This easy vegan palak paneer is the easiest way to get in some greens while actually enjoying it. Palak paneer is a classic Indian high protein dish that I made dairy free by replacing the Paneer with tofu. It is made with simple ingredients like spinach, tomato, some spices and aromatics. It’s light and healthy, perfect for a weeknight meal or weekend feast!
Origin and Meaning
Palak paneer (more popularly known in english countries as Saag Paneer), originates from North Indian Punjabi cuisine, but is popular all over India. It evolved from Saag Paneer where the word saag in Hindi means “leafy greens”, which refers to mustard greens, fenugreek, spinach, and other leaves used in Indian traditional recipes. Palak is Hindi for spinach.
Traditionally, palak paneer is a vegetarian dish based on paneer (a soft Indian cheese), spinach (which is made into a thick paste), and a mixture of spices such as garam masala, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, turmeric and cumin. It is a great option for vegans (by using tofu) and vegetarians.
How to Make Vegan Palak Paneer/Saag Paneer (tips and science)
I replaced Paneer with Tofu, to keep it dairy free and still be able to eat a tasty dish.
- You can make the tofu taste like paneer with my little hack: boil the tofu in salted water for 2-3 minutes. This makes the texture chewy and very similar to that of paneer!
- Next tip is to blanch the spinach before blending it. This is a great hack to lock in the vibrant green colour and remove the awful bitter tones of spinach. Make sure to prepare an ice bath before boiling. I always reuse the same pan of water used for the tofu to boil the spinach. Then blend it with tomatoes and aromatics and set aside
- The masala base starts with whole spices, and sautee them in some oil for 30 to 60 seconds. Essential oils in spices are not water soluble, they only infuse in oil. So make sure not to skip out that tbsp of oil in there! . Then in goes the chopped onions. Here, you can be as lazy or or as patient as you want. Remember, the more you let the onions caramelize, the more delicious flavor tones you can reap out of it. Not to say it wont be delicious even if you don’t wait until caramelization.
- Then add in the aromatics: green chilies, garlic, ginger and let that cook for a couple minutes. These aromatics are highly important to give this curry a great depth of flavor. Then add the powdered spices and let it all steep and infuse for a while. Next, in goes the spinach mix and cooked for about 5 minutes on medium low. Then add the garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves for a punch and tofu paneer. Do not add the garam masala before, along with the other powdered spices. Garam masala is pre-cooked spices so they will lose flavour if you cook for a long time.
- Serve with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice (which really helps in bringing out all the flavours of the dish) and fresh coriander/cilantro leaves. This palak paneer provides plenty of vitamins, fiber, texture, and protein and goes great with rice or Indian flatbreads like roti or naan.
Storage
Store this Vegan Palak Paneer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them and take it out of the fridge the night prior to consumption and let it thaw slowly in the fridge overnight.
Other Indian Recipes For You:
The Best Vegan Paneer Butter Masala Ever!
Easy Chana Masala(Vegan and Gluten-free)
Vegan Palak Paneer/Saag Paneer
Ingredients
- 1 block firm tofu
Spinach mix/sauce
- 300 g spinach
- Water to achieve desired consistency
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ inch fresh ginger
- 1 Green chili pepper
- 1 medium tomato roughly chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Masala base
- 1 tbsp olive oil or oil of choice
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 green chili pepper
- ½ inch fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi optional
Tempering:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- Pinch of asafoetida hing
Garnish:
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Chopped coriander
- White rice or Indian flatbread
Instructions
Tofu Paneer –
- Boil cubes tofu in salted water 2 minutes. Remove the tofu from the water and set aside on a dry towel.
Blanch the spinach-
- Add spinach to the same pot of water. Prepare an ice bath (a large bowl of ice water).
- After 2 minutes of boiling submerge the spinach immediately in the ice bath.
- Once cool, squeeze out as much water as you can and set aside.
Make the spinach mix/sauce-
- Add the blanched spinach to a blender with all the Spinach Sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Make the masala base-
- In a pan, add the cumin seeds to hot oil and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the onion and cook until brown and translucent.
- Add the garlic, ginger and green chili.
- Cook 1-2 minutes until golden, then add the ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt and cook for 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Pour in the Spinach Sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, adding more water if required.
- Add the garam masala and, fenugreek leaves and tofu paneer into the gravy and let simmer for 3 minutes.
- Garnish and serve with white rice or Indian flatbread.
This recipe is so good! I make it everytime I have my period because it is not only hearty but also high in iron because of the spinach. Keep up the great work, Anjali!
Thank you! Yes it’s perfect for those looking to incorporate more iron-rich foods in their diet 😀
Thank you so much for this recipe, it was amazing! Had to yolo the spinach amount because I only had frozen, but it turned out awesome. Goes straight on my tofu recipes list!