The DailyWhisk

Palak Paneer

Palak paneer with vibrant green spinach gravy and cream swirl in a bowl
Palak Paneer — photographed fresh from our test kitchen.
  • Prep time15 mins
  • Cook time25 mins
  • Servings4
  • DifficultyEasy
  • CategoryDesi

The secret to restaurant-green palak paneer is blanching: 2 minutes in boiling water, then straight into ice water. That locks the chlorophyll before the spinach ever meets the pan, so the gravy stays emerald instead of turning swampy. Paneer gets a quick sear first for a golden crust that survives the simmer. A knob of butter and a splash of cream at the end round the earthiness into luxury.

Ingredients

  • 500 g (1.1 lb) fresh spinach, washed
  • 250 g (9 oz) paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 green chilies
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream, plus more to swirl
  • 1 tbsp butter, to finish

Method

  1. Blanch the spinach in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and plunge immediately into ice water. Squeeze dry and blend with the green chilies into a smooth puree.
  2. Heat the oil in a pan and sear the paneer cubes until golden on two sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and soak in warm salted water (this keeps them soft).
  3. In the same pan, melt the butter, crackle the cumin seeds, then sauté the onion until golden, 8 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook 2 minutes.
  4. Add coriander powder, garam masala and salt, then pour in the spinach puree. Simmer 5 minutes — do not overcook, or the green dulls.
  5. Drain the paneer, fold it into the gravy with the cream and final butter. Simmer 3 minutes.
  6. Serve with a cream swirl, alongside naan or jeera rice.

Tips for success

  • Ice bath is mandatory — skipping it is why homemade palak turns dark.
  • Soaking seared paneer in warm water keeps it pillowy instead of rubbery.
  • Blend the spinach with the chilies, not water, for the thickest gravy.

Watch video tutorial

Prefer to watch it being made? This from Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana walkthrough covers the same palak paneer step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.

Watch on YouTube