Instant Pot Palak Paneer Recipe

Instant pot palak paneer is a flavourful North Indian dish made with paneer and spinach. Learn how to make palak paneer instant pot within 30 min. 

This is gluten-free, delicious, creamy, low-carb, nutritious, and goes well in the KETO meal plan.

It is an Indian vegetarian paneer gravy dish where you cook cubed cottage cheese in spinach puree along with ginger-garlic, onion, and few spices. Adding some tempering of dry red chili, onion, and garlic before serving to this palak paneer recipe makes it Punjabi style of palak paneer.

What is Palak Paneer?

Palak paneer is an Indian recipe. Wonder, What is palak paneer and what is paneer?

In the simplest terms Palak (spinach) + Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)= Palak Paneer. 

Paneer is a fresh unsalted cheese that is prepared by curdling the milk using lemon or vinegar. The whey and cheese are separated using a muslin cloth and the collected cheese is kept pressed for 2-3 hours to remove the excess whey.  Whey can be used to make curry recipes or making the dough.

This instant pot palak paneer

• is a one-pot recipe
• cooked under 30 minutes
• gluten-free & low calorie as no cream or cashew puree is added
• nutritious and healthy
• Perfect weeknight meal with basmati rice & paratha

Spinach paneer can be cooked in a number of ways, just by reducing any spice or by making spinach puree differently. Each time with such small changes you will get a different taste altogether.

You can cook it in an open pan (kadhai), in an Indian pressure cooker or in an Instant Pot. 

Ingredients & Variations

Please check RECIPE CARD for detailed ingredients list with accurate measurement.

1. Main ingredients - 500 Gram spinach (washed and cleaned), 2 Cup paneer cubed (approximately 350gram)
2. For Masala - 1 Medium size onion chopped (¾ cup), 2-3 medium-size tomato chopped (2 cups), 1 Tblsp ginger garlic paste, ¼- ½ cup water (optional), 1-2 green chilies chopped
3. Dry Spices - 1 teaspoon cumin seed, 1 teaspoon kitchen king powder or garam masala, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder
4. Oil - 3 Tblsp cooking oil. I used olive oil to cook this recipe. However, you can use any vegetable oil.
5. For Tadka - 2-3 dry red chilies, 1tbsp chopped garlic. Do not skip this chopped garlic. Tempering with sauteed garlic just enhances the flavor of the palak paneer recipe.

How to make palak paneer at home

1. First of all, heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pressure cooker on medium heat. Add cubed paneer and fry till golden brown. Transfer them on a serving plate.
2. Again add 1 tablespoon oil in the cooker and add dry red chilies and chopped garlic. Fry them till the raw smell of garlic goes away. Transfer it in a bowl, we will use it after preparation as garnishing.
3. Now add the last 1 tablespoon of oil and add cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
4. To this add chopped onion, chopped green chilies, ginger garlic paste. Cook until the raw smell of garlic goes away. Now add chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. After 3 minutes add spinach leaves, press them and stir to adjust in the pressure cooker. Add ¼-1/2 cup of water and cover the lid for 2-3 minutes. Let spinach cook in the steam.
6. After 2-3 minutes switch off the stove and blend it using the immersion blender to a smooth and creamy paste.
7. Add paneer, kitchen king powder or garam masala, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt as per taste. Mix well and simmer for 2-3 minutes on low flame.
8. Garnish with the tempering we prepared in starting and serve hot with roti naan or rice. Palak paneer is ready to serve.

How to make palak paneer in instant pot

1. First of all, start the instant pot by plugging in. Press SAUTE MODE and set it high. Once the screen displays HOT add 1 tablespoon oil.

   

2. Add cubed paneer pieces and saute for 1 min or until they are slightly brown in color. Transfer them in a serving plate and keep aside.

   

3. Add 2 tablespoon oil again and add dry red chilies, chopped garlic, and cumin seeds. Saute till the raw smell of garlic goes away. Transfer some part of this tempering to a bowl. This will be used as tempering later on.

   

4. To this add chopped onion and green chilies. Cook for 2 minutes and add ginger-garlic paste. Cook for another 2 minutes.

   

5. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.

   

6. Finally, add spinach leaves and water. Press them in order to fit the pot. Close the instant pot lid with the vent in a SEALING position. CANCEL SAUTE MODE, Press PRESSURE COOK MODE and set for 1 minute.

   

7. Once the instant pot beeps, wait for 3-4 minutes and release the pressure manually.
8. Blend the ingredients in a pot with the help of immersion blender to a smooth creamy texture.

   

9. Add sauteed cubed paneer and kitchen king powder or garam masala. Adjust salt as per taste. Mix well. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder as well.
10. SET the SAUTE MODE again and cook for 5 minutes.

    

11. After 5 minutes switch off the Instant Pot and serve this palak paneer garnishing with cream and tempering we made initially or just serve it with roti, naan, or rice. I did not use cream.
12. Easy Instant pot palak paneer recipe is ready to enjoy.

Serving suggestions

Palak paneer is served hot with tandoori roti, whole wheat naan, ajwain paratha, carrot paratha, cabbage paratha, Makki ki roti, jeera rice or plain basmati rice or brown rice.

Sweet lassi or masala chaas also go well with it.

Storing suggestions

Refrigerator

How long can you store palak paneer in the fridge? You can store in the fridge for 3-4 days easily.

Freezer

Can you freeze cooked palak paneer? Yes, you can store it in the freezer and consume it as required. Any leftover cooked palak paneer can be stored in the freezer for up to one month.

Divide the cooked dish into equal portions and transfer in freezer friendly bags. Seal them properly and place in the freezer. Reheat whenever plan to consume, add garlic tempering and enjoy the delicious palak paneer.

You can make spinach puree in advance and freeze it. Thaw it before using and just add paneer cubes. Cook for 5 mins and its ready.

Reheating

1. If refrigerated then just pour in a cooking pan and cook on medium heat till one boil. Serve immediately as is or add tempering/tadka. You can microwave it for 1 min as well.
2. If frozen then first thaw it for 2 hours before consuming. Microwave it for 1 min or reheat on the stovetop.

Tips & FAQ's

Spinach & cottage cheese itself is one of the best combinations to cook, yet there are few points to take care of while cooking in an instant pot or in a pressure cooker.

• Use homemade paneer for the soft texture.
• Garlic is a must to create a wonderful flavor. Garnish with garlic and dry red chilies tempering while serving. This version is also known as lasooni palak paneer.
• Use the dhungar method if you like to have a restaurant-style palak paneer. Though it is not mandatory.
• If you like a rich and creamy texture add ¼ cup full cream or cashew paste. Cook for a minute.
• Since this version is one-pot cooking in the instant pot, spinach color may vary on the time you cook for. I cooked for 1 minute and the color was dark. Taste wise you won't find any difference.
• Blanching helps to retain the green color of the spinach. I made a vegan palak paneer with a blanching method and on stovetop kadhai, the color was a bright green color.

In the Dhungar process, a burning piece of coal is kept on the curry, poured some quantity of ghee (clarified butter) on top of it, the smoke it releases is trapped in the curry. Try it and you will know how to get restaurant-style flavors to Indian curry recipes.

What Is The Difference Between Palak Paneer & Saag Paneer?

Saag means pureed greens like the mustard leaf, kale, fenugreek, and bathua ( Chenopodium album ) which is then tempered with garlic, dry red chili, and some more spices. 

In Indian saag “sarson” or mustard greens are used along with spinach and bathua leaves. Served with Makki ki roti(cornmeal flatbread), jaggery, a dollop of butter, and garlic tempering. you can check this amazing Punjabi sarson ka saag and Makki di roti recipe on the blog.

Both the recipes are quite similar in terms of cooking and ingredients. 

The only difference is that in saag paneer, mustard greens or any other green leafy vegetables’ puree or a combination of them is used and in palak paneer, only spinach puree is used. 

The rest of the cooking process is almost the same.

How to keep palak green after cooking?

This is the most frequently asked question on how to retain spinach's green color intact after cooking.

Well, there are few pointers in order to keep palak green.

• Blanch palak and just after a minute transfer back to ice-cold water. Ice will stop spinach to cook further and helps to retain the color.
• Add baking soda in hot water while blanching.
• Do not overcook the palak.
• Add a little sugar while blanching palak which also helps in having a green color
• For instant pot quick release as soon as cooking time gets over.

I do not prefer to do a quick release in any of the cases. I am not in a hurry to cook especially using electric equipment.

These tips certainly help to keep the palak gravy green but if gravy turns dark green then don't be sad.

Because taste does not depend on the green color, it will still be delicious and tasty. Do not try all the tips together to keep the green color.

You can check other palak or spinach recipes and Instant pot recipes on the blog.

1. How To Make Spinach Pesto - This vegan spinach pesto is made without using cheese.
2. Strawberry and baby spinach salad - This salad is perfect for summer.
3. How To Make Dal Palak - Spinach dal is one of the nutritious lentil recipes. goes well with basmati rice or jeera rice.
4. Vegan Palak Paneer - This is a vegan version of palak paneer. This instant pot palak tofu tastes great with paratha, wholewheat naan or Makki ki roti.
5. Instant Pot white Urad Dal Tadka - Split urad dal tadka cooked with rice in instant pot using the pot-in-pot method. It makes a great lunch or dinner.
6. Instant pot Sarson ka Saag - This Indian sarson ka saag is one of the best saag recipes.
7. Instant pot Spanish rice - With just 5 ingredients this vegan Spanish rice goes very well with Mexican meal planning.

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