A favorite ingredient in many Indian recipes, Paneer is easy to make at home. See just how easy with this step-by-step paneer recipe.
Making paneer had always been on my bucket list of recipes to try at home. Paneer is a popular ingredient in many popular Indian dishes.
What Is Paneer?
Paneer is a fresh cheese which means you can make it and eat it right away without having to age or culture it.
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What surprised me the most was discovering just how easy it is to make paneer. In this easy paneer recipe, the only ingredients needed are whole milk, lemon juice and salt.
How to Make Paneer
Step 1
Pour milk in a large pot and heat it until it begins to simmer.
(Note: you will need to use whole milk. Lower fat milk doesn't have enough fat in the milk to separate into curds and whey.)
Step 2
When the milk begins to bubble, pour in the lemon juice. You should immediately notice the milk curdling.
Using a spoon, gently stir the clumps together.
Step 3
Pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth and rinse with cold water.
At this point, taste the cheese. If you want, add a pinch of salt and gently stir the curds with a spoon.
Step 4
Then, gather up the ends of the cheesecloth and squeeze the excess water out.
From this point, my pictures mysteriously disappeared from my camera and I have nothing to show you of the remaining steps, but trust me - the rest is easy.
Step 5
Transfer the cheese curds which are still in the cheesecloth to a large round plate. Shape it into a disc and place another plate on top of the cheese and weigh it down with a couple of cans or pack of flour.
Place the plate of cheese in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Step 6
Unwrap the disc of cheese and use in any number of Indian dishes.
Use the Paneer in my Saag Paneer recipe for One.
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Ingredients
- cheesecloth
- 8 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
Instructions
- Line a colander with a large double layer of cheesecloth and place it in the sink.
- Add the milk to a large pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Stir frequently to avoid burning the bottom.
- Pour in the lemon juice and reduce the heat to low. You should immediately see the milk curds. Using a spoon, gently guide the curds to the center of the pot, making sure they don't break up.
- Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour the contents into the cheesecloth lined colander. Gently rinse with cool water and squeeze out any excess water (whey).
- Add 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt to the curds and stir very gently.
- Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and twist the ball of cheese to squeeze out any additional water.
- Place the ball of cheese onto a large round plate and set another plate on top. Weigh the second plate down with a few cans of beans or something similar.
- Place the plate of cheese in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Omg, I had paneer for the first time last month and fell in love! My husband was told of this authentic Indian restaurant and I was floored at how wonderful the food was. I have always wanted to make my own cheese so we will see if I get around to this!
I hope you get around to trying it Kacey. It’s super easy.
I love making ricotta, and this paneer sound just as easy – definitely giving it a try soon
I’ve never made ricotta but from what I’ve learned, the process is the same.
The Saag Paneer at Clay Pit is so good! Kudos to you for being brave enough to try some of this stuff at home.
I love The Clay Pit and always look forward to eating there.
I have never had paneer, but it looks delicious. I will give it a try.
Great Amy! I’d love to hear how it turned out for you.
i’ve always wanted to try this! maybe i can us GF flour??
You don’t need flour, Lindsay. Just milk and lemon juice 🙂
Love that you made paneer. My husband is from India and I have yet to make it. I’ve done ricotta and it looks very similar. Can’t wait to see your recipe for Saag Paneer. That is my absolute favorite Indian dish.
From what I learned, the recipe/technique is very similar to ricotta. I think Saag Paneer is probably one of my favorite Indian dishes too, Christie 🙂
Wow! It really is easy peasy to make! It’s awesome of you to immediately start the research to figure out how paneer is made so the hubby could have one of his favorite dishes! I cannot wait to see the recipe for saag paneer!
I can’t wait to post the recipe for Saag Paneer – it’s so easy and delicious. It doesn’t always happen that I research a recipe quickly but with this one, I was really curious.
I’ve never had paneer, nevermind make it, but I think I might just go get ’em after seeing how easy this sounds (and delicious)
It’s super easy, Christine 🙂
I’m going to have to try this!
I hope you get to try it, Pam. Thanks for stopping by.
I had never tried to make paneer, you’ve just motivated me! I hope I can easily follow your steps even without photos for the end! 🙂
I’m so glad you’re going to give it a try, Lily. It’s so easy to make. I’d love to hear how it went for you.