This easy vegan palak paneer is the easiest way to get in some greens while actually enjoying it. Palak paneer is a classic Indian high protein dish that I made dairy free by replacing the Paneer with tofu. It is made with simple ingredients like spinach, tomato, some spices and aromatics. It’s light and healthy, perfect for a weeknight meal or weekend feast!
Origin and Meaning
Palak paneer (more popularly known in english countries as Saag Paneer), originates from North Indian Punjabi cuisine, but is popular all over India. It evolved from Saag Paneer where the word saag in Hindi means “leafy greens”, which refers to mustard greens, fenugreek, spinach, and other leaves used in Indian traditional recipes. Palak is Hindi for spinach.
Traditionally, palak paneer is a vegetarian dish based on paneer (a soft Indian cheese), spinach (which is made into a thick paste), and a mixture of spices such as garam masala, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, turmeric and cumin. It is a great option for vegans (by using tofu) and vegetarians.
How to Make Vegan Palak Paneer/Saag Paneer (tips and science)
I replaced Paneer with Tofu, to keep it dairy free and still be able to eat a tasty dish.
You can make the tofu taste like paneer with my little hack : boil the tofu in salted water for 2-3 minutes. This makes the texture chewy and very similar to that of paneer!
Next tip is to blanch the spinach before blending it. This is a great hack to lock in the vibrant green colour and remove the awful bitter tones of spinach. Make sure to prepare an ice bath before boiling. I always reuse the same pan of water used for the tofu to boil the spinach. Then blend it with tomatoes and aromatics and set aside
The masala base starts with whole spices, and sautee them in some oil for 30 to 60 seconds. Essential oils in spices are not water soluble, they only infuse in oil. So make sure not to skip out that tbsp of oil in there! . Then in goes the chopped onions. Here, you can be as lazy or or as patient as you want. Remember, the more you let the onions caramelize, the more delicious flavor tones you can reap out of it. Not to say it wont be delicious even if you don’t wait until caramelization.
Then add in the aromatics: green chilies, garlic, ginger and let that cook for a couple minutes. These aromatics are highly important to give this curry a great depth of flavor. Then add the powdered spices and let it all steep and infuse for a while. Next, in goes the spinach mix and cooked for about 5 minutes on medium low. Then add the garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves for a punch and tofu paneer. Do not add the garam masala before, along with the other powdered spices. Garam masala is pre-cooked spices so they will lose flavour if you cook for a long time.
Serve with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice (which really helps in bringing out all the flavours of the dish) and fresh coriander/cilantro leaves. This palak paneer provides plenty of vitamins, fiber, texture, and protein and goes great with rice or Indian flatbreads like roti or naan.
Storage
Store this Vegan Palak Paneer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them and take it out of the fridge the night prior to consumption and let it thaw slowly in the fridge overnight.
Other Indian Recipes For You:
The Best Vegan Paneer Butter Masala Ever!
Easy Chana Masala(Vegan and Gluten-free)
Vegan Palak Paneer/Saag Paneer
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 1 block firm tofu
Spinach mix/sauce
- 300 g spinach
- Water to achieve desired consistency
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ inch fresh ginger
- 1 Green chili pepper
- 1 medium tomato roughly chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Masala base
- 1 tbsp olive oil or oil of choice
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 green chili pepper
- ½ inch fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi optional
Tempering:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- Pinch of asafoetida hing
Garnish:
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Chopped coriander
- White rice or Indian flatbread
Instructions
Tofu Paneer –
- Boil cubes tofu in salted water 2 minutes. Remove the tofu from the water and set aside on a dry towel.
Blanch the spinach-
- Add spinach to the same pot of water. Prepare an ice bath (a large bowl of ice water).
- After 2 minutes of boiling submerge the spinach immediately in the ice bath.
- Once cool, squeeze out as much water as you can and set aside.
Make the spinach mix/sauce-
- Add the blanched spinach to a blender with all the Spinach Sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Make the masala base-
- In a pan, add the cumin seeds to hot oil and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the onion and cook until brown and translucent.
- Add the garlic, ginger and green chili.
- Cook 1-2 minutes until golden, then add the ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt and cook for 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Pour in the Spinach Sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, adding more water if required.
- Add the garam masala and, fenugreek leaves and tofu paneer into the gravy and let simmer for 3 minutes.
- Garnish and serve with white rice or Indian flatbread.
Here is a lip smacking Vegan Paneer Butter Masala,that is going to turn you into a tofu fan. Trust me! This recipe is great for any time of the week, weeknight, weekend, lunch etc.
Origin and Meaning
Paneer makhani (popularly known as Paneer butter masala) is a creamy dish with sweet and spicy tones based on Paneer (Indian soft cheese), in which the gravy is prepared usually with butter, tomatoes, cashews or cream. Spices such as red chilly powder and garam masala are also used to prepare this gravy.
The word makhan is a Hindi word, meaning butter. Therefore, makhani means buttery. The origin of this dish was in the 1950s, when the people from Punjab region created this dish in a popular restaurant called Moti Mahal in Delhi. The sauce for this recipe was discovered by mixing lot of fresh butter into a tomato based curry. Fun fact: Paneer Butter Masala is one of the top 5 foods ordered at night in India.
How to Make Vegan Paneer Butter Masala (tips and science)
For this vegan paneer butter masala recipe, I replaced the dairy-based Paneer with Tofu, to make it vegan. By using this little hack, you can make the tofu taste like paneer : start by boiling the tofu in salted water for about 2-3 minutes, then drain and set aside. This makes the tofu’s texture chewy and very close to that of paneer!
You can also opt to keep the tofu crispy like I did while making it and air-fry or bake it for 15 minutes.
This recipe calls for little to no chopping, the best kind of recipe in my books ;).
The masala base: Add whole spices, (here, cardamom seeds, bay leaf and a cinnamon stick) and sauté them in some oil for 30 to 60 seconds. Essential oils in spices are oil soluble, so make sure not to skip out that tbsp of oil! . Then, add the blended onions with aromatics. Here, you can slow cook and reap the most flavour out of this onion mix, or be quick choose to sauté just a bit.
The tomato cashew base: This adds richness and creaminess to the gravy. I add the powdered spices (except garam masala which goes in the end) and let it infuse for a bit. Once the gravy thickens, add garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves for a flavour punch. Then, add the tofu paneer. Make sure not to add the garam masala before, since they are pre cooked. Add them towards the end.
At the end, squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top (to add a zing and bring everything together) and some chopped fresh coriander/cilantro. This vegan paneer butter masala is flavourful, hearty, high in plant protein and perfect for week night or weekend dinners! It goes really well with some basmati rice or Indian flatbreads like roti or naan.
How to Store Paneer Butter Masala
This vegan paneer butter masala can easily sit in the refrigerator in an sir-tight jar for up to 4 days. You can also batch prep it and freeze it for the future. Just take it out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator section the night before consumption.
If you are not a fan of tofu and still want a hearty Indian meal, check out this 1-pot daal recipe and this chana masala recipe . Also, super comforting and easy to make!
Let me know if you give this recipe a go, tag me on Instagram if you do! Feel free to ask me questions regarding the recipe.
Vegan Paneer Butter Masala
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 1 tbsp oil
- 200 – 250 grams firm tofu
Whole spices:
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 small bay leaf
- ½ inch cinnamon piece optional
Aromatics:
- 1 large onion
- ¾ inch ginger
- 3 medium garlic cloves
Tomato cashew base:
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 2 green chili peppers
- ¾ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ¾ teaspoon sugar optional
- 12 to 14 soaked cashews or 12 almonds (soak in hot water for 15 minutes)
- 1-2 tbsp vegan butter
Powdered spices:
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
Garnishes:
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves
- Half a lemon juiced
- Few sprigs of coriander leaves cilantro (for garnish)
Instructions
- Air fry or bake (at 180C/360F) the cubed tofu for 15-20 minutes until crispy exterior.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan and add whole spices. Sautée until fragrant (about 1-1.5 minutes)
- Blend onions and aromatics in a blender and add that to the pan.
- Once they turn soft and the raw smell goes away, add the blended up tomato cashew base. Cook until it changes colour.
- Next add all the powdered spices (except Garam masala).
- Fry this till the onion tomato masala turns aromatic. This takes 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour ½ cup water & mix well. Cover & cook on a medium heat until the gravy thickens. Then add the crispy tofu and the butter.
- Sprinkle crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), mix & cook covered on a low heat for 2 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve this with Indian bread or basmati rice!
Tag @beextravegant if you make this and follow for more bomb-ass recipes!
Here’s your chance to savour the last few weeks of summer with this easy vegan Kulfi. Kulfi is an Indian and Pakistani summer treat that has been helping people get through the sultry days of the south Asian countries. It’s sweet, creamy, rich in flavor, and, of course, DELICIOUS! What more do you need?
What is Kulfi?
Kulfi is commonly referred to as the Indian ice-cream. It is a traditional frozen dessert served in the south Asian region especially in India as a summer dish. You can often find these in many street shops or Indian restaurants with a variety of flavours to choose from, like Kesar (saffron), Pistachio, Mango, and the classic flavour Malai (cream) Kulfi.
History of Kulfi or Qulfi
The Kulfi, or ‘Qulfi’ in Persian, was a 16th-century recipe gifted from the Mughal Empire to the rest of the sub-continent and is now famously known as Kulfi. It was traditionally made with heavy cow’s milk, sugar, nuts, and cardamom, and was stored in metal molds or cones. These cones were then immersed in an insulated container of ice and salt, and then served fresh. But nowadays, you can find them in a variety of flavours ranging from Kesar (saffron), Pistachio, Mango, to even trendy ones like chocolate.
Kulfi is often called the healthier version of ice cream, but here’s your chance to make a better and even healthier version of Kulfi – vegan, of course. This Easy Vegan Kulfi is the perfect way to get those ice-cream cravings satiated without any guilt.
Inspiration for vegan kulfi
Kulfi holds a very special place in my heart. I come from a hot tropical country and summers get real sultry over there. After school, one could find many street vendors with their kulfi carts, selling chilled kulfi to the students for as cheap as it can get. In my opinion, that’s the best way to beat the heat and get some cool on. Although I love the weather in France, I sometimes miss the weather back home and wished I could savor a kulfi or two. So, to bring back a little bit of home into my cooking I thought why not make some yummy, creamy, easy vegan Kulfi.
How to make Vegan Kulfi (Tips and tricks)
As mentioned before, kulfi is made with heavy milk, sugar, and flavorings. The idea is to evaporate the milk to make it into a thick, cream-like consistency before adding in the nuts and freezing it. The traditional way of making kulfi requires a lot of time to simmer the milk, and to reduce it until thickened. In our Easy Vegan Kulfi, we are aiming to save a lot of time and use plant-based ingredients that won’t change the traditional taste or flavor of the kulfi.
Spices
After bringing the coconut and soy milk to a boil, add the crushed cardamom to give it a spicy, and herbal flavor. Try and stick to the measurements, for now, once you get a hang of it, you can eyeball the ingredients.
Other spices you can add: Saffron
Nuts
While adding the almonds, keep in mind how coarse you would like the powder to be. Some like their kulfis crunchy, so they prefer keeping bigger bits of crushed almonds. It is totally up to you.
Note: For nut allergies, you can skip out the nuts altogether. Make sure to add more fatty coconut milk in that case.
Binder
The next important step is to form the slurry with corn starch and soy milk. Alternatively, if you don’t have corn starch , you could also add arrowroot powder to thicken the mixture quickly. Here I have used corn starch although both work perfectly fine. Once the slurry is prepared, add it to the base mix and stir continuously till it thickens to a lovely cream-like consistency.
Setting the vegan kulfi
Now all you have to do is cool it in molds. It’s advised to keep the molds in the freezer for approximately 4-5 hours, depending on the cool setting on your refrigerator. If you are unsure, do a taste test on one of the molds and take a call.
And voilà! Your Easy Vegan Kulfi is now ready to be demolished.
Check out other desserts from my page:
- Healthy Vegan Laddoos
- Vegan Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Best Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
Vegan Almond Cardamom Kulfi (Indian Ice cream)
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 cups soy or any other plant milk
- 5-6 cardamom pods (shelled and crushed)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 25 almonds
- 2 tsp corn starch
Instructions
- Mix 1 cup full-fat coconut milk with 1 cup soy milk. Bring these two to boil.
- Add crushed cardamom and continue to stir over high heat.
- Simmer for 10 – 12 minutes then add the sugar.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes until thick and creamy.
- Blitz the almonds into a coarse powder. (You can make it into a fine powder if you wish) and add it to the base mix.
- While the base mix simmers, mix corn starch with a cup of soy milk to form a slurry.
- Add these two – almonds and the slurry to the base mix and turn the heat off.
- Let it cool and pour them into your favorite popsicle molds.
- Freeze for at least 4-5 hours or overnight.
- Optionally, sprinkle with pistachios right before serving and enjoy!
Or watch it here:
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Vegan Palak Paneer/Saag Paneer
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 1 block firm tofu
Spinach mix/sauce
- 300 g spinach
- Water to achieve desired consistency
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ inch fresh ginger
- 1 Green chili pepper
- 1 medium tomato roughly chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Masala base
- 1 tbsp olive oil or oil of choice
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 green chili pepper
- ½ inch fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi optional
Tempering:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- Pinch of asafoetida hing
Garnish:
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Chopped coriander
- White rice or Indian flatbread
Instructions
Tofu Paneer -
- Boil cubes tofu in salted water 2 minutes. Remove the tofu from the water and set aside on a dry towel.
Blanch the spinach-
- Add spinach to the same pot of water. Prepare an ice bath (a large bowl of ice water).
- After 2 minutes of boiling submerge the spinach immediately in the ice bath.
- Once cool, squeeze out as much water as you can and set aside.
Make the spinach mix/sauce-
- Add the blanched spinach to a blender with all the Spinach Sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Make the masala base-
- In a pan, add the cumin seeds to hot oil and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the onion and cook until brown and translucent.
- Add the garlic, ginger and green chili.
- Cook 1-2 minutes until golden, then add the ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt and cook for 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Pour in the Spinach Sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, adding more water if required.
- Add the garam masala and, fenugreek leaves and tofu paneer into the gravy and let simmer for 3 minutes.
- Garnish and serve with white rice or Indian flatbread.
