Make your own Indian food with this Easy Homemade Saag Paneer – plus substitutions if you have difficulty finding paneer (and tips to make your own!).
We are big Indian food lovers in our house – and especially my 8-year-old, whose favorite food in the world is tandoori chicken. While I’m still working on a good homemade tandoori recipe, I’ve already shared our favorite homemade chicken tikka masala recipe.
And because we’re big believers in vegetables with every meal (delicious and nutritious!), this easy homemade saag paneer is almost always paired on the side. Gluten-free and vegetarian, too!
This is probably one of my favorite things to make for dinner. The combination of spinach, cheese, and spices is perfect, it comes together quickly, and is quite filling.
You can actually use any leafy greens here – we use kale, mustard greens, or whatever else we have on hand. Spinach is easy because you can buy it frozen or fresh. (If you use spinach, technically this becomes palak paneer!)
The only challenging part is sometimes finding paneer – our grocery store doesn’t even carry it. Good thing I have some tips and tricks for you – the best substitute to use, and even the super easy steps to making your own homemade paneer!
While there are dozens of versions of saag paneer, each using slightly different spice mixtures, I like this one because these are all spices I already keep stocked in my pantry. The ingredient list for this might seem a little long, but I promise it comes together quickly and it’s well worth it!
First, we’ll sear the paneer. For this we need:
To make the greens, we’ll need:
If your local grocery store doesn’t carry paneer, it’s quite easy to make your own. If I have the time, this is always my first choice!
I have a whole post on making easy homemade paneer! In short, you’ll want to simmer a half gallon of milk at 200 °F. Once foamy, remove the milk from the heat and add 1/4 cup vinegar.
Cover the pot and let it sit until clumpy curds form. Strain through a fine mesh cloth and squeeze out all the excess liquid. Collect the curds, press them into a square, and set them under a heavy plate to press out additional moisture.
The post linked above has all the step-by-step instructions for foolproof homemade paneer!
Unfortunately, making paneer moves this from a “really quick weeknight option” into a “need a little more time” dinner, since I prefer to press the paneer for a few hours to get a firmer texture.
Of course, you can buy paneer, but as I said above, I often find my grocery store does not have it available.
So to speed things up, I’ll share a tip that was once shared with me by an Indian friend: use queso blanco instead.
I’ve never had a problem finding queso blanco at a typical big-box supermarket, and the process to make queso blanco is quite similar to paneer (though it is more heavily salted, so I typically don’t add salt to the spice mix with the paneer if I’m subbing in queso blanco).
Just like paneer, queso blanco doesn’t melt, which allows us to sautee it until crispy. Why don’t these cheeses melt? It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!
Kitchen Chemistry
To make paneer, acid and heat curdle the milk, which drastically changes the casein proteins in the milk. The acid breaks down the calcium holding the casein proteins together, eliminating the negative electrical charges of the protein. Proteins are then ample to clump together and will continue to stay connected, even when heated.
See the above sections for instructions on how to make homemade paneer, or use queso blanco as a direct substitute.
Yes! Saag refers to ‘leafy greens’ whereas palak paneer indicates just spinach. You can use kale, swiss chard, or other leafy greens in this recipe.
The addition of cayenne pepper does give the paneer a little kick, but it is not overwhelmingly spicy when mixed in with the spinach. If you are spice-averse, halve or leave out the cayenne pepper.
Saag paneer is gluten-free and vegetarian.
We like to serve this with chicken tikka masala, Indian spiced lentils, or eggplant curry with coconut milk, and of course a side of homemade garlic naan!
To freeze saag paneer, cool it completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the container in the refrigerator for several hours, then heat in a saucepan over medium-low, or thaw directly from frozen in the microwave using the defrost setting.
Make your own Indian food with this easy homemade saag paneer – plus substitutions if you have difficulty finding paneer.
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This recipe was originally posted in March 2015 and updated with new pictures and helpful tips in January 2023.