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Keto Instant Pot Palak Paneer

Keto Recipes > Keto Dinner Recipes
Keto Instant Pot Palak Paneer

Indian food is delicious, and curries are the ultimate comfort food, but sometimes they aren’t the healthiest. This keto-friendly instant pot palak paneer is an exception. It’s easy to make, packed with flavors and spices, and contains all the benefits of spinach.

Palak paneer with chunky paneer cubes beside seasoned cauliflower rice on a white plate

The star of the show is the paneer cheese. It’s super high in protein and full of calcium, iron, and fat, meaning you’ll feel fuller for longer. Because of this, paneer cheese is a popular protein substitute in curries for vegetarians. The vibrant green color comes from the spinach. This leafy green veggie is loaded with vitamins and full of fiber to help keep your digestion optimum. Fresh spinach is recommended; however, frozen spinach is a secondary option if you don’t have any fresh ones on hand. 

The intense and delicious taste comes from the inclusion of many spices and herbs, like cumin seeds, garam masala, coriander powder, garlic, and paprika, which give that traditional Indian curry flavor. Add a generous helping of fresh ginger and a serrano pepper for a kick and mouth-watering spice. If you are not good with spicy food, you can reduce the amount based on your preferences.

This palak paneer pairs perfectly with the light and flavorful cumin cauliflower rice as a white rice substitute. Cauliflower has a subtle flavor, and it absorbs all the rich spices from the curry.

Yields 6 servings of Keto Instant Pot Palak Paneer

The Preparation

Palak Paneer:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
  • 1 medium serrano pepper
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
  • 3 1/2 ounces fresh tomatoes
  • 16 ounces spinach
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 16 ounces paneer packet

Cauliflower Rice:

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 480 grams cauliflower, riced

The Execution

1. Measure out and prepare all the ingredients. Set the Instant Pot to sautee, dice the tomatoes and serrano pepper.

Palak paneer ingredients laid out - tomatoes, serrano pepper, ginger, cauliflower, spinach, paneer, and spices

2. Put the butter in the Instant Pot along with the spices: cumin seeds, garam masala, ground coriander, paprika, and sea salt to taste.

Butter melting with cumin seeds, garam masala, and paprika in an Instant Pot

3. Add the serrano pepper, chopped onion, minced garlic, ginger, and diced tomatoes to the Instant Pot.

Diced tomatoes, chopped serrano pepper, onion, and garlic in the Instant Pot

4. Add the spinach and water. Turn the sautee function off, put the lid on, and set to manual, high pressure for 1 minute. Use quick release.

Fresh spinach leaves piled on top of the tomato and onion mixture in the Instant Pot

5. Using an immersion blender, blend this to a paste.

Blending the cooked spinach mixture into a smooth green paste with an immersion blender

6. Add the paneer and set the Instant Pot to warm.

Cubed paneer stirred into the green spinach sauce in the Instant Pot

7. Rice the cauliflower by putting the cauliflower florets into a food processor.

Cauliflower riced to a fine grain in a food processor bowl

8. In a frying pan over medium heat, add the butter, cumin seeds, and garam masala.

Cumin seeds and garam masala toasting in butter in a dark skillet

9. Add the riced cauliflower and stir to combine well.

Riced cauliflower stirred into the spiced butter in a skillet on the stove

10. Put the seasoned cauliflower rice and palak paneer into bowls.

Bowl of palak paneer and bowl of seasoned cauliflower rice with salt and pepper on the side

11. Plate and serve them together. Enjoy!

Hands holding a plate of palak paneer over cauliflower rice with spinach leaves scattered nearby

This makes a total of 6 servings of Keto Instant Pot Palak Paneer. Each serving comes out to be 415 calories, 33.4g fats, 7.6g net carbs, and 20.8g protein.

NUTRITION CALORIES FAT CARBS FIBER NET CARBS PROTEIN
4 tablespoon butter 407 46 0 0 0 0.5
1 teaspoon cumin seeds 8 0.5 0.9 0.2 0.7 0.4
2 teaspoon garam masala 16 0.5 3.6 2.1 1.6 0.5
1 teaspoon ground coriander 5 0.3 1 0.7 0.2 0.2
1 teaspoon paprika 6 0.3 1.2 0.8 0.4 0.3
1 teaspoon sea salt 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 medium serrano pepper 2 0 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.1
1/2 medium onion 19 0.1 4.4 0.8 3.6 0.6
4 teaspoon fresh garlic 17 0.1 3.8 0.2 3.5 0.7
3 1/2 ounce fresh tomatoes 18 0.2 3.9 1.2 2.7 0.9
16 ounce spinach 104 1.2 17 10.9 6.1 13.5
1/4 cup water 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 ounce paneer packet 1456 113.4 16.2 0 16.2 97.2
3 tablespoon butter 305 34.5 0 0 0 0.4
1 teaspoon cumin seeds 8 0.5 0.9 0.2 0.7 0.4
1 teaspoon garam masala 8 0.3 1.8 1 0.8 0.3
480 gram cauliflower 110 2.4 19.7 11 8.6 8.6
Totals 2489 200.2 74.9 29.5 45.4 124.6
Per Serving (/6) 415 33.4 12.5 4.9 7.6 20.8
Instant Pot Palak Paneer Featured

Keto Instant Pot Palak Paneer

This makes a total of 6 servings of Keto Instant Pot Palak Paneer. Each serving comes out to be 415 calories, 33.4g fats, 7.6g net carbs, and 20.8g protein.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 415 kcal

Ingredients
  

Palak Paneer

  • 4 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
  • 1 medium serrano pepper
  • ½ medium onion chopped
  • 4 teaspoon fresh garlic minced
  • 3 ½ ounce fresh tomatoes
  • 16 ounce spinach
  • ¼ cup water
  • 16 ounce paneer packet

Cauliflower Rice

  • 3 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 480 gram cauliflower riced

Instructions
 

  • Measure out and prepare all the ingredients. Set the Instant Pot to sautee, dice the tomatoes and serrano pepper.
  • Put the butter in the Instant Pot along with the spices: cumin seeds, garam masala, ground coriander, paprika, and sea salt to taste.
  • Add the serrano pepper, chopped onion, minced garlic, ginger, and diced tomatoes to the Instant Pot.
  • Add the spinach and water. Turn the sautee function off, put the lid on, and set to manual, high pressure for 1 minute. Use quick release.
  • Using an immersion blender, blend this to a paste.
  • Add the paneer and set the Instant Pot to warm.
  • Rice the cauliflower by putting the cauliflower florets into a food processor.
  • In a frying pan over medium heat, add the butter, cumin seeds, and garam masala.
  • Add the riced cauliflower and stir to combine well.
  • Put the seasoned cauliflower rice and palak paneer into bowls.
  • Plate and serve them together. Enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcalCarbohydrates: 7.6gProtein: 20.8gFat: 33.4g
Keyword 30-minute, comfort-food, egg-free, gluten-free, high-fat, instant pot, keto, low-carb, nut-free, quick, stovetop, sugar-free, vegetarian

Nutrition data sourced from the USDA FoodData Central database and manufacturer labels. How we calculate nutrition →

Comments

  1. Griff Neilson says

    I have not tried Indian food forever so I had to give this one a try and I am glad that I did! Loved the refreshing spice blend. It was great for me to break out of the norm with this recipe so thank you!

  2. Just a heads up that the intro and directions mention ginger but the ingredients don’t list it. Looking at other recipes online, I added one tablespoon of minced ginger and it worked out well.

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