A vegan Palak Paneer recipe that's as good as anything you'd get at an Indian restaurant, perhaps even better. The spinach curry is creamy and perfectly spiced and cubes of paneer cheese are replaced with tofu, making this a healthier, delicious and dairy free option. Eat with naan or roti for the perfect vegan Indian dinner. This is a gluten-free recipe and it can be nut-free.
I first posted my recipe for tofu Palak Paneer recipe for you back in 2008, in the fledgling days of this blog. The reason I rushed to veganize this perpetual Indian restaurant favorite is that it was one Indian dish I often ordered when I ate out before I became vegan and I certainly didn't want to live without it.
What is palak paneer?
Palak paneer, sometimes called saag paneer, is a creamy, mildly spiced north Indian spinach curry with cubes of paneer, a soft cottage cheese. Palak, in Hindi, means spinach ("saag" is a catchall word for all leafy greens). Palak Paneer is a delicious dish but also very healthy when veganized. The spinach brings in loads of healthy vitamins and nutrients and the tofu adds a hefty dose of protein.
Palak Paneer is by no means a difficult dish to veganize because it is almost vegan -- other than the paneer, that is, and some cream added to finish the recipe. In the past, I'd use firm tofu, pressed and then baked, in lieu of the paneer. But now I use super firm tofu, which works even better as a paneer substitute. Tofu also comes minus the saturated fats and calories of paneer, so it is a better-for-you substitute.
My recipe is as close as possible to an authentic, traditional Palak Paneer -- other than the paneer tofu and cashew cream to make it vegan. The ingredient list may seem a little long but it is not intimidating, and ingredients like the dry fenugreek leaves, although not an ingredient you'll find in every pantry, add the flavor that you so love when you eat this dish at a restaurant. So it's worth taking the trouble to find and use them.
The tofu paneer does a great job of absorbing the marinade and the flavors of the spinach. While some people fry the paneer before adding it to the spinach, and some don't, I like to bake or, sometimes, shallow-fry or air fry the tofu. I think it improves the flavor even more, and it takes very little time and effort.
I used to marinate the tofu, as some of you who tried an earlier version of the recipe on this blog would remember, but I don't do that anymore. I think the tofu is just as flavorful without that additional step, and why create more work? Paneer is also not typically marinated before use in a traditional palak paneer recipe.
Making this vegan tofu palak paneer is extraordinarily easy-- there really is no way you can mess it up, even if you haven't cooked Indian food before. I hope you try it, and if you do I'd love to hear!
Ingredients
- Tofu. Use super firm or extra firm tofu. If using extra firm, press the water out first. Cut into ½-inch cubes.
- Vegetable oil. Use any flavorless vegetable oil, including grapeseed oil, avocado oil, peanut oil or canola oil.
- Spices: Cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom pods, cumin seeds, turmeric, cayenne, ground coriander, ground cumin and garam masala.
- Aromatics: onion, garlic, ginger-garlic paste
- Vegetables: tomatoes, kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves, optional), frozen spinach. If you use fresh spinach blanche it for a couple of minutes in boiling water and then puree. You can skip this step when you use frozen spinach.
- Salt to taste
- Cashews for cashew cream, optional but nice.
How to make vegan palak paneer
- Make the cashew cream by blending cashews with 3 tablespoons water. Set aside.
- Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Place the slices of tofu on the skillet in a single layer and cook both sides until lightly golden. When cool, cut into a ½-inch dice. Set aside
- Heat the oil. Add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and, when they start to color, add the cumin seeds. As they start to darken, add the onions and the garlic. Saute for a few minutes until the onions become golden-brown.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste, saute for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes. Add the turmeric, cayenne, cumin and coriander powders and mix well. Cover and let the tomatoes cook until they are very soft and pulpy.
- Add the kasoori methi, if using, and mix well. Add the spinach puree, mix, and let the sauce come to a boil. Lower the heat and continue cooking the spinach for 10 minutes. Add some vegetable stock or water if it looks too thick, but don't add too much liquid at this point-- you want the spinach to cook thoroughly and lose any raw flavor.
- Add the garam masala, cubes of tofu and salt. Mix well and let it all simmer another two minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the cashew paste, if using. The cashew paste adds a rich, luxurious finish, but if you want a nut-free recipe, it's completely optional.
- Serve hot or warm with naan or roti.
Expert tips
- Saute the onions to the point where they turn golden. You want the onions to melt into the sauce when your dish is done, and leaving them half-cooked at the outset will not give you that silken, rich gravy.
- You don't need fresh spinach for this recipe, because frozen works just as well. In fact, I prefer it because I can more easily find frozen organic spinach at the supermarket, it won't go bad on you because you can freeze it until you are ready to use it, and it usually costs less.
- For the tofu paneer you can use extra firm tofu if you can't find super firm tofu. Make sure you press as much liquid as you can out of it and then bake.
- Use the proper ingredients. You will find recipes out there for vegan Palak Paneer with a shorter ingredient list, but if you want a recipe that tastes authentic, take the trouble to find the ingredients and use them. Compromising on the ingredients might give you a decent Palak Paneer, but it won't be amazing, and why would you settle for something decent when you can have something amazing?
- Don't use coconut milk to substitute for the cashew cream in your Palak Paneer. Coconut is not an ingredient commonly used in North Indian kitchens, and coconut adds a strong flavor, even a small amount of it, which detracts completely from the recipe. If you want to go nut-free, leave out the cashew cream or use oat cream or pumpkin seed cream. Your dish will still taste great.
- If you don't eat soy, leave out the tofu cubes and just make the spinach gravy. It tastes great on its own.
- Serve this tofu palak paneer with roti or vegan naan. Or, if you want to go gluten-free, serve it with basmati rice for a delicious Indian meal.
More Indian vegan restaurant style recipes
More vegan curry recipes
- Easy Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas and Coconut Milk
- Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken with Tofu
- Creamy Curried Crock-Pot Chowder with Black Eyed Peas
- Railway Mushroom Curry
- Vegan Mango Curry
Vegan Palak Paneer with Tofu
Ingredients
- 14 oz tofu (superfirm or extra firm. If using extra firm, press the water out first. Cut into ½-inch cubes)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 cloves
- 1-inch piece cinnamon
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (adjust up or down based on your taste)
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves). Optional, but I strongly recommend it.
- 16 oz frozen spinach, thawed and pureed (can use two large bunches of fresh spinach. Blanche the spinach for a couple of minutes in boiling water and then puree)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cashews (use pumpkin seeds if nut-free)
For serving
Instructions
- Make cashew cream by blending the cashews with 3 tablespoons water until very smooth. Set aside.
- Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Place the slices of tofu on the skillet in a single layer and cook both sides until lightly golden. When cool, cut into a ½-inch dice. Set aside
- Heat the oil. Add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and, when they start to color, add the cumin seeds. As they start to darken, add the onions and the garlic. Saute for a few minutes until the onions become golden-brown.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste, saute for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes. Add the turmeric, cayenne, cumin and coriander powders and mix well. Cover and let the tomatoes cook until they are very soft and pulpy.
- Add the kasoori methi, if using, and mix well. Add the spinach puree, mix, and let the sauce come to a boil. Lower the heat and continue cooking the spinach for 10 minutes. Add some vegetable stock or water if it looks too thick, but don't add too much liquid at this point-- you want the spinach to cook thoroughly and lose any raw flavor.
- Add the garam masala, cubes of tofu and salt. Mix well and let it all simmer another two minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the cashew paste, if using. The cashew paste adds a rich, luxurious finish, but if you want a nut-free recipe, it's completely optional.
- Serve hot or warm with naan or roti.
Recipe notes
- Saute the onions to the point where they turn golden. You want the onions to melt into the sauce when your dish is done, and leaving them half-cooked at the outset will not give you that silken, rich gravy.
- You don't need fresh spinach for this recipe, because frozen works just as well. In fact, I prefer it because I can more easily find frozen organic spinach at the supermarket, it won't go bad on you because you can freeze it until you are ready to use it, and it usually costs less.
- If you don't eat soy, leave out the tofu cubes and just make the spinach gravy. It tastes great on its own.
- The tofu palak paneer can be refrigerated for up to four days. Freezing it will change the texture of the tofu, so if you plan to freeze just make the spinach curry and add tofu when you reheat.
om kumar
Lovely recipe Vaishali! I have tried many many of your recipes and they all turn out lovely! My kids used to love only restaurant North Indian dishes. Being a South Indian, I could never capture that. But with your recipes, my kids are enjoying home food 😊 Thank you!!
Xieyu
I was looking for a good vegan palak paneer recipe and was thrilled to find this one which didn't seem too complicated. And holy cow! It packs so much flavour and cashew cream added just the right amount of richness. Will definitely be making it again soon with frozen spinach!
Vaishali
Hi Xieyu, so happy you enjoyed the palak paneer--one of my favorites too!
Sovery
Dear Vishali,
Thank you so much for the well thought out recipe 🙂 I do have a question if you don't mind. I rarely have fresh tomatoes where I live, is it possible to substitute with a vegan yogurt, maybe while also substituting the cashew cream in this case? Thank you so much for your time 🙂
Vaishali
Hi, are canned or tinned tomatoes an option? If yes, you can sub with 1/2 cup puree or two to three whole canned tomatoes. If not, yes, go ahead and use the vegan yogurt. You might want to add in a tiny bit of sugar, no more than 1/2 tsp, to compensate for some of the sweetness tomatoes add to this dish. Let me know if you try!
Sovery
Thank you, yes! I've made it a few times and it works with the plain unsweetened soy yogurt and 1/2 tsp. sugar (plus your homemade garam masala and Kasoori Methi)! Tastes just beautiful 🙂 Thank you so much! 🙂
Siobhan
Hi! I'm so excited to try this recipe. The long ingredients list gives me great confidence! If using frozen spinach, can you then refreeze after? I'd like to make a batch and freeze.
Vaishali
Yes, no worries about freezing the spinach portion of this recipe--it will thaw and reheat fine. I wouldn't freeze the tofu though because it will change texture. I'd advise adding the tofu directly before serving.
Anonymous
Thank you for that info. I was going to ask.
Diane
Hello Vaishali. I just about never write in to bloggers sites, not because they are not good but because I tend to jump to the next thing I am looking for. I am taking the time today however to tell you how utterly pleased I am with this recipe. I have always adored Palak Paneer but I have gone from vegetarian to vegan and needed to learn to make a vegan version. Then I found you!
I served this to my husband and daughter this evening and they raved about it. I had to put the lid on the pan to stop myself from taking a second serving. This recipe is truly delightful. I look forward to reading more.
Tracey
Looking forward to making a few Indian-inspired dishes tonight and this looks delicious! Would it be possible to make this without the tomatoes, or are they central to the recipe? Thanks so much!
Vaishali
They are pretty important for the flavor here, so you can't leave them out. You can use canned!
Tracey
Thanks so much for your quick reply! Unfortunately my daughter cannot eat tomatoes so I avoid cooking with them as much as possible. I'll have to make this some time when she's not at home. 🙂
Donna Fox
Hi, I'm new to cooking Indian food and have a few questions. Do you take the piece of cinnamon ,cloves and cardamom pods out or do you eat them? and can you use powdered fenugreek spice instead of the leaves? The dish tasted great but just wanted to check about the spices. Thanks for all you do!
Vaishali
Hi Donna, you take them out either before serving or, as is typically done in Indian homes, separate them out and remove them on your plate while eating. Some people like to eat the spices because of the additional health benefit they provide -- and the flavor. Fenugreek leaves and seeds have very different flavors, and the seeds will add a far more intense bitterness. But at a pinch you could use about 1/4 tsp of powdered fenugreek to replace the leaves.
JN
Hi Vaishali, I have tried your recipes and they are great! Have been wanting to making a good tofu palak and I am going to make this tonight. I only have frozen spinach. Is it ok to use it? If so, how much?
Thanks for posting such wonderful recipes for Vegans like me & making them simple enough to follow. Indian recipes are so hard but you make them seem easy. :-))
Vaishali Honawar
Hi JN, frozen is perfectly fine. Thaw before adding. Thanks for your kind words! 🙂
Abbey Southall
Hi, I am planning to make this for friends because it looks so lovely - do you need to soak the dal at all before using? Thanks, Abbey
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Abbey, no, you don't. You want them to just roast so they're crunchy with the rice.
Abbey
Thanks! It was very well enjoyed. I have been very apprehensive of cooking indian food, your recipes have all been easy to follow and a big success so far, thank you!
Vaishali Honawar
Abbey, that's lovely to hear. Thanks for your kind words, and for letting me know.
ash
thanks Vaishali for this blog. is there any other alternative soy free vegan paneer recepie that I can try making at home . I know we can make paneer by adding a pinch of citric acid to the boiling milk and then setting it after draining out water .Do you know if a similar thing would work for almond + cashew milk ?
thanks
Ash
Vaishali
Hi Ash, it would curdle but you won't get great flavors. I would just sub with potatoes.
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Rhiannon, what a lovely message! You made my day. So happy you like this recipe. I wish I could make it with just-harvested spinach, it must be delicious. Unfortunately my thumb's just not green enough-- I never have luck with growingleafies.
Anonymous
Hi Vaishali
I opened this page (bookmarked on my computer) because the spinach in my garden is ready to harvest and this has become my favourite dish in the world. I thought that before cooking it for the umpteenth time I should take the time to say thank you for such a great recipe and amazing blog!
Thank you 🙂
From Rhiannon in Australia <3