Saag Paneer Recipe
Saag Paneer Recipe – This saag paneer is based on a classic Indian dish featuring tender paneer cheese immersed in a creamy fresh spinach sauce infused with aromatic spices! Serve with naan or rice for a full meal that is ready in just 15 minutes!
Why We Love This Saag Paneer Recipe
There are so many reasons to love homemade saag paneer. A healthy vegetarian favorite, this creamy, spiced, spinach curry is commonly enjoyed in Indian cuisine.
This creamy Saag Paneer Recipe is great as a meal or a featured component of one. If you are a spinach lover like me, you will certainly want to add Creamy Saag Paneer to your recipe files.
It is a quick and easy meal served over rice or with a side of naan. Our quick and easy Saag with Paneer Recipe, like any classic dish, can vary from kitchen to kitchen. Differing greens, spices, and ingredients are part of its charm.
What is Saag Paneer?
“Saag” refers to the spiced aromatic greens, most often spinach. Paneer is a mild fresh cheese made from whole cow’s milk; it’s like Indian cottage cheese.
Paneer is easy to make yourself, and can also be found in grocery stores and Asian markets. I like to marinate the paneer in coconut oil, turmeric, and salt to give it a stunning golden color and a delicious boost of flavor.
Saag paneer tastes of pure comfort. It is soft in texture and loaded with flavor, with the added texture of the mild cheese! Make it spicy by adding extra chillies or more cayenne pepper!
Ingredients You Need
- Spinach – fresh spinach works great or your favorite leafy greens
- Onion – chopped
- Garlic and ginger – both add aroma and flavor
- Serrano chili – for a bit of spice
- Spices – Garam Masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt
- Ghee – substitute with butter
- Lemon – juiced
- Coconut milk – canned coconut cream
- Coconut oil – melted or fractionated
- Paneer – buy it at the store or make it at home
How to Make Saag and Paneer
- In a small bowl, toss paneer cubes, coconut oil, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and half the salt. Marinate while preparing the vegetables.
- Chop, grate, and/or cut up all vegetables. If serving over rice, prepare the rice per package instructions.
- Set a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry and toast one side of the paneer cubes, remove them from the pan, and set aside.
- Place the onions in the same skillet and sauté the onions in ghee for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and serrano chile. Sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the spices, remaining salt, spinach, 1/2 cup of water, and simmer for about 5 minutes until the water is evaporated and spinach is tender.
- Stir in the coconut milk and lemon juice. Finally, return the paneer to the pan to warm.
- Serve over basmati rice or with naan. Garnish with tomatoes, green onion, and Serrano chilies if you like!
Get the Full Printable Saag Paneer Recipe + Video Below!
Recipe Variations
- More Greens – Combine spinach with mustard greens, kale, or collard greens for a deeper flavor. Adjust cooking time as tougher greens need a bit longer to soften.
- Smoky – Add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or roast the cumin before adding it to the dish.
- Spicy – Use more serrano chilies, a Thai chili, or an extra pinch of cayenne for those who like it spicy.
- Vegan – Swap paneer for tofu cubes or chickpeas for a vegan protein option.
- Protein – Add cooked chickpeas, lentils, or shelled edamame for added plant-based protein.
- Crunchy – Top with roasted cashews or almonds for a nutty crunch.
Serving Suggestions
Indian-inspired creamy saag with paneer can be served as a meal with rice or naan, or you can serve it with additional Indian-inspired dishes to have a full spread! Here are some of my personal favorites:
- Basmati Rice
- Saffron Rice
- Kachumber Salad (Indian Salad)
- Low-carb Cauliflower Rice
- Broccoli Rice
- Aromatic Indian Rice
- Tandoori Chicken Skewers
- Chicken Madras Curry
- Instant Pot Butter Curry Chicken
Tips & Tricks
- The fresher your ingredients, the better the flavor! I prefer to use fresh spinach as opposed to frozen spinach for this reason. If you are going to use frozen spinach, make sure to thaw and drain it first.
- Don’t use expired spices! It is also important to use fresh spices for maximum flavor. Check the expiration dates on your spices before using them!
- Use a food processor! To finely chop the spinach, the food processor is the most effective. If you don’t have one, you can chop the spinach by hand!
- Garnish your saag paneer with tomatoes, green onions, and extra serrano chili for spice!
- Get a head start. The paneer can be marinated and fried up to two days before making the curry. Store it in the fridge until you are ready to start cooking the curry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! Follow the instruction to sear the cheese cubes and aromatic vegetables on the stovetop first, and then place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker on low for 2-3 hours or on high for 1-2 hours!
Honestly, that is up to you! It depends on how much Serrano chili you use. You can add just half of a chili when cooking, and then the people who like really spicy saag panner can add some fresh chili to their own portion!
Technically, no. You can throw in the cubed paneer at the end of the cooking process to warm it up, but the marinating and searing adds a lot of flavor! I don’t recommend skipping it!
You might have heard of palak paneer but don’t know the difference between palak paneer and saag paneer! They are quite similar, but saag paneer can be made with a mixture of leafy greens like spinach, mustard greens, and fenugreek leaves. Whereas palak paneer is made strictly with spinach!
A good substitute for paneer would be tofu or queso blanco, since they have similar textures and light flavor!
Let the saag paneer cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. It can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days or frozen for 2-3 months. Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of water or cream if the curry has thickened too much.
More Comforting Recipes to Try
- Paneer Tikka Masala
- Spicy Thai Chicken Soup
- Chickpea Curry Recipe
- Thai Green Chicken Curry
- Classic Thai Fried Rice
Get the Full Saag Paneer Recipe + Video Below!
Creamy Saag With Paneer Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh spinach leaves finely chopped (a food processor works great for this)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger root
- 1 serrano chili, diced
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided in half
- 1-2 pinches cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoon ghee, or butter
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted or fractionated
- 12 ounces paneer, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Instructions
- In a small bowl, toss paneer cubes, coconut oil, turmeric, cayenne pepper and half the salt. Marinate while preparing vegetables.
- Chop, grate, and/or cut up all vegetables. If serving over rice, prepare as per instructions.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat. Toast one side of the paneer cubes, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Place the onions in the same skillet and sauté onions in ghee for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and serrano chili. Sauté 2 moreminutes.
- Stir in the spices, remaining salt, spinach, 1/2 cup of water, and simmer for about 5 minutes until the water is evaporated and spinach is tender.
- Stir in coconut milk and lemon juice. Finally return the paneer to the pan to warm.
- Serve over basmati rice or with naan. Garnish with tomatoes, green onion and serrano chilies if you like.
Can this dish be frozen?
Hi Lauren,
You can freeze it! Be sure to thaw it fully before re-warming.
I made this dish yesterday to take home for a Diwali celebration dinner and my family loved it. I tripled the recipe except the coconut milk I only used 1 cup total and put an extra half tsp of cayenne pepper for some more kick. I’ll check out your other recipes as I’m sure they are as delicious as this one. Thanks.
I double this recipe to use the 2lb block of paneer from my Costco! (yes the 2lbs is more than double but I like the high ratio).
I use a really big nonstick skillet to brown the paneer. I also use frozen spinach, which I take out to thaw slightly at the start.
Lastly, I blend the sauce about 30% of the way with an immersion blender before adding the paneer.
Surprised myself with how good this turned out. Definitely as good as my local takeaway – absolutely lovely!
This looks delicious! Can anyone confirm if it turns out as creamy and flavorful as described? Excited to try it!
I made this but with oven browned tofu cubes because I had no paneer. It was tasty but I’m definitely using the food processor next time!
Great recipe. Thanks. I add some red bell peppers to give it some colour, and normally serve it with millet instead of rice.
p.s. great idea having the little widget to switch between US and metric measurements. I can never work out what an ounce is 😅
I love Saag Paneer and making the ‘cheese’ is so easy–milk and vinegar and some cheese cloth!
I also just picked over a lb of purslane which is a great alternative to spinach in this dish. Love that the carb count is low along with the calories–a must make with the coconut milk. TY
Will frozen spinach work as well? Its very hard to find fresh spinach where I live.
Hi Evie,
Yes, just drain it well. :)
Thank you for this easy delicious recipe. I made it today exactly as your recipe except I used mild green chilies instead of serrano. I really appreciate these low carb recipes. Thank you so much! I would love to post a picture of my plate!
One of my favorite dishes of all time!
We tried it last night and it turned out great. I did some adjustement to cater to our small kids (less ginger and no serrano). They ate all of it. I agree that marinating the paneer is the best way to go