Vegan Palak Paneer with Curried Tofu

My Indian husband approved of this dish, and didn’t know the tofu wasn’t paneer until I told him. I did make several modifications, but even with my modifications this was very good. (My modifications: I used 2 T of ginger/garlic paste that you can get from Indian stores, which is a huge timesaver; defrosted a package of frozen chopped spinach and added it along with the tomatoes, instead of using fresh; did not bloom the curry powder/garam masala separately but just added to tomatoes and spinach; used tamari instead of coconut aminos since I didn’t have the aminos.)

I make this dish often. It was the first Minimalist Baker recipe I tried, and I’m so grateful I found it and got hooked. Even my kindergartener asks for seconds on this spinach-based dish, though my little one just wants her tofu separate. I make a few changes to minimize steps and dishes. I bake the tofu and skip the skillet entirely, as others have said. I use frozen spinach and skip the step to blanch fresh spinach. I also blend with an immersion blender (I always double the batch, and I have figured out which pot is the right shape to be able to use the immersion blender to do the job. I just add the sauce ingredients right in the pot instead of cooking them separately. It’s so much more manageable on a weeknight with these changes, and still DELICIOUS. Big win all around.

I made this! It really only took about half an hr. Mine needed more salt but all the other spices were great! I also did not boil spinach. I just tossed it into tomato onion part and simmered it down a bit. So I saved a pot! I served over cauliflower rice
I will make again! Thank you!

I received a 2nd degree burn from the spinach mixture bubbling out of the pot. I might amend steps 9/ 10 to turn the burner off completely or down to low before adding the spinach mixture.

My whole family really enjoyed this recipe! It definitely took me longer than 30 minutes the first time, but now that I have made it I think I will do better at multitasking the next time.

Wow what an incredible recipe that keeps on giving! I’ve been making this dish for about 5 years as written and it’s always so heart warming and tasty. Today I put in about a 1-1.5 cups of white beans to the sauce while blending to give it even more protein umph and it was incredible. Turned out even bette then expected so I didn’t even add the coconut cream at the end. I always double the tofu and double the tofu sauce bc I like mine to be extra covered in flavor and skip putting the tofu on the stove and just bake it for longer to make it nice and crispy. Amazing recipe, thank you!!

This recipe is amazing and has become a favorite in our household. We’ve served it with brown basmati or with naan, and it is perfect with a little mango chutney on the side. My husband and kids fight over the leftovers (when there are any). Thanks for such a great recipe!

Oh so good! Minor modifications by adding additional vegetables (eggplant, green pepper, onion sauteed) and used a whole can of coconut milk. Added additional hot spice as desired. Absolutely amazing, have made it a couple times, very adaptable to personal taste. Thank you!

This was delicious- definitely a keeper. Mine came out spicier than I’d imagined, but I liked the spice. I will definitely do what another reviewer suggested- double the recipe and freeze half . It was a bit time consuming but I imagine. It will get faster the next time I make it . I also skipped a step and just baked the tofu. It was perfect.

I’m glad I finally tried your recipe, it did not disappoint!

I’ve been putting off making this at home as my favorite takeout dish ever is Saag and tofu, but I moved recently and haven’t been able to find a similar Saag and no places near me will make it with tofu instead of paneer. lame

Some modifications I made after reading other reviews:
1. Doubled the spices!
2. Used 2 sm fresh tomatoes instead of canned
3. Cooked the spinach with the veggies (added with the tomatoes)
4. Subbed coconut milk instead of veg broth (not sure if I should have done this, but I was being lazy and trying to use up the can & it still came out great)

I will definitely make this again, thank you for making such a versatile recipe. This is my definition of comfort food!

Another great recipe from Minimalist Baker! It reminds me of why I used to cook your recipes so often – they’re all fast and easy to make, healthy, and packed with flavour.

Don’t let the simplicity of this recipe fool you – its delicious, satisfying, and healthy! I cooked my tofu in an air fryer which worked well and reduced cook time. Next time, I am going to add roasted potatoes to the curry to stretch it into more meals.

This was a delicious meal the first time I made it but I do think it needs some more tweaking on my part. It took me a little over an hour to make (although I made coconut rice as well but that’s really just mixing rice, liquid and setting it to boil) so I would suggest making 2-3x just the sauce and freezing it for later. The sauce was super delicious but I think it still tasted a bit too heavy on the tomato so I will try balancing out with other flavors next time (I think more spinach). I also thought the tofu could be more flavorful – next time I’ll try adding more nutritional yeast and letting it marinate for at least 30 minutes. Can’t wait to get this recipe down because it’s such a fantastic healthy vegan take on palak paneer. Definitely pair with minimalist baker’s coconut rice. Enjoy!

Last night I made this, and it was so yummy! For the paneer substitute I used a combination of the tofu recipe and Daiya grilling cheese, that I cooked on a griddle pan. We served it with Garlic Naan.
The instructions were perfect and it went down perfectly with a nice cold beer.
Thanks 🙏🏻

This was absolutely delicious. I was a little more generous with the spices. Can’t help myself. I also used coconut cream because that’s what I had in the cupboard. I will definitely make this again. Yum yum yum. Thankyou Minimalist Baker for another cracker vegan recipe. Xoxox

Absolutely loved this recipe!!!! The flavors were amazing and delightful! It was the first time that I succeeded in making the tofu crispy. I did use a cast iron skillet to fry the tofu and then baked it till it was even crispier.
It was probably the most multi-tasking recipe that I have ever attempted and it was worth it.
Here is how I modified the recipe:
– I skipped the parboil of the spinach and added it sauteed onions, spices & tomatoes. The spinach wilted perfectly.
– I skipped the blending and just added the sauce to the onions, tomatoes and spinach dish.
– I added a little bit more aminos and curry powder.
– I served it with quinoa for myself and rice for my friend.
I will make this again and again! Thank you for this wonderful dish that led to a wonderful date.

This was super delicious and unique! I actually didn’t like paneer before becoming a vegan, so the tofu was perfect for me. The only thing I will say is that this was a lot more labor intensive than I feel was let on by the description. With two of us working at the same time, it took around an hour or slightly more to make this and the GF naan which is another “20-30 minute recipe.” If you are crunched for time, I highly suggest getting all of your ingredients arranged, measured, and ready to go earlier in the day.

Really liked this recipe
I reduced tomatoes to one cup.
I cooked spinach in vegetable and tomato sauce to save one step 😊
I would definitely make it again

One of my favorite meals! Love it, thanks for the recipe! :)

I made this tonight and it was so amazing I had to write a review. Both my husband and baby ate seconds! So simple yet so full of flavor. I made a few modifications – used garlic powder and frozen ginger instead of fresh. It was still great but I’m sure fresh would’ve been even better. Thank you for such an amazing recipe!

So delicious! We loved the Vegan ‘paneer’ palak! I added garbanzo beans too for a little added protein. I used 11 oz of spinach and a whole can of full fat coconut milk. The spices and ratios were perfect. My kids and husband and I love Indian food and this is one of our favorites from a local restaurant – and this recipe was like a copy cat. Five stars!

Super successful! I love ordering saag at Indian restaurants and this was my first attempt at making it at home. Thank you!! Changes I made: I only used one pot, wilted the spinach right into it and then used an immersion blender. I also kept tasting the pureed saag, adding a little bit more curry powder and garam masala and salt until it was just right for me. Taste can be so subjective! Giving one less star for the complicated steps that result in more dishes used. I am glad I read other reviews and simplified.

My family loved this. In didn’t come together in 30, but with practice I should be able to get closer. I omitted the oven baking part of the tofu and it still turned out amazing.

10/10 WILL make this again. i was a bit skeptical about the tofu being a good substitute for paneer, but it really was. thank you for the awesome recipe!

I confess i’ve become lazier each time i’ve made this – four times now, and delicious every single time. First time, followed directions as given. Second, skipped the fry stage, with the tofu, went straight to baking. Third, dispensed with par-boiling the spinach, just added it to the spices and onions as if to stir-fry before adding the tomatoes. And this time, combined the fry and the sauce: more oil, all the spices, and the coconut milk, added in stages to the vegetable mix. Then, the wand blender, and bob’s your uncle.

This was amazing!

I had a heap of fresh kale and other greens that I needed to use so substituted lots of kale, Pak choi and other greens into my dish.

Your instructions are very easy to follow and the dish turned out to be just delicious!! The sauce is very creamy and full of flavor, the tofu just perfect after baking it for 15 minutes. I love it. Thank you for sharing!!

I think this is an amazing interpretation of the palak paneer I had in India. Flavorful and spicy, a dish you can play with to fit your taste and level of Indian spices you like.
Delicious! Will be a recipe to be repeated over and over.

Okay, but not very flavorful despite all the spices. I think if this was cooked longer to deepen the flavors, it would be better. It also definitely needed more curry and a bit of spice. Not bad, but really needs to be modified.

For whatever reason, I have been craving a healthier version of saag paneer and this did the trick. I used silken tofu and baked it b.c I wanted 1. to try it out and see if it could be baked and 2. bc. I wanted a creamier texture. It worked great, though you have to be gentle with it. Saag was fantastic and as my 13-year-old happily ate a bowl of it with rice said, “Wait, this is spinach? Wow! I am eating spinach!” Thanks for another great recipe. Minimalist Baker is now the first place we look for new recipes.

Made this after looking at a bunch of recipes and the one this is based on (linked). I kind of merged both by using hing (traditional Indian seasoning that i keep around bc i am Indian and make traditional food frequently), turmeric, and yogurt instead of coconut milk. This is an awesome recipe. The final product is way healthier than any saag paneer takeout you’d get, tastes fantastic and this method of preparing tofu instead of paneer works perfectly (honestly i was snacking on the tofu while i cooked). It definitely took longer than 30 minutes (closer to an hour), and my appliances definitely heated at a different rate so the sequence of steps was off (because our stovetop heats way faster than oven). Would definitely make again if i had time. My family thoroughly enjoyed it, including my young child. I served with naan, but would potentially also serve with rice in the future.

I used frozen spinach (probably could have just added it to the tomato sauce instead of boiling ahead of time) and simply baked the tofu the 15 minutes. I did end up adding a tbsp of tamari and then another tsp of salt, perhaps because I’d used the larger amount of liquid so that I could just use my immersion blender to blend the veggies. With the immersion blender it doesn’t come out as smooth as in the video, but it is really tasty and actually more the texture that I’m used to. A go-to recipe. Thank you!

This is one of my favorite weekday meal and is a great source of iron, especially when cooked in cast iron as you suggest! In the summer we use our Swiss chard, also yummy. Thanks so much for the recipe!

It took me a while to get up the courage to make this one, as it looked complicated, but it’s actually not hard despite all of the moving pieces. I used fresh tomatoes and 9 oz of spinach, since that’s how much we had, and I think both were good calls. The result was sublime. My meat-loving spouse adored it.

I made this for a second time. This time I just baked the tofu rather than pan fry first, and did all the vegetables in one pot to reduce on pots.
I find it too tomatoe-y so next time instead of using a full can I’ll likely use either a half can or one fresh tomato.
I love the tofu! I also sprinkled extra nooch and salt over top to serve.

I have made this recipe twice now! LOVE it. I always use the full can of coconut milk just so I don’t have to store the rest. It works great that way too. Also I couldn’t find Garam Masala once and used Curry Vindaloo and it tasted great as well. Always recommend the air fryer for tofu, though! LOVE that thing.

Another new favorite!!! I always thought curry was too complicated to make at home but this was so delicious and I had most of the ingredients on hand. I love the tofu texture—I baked for about 25 minutes and it was nice and firm. My second time making it, I took a shortcut and added spinach straight to the tomato mixture, but the texture was a bit different and from now on I’ll stick to the original instructions :-) Thank you so much for all you do!

This was a huge hit with my family, will definitely make it again!

I made this for dinner and it was very good! I didn’t have a serrano/jalapeño pepper so I subbed 1/4 tsp of cayenne. I fried the tofu a little longer than suggested since I like crispier tofu. I really enjoyed this dish, thank you!

I’ve made this recipe heaps of times and it’s my favourite homemade curry and so worth the multitasking! The only change I make is that I airfry the tofu because I try to avoid using my oven during aussie summer!

I skipped sautéing the tofu and just put it straight in the oven after seasoning. It’s still good!