Go Back
–+ servings

How to Make Paneer at Home | Homemade 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.
4.67 from 12 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 347kcal

Equipment

  • Sauce Pot
  • Paneer or Tofu Press or Muslin Cloth
  • Heavy Weight Mortar and Pestle

Ingredients

For Making Paneer

Optional Food Acids to Use for Curdling Milk

  • 4 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 4 tbsp Vinegar

For Flavoured Paneer

  • 1 tbsp Dried Parsley
  • 1 tbsp Garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds crushed
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper crushed
  • 1 tsp Red chilli flakes
  • ½ tsp Cumin seed
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • 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. I used 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.
  • 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.
  • 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. 
  • 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. Bring it all together and place a weight over it.
  • 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. 
  • After 1 hour, remove it from the cloth. It will be in one block. Cut into pieces or you can store it as a block in fridge. Use immediately or store in fridge in an air tight container for future use.

For Making Flavoured Paneer

  • 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.
  • Add in dried parsley, finely chopped garlic, crushed black pepper, cumin seeds. Add in crushed coriander seeds, red chilli flakes, salt and mix well. Let the herbs steep in the milk for few minutes.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Video

Notes

  • 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.

Acids you can use to curdle milk

I prefer using curd / yogurt to curdle milk for making paneer. But you can the following ingredients. For every 1 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)

Nutrition

Serving: 1servings | Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 868mg | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 896IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 708mg | Iron: 0.03mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @yummytummyaarthi or tag #yummytummyaarthi!
Join us on FacebookFollow us on Facebook
Share on Facebook