Paneer Paratha (Punjabi Style)

Paneer paratha is a popular North Indian stuffed flatbread made with a whole wheat flour dough and filled with savory, spiced, grated paneer (Indian cottage cheese) stuffing. Paneer paratha is one of the most popular stuffed paratha varieties from Punjab and usually made for breakfast.

About Paneer Paratha Recipe

I share my family recipe of paneer paratha which is not very spicy and easy to make. You also don’t need to cook the paneer prior to make these parathas.

Simply add the herbs and spices to the grated paneer. Then fill this paneer stuffing in the rolled dough and roast the paratha.

I always recommend making your own homemade Paneer – cottage cheese and use it for any paneer dish that you make. So is the case with this paneer paratha.

The paneer retains its freshness and softness even when cooked. The filling has a lovely moistness and you will not feel any dryness. The paneer also has a nice soft texture in the filling.

It’s an all-time favorite paratha at home and is served in most restaurants as well as Punjabi dhabas (road side eateries).

Parathas are popular breakfast recipes in Punjabi homes and I make varieties of parathas for breakfast like Methi Paratha, Aloo Paratha, Gobi Paratha, Onion Paratha.

The best way to have paneer paratha is with some curd (yogurt) or homemade white butter. You can also have them with some mango pickle or lemon pickle.

I always like to apply a bit of butter on them while serving. However, butter can be served as a side also.

They can also be packed for tiffin box. Usually, they are made for breakfast but you can have them for lunch or dinner or as an evening snack also.

How to make Paneer Paratha

Knead Dough

1. Take 2 to 2.25 cups whole wheat flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ghee or oil in a mixing bowl.

2. Pour about ½ cup of water.

3. Mix and begin to knead. Add more water if required and knead to a smooth soft pliable dough.

Overall I added ⅔ cup water. I recommend not to add all the water at once. Add water bit by bit as you go on kneading the dough.

4. Cover the bowl with a lid and allow the dough to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Make Paneer Stuffing

5. Meanwhile while the dough is resting, prepare the stuffing. Grate 200 grams of paneer (Indian cottage cheese). If using frozen paneer then follow the package instructions.

For the best taste and texture the paneer should be soft and fresh. A rancid paneer will make the paratha sour or bitter. Thus better not to use it.

I recommend to grate the paneer and not crumble with your hands. Grating ensures even sizes of the paneer.

But when crumbled with hands then you may get some bigger pieces which may break the paratha while rolling.

6. Add the following herbs and spices:

• 1 or 2 finely chopped green chilies or about ½ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies
• ½ teaspoon dry mango powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon salt or add as required

You can add more salt, red chili powder or dry mango powder if you prefer. Ensure that the green chilies are finely chopped or they will come out while rolling.

7. Mix everything well with a spoon so that the ground spice powders are uniformly mixed with the grated paneer.

Assemble and Form Paneer Paratha

8. Pinch two small balls from the dough and roll them in your palms to make them even.

9. Dust some flour on the dough balls.

10. With a rolling pin, roll the dough balls to a circle of about 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

11. Place the paneer stuffing on one of the rolled rounds keeping one-inch space around the circumference.

Don’t under-fill or overfill with the stuffing. If you overfill the stuffing then it can come out while rolling.

On the other hand, if you under-fill the stuffing then you get less taste of the paneer stuffing and more of the dough.

12. Cover with the other rolled dough. Press and seal the edges to close the layers.

13. Sprinkle some flour and roll the stuffed paratha to a circle of about 6 to 7 inches in diameter.

Cook Paneer Paratha

14. Heat a tava or griddle or a flat skillet and then place the rolled paratha on it. The tava should be hot.

To check the heat, sprinkle a generous pinch of whole wheat flour on the tawa. If the whole wheat flour becomes brown in some seconds, the tawa is hot enough to roast the paratha.

Remove this browned flour from the skillet by wiping it with a cotton kitchen towel before you begin roasting the paratha.

15. Flip when one side is partly cooked – about ¼ cooked. You will see some air pockets and light blisters on this side.

16. Apply ghee or oil on this side with a spoon.

17. When the second side is half cooked then turn it over and flip using a spatula.

18. Let the side in which we applied ghee get cooked now.

19. Spread some ghee on the top.

20. Flip again.

21. Press the edges of paratha with a spatula so that the edges are cooked. A well stuffed and rolled paratha will puff up slightly while cooking.

22. Flip once or twice till the paratha has golden spots and is evenly cooked.

23. If serving later, place the paneer paratha in a roti basket or casserole.

24. Optionally, you can place some softened butter on top.

25. Spread the butter on the paratha with a spoon.

26. Wipe the excess whole wheat flour if any, with a cotton kitchen napkin. So that the browned whole wheat flour particles do not stick to the parathas. Make all parathas this way in batches on the tawa/griddle/skillet.

27. Keep on stacking them in the roti basket or casserole. Spread some butter on each paratha while stacking them.

if not stacking them, then serve the paneer paratha hot with mango pickle or even mint coriander chutney. They can also be packed for lunch box.

Best to have them hot as they are prepared. A cup of hot tea will also go very well during monsoons or winters.

More Paratha Varieties To Try!

Indian Breads

Pudina Paratha | Mint Flatbreads

Peas Recipes

Matar Paratha | Green Peas Flatbread

Breakfast Recipes

Cheese Paratha | Cheese Flatbread

Breakfast Recipes

Palak Paratha | Healthy Palak ka Paratha Recipe

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This Paneer Paratha recipe post from the archives originally published on May 2012 has been updated and republished on Jun 2021.