Easy Palak Paneer Without a Blender - 20 Minute Recipe

📋 Recipe at a Glance

• 🎯 Difficulty - Easy, beginner-friendly
• ⏱ Time - 5 minutes prep, 15 minutes cook time
• 🌿 Diet - Vegetarian, Gluten-free
• 🥘 Method - Stovetop; one pan, 20 minutes
• 🫙 Equipment - A deep non-stick pan or a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Servings - 4
• 💪 Protein - 12g protein per serving
• 🔥 Spice Level - Medium (can be easily adjusted)

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Ask anyone what their favorite Indian restaurant dish is, and Palak Paneer is almost always in the top three - and for good reason! Tender cubes of fresh paneer in a deep green spinach gravy. It is one of those dishes that looks impressive, tastes incredible, and is so much easier to make at home than most people think!

I have two versions of a palak paneer recipe on the blog: one is stovetop Punjabi palak paneer, and the other is the Instant Pot version I call Saag Paneer. This easy palak paneer recipe without a blender is my sister's recipe, which she made when she visited us this summer. It was so easy and yummy that we fell in love with it.

No frying the paneer, no blanching, no ice baths, and no blending. If you can find baby spinach, you don't even need to chop it. I knew I needed to share this simple method that Indian home kitchens use every day. This easy palak paneer without a blender is exactly that: a traditional weeknight method, tested and refined for your kitchen.

Pair it with my Homemade Garlic Naan Without Yeast or my Whole Wheat Roti for a complete Indian dinner. It also pairs beautifully alongside my cumin basmati rice for a full meal-prep spread. And if you love paneer, my Matar Paneer and Paneer Bhurji are two more weeknight favorites you absolutely need to try.

🔑 The No-Blender Method

Every single popular palak paneer recipe online requires a blender. Most tell you to blanch the spinach in boiling water, shock it in an ice bath, then blend it into a smooth puree before adding it to the masala. It works, but it adds 15 extra minutes, extra equipment, and an extra cleanup step to a dish that is supposed to be weeknight easy.

The no-blender method works differently: use baby spinach (or finely chop regular spinach) and add it directly to the ginger, garlic, and spices masala. The spinach wilts and cooks in just 5 minutes of heat, naturally turning into a delicious saag or gravy. The result is a rustic, genuinely homestyle palak paneer with deeper spinach flavor than the blended version.

✨Why this recipe works?

• ⏱️Genuinely 20 minutes: No frying the paneer, no blanching, no blending, no ice bath. Baby spinach goes straight into the masala and wilts in under 5 minutes. This is the fastest palak paneer recipe you will find, and it does not taste like a shortcut.
• 🍳One pan, minimal cleanup: Everything happens in one skillet. The masala, the spinach, the paneer - all in one pan from start to finish.
• 🧅No onion-tomato masala: You know I love a slow-cooked (bhoonoed) onion-tomato masala in all its glory, but this simple recipe doesn't need it; the spinach and paneer shine with just the very basic aromatics and spices.

📋What you need for Palak Paneer

• Palak (Spinach) - You will need a lot of spinach! I highly recommend using fresh baby spinach. You don't need to chop it; just rinse it and dump it straight into the pan. If you cannot find baby spinach, you can use regular spinach, but you will need to pick the leaves from the stems (if they are tough), wash them, and then chop them. Frozen spinach will NOT work in this recipe.
• Paneer - I used homemade paneer in this recipe. It takes a bit of time to make, but it's simple, needs just milk and vinegar, and I prefer it to store-bought paneer. Store-bought paneer will work in a pinch; just plan to thaw it if it's frozen.
  • 🧀Store-bought Paneer tip: For the softest paneer, soak store-bought cubes in a bowl of warm (not boiling) water for 10 minutes before you start cooking. Drain and pat dry before adding to the gravy. This rehydrates the paneer and gives it a texture much closer to homemade, no frying required.
• Spices - the beauty of this recipe lies in the simplicity of spices it needs: cumin seeds, turmeric, cayenne or red chili powder (optional), coriander powder, and garam masala. And salt!
• Aromatics - you will need fresh ginger, garlic, and green chili (optional), crushed together in a mortar and pestle or minced. If not using green chili, you can use ginger-garlic paste.

Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients along with the quantities.

👩‍🍳Steps to make this recipe

Step 1: Build the aromatic base: This rustic, easy palak paneer recipe starts with a non-stick or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating up, crush ginger, garlic, and green chili in a mortar and pestle. Add the ghee (or avocado oil) to the pan, and once it shimmers, add the cumin seeds. As the seeds start to splutter, add the crushed ginger, garlic, and green chili. Cook for 30 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.

Step 2: Toast the spices: Stir in the turmeric, cayenne, and coriander powders, then cook for another 30 seconds to lightly toast them.

Step 3: Add spinach in batches: Add all the spinach to the pan. The raw spinach might look like a lot, but trust me, it will wilt and reduce to fit in your pan. I have used a 12.5-inch pan here. You might have to do this in batches. That is: Add, wilt. Add, wilt. And so on, until all the spinach is in. Lower the heat to medium and cook the spinach, covered, for 4-5 minutes to soften it. While the spinach is cooking, cut the paneer into cubes and set aside.

Step 4: Wilt the spinach: After 4-5 minutes of cooking, uncover the pan and stir around. Your spinach should be completely wilted and there will be some moisture/spinach juices in the pan.

Step 5: Combine and simmer: Add the paneer cubes to the spinach masala along with salt to taste. Stir gently to mix each paneer piece in the spinach masala. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat, just enough for the paneer to absorb the flavors.

Step 6: Finish and serve: Check and adjust for seasonings and finish palak paneer with garam masala. Serve with roti, naan or basmati rice.

💭 What Else Can I Make With These Ingredients?

• Fresh spinach: Use leftover spinach in my Palak Parantha (Spinach Flatbread), Spinach Rice (Palak Pulao), or Ravioli in Creamy Garlic Spinach Sauce.
• Paneer: Extra paneer works beautifully in my Matar Paneer, Paneer Bhurji, or Paneer Kathi Rolls.
• Garam masala: The same spice blend is used in so many of my Punjabi recipes like Instant Pot Butter Chicken, Punjabi Rajma, and Dal Makhani.
• Fresh ginger and garlic: Make a big batch of Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste, it keeps in the fridge for weeks and cuts the prep time on every Indian recipe by half.

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