Oct 27, 2022, Updated Mar 10, 2024
What is Saag Paneer?
Saag Paneer is a healthy vegetarian curry from Northern India that literally translates to mean “Greens-Cheese”. “Saag” refers to the greens in Hindi and “paneer” refers to the Indian cheese used in the dish. It is a bright, fresh and quick-cooking recipe (compared to many curries that are slowly simmered for hours) and I guarantee you’ve never seen three small children inhale spinach so fast. The spinach and greens are cooked with a blend of onions and aromatics, including ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, and garam masala, and is then blended into a smooth puree. Cubed paneer is added to the spinach puree, where it absorbs the flavors of the spices and becomes tender and creamy. I know you’ll love this recipe as much as my family. It was even featured by the Toronto Star in “Dishes That Kids Will Ask For Again and Again“.
Gather Your Ingredients
Before we start making mouthwatering saag paneer, let’s gather all the yummy ingredients you need. Get your apron on and let’s do this!
Leafy Greens: you can use fresh or frozen spinach leaves (just pour boiling water over the frozen kind to make it ready to go) and/or a mix with kale, Swiss chard, the tops from a bunch of beets, or mustard greens (aka mustard leaves, found wherever you buy indian groceries). Ghee: if you’re not familiar with it, ghee is just butterfat. Butter is actually made up of about 20% water plus milk solids. To make ghee, butter is boiled and the milk solids are removed, leaving a toasty, delicious golden oil. Grab it at an Indian grocery store or many north-american shops. Otherwise you can substitute butter or your favourite cooking oil. Onions: as with many indian curries, the onions in saag paneer are cooked down to golden and ultra soft. This serves as the naturally-sweet counterpoint of a spiced dish. Fenugreek: this seed, also called methi, is only spice ingredient that warrants explaining. It has a distinct, pungent flavour that is a big component of British and North American “curry powder”. So if you can’t find fenugreek, use the curry powder (different from garam masala) you can get at any North American grocery store. You could alternatively add a handful of fresh fenugreek leaves with the greens. Cubed paneer: which you can get in the fancy cheese section of any grocery store these days, but see above for substitutions. Cream: full-fat yogurt or sour cream are acceptable stand-ins, this provides a subtle creaminess to balance a veg-forward flavour. Lemon juice: hits the final flavour point of the spicy-sweet-tangy triangle that makes this dish so irresistible. Ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and turmeric: all straightforward flavour-building pantry staples. (I freeze ginger and minced garlic so it’s always ready to go!)
Vegan Variation:
Tofu: Swap in tofu for the paneer. Oil: Use in place of ghee or butter. Coconut milk or cashew cream: use instead of yogurt or cream.
How to Serve Saag Paneer
This is an easy and delicious, cozy and healthy lunch or dinner. You can garnish it with fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), limes, microgreens, or thinly-sliced serrano chile if you like. Interestingly, paneer is made exactly like ricotta, just strained of more liquid until firm. Strain it in cheesecloth or a clean dish towel to remove excess moisture and ricotta easily stand in for paneer. Halloumi or feta also make good excellent swaps for paneer. For either, start with half the quantity (they’re heavier and saltier, so you’ll want a higher greens-to-cheese ratio). To use feta, just nestle it on top of the finished dish and cover pan to warm through. That’s it! By following these simple steps, you’ll have a delicious and comforting saag paneer ready to enjoy. You need to resist the urge to toss everything in together at the same time – the magic happens in stepwise fashion.
How to Add Extra Flavor to the Paneer
To boost the flavor of paneer in your recipe, you have a few options:
Marinate it: here’s how to marinate paneer for a maximum flavor boost. Pan-fry it: give it a quick sear on all sides over medium-high heat and you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful golden crust and extra flavor.
Indian Flatbreads: naan, paratha, roti or chapati are great accompaniments. You could use regular, whole wheat or gluten-free wraps as a stand-in for homemade flatbreads if you like. Rice: I’m obsessed with my Indian Mother-in-Law’s foolproof basmati rice recipe. It makes fluffy rice perfectly every time without measuring. Salad: You could add a simple salad of tomato and onion dressed with lemon and olive oil. The tomatoes and citrus add vitamin C which helps the body to absorb more iron from the naturally-iron-rich greens. For a bigger meal, add an Indian Cucumber Yogurt Salad on the side. Just skimming through? Here are some quick answers to the commonly-asked questions. Adarsh’s Other Favorite Vegetarian Indian Recipes: Don’t miss my delicious restaurant-style Palak Paneer recipe. Then check out some of Adarsh’s other favorite vegetarian dishes:
Butter Paneer and Malai Kofta for creamy paneer in every way possible Madras Lentils, Curried Lentils with Coconut Milk and Masoor Dal for all the yummy dahls. Our family’s favorite Indian Chickpea Curry Recipe. Aloo Gobi and Potato Curry. If you love classic Indian recipes, you must also try my almost-famous Chai Tea, Butter Chicken, Potato Samosas and Chicken Korma recipes.
Read next: My ultimate paneer recipe collection for 52+ of the most delicious recipes on the internet.
