Palak paneer is a traditional Indian recipe made with cubes of paneer (a type of cheese) gently simmered in a creamy spinach sauce made fragrant with spices. We’ve added chickpeas here to help bulk out the meal. Also, palak paneer freezes well, so this recipe was created with leftovers in mind! The full recipe serves 8, so only dish out as much as you need, and freeze the rest.
Looking for more vegetarian curry recipes?
Ingredients
Method
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add ginger, garlic, coriander roots and stems, and half the green chilli; cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add spinach; cook for 1 minute or until just wilted.
Transfer spinach mixture to a food processor with coriander leaves; pulse until chopped coarsely.
Heat remaining oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add paneer; cook, turning, for 2 minutes. Add spices; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Return spinach mixture to pan with chickpeas; stir until warmed through. Remove pan from heat; stir in yoghurt until combined.
Serve half the palak paneer topped with remaining chilli, and lemon wedges.
What to serve with palak paneer
Serve with steamed brown basmati rice, broccoli ‘rice’ or basmati pilaf, if you like.
Can I freeze the curry?
Yes, you can freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer remaining palak paneer to an airtight container; cool, then store. To defrost, thaw in the fridge, then reheat in a microwave.
Alternatively, palak paneer will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More paneer curries
For more recipes with paneer, try our chickpea, paneer and vegetable curry. If you have a slow cooker, try this chickpea, spinach and paneer rogan josh.
Then, for something different, give these spiced paneer and eggplant fritters a go! Served with a coconut mint chutney.
