If you think Paneer from the market is good, just wait until you make it from scratch. This creamy and soft homemade paneer tastes so much better than store bought. If you love paneer than Learn How to make Paneer at home with this fail-proof step-by-step recipe (with video). This is the ultimate guide to homemade paneer.
When it comes to guessing the most humble and versatile ingredient in Indian cooking, without a doubt, we can all agree that it is paneer! In our India, paneer surely comes in handy whenever thinking of making something quick, delicious and easy. Although most of us buy paneer from the local dairy shops right outside our houses, you can also make it easily at your home with simple steps.
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Homemade paneer is so much easier to make than you may have thought and way better than anything you’re going to get from the market. Once you try this easy to make homemade paneer recipe from scratch, you will never buy it from the store again.
If you are making paneer at home for the first time, then don’t worry, it may sound like a challenging task, but it is actually a simple procedure. All you need is very few ingredients and your 30 minutes. My recipe for making paneer at home is definitely the easiest, chipper and simple.
Paneer is a very humble Indian cooking ingredient, which is the preferred protein-rich food of the health freaks due to its high protein quality and low-calorie count. It is a non-melting desi cheese that we usually make using cow’s milk set with acid.
Paneer is very versatile ingredient. You can cut, mash, crumble or even knead it into dough. Paneer can add flavour and texture to almost any dish, from curries to kebabs and can even be added to junk foods like pizzas or sweets and more.
Believe it or not, if you want to make soft and creamier paneer at home then all you need is four ingredients. Some milk, fresh cream, vinegar and chilled water will give you the smoothest, most delicious tasting and the freshest paneer ever!
Milk
I recommend using full fat milk and not low fat or skim milk. So if you choose to replace full fat milk with low fat milk or skim milk, the consistency of the paneer will be effected and the end result might not be as smooth and creamy.
Cream
I wanted to make sure that each and every one of you could recreate this recipe at home and that is why I have used the most commonly available ingredients. Fresh cream is something that we all can find near our homes. If you’re using full fat milk then fresh cream should go perfectly well with it.
Vinegar / Lemon Juice
I prefer vinegar for curdling the milk. If you don’t have vinegar at home, then you can definitely use some lemon juice as well.
Chilled Water
The process for making paneer at home is incredibly simple. The part that takes the longest is boiling the milk! All you need is full-fat milk, fresh cream (optional), some water and vinegar or fresh lemon juice. You need to bring the milk to a boil in a deep-bottomed pan and then mix the water with vinegar or lemon juice and add it to the milk.
The milk solids will start separating after some time and once it’s cooled down, you can strain and wash the cheese and squeeze all the water out. Finally, cover the paneer in the cloth and weigh it down with something heavy object. They whey left behind is very nutritious and can be used for gravies, rice, lentils.
When paneer is done and ready, Cube it, fry it, crumble it and enjoy in the dishes of your choice.
My preference is to use vinegar to curdle the milk. You can also use lemon juice, citric acid, yoghurt or even leftover whey from a previous batch of paneer to curdle the milk. For 1.5L milk you’ll need 2 spoon of vinegar.
After the milk boils, add 1 glass chilled water and stir well. After that pour in some vinegar or lemon juice. Give everything a stir, and the milk should start curdling immediately. The liquid will turn into a yellow/light-green color, especially if you use vinegar, but that’s completely normal. I usually let the curds sit in the vessel like this for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Next, you want to strain the curds through a cloth and rinse the curds with cold water. This really helps to cool the cheese and it helps wash away the lemon juice or vinegar.
This is a super common question of many of my friends. The answer is simple: Use fresh milk with sufficient fat content and add fresh cream while boiling. Adding fresh cream into milk gives richness and creamy texture to the paneer.
Don’t add vinegar or lemon juice immediately into boiling milk to curdle the milk. Always turn off the flame first after boiling the milk and then add chilled water before adding vinegar or lemon juice. Curdle the milk slowly you don’t shock the curds into separating quickly.
1.5 litre milk gives 250 gm paneer.
Fresh and full-fat milk produces good quality paneer. If you will use fat-free or low-fat milk, it will not curdle or may only produce a small amount of curds.
I prefer using vinegar to curdle the milk as I feel it results in a more solid block of paneer. You can also use lemon juice, citric acid, yoghurt or even leftover whey from a previous batch of paneer to curdle the milk.
The yield will be much less depending on fat content and it may also be quite firm to eat.
If you want creamier paneer then you can add cream to the milk while boiling it. I would advise adding fresh cream into milk.
Yes. Simply bring it to the boil in a large, heavy-based pan and the sourness of the milk will cause a natural separation to occur. Strain the milk as directed in my recipe below.
Add more curdling agent. Start by adding only 1 teaspoon of the curdling agent. Add 1 more teaspoon only if the milk doesn’t curdle and add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon only if it still doesn’t curdle.
If the milk still doesn’t separate, your milk may be too processed/filtered to make paneer. Don’t worry, you can still use it as buttermilk for baking.
Don’t throw the whey after draining the curd. You can use the whey for making dough for roti, jowar roti, bajra roti, thepla, bhatura or aloo Paratha. You can use it in making kadhi or dal or rice also. Use it in cake or bread baking. You can add it to your morning smoothies for a low-fat protein boost. Leftover whey can even be used to separate more milk for making paneer again. The possibilities are endless!
Don’t add vinegar or lemon juice immediately into boiling milk to curdle the milk. Always turn off the flame first after boiling the milk and then add chilled water before adding vinegar or lemon juice.
Definitely! Wrap it well and freeze for up to 3 months, defrost at room temperature and eat within 48 hours.
This perfect homemade paneer will keep well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Soak it in water, cover it well to ensure it doesn’t dry out.
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