Turn authentic Indian Palak Paneer curry into a complete meal with this delicious one pot Easy Palak Paneer Rice recipe. You will love the twist on traditional palak paneer. A perfect recipe for a quick weekday lunch or dinner.
Have you ever had ‘palak paneer’ curry in an Indian restaurant? And, did you like it?
Then you will definitely love all the flavors in this one pot palak paneer rice. Greens, proteins, and carbohydrates all in one dish. What else do we need for an easy weeknight dinner? That is what this easy rice recipe offers.
Since the last few months, we have been making it almost every week. We both love palak paneer curry. However, the thought of adding rice to it really made us excited to give this one pot spinach rice a try.
How to make Easy Palak Paneer Rice?
First, we need to puree the spinach. To do this heat a medium pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Then add fresh spinach leaves and cover with a lid for 2-3 min or until the leaves wilt down. Then remove the wilted spinach into a blender jar or food processor. Also, add in some fresh cilantro and pulse until it forms into a puree.
Now in the same pot heat some oil. Add some cumin seeds and let them fry until fragrant for a few seconds. Add finely chopped fresh garlic, ginger, and finely chopped onions and cook for a few minutes. Then add raw white rice, some cumin powder, and coriander powder and saute for another few minutes. Add water (vegetable stock) and season with salt and some garam masala. Cook the rice on low heat with the lid on for a few minutes. After 7-8 minutes of cooking rice add the spinach puree, paneer and gently mix. Return the lid and cook the rice-spinach mixture until well done. Detailed instructions are given below.
Helpful Tips!
- Use fresh baby spinach leaves for a fresher taste
- Use reduced fat paneer for making this recipe to cut down on saturated fats. I usually make paneer at home using reduced-fat milk. And freshly made paneer really makes a ton of difference in the taste. However, you can use good quality paneer from Indian grocery stores.
- Also, freshly roasted and ground cumin and coriander powder add wonderful flavor to this rice. Just roast some cumin seeds and coriander seeds together in a small frying pan for few minutes. Once they cool down, make them into powder using a spice grinder or molcajete.
More Spinach Recipes You’ll Love
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📖 Recipe
One Pot Easy Palak Paneer Rice
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup white rice
- 6-8 oz baby spinach
- 4-6 oz paneer (Indian cottage cheese) reduced fat
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tomato roughly chopped
- 3 cup vegetable stock (or water)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 jalapeno seeded optional
- 2-3 whole garlic cloves minced
- ½ ” ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro reserve some for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat a non-stick pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add spinach and cover the pot for 1-2 minutes. It will help to soften or wilt down the spinach leaves. Take out wilted spinach in a processor or blender jar and set it aside.
- In the same pan heat oil. Add some cumin seeds and fry them until fragrant for a few seconds.
- Add onion, ginger, garlic and saute until golden brown.
- Then add rice, cumin powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Mix everything and saute for a 2-3 minute.
- Now add vegetable stock (or water) and bring mixture to boil. Add tomato, garam masala, and salt to taste. Cover and simmer the rice for 7-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add jalapeno and some fresh cilantro to the wilted spinach. Pulse the mixture to form a puree and keep it aside. Do not over blend.
- Add this spinach mixture to partially cooked rice and gently mix them.
- Then add paneer pieces and mix slightly.
- Cover and continue cooking the rice for another 7-8 minutes or until well done.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Do not cook the spinach for long else it will start to stick to the pot.
- Adding spinach after halfway cooking of rice will help to retain the green color.
I made this, it was easy to follow and turned out great! I only wish it had some spice to it. Is there anything one could add optionally for a little kick?
Hi Kim,
I am glad you like the recipe. You may consider adding a little more curry powder and paprika.
Palak Paneer rice is my family’s favorite dish. Yesterday, I made it according to the instructions have you mentioned in your blog, and it turned out delicious. Thanks for sharing!
This was a really good recipe even though I found the instructions and the ingredients a bit confusing. You actually have to read both the long form and the recipe to understand the difference between seeds and powder and there is no mention of oil in the recipe and water actually means vegetable stock. Small things but details that could make a difference. Next time I would pan fry the paneer before I put it into the mixture just to give a bit of crunch. It was a great one pan dinner and we had seconds! Thank you
Hi Margaret! Thank you for writing the feedback and I am glad you loved the recipe. I have updated the content and recipe with more details now. We really thank you for bringing this to our attention.
I like indian food. It is healthy and tasty. I like your recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Palak paneer has been my favorite dish since I was a child, I am planning to start cooking that more often, thanks for this.
This sounds so good!
And it’s one pot too. Would you mind sharing the recipe for the home made paneer?
Thank you for sharing the recipe
Thanks for the recipe. It looks yummy and healthy. I’ll must try this one.