A Saag Paneer recipe with classic Indian paneer cheese engulfed in an amazing creamy sauce made of cooked leafy greens, spices, onion, garlic, and ginger. Serve it with rice and naan for an incredible meal!
Saag Paneer is a delicious Indian dish of leafy greens and creamy paneer cheese with aromatic spices.
Not only is it indescribably tasty, but it is a great way to get your greens!
The inspiration for this recipe came from a very committed Indian takeout kick my husband and I went on recently. My order of choice? Lamb Biryani. His order? Lamb curry. Our order to share? Saag Paneer.
Due to our adoration of paneer, I just had to make it homemade. I promise, the process is much easier than you may think!
Let’s discuss the ingredients for saag paneer, because some of them aren’t available at all grocery stores.
Ingredients for Saag Paneer:
Baby Spinach or Leafy Greens of Choice: For saag paneer, we need a mix of greens, so choose 2 to three of your favorites. I use baby spinach to make saag paneer, because it is easy to purchase and bulk and doesn’t require a lot of prep.
You can use mustard greens, kale, or Swiss chard as well! If it is easiest to stick with all spinach, no problem! Just know that you are making palak paneer, not saag and no one is judging.
Paneer Cheese: Paneer is a traditional Indian cheese made from curdled milk and some form of oil. It is not aged and it doesn’t melt, so it is perfect for adding to warm savory dishes.
I buy my paneer at Whole Foods, as most regular grocery stores don’t carry it. Indian grocery stores and most natural food stores carry it, or you can also make homemade paneer.
Aromatics: Onion, garlic, and ginger are our big bold flavors! Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of these ingredients.
Some like the variety of greens to be the dominant flavor, in which case I recommend going light on the onion, garlic, and ginger.
Spices: Asafetida (Hing), Coriander, Garam Masala, Ground Turmeric, and Kashmiri Red Chili Powder and Sea Salt. Some of these spices might not be familiar to you.
Not all grocery stores carry them, but many natural food stores do! If you can’t find them in store, you can purchase them online. If you enjoy Indian cooking, all of these spices are a must. You will definitely use them again if you continue preparing Indian cuisine.
The chili powder contributes some heat, so be careful with how much you add! Add more for spicy saag.
Heavy Cream: I like using a decent dose of heavy cream to make a creamy sauce. Some people add a little water and a small amount of cream rather than going as heavy on the dairy. For lighter dairy, use full-fat canned coconut milk instead of cream.
There are many different approaches to this traditional Indian dish! Consider some of the following variations to customize your saag.
Recipe Variations:
- Replace most of the cream with 1/2 cup of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight.
- Some people like to pan fry the paneer in a frying pan in vegetable oil until it is golden brown before adding it to the sauce. While I’m all about crispy cheese, I actually prefer the texture of paneer in the sauce when it isn’t fried first. Feel free to take the fried paneer approach.
- Tomato lovers, add one large chopped vine-ripened tomato at the same time you add the spinach. This brings a little acidity to counterbalance the creaminess of the dish. A little fresh lemon juice also works as an acidic addition.
- Make your own garam masala mixture by combining coriander, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, and ground cardamom.
- Use a combination of fresh spinach and frozen spinach, or use all frozen spinach. Just note that frozen spinach typically contains excess liquid, so you may not need to add as much cream to the sauce.
- Many people only add a little cream, coconut milk, or plain yogurt to saag paneer. Feel free to use ⅔ cup water (as needed) and a few tablespoons of heavy cream.
- Some people soak the paneer cheese in warm water for 15-20 minutes prior to adding it to the recipe. This makes for great texture and flavor!
- Use a combination of spinach and mustard leaves, fenugreek leaves, turnip greens, collard greens, or kale.
How to Make Saag Paneer:
Heat the avocado oil (or ghee or butter) in a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the ginger, garlic, green chili, and asafetida. Sauté, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the chopped onion, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and kashmiri red chili powder to the pot.
Continue sauteing, stirring occasionally, until the spices are very fragrant, about 10 minutes. If at any time the onion begins browning, reduce the heat to medium heat.
Stir in the heavy cream.
Add the chopped spinach to the pot in three batches, stirring very well in between each batch.
Allow the spinach to cook down a little before adding more so that the pot isn’t overflowing. Once all of the spinach is in the pot, cover it with a lid for a few minutes to encourage it to cook down.
Transfer the saag to a blender or a food processor (or use an immersion blender). Blend to your desired consistency.
Pour the saag back into the pot and add the chopped paneer cubes. Heat for a few minutes until the saag paneer is hot.
Serve saag paneer with steamed white rice or brown rice and naan bread. If I’m feeling fancy, I make Ginger Turmeric Aromatic Rice.
Store saag paneer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Difference Between Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer:
If you love Indian food, chances are, you have tried palak paneer or saag paneer.
The two dishes are very similar! Greens are cooked down with spices, onions, ginger and garlic and chopped paneer cheese is the main feature.
The difference between palak paneer and saag paneer is that palak paneer contains only spinach, whereas saag paneer includes a mix of greens (often spinach and one other leafy green).
The next time you’re looking for a culinary adventure, whip up this dreamy saag paneer recipe!
If you love Indian food, also try some of my other favorite Indian recipes:
More Indian Recipes:
Enjoy this classic Indian dish!
Saag Paneer Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil ghee, or butter
- 1- inch nub ginger peeled and finely minced
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 green chili finely chopped
- ¼ tsp asafetida Hing
- 1 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp kashmiri red chili powder
- 8 ounces baby spinach chopped*
- 8 ounces collard greens stems removed and leaves chopped
- ⅔ to 1 cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk**
- 6 to 12 ounces paneer cheese cut into cubes
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil (or ghee or butter) in a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the ginger, garlic, green chili, and asafetida. Sauté, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the chopped onion, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and kashmiri red chili powder to the pot. Continue sauteing, stirring occasionally, until the spices are very fragrant, about 10 minutes. If at any time the onion begins browning, reduce the heat to medium heat.
- Stir in the heavy cream. Add the chopped spinach to the pot in three batches, stirring very well in between each batch. Allow the spinach to cook down a little before adding more so that the pot isn’t overflowing. Once all of the spinach is in the pot, cover it with a lid for a few minutes to encourage it to cook down.
- After the spinach has wilted, transfer the saag to a blender or a food processor (or use an immersion blender). Blend to your desired consistency. Pour the saag back into the pot and add the chopped paneer cubes. Heat for a few minutes until the saag paneer is hot.
- Serve saag paneer with steamed white rice or brown rice and naan bread.
Notes
Nutrition
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