Saag Paneer Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jun 27, 2025 
This Saag Paneer Recipe 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!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
There are so many reasons to love homemade saag paneer! It’s a nutritious vegetarian favorite and this creamy, spiced, spinach curry is commonly enjoyed in Indian cuisine.
This Saag Paneer Recipe is great as a meal or a featured component of one, served with some rice or naan. If you are a spinach lover like me, you will certainly want to add creamy Saag Paneer to your recipe files.
Why You’ll Love Saag Paneer
- Quick and easy – This delicious and hearty Saag Paneer recipe is ready in a few steps and in just 15 minutes!
- Great for meal prep – I love to make big batches of this dish and enjoy it throughout the week for a heart lunch or dinner.
- Homemade restaurant-worthy food – This recipe makes the most delicious version of this Saag Paneer that will rival any restaurant favorite version!
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.
Ingredients and Tips
- Spinach – Fresh spinach works great or your favorite leafy greens.
- Veggies – Use chopped onion, garlic and ginger.
- Serrano chili – For a bit of spice add a chopped chili.
- Spices – You’ll need Garam Masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt.
- Lemon – Use freshly juiced lemon.
- Coconut milk – Use canned coconut cream.
- Paneer – Buy it at the store or make it at home.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- More Greens – Combine spinach with mustard greens (mustard leaves), 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.
How to Make Saag Paneer
Making homemade Saag Paneer is a lot simpler than you think! Saute all of your aromatic spices and ingredients and get ready to serve this creamy and cheesy delight over rice or naan.
Find the full Saag Paneer recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
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.
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating Leftovers – Reheat in a saucepan or frying pan over medium heat.
Serving Suggestions
Indian-inspired creamy saag with paneer can be served as a meal with rice, naan, paratha 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
Authentic Saag 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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!
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