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a close up shot of kadai full of palak paneer made in instant pot, with an Instant Pot in the background
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Instant Pot Palak Paneer

quick and easy recipe that shares how to make palak paneer in the Instant Pot - a true one pot recipe!
Course Indian Curries, Main Course
Cuisine Indian, North Indian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 187kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoon chopped ginger
  • 2 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 chopped green chilli
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 mid tomatoes chopped
  • 10 oz palak /spinach leaves
  • 250 gms paneer cubed
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  • Start Instant Pot in saute mode (normal), and heat up a little oil.
  • Add cumin seeds, and wait till it flutters, then add chopped ginger & garlic, and saute for a few minutes. Then add chopped green chillies.
  • Once the ginger & garlic start to change color, add chopped onions & salt, and saute till the onions turn translucent or even light golden brown, based on your preference.
  • Then add in the chopped tomatoes, and saute for a couple of minutes. You don't need to cook them down, pressure cooking will take care of that.
  • Next add in the palak leaves and water. The water doesn't need to cover the leaves. Only a little water is needed. 1 cup for 10oz of palak leaves.
  • Close the Instant Pot lid and pressure cook for 2 minutes on high.
  • Once the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, and then manually release all the pressure from the pot, and open the lid.
  • At this point, the palak mix will be really hot, so let it cool down to about room temperature.
  • Once the palak mix has cooled down, use a hand blender to make a semi smooth curry.
  • Add paneer cubes, and start the Instant Pot on saute mode again, for a few minutes, till there is a light boil and the paneer gets a chance to cook in the curry.
  • Serve hot with roti or naan, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • I adapted this stovetop recipe to this Instant Pot version.
  • Use fresh palak leaves, and don't use stems, as it can give a bitter, metallic taste to the curry.
  • Fresh homemade paneer is best, because it will just melt in your mouth. Alternatively, you can use Haldiram paneer. It's pretty good too.

   

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 440mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 4431IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 251mg | Iron: 2mg