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Home » Recipes » Curry

Palak Paneer - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Published February 15, 2018 Updated April 30, 2022 By Meeta Arora 156 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Palak Paneer Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.
Palak Paneer Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

Palak Paneer is one of the most popular dish from North India. It is made with Spinach and Cottage Cheese, cooked with ginger, garlic, onions and aromatic spices.

This is a simplified one-pot version of the authentic palak paneer, made in Instant Pot, which takes just 20 minutes to prepare. This is a nutritious Vegetarian, Gluten-free and Low Carb dish.

Palak Paneer Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Instant Pot Palak Paneer is made with Spinach and Indian Cottage Cheese. There is another popular North Indian dish, Mustard Greens Saag, which is very similar, however it is made with both Mustard Greens and Spinach.

If you want to make this dish vegan, check out the Palak Tofu recipe. And if you like to include Chicken in place of Paneer, check out my popular Chicken Saag.

Don't forget to check out my post on 23 Best Instant Pot Indian Recipes. 

How to make Palak Paneer in Instant Pot?

This is an easy to make dish, you don't need too many ingredients. The basic - onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and some spices. And off course spinach and paneer. I used a whole box of baby spinach from Costco.

Palak Paneer Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Ingredients

1 - Start the instant pot and saute the ginger, garlic and onions in some oil, along with aromatic cumin seeds.

Then add tomatoes and spices. I chopped the onions and tomatoes. However you could cut them into large pieces as we are going to blend them later.

2- Then add in the spinach and pressure cook for just 2 minutes. I prefer to release pressure after 5 minutes of the cooking being done. This helps to retain the beautiful color of the spinach.

steps to make pressure cook spinach for palak paneer

3 - I use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients. You can leave it coarse or blend smooth, based on your preference.

If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer to your countertop blender or food processor to blend.

4 - Stir in the Paneer and some garam masala.

finishing steps to make palak paneer in instant pot

Let it rest for 5 minutes. This will help for the paneer to get soft and soak in the flavors and soften.

Palak Paneer Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

I don't fry the paneer, however if you prefer it lightly fried, that would work perfectly too. Palak Paneer is ready to be served with rice, naan or parathas.

Palak Paneer Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Hope you enjoy this easy one-pot Palak Paneer recipe.

If you love spinach, here are some more Indian spinach recipes:

  • Dal Palak
  • Aloo Palak
  • Spinach Rice
  • Saag Aloo
Tried this recipe?Give a rating by clicking the ★ below
Palak Paneer Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Instant Pot Palak Paneer Recipe (Pressure Cooker)

Meeta Arora
A North Indian favorite with spinach and cottage cheese, Palak Paneer. Make this instant pot palak paneer as a one-pot dish, super easy and delicious!
4.77 from 204 votes
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Servings: 4
Calories: 417
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: North Indian
Diet: Gluten-free, Low Carb, Nut-free, Vegetarian
Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 lb Spinach (Palak) washed
  • 2 cups Paneer or Cottage cheese cut in bite sized cubes
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
  • 1 Green Chili Pepper chopped
  • 1 Onion medium, chopped
  • 5 cloves Garlic chopped
  • 1" inch Ginger chopped
  • 1 Tomato medium, chopped
  • ¼ cup Water
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala

Spices

  • ½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
  • ½ teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder)
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
  • 1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste

Instructions
 

  • Start the instant pot in sauté mode. Heat oil and add cumin seeds.
  • When cumin seeds start to splutter, add ginger, garlic, green chili and onions. Sauté for 2 minutes.
  • Add tomato and spices. Stir and let it cook for 2 minutes. 
  • Add water and deglaze the pot (see notes). Add in the spinach. Press cancel and close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position. Set on manual or pressure cook mode on high pressure for 2 minutes.
  • Once the instant pot beeps, do a 5 minute natural pressure release, which means release the pressure manually 5 minutes after the beep. 
  • Blend the ingredients in the pot to a creamy texture using an immersion blender.
  • Add the paneer and garam masala. Let it sit for 5 minutes, so the paneer soaks in the flavors.
  • Palak Paneer is ready to be served with naan, roti or paratha.

Video

Notes

Burn message: If your instant pot is a newer model and you have seen burn message before, then add ½ cup water.
Stovetop Variation: The exact same preparation can be done in a sauce pan. Do not use a non-stick pan, if you plan to use an immersion blender to puree the spinach. 
Fry Paneer: This is a personal preference. If you like to fry the paneer, you can fry in 2-3 tbsp oil in a pan or air fry it. Then add the fried paneer to the blended spinach. 
Frozen Spinach: You can use frozen spinach in this recipe. The same cooking time should work well. The instant pot might just take longer to come to pressure. 
Frozen Paneer: If using frozen paneer, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Then use it as suggested. 
Green Chili Pepper: I typically use Thai, Birdeye or Serrano Chili Pepper in my recipes. Don't forget to adjust to your taste. 
Created: This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Programmable Pressure Cooker.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 20gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 747mgPotassium: 770mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 10990IUVitamin C: 41.5mgCalcium: 673mgIron: 3.9mg
Keyword Healthy, Vegetables
Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @PipingPotCurry or #pipingpotcurry

Check out other Instant Pot Curries you might enjoy:

  • Aloo Gobi
  • Punjabi Chole
  • Paneer Butter Masala
  • Pumpkin Curry

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MK says

    June 03, 2022 at 6:56 am

    Hi - have you ever made this with frozen spinach (thawed)? Would it be the same amount, or less than fresh, if you were to use frozen chopped spinach?

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      June 07, 2022 at 11:23 am

      Hi MK - Sure, this recipe will work well with frozen spinach too. I would suggest to add the same amount (by weight). Hope you enjoy the palak paneer!

      Reply
  2. om kumar says

    April 19, 2022 at 3:33 am

    Lovely recipe Meeta Arora! 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!!

    Om Kumar

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      April 19, 2022 at 11:13 am

      Hi Om Kumar - Happy to hear you all are enjoying the North Indian dishes. Thank you for sharing back!

      Reply
  3. Azhar Khan says

    March 06, 2022 at 11:36 am

    I've made this about 4-5 times, its the best instantpot Palak Paneer I've seen. The only change I made was reduced the spinach amount from 1 lb to about 360 grams.

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      March 11, 2022 at 9:51 pm

      Hi Azhar - So glad to hear you enjoyed the palak paneer. Thank you for sharing back your review!

      Reply
  4. Uma says

    November 20, 2021 at 10:05 am

    I have made this twice already and love it!

    But my instantpot gives the error food burning, even before the pressure is built.

    How to avoid this error .

    Help

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      December 02, 2021 at 4:59 pm

      Hi Uma - Sorry to hear you got the burn message. I suggest to add 1/2 cup of water if your ip is more sensitive to burn message. Make sure to add the water and deglaze the pot. Hope you enjoy the palak paneer!

      Reply
  5. Sarah says

    November 02, 2021 at 6:55 pm

    Very yummy. I love getting palak paneer at restaurants but never dreamed of making it myself. I made this in my 8 quart instant pot and it turned out great. I used 1/2 cup water and a little extra because I am not as experienced with the instant pot, although I think it would have been fine with the 1/2 cup. Also did not put as much spinach as it called for as the pot was getting very full! (Maybe 360 g, still turned out great). I did add lots of salt at the end, which brought out the flavours more. I ate it with roti and it was delicious! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      November 09, 2021 at 11:45 am

      Hi Sarah - So glad to hear that you enjoyed the palak paneer. Thanks for sharing back the changes you made!

      Reply
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Meeta Arora of Piping Pot Curry

I strongly believe that each one of us has a chef inside us, we just need to explore the ingredients and create great food. Here you will find easy & delicious recipes using Instant Pot & Air Fryer.

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