Vegan Palak Paneer

5 from 30 votes

My recipe for restaurant-quality vegan palak paneer with tofu in a creamy, mildly spiced spinach curry. Serve with roti or vegan naan.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Curry

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 119kcal

14 oz baked tofu (or air-fried tofu, cut into ⅓-inch cubes)
2 tablespoon cashews (use pumpkin seeds if nut-free)
16 oz frozen spinach (substitute with two large bunches of fresh spinach. See FAQs below for more on this.)
1 tablespoon oil
4 cloves
1-inch piece cinnamon
5 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 large onion (finely diced)
3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
1 heaping tbsp ginger garlic paste (or use 4 garlic cloves and a 1-inch piece of ginger, crushed together into a paste)
3 medium tomatoes (finely diced)
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne (adjust up or down based on your taste)
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves). Optional, but I strongly recommend it.
Salt to taste

Puree the spinach with ½ cup water. Set aside.
Make cashew cream by blending the cashews with 3 tablespoons water until very smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and, when they start to color, add the cumin seeds. Toast until the cumin seeds become aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Add onions and garlic to the spinach. Add a pinch of salt. Saute for a few minutes until the onions start to turn golden-brown.
Add the ginger-garlic paste, saute for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes.
Also add the turmeric, cayenne, cumin and coriander powders to the skillet 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 and stir it in.
Finally stir in the tofu cubes. Let the sauce simmer a couple of minutes.
Add the cashew cream, add salt, stir in, and turn off heat.

In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the julienned or grated ginger and saute for a minute, stirring constantly. Carefully pour over the cooked palak paneer. Serve.

Saute the onions until they begin to turn golden brown. This develops flavor and the onions will melt into the sauce.
You can add plain tofu (without baking or air-frying) to the curry if you want a creamier texture.
To make the palak tofu paneer oil-free, toast the spices and cumin seeds on a dry skillet, then add onions and garlic along with a quarter cup of water. Saute until the onion starts to brown.