How to make Paneer? | Homemade Paneer Recipe - Cook with Kushi (2024)

How to make paneer cheese at home? Make fresh, soft, and delicious paneer at home with simple and easy steps and basic ingredients.

While you are here, check out some of the best and easy paneer recipes (savory and desserts).

What is paneer?

Paneer, also known as cottage cheese in English, is prepared by curdling milk with acidic ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar, buttermilk, or yogurt. This causes the milk solids to separate from the whey. This milk solid is then collected and pressed to form a firm block known as paneer.

Unlike other melting cheese, paneer does not involve rennet and is completely vegetarian-friendly. Also, no fermenting is required.

Paneer is a quintessential part of North Indian cuisine. It is soft yet firm and is not a melting cheese. Paneer is used in savory dishes like palak paneer, butter masala, tikka masala, and sweets and desserts like rasgulla, rasmalai, and jalebi.

Paneer nutrition facts

Paneer is a popular vegetarian protein consumed in India. 100g of paneer contains approximately 265 calories with about 18-20 grams of protein and 20-22 grams of fat, and 208 mg of calcium.

Paneer is higher in calories and fat than other protein sources, so consume it in moderation.

Paneer vs. Cottage cheese

Paneer and cottage cheese are fresh but differ in taste, texture, and even preparations.

Paneer is a popular soft and firm non-melting Indian cheese that holds its shape when cut into cubes. It's mildly sweet and used to make savory Indian dishes and desserts. Since it is made using whole milk, it is high in fat content.

Cottage cheese is popular in Western cuisine and is made by curdling milk with the addition of rennet. It has a more granular texture and is mildly tangy in taste. It is used in salads, pasta, and to top baked potatoes. Since it is made using low-fat milk, it is low in fat compared to paneer.

Ingredients

Milk: For best results, always use full-fat whole milk. Toned, skimmed milk does not have enough fat which will result in harder panir. For the restaurant style, use full-fat buffalo milk over cow milk.

Acid: Lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, buttermilk, or any one of the four acidic ingredients can be used to curdle milk. Each one will leave its own hint of flavor, and the amount you add may vary. For firm panir, always use lemon juice or vinegar.

Salt: Pinch of salt to taste.

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How to make Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese)?

Boil the milk

• Add milk to the heavy-bottomed pan. Bring it to a boil on medium flame.
• You can stir it to prevent it from sticking at the bottom.
• Once the milk comes to a boil, switch off the flame.

Curdle the milk

• Slowly add lemon juice or vinegar in increments. You will see that the milk curdles and whey separate.
• At this point, stop adding lemon juice or vinegar.
• Let this sit for 5 minutes so that the milk curdles completely.

Drain

• Place a cheesecloth or muslin cloth in a colander and strain the paneer whey mixture through the cloth.
• Rinse the paneer with cold water to remove any flavor of vinegar or lemon juice.
• Bring the end of the cloth together and squeeze to remove excess water.
• Tie the cheesecloth with a knot and then hang it to your kitchen faucet for about 15 minutes to let all the whey drain through it.(optional but gives good results)

Season paneer

Open the knot and season it with salt as needed. Knead the mixture so it becomes soft and smooth. It should not be crumbly. Paneer bhurji is made from using paneer at this stage.

Set the paneer

• Now, flatten the paneer wrapped inside the cheesecloth to desired thickness and place it on a plate.
• Place a heavy object on top of it to set. (Eg For the weight, I used a large pot filled with water. You can keep a plate with heavy pumpkin or a plate with mortar and pestle).
• Leave this undisturbed for 2 hours minimum. I keep it refrigerator overnight.
• Slice them into desired shape and size and use them in any curry of your choice.

Pro Tips

• Theexact amount of lemon juiceor any acidic ingredient you may have to add to a liter of milk will vary every single time. Fresh raw unpasteurized milk will curdle faster than commercial packaged milk. So start with the minimum and add till the milk curdles. Then rinse it nicely to remove the maximum flavor.
• Add acidic ingredientsonly afterthe milk comes to a boil, and you switch off the flame.
• Do not useany skim milk or low-fat milk. You will end up making hard panir.
• You may also add a tablespoon of corn flour and knead it to get a much firmer paneer.
• If your paneer is unsuitable for dishes or breaks apart, you can prepare sweets like kheer, pudding, rasmalai, or paneer bhurji.
• If themilk never curdlesafter adding acid, turn on the flame and add tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and see if it curdles now. Turn it off as soon as it starts t curdle and rest it for 5 minutes once the milk curdles; never keep the flame on as it will result in hard paneer.
• Use homemade paneer to make some of the best and most popular paneer curries like paneer butter masala, palak paneer, matar paneer masala, instant jalebi, rasmalai, etc.

Paneer cheese substitute

You can substitute it with tofu for a vegan version or with strained cottage cheese, queso panela, halloumi cheese, or ricotta cheese.

Storage instructions

• You can use them immediately once they are set or store the homemade paneer in the refrigerator in an airtight conatiner and use it for four days.
• You can also freeze the homemade paneer for up to 2 months. Just make sure you thaw at room temperature or place it in a bowl with warm water.

What can be made of paneer?

Paneer is used to make popular Indian vegetarian dishes like paneer butter masala, palak paneer, paneer tikka masala, a variety of curry, paneer bhurji, paratha, pakoda, saag paneer, matar paneer, biryani, pulao, kadai, sandwiches, etc. and desserts like kalakand, rasgulla, rasmalai, soft gulab jamun, instant jalebi. Check out a complete list of recipes that you can make with paneer cheese.

Recipe FAQS

More paneer recipes to try

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Recipe card

Note: We originally posted this recipe on how to make paneer at home in july 2016. It has now been modified in July 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Calorie, Storage Instructions, etc.