Out of all the Paneer Recipes, palak paneer has been an all-time favorite of me and my family too. Whenever it’s the season of spinach, I often make this dish at home and pair it with our favorite flatbreads. In this post, I share a very easy and tasty recipe of Jain Palak Paneer with soft and tender paneer cubes in a spinach sauce that is made without onion, garlic and ginger.
About Jain Palak Paneer
Palak Paneer, a beloved dish in North Indian cuisine, has tender paneer (Indian cottage cheese) in a creamy spinach (palak) gravy. This Jain Palak Paneer recipe is made without onions, garlic, ginger, or root vegetables, adhering to Jain dietary principles while maintaining the dish’s rich flavors and textures.
During Navratri, some folks keep a proper phalahar fasting and do not include grains, cereals, lentils, etc. in their food. Whereas, some folks do consume regular food but without onion and garlic.
This recipe of Jain Palak Paneer is apt for them. But if you want to make the recipe on regular days, then you can also check these recipes of the classic Palak Paneer and Malai Kofta.
Jain Palak Paneer tastes fantastic even without onion and garlic. Whole spices are added which gives a nice aroma to the gravy. I have also added asafoetida which mimics the flavor of onion and garlic.
There are no tomatoes included in this recipe. But if you want, you can add one tomato. I also add cashews that impart the desired creaminess and smoothness in the gravy and balance the slight bitter flavor of the spinach.
If you want to make this recipe only without onion and garlic, then you may consider adding about ½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger while sautéing the spices.
On some days like Ekadashi and festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri and Mahashivratri, it’s a norm for me to prepare food sans any onion or garlic in them. On such days, this Jain Palak Paneer is an absolute favorite. Not just for me, but for everyone at home.
This Jain-friendly version retains all the rich, creamy goodness of the traditional dish while respecting dietary restrictions.
It’s a perfect dish for those who follow Jainism and anyone who loves North Indian cuisine. Enjoy the vibrant green hues and delightful flavors of this wholesome, nutritious meal.
Serve this Jain Palak Paneer hot with Indian breads like roti or naan or paratha, or relish it with steamed basmati rice or jeera rice or masala rice or Peas Pulao.
The creamy spinach gravy, combined with the soft and succulent paneer cubes, creates a harmonious blend of flavors that is both comforting and satisfying.
How to make Jain Palak Paneer
Prep Cashews & Blanch Spinach
1. First, rinse and then soak 10 to 12 cashews in ¼ cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Later once the cashews are soaked, drain all the water and set the cashews aside.
2. Rinse 180 grams spinach (4 cups tightly packed spinach) very well and drain the excess water.
3. In a pan, heat 3½ cups water till it starts boiling. Turn off the heat and add the spinach leaves. Let the spinach leaves blanch in the hot water for 2 minutes.
4. Then, with the help of tongs, remove the leaves and place them in a blender or grinder.
You can even strain the blanched leaves in a colander/strainer and then add them to the blender.
Make Spinach Puree
5. Next, add 1 chopped green chili and soaked cashews in the grinder jar.
Grind to a smooth and fine puree. There should be no small bits of cashews in the puree.
Sauté Spices & Aromatics
7. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee or oil in a pan. Keep the heat to low while adding whole spices, so that they do not get burnt.
8. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle.
9. Then, add 1 Indian bay leaf (tej patta), 1 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 1 or 2 single strands of mace, 1 dried red chili (seeds removed) and a generous pinch of asafoetida.
10. Stir and mix well, keeping heat to a low. You can also turn off the heat if the pan gets too hot.
11. Next, add ¼ teaspoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and ¼ teaspoon red chili powder. Mix well.
Add Pureed Spinach
12. Now, add the prepared spinach puree.
15. Mix very well.
16. Season with salt as per taste.
17. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar.
Make Palak Gravy
18. Add ½ to ⅔ cup water or as required.
19. Mix very well.
20. On low to medium heat, simmer the gravy for 6 to 7 minutes. Stir at intervals.
21. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon lemon juice. Mix well.
½ teaspoon lemon juice makes the gravy slightly sour and the tang is felt. So, add accordingly.
You can skip the lemon juice if you prefer.
Make Jain Palak Paneer
22. Add 200 grams cubed paneer and ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder.
If you want, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons cream at this step.
23. Mix very well and turn off the heat.
24. Serve Jain Palak Paneer hot or warm with steamed rice or Veg Pulao or cumin rice or saffron rice or chapati or plain paratha or naan.
More Paneer Recipes To Try!
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Jain Palak Paneer
Ingredients
For spinach puree
- 4 cups spinach – tightly packed leaves,185 grams (palak)
- 3.5 cups hot water – for blanching spinach
- 1 green chili – chopped
- 10 to 12 cashews
- ¼ cup hot water – for soaking cashews
Other ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Ghee or oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 4 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 to 2 single strands of mace
- 1 dry red chili – seeds removed
- 1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
- ½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required
- salt as required
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon lemon juice – optional
- 200 grams Paneer – chopped in cubes
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
Instructions
Blanching and making spinach puree
- First soak cashews in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. After the soaking time is complete, drain the water and set soaked cashews aside.
- Meanwhile rinse 4 cups tightly packed spinach very well and then drain the excess water.Only take the leaves and tender stems. Do not use the stems if they are stringy or woody.
- In a pan heat 3.5 cups water till it starts boiling. Turn off the heat and then add the spinach leaves. Let the spinach leaves blanch in the hot water for 2 minutes.
- Then with the help of tongs remove the leaves and place them in a blender or grinder. You can even strain the blanched leaves in a colander/strainer and then add them to the blender or mixer-grinder.
- Next add chopped green chilies and the soaked cashews in the grinder or blender.
- Grind to a smooth and fine puree without adding any water. There should be no bits of cashews in the puree. Set aside.
Making Jain Palak Paneer
- Heat 2 tablespoons ghee or oil in a pan. Keep the heat to a low when adding spices, so that they do not get burnt.
- Add cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Then add tej patta, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamoms, single strands of mace, dry red chili and a generous pinch of asafoetida.
- Stir and mix well but take care that these spices do not burn. Either keep the heat to low or turn off the heat.
- Then add crushed dry fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi. Mix well.
- Next add turmeric powder and red chili powder. Mix well.
- Now add the prepared spinach and cashew puree mixture. Stir and mix very well.
- Season with salt as per taste. Also add ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar.
- Add ½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required. Mix again very well.
- On a low to medium heat simmer the gravy for 6 to 7 minutes. Stir at intervals.
- Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon lemon juice. ½ teaspoon lemon juice makes the spinach sauce or gravy slightly sour and the tang is felt. Mix well.So you can add according to your taste preferences.
- Then add paneer cubes and garam masala powder. if you want you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons cream at this step.
- Stir to combine and turn off the heat.
- Serve Jain Palak Paneer hot or warm with steamed rice, peas pulao, jeera rice or with chapatis, phulka or naan.
Notes
- Adding lemon juice is optional.
- You could opt to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream if you prefer.
- Ensure that the paneer is fresh and preferably homemade.
- While frying the spices, make sure that the heat is kept to a low or turned off, so that the spices do not burn.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Jain Palak Paneer from the archives was first published on March 2017. It has been updated and republished on June 2024.
