Paneer recipes | 50+ Paneer recipes

Paneer recipes a collection of varieties of gravy, starter, rice, snack, sweets and dessert is presented in this post. Paneer recipes could be a full day menu from breakfast to dinner. I have portrayed an extensive range of 50+ paneer recipes for you to choose and enjoy. I have grouped them into 6 categories for ease of browsing and reference.

Paneer recipes

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About Paneer

Paneer is the unofficial cooking partner of India – celebratedly eaten at restaurants or made at home to make the meal special & festive. Paneer is unique among all ingredients as it is adaptable to cooking any type of dish and at the same type i absorbs the flavours so well. Paneer has become a standard staple item in our grocery list and a better replacement for the junk foods.

Paneer is a fresh, non-melting cheese made by curdling hot milk with lemon juice or vinegar. Paneer – the Indian cottage cheese – is loaded with the goodness of healthy fats and milk proteins, which makes it a great source of nutrition and protein for healthy bones, teeth and skin.

How to make paneer at home

Recipes with paneer starts with how to make paneer at home. Paneer is prepared by adding lemon juice, vinegar or dahi / yogurt to hot milk to separate the curds from the milk. The curdled milk particles are then drained in a cotton cloth by pressing out the water in the curd. The resulting solid is called paneer is then dipped in chilled water for 2–3 hours to get a perfect texture and solid form.

Paneer can be cut into cubes / triangles, grated, sliced, scrambled based on the type of dish we are going to cook. I generally store them in cubed form in refrigerator.
Check my recipe How to make paneer at home for step by step procedure along with pictures and answers for questions like how much milk is needed to make paneer, how to make soft or solid paneer.

How to make paneer | Homemade paneer recipe

About Recipes with Paneer

Making a day special for someone can come in many ways – recognizing, gifting and cooking their favourite dishes. Find 50+ Paneer recipes in this post that you can cook at home to make the day special for someone or you.

Paneer Dishes were savoured only at hotels during my school days and I crave to have them every weekend from hotels. When I started cooking, I grew inquisitive to make paneer and paneer based dishes at home. Now that I almost cook them twice a week at home, I guess I have mastered the art of cooking best paneer starters, sides, rice and snacks which I am happy to share here.

Paneer recipes and Kids

Mittu is very fond of Paneer and would even eat a paper which is written as paneer in it. Cleverly on one occasion she made a wish to have all the dish in a day with paneer. I made her wish come true as a surprise on her birthday! Before making it, I browsed and found it is not an issue to have paneer all 3 meals of the day and then prepared a balanced menu! It goes like this – Paneer Dosa for breakfast, Paneer Fried Rice with Paneer Butter Masala & Paneer Kheer (which I reserved it for dinner as well) for lunch, Paneer 65 for evening and then Roti / Panner Butter Masala for dinner. She enjoyed it to the core the entire day and cherishes it as one of her best moments with food! Now she will think of how to make it for a week and I am game!

Paneer Recipes Sides

India’s most cherished Paneer Butter Masala to time consuming but rich, creamy Malai Kofta – 15+ gravy recipes presented here. They range from mild sweetened types to hot spicy levels & white based to orange & red based gravies. These delicacies are best suited with all the breads – Roti / Chapati / Naan / Phulka / Kulcha and Rice – Fried Rice, Pulao, Biryani, Plain rice. Paneer gravies are the preferred choice in Veg menu for buffet, parties, festives and special occasions.

Paneer Recipes Starter

Wondered why the starters becomes the main course at buffet? Reason could be Paneer – Yes Paneer starters are crispy, munchy and tasty which makes us crave for more and end up eating like main course. Paneer is a quick cook ingredient, hence can be prepared easily in a short notice. Paneer Starters make the menu a grand one and moods up the appetite for a feast.

Paneer Recipes Main Course

If you have an idea of making flavorsome, delicious, mild spicy, heart filling rice meal – then your obvious stop has to be paneer based rice – Fried Rice or Pulao or Biryani! It enhances the taste of spices, condiments and veggies making the rice meal to a different level. Kids would love it more than vegetable versions of them and you can be ensured of an empty lunch box back from school. It also blends nicely with egg, potato, capsicum and spices to make a tasty rice combo!

Paneer Recipes Snacks

Days are not far away when we will have Paneer Pakora as a common street food relished with tea just like vada, bajji & bonda. I prefer Paneer snacks to other regular snacks as they are easy & healthy choice when Paneer is available handy. And all the more no soaking or grinding time and no hustle of deep frying it! Another reason I prefer Paneer snack is that I make Panner gravy / subzi in a large batch so that I reserve a portion of it for making it as rolls / sandwich.

Paneer Recipes – Sweets / Desserts

Other enjoyable avathar of Paneer is the sweet / dessert form. Paneer Jamun is one of Gugu’s favourite sweet and Paneer Kheer was widely savoured when I had prepared for a family get-together. Try one of them for a special occasion like birthday, anniversary and make your day!

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Alternatives & Storage Suggestions

There is no alternative for Paneer – However for gluten free & dairy allergic families, tofu could be an alternative.
Paneer recipes are to be consumed on the same day of cooking. However, it can be refrigerated and used for the next day after heating it in tawa or microwave.

FAQs

1.Name 3 easy and important paneer recipes to make at home?

Kadai paneer recipe, Paneer 65 and Paneer butter masala are three important & easy paneer recipes.

2.Are store bought paneer good?

Yes – Fresh Paneer bought from store is good for home use. Fresh Paneer is soft & firm while the aged ones becomes slightly rubbery – however safe to consume when it is within expiry date. Choose accordingly which suits your taste.

3.Is Paneer healthy?

Yes paneer is rich in protiens and healthy fats which makes them a healthy choice for cooking at home and not junky!

4.My paneer gravies don’t yield more quantity. What to do?

Use more onion, tomato quantity, saute and grind to yield more gravy.

5.Why is my paneer rubbery after cooking?

Overcooked paneer gets rubbery. Follow the prescribed cook time & method in the recipe for best results.