use fresh spinach leaves and add cream (if needed to avoid the bitter taste). Adding cream can cut the bitter flavor.
There are a few ways to use leftover Palak Paneer:
1. Make Parantha: Make the dough by combining leftover palak paneer with flour. Then, make parantha with the dough and serve with yogurt.
2. Sandwich: Dry the Palak Paneer curry and use it as a stuffing in the sandwich.
3. Cutlets: Make cutlets by adding boiled potatoes with leftover palak paneer. Shape them in cutlets and fry them. Serve these cutlets with ketchup and green chutney.
Yes, you can use frozen spinach for Instant Pot Palak Paneer.
Yes, it is gluten-free.
Spinach is filled with so many benefits and Paneer is considered protein-rich. So if you use less oil, it is healthy and helps in weight loss.
If the curry of Palak Paneer is too watery, then you can use roasted gram flour. First, roast the gram flour in a separate pan until you can smell its aroma by stirring continuously. Then add it to the curry to make it thick. Or you can also use almond flour, cream, etc.
🥗OTHER PANEER RECIPES
- SHAHI PANEER
- KADAI PANEER
- ACHARI PANEER
- PANEER TIKKA
- NAVRATNA KORMA
- BUTTER PANEER MASALA
- MATAR PANEER
- HOMEMADE PANEER
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Instant Pot Palak Paneer
Ingredients
- 1 pound Spinach
- ¼ cup Green Lentils rinsed (optional)
- ½ cup Water (or as needed)
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 medium Onion chopped
- 2 Tomatoes chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ginger- Garlic Paste
- Red Chili Powder
- ½ tablespoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
- Salt
- 1 cup Paneer/ Tofu cut in small pieces
- 1 teaspoon Ghee or Oil
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- 4-5 cloves Garlic sliced
Equipment
Method
- Press Saute and add oil to the Instant Pot. When the oil is hot, add onions to it and cook for 2-3 minutes. When onions start to change color, add tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- When tomatoes turn mushy and oil starts to separate, then add Ginger-Garlic Paste and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add all the spices (Garam Masala Powder, Red Chili Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander powder, and Salt) and cook for another minute.
- Add spinach (fresh/frozen) with water and close the lid. Cancel Saute and pressure cook for 3 minutes with the vent in the sealing position. When the timer beeps, then Quick Release by turning the vent to the venting position. (Note: You can also add green lentils at this time).
- When the pressure is released and the valve goes down, open the lid. Using Immersion Blender, grind everything coarsely. (Note: If it is too watery, you add roasted gram flour or almond flour).
- Adjust the spices and add Paneer/Tofu to the curry. If you like, you can also Air-Fry or Shallow Fry the pieces before adding. Air Fry at 400°F for 5-8 minutes in your air-fryer.
- Tempering: In a pan, add oil. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds and garlic. When the garlic starts to turn golden, then add Kashmiri Red Chili Powder.
- Drizzle the tempering over the Palak Paneer and serve with Naan or Rice.
- Pressure Cook Spinach Leaves: Add spinach leaves with water in the pressure cooker and close the lid. Pressure cook at medium heat for 2 whistles. Or pressure cook in an Instant Pot for 2 minutes. When pressure is released and is safe, then open the lid. Grind spinach coarsely using an Immersion Blender and keep it aside.
- Add oil in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, add onions to it and cook for 2-3 minutes. When they start to change color, then add tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- When the tomatoes turn mushy and oil starts to separate, then add Ginger-Garlic Paste and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add all the spices (Garam Masala Powder, Red Chili Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander powder, and Salt) and cook for another minute.
- Then add pureed spinach in the skillet and cook till you get desired consistency. you can add gram flour or almond flour to make curry creamy.
- Adjust the spices and add Paneer/Tofu to the curry. If you like you can also Air-Fry or Shallow Fry the pieces before adding. Air Fry at 400°F for 5-8 minutes in your air-fryer.
- Tempering: In a pan, add oil. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds and garlic. When the garlic starts to turn golden, then add Kashmiri Red Chili Powder.
- Drizzle the tempering over the Palak Paneer and serve with Nann or Rice.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- I usually boil Spinach and Green Lentils together. Adding green Lentils makes the recipe healthier and also gives a taste similar to Saag.
- I also add roasted gram flour to the recipe, this helps in the texture. Roasted Gram Flour will thicken the curry if the curry is too watery. Or you can add Almond Flour if you don't want to roast gram flour. Both are healthy options.
- You can add Tofu or Paneer to the recipe. But I'll recommend before adding them, either grill the pieces or shallow-fry them. I usually use Air Fryer to grill them. It takes about 5-8 minutes and you'll get a nice golden color.
- I don't add any cream to the dish. The Palak Paneer tastes great even without cream and has fewer calories.
- In India, Saag or any other spinach dish is not considered complete unless there's desi ghee in it. Ghee enhances the flavor of the dish and makes it yummier. But if you want the recipe to be Vegan, don't add it or add vegan Butter.
Emma says
Hey. What does “1 Spinach” mean? How much spinach should I use?!
SunGari says
1 pound of spinach
Sue says
How much red chili powder?
SunGari says
As per taste. If you don't like spicy food, then I would recommend not more than 1/4 tsp.