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5 from 12 votes

Best Garlicky Palak Paneer (Saag Paneer)

My garlicky palak paneer recipe is a family favorite! Palak Paneer or Saag Paneer as it’s called in some Indian restaurants is an Indian creamed spinach recipe with chunks of pan-fried Indian cottage cheese (paneer.) It’s the perfect vegetarian dish and it’s so good served over basmati rice or with naan!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Additional Time5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Vegetarian
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 378kcal
Author: Marzia

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ pound spinach 20 ounces, see notes
  • 1 (8-ounce) paneer cut into small cubes
  • 4 tablespoons ghee or oil
  • ½ medium yellow onion finely chopped
  • 1-2 serrano pepper seeded and minced (use less for less heat, more for more)
  • 8-10 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped, use more if you like more, less if you don’t
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
  • ¾ cup whole milk or 2% works too
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1-2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves optional

Instructions

  • SPINACH: Fill a large stockpot (or saucepan) with water, when boiling, salt the water with a big pinch of salt. Add the spinach to the water and blanch for 1 minute and immediately drain and plunge the spinach into a cold ice water bath. When cooled, drain the spinach and press out as much water as you can. You want the spinach to be pretty dry; set aside for now.
  • PANEER: Cut the paneer into small cubes. Add 1 tablespoon of butter (or ghee) to a large skillet placed over medium heat. When hot, add half of the paneer pieces and pan-fry, flipping as needed, until it turns golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remember the paneer just needs to heat through and brown on the outside a bit. Remove to a plate, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
  • PALAK PANEER: Once the spinach is cooled, add the remaining 3 tbsp of ghee to a hot pan and sauté the onions and serrano over medium heat for 9-11 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Then add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring for about 1-2 minutes. Add the dill, blanched spinach, and milk and bring to a boil. When boiling, remove from heat, add this mixture to a blender (blend in batches if needed.) Then put it back in the same pot. Turn the stove on to medium heat and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne (if using). Allow it to heat through. Drizzle with cream and stir to combine, allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes. If the puree is too watery, allow it to cook for slightly longer. It shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. When it thickens a bit, taste and adjust with salt as needed. Add the paneer, crush the fenugreek leaves between your fingers and add them to the palak paneer. Taste and adjust with more fenugreek is desired. Serve with warm basmati rice or with my homemade naan.

Notes

    • For this recipe, you can use baby spinach or regular spinach.
    • To make saag paneer, you would use a combination of spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, and even kale.

Nutrition

Serving: 5g | Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 34g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g
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