How to Make Paneer | Paneer Recipe

Learn How to Make Paneer at Home with step by step pictures and video. Making homemade paneer can be very easy, tasty and hygenic and you can make fresh Indian cottage cheese at home using just 2 ingredients. In this blog post of paneer recipe, I have shared paneer flavoured with herbs and spices called as masala paneer. Also shared all the tips and tricks I learned over the years to make soft paneer at home.

How to Make Paneer

Many of you think that making paneer can be complicated. But actually it is not a big deal. It is so much simple and easy to make your own cheese.

It’s been years ever since I started making paneer at home. Homemade paneer is not only delicious but it so easy to make at home. Once you get the hang of it, it is super simple. You will never go back to store-bought ones. I found that homemade paneer taste best also it is free of any preservatives so very good for health and for kids. I follow few steps to get soft paneer all the time. So I am sharing all the tips and tricks in this post.

What is Paneer?

Paneer is also known as Indian Cottage Cheese, very different from American cottage cheese. It is fresh cheese made with milk which is curdled with acidic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, curd (yogurt), buttermilk or citric acid.

Paneer is soft yet stays firm even when frying or cooking. To make paneer, boil milk and curdle the milk with lemon, yogurt or vinegar. I use homemade curd to curdle the milk, you can easily make yogurt at home. The curdled milk is strained in muslin cloth or cheese cloth which is then pressed using a heavy objects like mortar and pestle.

You can use paneer or herbed paneer(given below) in any curries or side dishes. paneer tikka, paneer butter masala can be made using this paneer. You can also try my Matar Paneer or Paneer Cashew Curry.

Watch Homemade Paneer Video

Food Acids used to Make Paneer

Curd | Yogurt - I prefer using curd / yogurt to curdle milk for making paneer. Curd makes soft paneer and also helps yielding more quantity of paneer. If you make paneer using curd, you don't have to wash the chena. But press it firmly using a heavy object to remove the excess whey.

Vinegar - most effective way to curdle milk for paneer. It curdles the milk faster but it has to be added in limited quantity. Too much vinegar can alter the taste of paneer. Also make sure you rinse it really well to remove the vinegar taste from paneer.

Lemon Juice - Paneer made using lemon juice has to be washed really well else the paneer may taste tangy. Don't over cook or boil the milk once lemon juice is added, else it may turn rubbery.

Citric Acid - This method is used in factory made paneer. ½ tsp citric acid is enough to curdle 1 litre of milk.

Previous Batch Whey Water - If you make paneer often. You can collect the leftover whey water from making paneer and store in an air tight jar in fridge. You can use this whey water to curdle milk.

Using yogurt or curd for curdling milk results in soft paneer. But you can use lemon juice or vinegar as well. For every 2 litre of milk you can use all these ingredients. 

• 4 tbsp Vinegar - you can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar.
• 4 tbsp Lemon Juice 
• 1.5 cup of Whey (leftover liquid which is drained when making previous batch of paneer)

About Homemade Paneer

My paneer making journey started many years back. I have been making paneer ever since. Homemade paneer has best quality than store bought. The taste of paneer depends on quality of milk and cooking temperature. So many issues can happen when making paneer, Be sure you check my FAQ.

Farm fresh milk curdles faster than pasteurized milk. You need just few drops of lemon juice to curdle fresh raw milk. Don't use too much acid to curdle else the texture will be affected. Also reduce the heat to low when you add the acid and don't let the milk to boil after it is curdled which results in rubbery texture.

How to Press Paneer (with & without paneer tofu press)

You don't need to invest in a speciality press for making paneer. But if you are planning to make it more often, then you might think on investing in one. I bought mine from amazon. Paneer press is easy to use and you get a proper square shaped paneer block which results in even cubes.

If you don't have a press, you can simply pour the curdled milk into a muslin cloth. Cover it into a bundle, weigh it down with some thing heavy. The resulting paneer block will be round in shape and it can be cut into cubes.

How to Make at Paneer at Home (3 Easy Steps)

Boiling Milk - Take milk in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce the flame.

Curdling Milk - Now reduce the flame and add in yogurt and mix gently. The milk will get completely curdled after few minutes.

Pressing Paneer - Pour the curd into the cheese cloth. Bring it all together and place a weight over it and let it sit for few hours. Once set, cut into cubes. Use or store for later.

Expert Tips (Pro Tips)

Milk

For tastier paneer, use full fat milk for getting more paneer. You can use pasteurized or unpasteurized. But don't use toned or skimmed milk, you need the fat for softer paneer.

Acid to use

I prefer using curd / yogurt to curdle milk for making paneer. Curd makes soft paneer and also helps yielding more quantity of paneer. If you make paneer using curd, you don't have to wash the chena. But press it firmly using a heavy object to remove the excess whey.

Cooking Method

Bring milk to full boil. Reduce the flame low when you add in the preferred food acid, I like to use yogurt | curd. Mix gently once you add yogurt, don't mix too much else the curds will break which results in crumbled texture. The curds which forms should be soft and look like large clumps (see image).

Never boil once the milk is curdled which over cooks the paneer curds resulting in rubbery texture.

No Over Cooking

Once you scoop the milk curds into paneer press or muslin lined cloth, wash it well in cold water. This step not only removes the sour taste of the vinegar or lemon juice added but it also cools the curds immediately which prevents over cooking.

Pressing Paneer

Once curds are poured into muslin lined cloth. Cover it and place heavy object on top to remove the excess whey. Don't press paneer more than 1 hour which results in drier and hard texture.

How to Make Paneer (Stepwise Pictures)

Boiling Milk

1)Take milk in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Keep mixing in-between to prevent burning in the bottom of the pot. Once it starts to boil, reduce the flame. 

2)I use a spatula to mix the milk evenly. Sometimes because of the fat content in milk, it may stuck at the bottom of the pot and burn easily.

Curdling MIlk

3)Now add in yogurt (or check notes) . Keep mixing when you add in curd. The milk mixture will start to curdle as you add in yogurt. Keep the flame on low and keep mixing the entire time.

4)The milk will get completely curdled after few minutes. If the mixture didn’t curdle as much, add more curd or yogurt. The milk is completely curdled once the milk solid is separated from the whey and paneer curds are formed. Never boil the curd too vigourously else the paneer will turn hard and rubbery. 

Draining

5)Line a sieve with cheese cloth, pour the curd into the cheese cloth. Rinse the curds under water to stop the cooking process. If you are using lemon juice or vinegar to curdle milk, rinse it really well to remove the sour taste from the curds. I used my paneer press.

6)Bring it all together and place a weight over it.

Pressing Paneer

7)I used my mortar and pestle as weight. If you are using a paneer mould or press, place the cloth along with the curds in the press and cover with lid and place weights over it.  Leave the paneer to press for at least for 1 hour. 

8)After 1 hour, remove it from the cloth. It will be in one block.

9)Cut into pieces or you can store it as a block in fridge.

10)Use immediately or store in fridge in an air tight container for future use.

11)Homemade Paneer is ready to use.

How to Make Flavoured Paneer

Make soft paneer at home with extra herbs and flavourings added to make it taste even more flavourful. Perfect paneer to use in curries and dishes. 

Flavoured paneer is regular homemade paneer with extra flavourings like herbs, spices added into it. I like to customise the herbs which I add in my paneer. Adding herbs and spices to paneer mix makes it super flavourful and makes it taste great.

Ingredients for Flavoured Paneer

• 2 litre Full Fat Milk
• ½ cup Curd / yogurt check notes for alternate
• 1 tbsp Parsley
• 1 tbsp Garlic chopped
• 1 tsp Coriander seeds crushed
• 1 tsp Black pepper crushed
• 1 tsp Red chilli flakes
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• Salt to taste

How to Make Flavoured Paneer at Home

1)Take milk in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Keep mixing when the milk is boiling so it doesn't burn on the bottom. Once it starts to boil, reduce the flame and add in all the flavourings.

2)Add in dried parsley, finely chopped garlic, crushed black pepper, cumin seeds.

3)Add in crushed coriander seeds, red chilli flakes, salt and mix well. Let the herbs steep in the milk for few minutes.

4)Gently simmer this for another 5 mins or so for the flavours to infuse with the milk. Now reduce the flame and add in yogurt (or check notes). Keep mixing when you add in curd. The milk mixture will start to curdle as you add in yogurt.

5)Pour into paneer press lined with muslin cloth. Weigh it down with heavy weights. After 1 hour, remove it from the cloth and cut into pieces. Use immediately or store in fridge in an air tight container for future use.

6)Flavoured paneer is ready to use.

What to do with Left-over Whey Water

While making this paneer, you will get the water which is left from the curdled milk. That is called as whey water, it is so healthy. you can use it to make all kinds of stuffs. Don't throw that away. You can make rasam or use in soup. If not use it to knead chapati dough.

More Useful Tips for Paneer Making

• Use full fat milk for making paneer.
• You can use extra cream in your milk for making paneer. For 2 litre of milk use 200 ml of cream. This way you can get malai paneer.
• Any herbs can be used to flavour the paneer.
• When making paneer, add yogurt or curd once milk has boiled. Once the milk has curdled, never over boil the milk. Else the paneer will turn rubbery and over cook.
• Drain the paneer in a cheese cloth. Once the paneer is drained. Place a weight on it and let it drain for 1 hour. Don’t let it drain longer, else the paneer may harden.
• Flavours that can go well with paneer are Mint leaves, Coriander leaves, Rosemary, Green chillies and Ginger. Finely grate or chop the herbs before adding in milk.

Serving & Storage 

You can use this paneer to make any gravies, curries or any dish that you normally make with regular paneer. Paneer can be stored in fridge upto 3 days in an air tight container.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use to curdle milk for making paneer?

You can use lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt or whey for making paneer.

Why my paneer is hard and rubbery?

Never over boil the curdled milk, else it may turn rubbery. Don’t press paneer too long. Use full fat or full cream milk for soft paneer.

Recipes to Try with Homemade Paneer

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