This recipe is a vegan version of the Indian spinach curry, Palak Paneer, that uses tofu instead of the typical Indian cheese 'paneer': Palak Tofu. It's rich, creamy and delicious!
Palak Paneer was always my #1 choice in Indian restaurants (before I went vegan, obviously). It's a creamy spinach curry (Palak) with the traditional Indian cheese (Paneer).
To make this dish vegan, we're using tofu instead of paneer. Firm tofu is actually consistency-wise very similar to paneer, so it's the perfect substitution! We're adding kala namak (Himalayan Black Salt) to the tofu to give it a similar taste. Delicious!
For this dish, we're going to use a LOT of spinach, which is rich in iron and calcium. The Palak Tofu Paneer uses 4 large handfuls of spinach, so I'd say this dish is the most delicious way of getting an iron boost.
How to make Vegan Palak Tofu
The ingredients
You will need:
- firm tofu
- lots (!) of spinach
- coconut milk
- tomato
- oil
- spices
- kala namak (black salt; can be subbed with regular salt but use less of it)
- curry powder
- ginger powder
- garam masala
- salt
The basic steps
Serve the Palak Tofu with ...
I've had this Palak Tofu with homemade naan and fluffy basmati rice. What a feast!
More vegan curry recipes you will love
- 15+ Amazing Vegan Curry Recipes
- Falafel Curry
- 15-Minute Chickpea Curry
- Coconut Curry with crispy tofu
- Sweet Potato Curry
Love it? Rate it!
I hope you will enjoy this vegan Palak Tofu Paneer Curry as much as I did! Let me know if you give it a try!
And don’t forget to rate the recipe if you like it, this helps other users figure out if it is worth a try!
If you don’t want to miss out on any new recipes, subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on Instagram and Facebook!
Cheers, Bianca
Vegan Palak Tofu Paneer
Ingredients
Tofu 'Paneer'
- 12 oz firm tofu
- 2 teaspoons canola oil (or any other neutral plant-based oil)
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon kala namak
Spinach Curry
- 4 large handfuls spinach fresh
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
- 1 tomato diced
Instructions
- Cut the tofu in cubes. Bring a large pan to high heat, add the oil, cubed tofu, curry powder, and kala namak. Give it a stir. Let it cook until the tofu is golden and with slightly crispy edges. Set aside the tofu in a bowl.
- In the same large pan, add the spinach and cook it until it wilted (you might have to work in 2 batches because it's a lot of spinach). Then reduce the heat and add the coconut milk, ginger powder, salt, and garam masala.
- Use a handheld blender to blend the spinach curry.
- Add the chopped tomato to the curry and let it cook (bring up the heat again) for another 3-4 minutes until hot and until the tomatoes are soft.
- Then add the tofu paneer to the spinach curry, give it a quick stir, and it's ready to serve! Basmati rice and homemade naan are THE perfect side dishes!
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Oh..my…God. This Palak Tofu looks so indulging, Bianca. Just want toLoved your photos too! :)
bianca says
Thank you so much! I have to make it again soon, it was so good :)
Alice@Aliciouslog says
I must admit that I was never much of a cheesy - I do, however, love spinach and all things Indian. This recipe shall therefore be bookmarked for later use. Thanks for sharing, Bianca!
bianca says
Palak Paneer was one of my favorites and this veganized version, Palak Tofu, is a great alternative that is as good as the "real deal" :) Indian food is comfort food for me, which I mostly eat in winter, so I have to make use of the cold weather.
Monica says
I love this alternative to milk paneer. My daughter turned vegan and I will try this recipe for her. Beautiful pictures.
bianca says
Thank you so much Monica! That's really nice of you, I'm sure your daughter will like it. It's my favorite indian dish :)
Chelsea says
This sounds fantastic! Normally I go for matar "paneer," but this seems like a great way to mix things up a bit. I just have two questions about the ingredients:
1 - By tomato puree, do you mean actual pureed tomatoes or just tomato paste?
2 - Full fat canned coconut milk, right?
bianca says
Hi Chelsea,
thank you so much for your questions. The tomato puree I used is something different, like this. I don't know this particular brand but the image shows the consistency of the puree pretty well. It's usually in cans or in tetra pak. It's not as thick as tomato paste.
And yes, full fat canned coconut milk is what I used. I hope everything works out for you :)
Bethany says
Thank you so much Bianca, I made this recipe last night and it was absolutely delicious - favourite curry recipe right here!
bianca says
I'm so happy you liked it Bethany! It's one of my favorites (or my favorite - it's so hard to decide!) too, so I'm especially pleased to hear that you enjoyed it :)
Thank you so much or letting me know <3!
Jennifer Harmon {Peppers and Peaches} says
Palak Paneer is one of my husband's favorite recipes! I am so excited to try the vegan version for myself!!
bianca says
Yeah! I hope you two will like it! :)
Shauna says
This recipe is missing one MAJOR ingredient - garam masala. I could not figure out why it didn't taste right until I added a bit of garam masala, and then it was perfect! You should really consider adding it to your ingredients list to make this much more delicious and authentic. I used super firm tofu (the kind you don't have to drain) and it was SUPER close to paneer. With that one tweak, it was fantastic!
Bianca says
Thank you so much for your input, Shauna! I highly appreciate it! I'll try the dish with the garam masala next time and will add it to the ingredients once I've figured out how much is necessary :)
Leah says
I made this a couple of weeks ago. It was really good! I didn't add garam masala, but now that I see the comment above, I'll give it a go. In any case, I'm thankful you posted it.
Bianca says
Thanks Leah - I'm glad you liked it. Haven't had a chance to try it with the garam masala myself but as soon as colder temperatures are coming, I'm on it :)
Trish says
I love indian food and palak paneer was certainly one of my very favorites before becoming a vegan. How I've missed it, but now I'm excited to try your recipe tonight!! One question: coconut water ... is that the coconut water you buy to drink or is the clear liquid from a can of coconut milk? Very excited and I'm going to make some of your other indian dishes for a little feast :)
Bianca says
Hi Trish, in this recipe I've used coconut water from a young thai coconut, which is identical with unsweetened canned coconut water that people buy to drink. But you could also use the clear liquid from a can of coconut milk or sub it with more coconut milk. It shouldn't make too much of a different. I usually make 2 different curries + basmati rice + naan or chapati, maybe even pakora and cubed, boiled, spiced potatoes for the ultimate indian feast :D I hope it turns out great for you :)
Trish says
This was ... AMAZING!!!! Omg, did this dish bring me way back to the palak paneer that I've so missed since becoming vegan. My son devoured this as did I and my husband! My husband really hates tofu but was willing to try it because he too loves the traditional indian dish and needless to say, he's already asked me to make it again! The only minute change I made was adding half a teaspoon of garam masala. thank you SO much for giving me back something I loved but wouldn't have anymore. And to top it off, very quick to put together and simple!! THANK YOU!
Bianca says
Thank you so much for the amazing feedback, Trish! This totally made my day! I'm so happy you liked the Palak Tofu and it's great to hear that the whole family enjoyed it! Palak Tofu is one of my favorite Indian curries as well. Yeay! <3
Shannon says
August 2016 - I made this and it is definitely a keeper for our household! We are not vegan but eat a lot of vegan dishes because I can't have dairy products and just want to up our veggie intake in general. A few of my changes (due to using what was in the house before going on vacation) - I had no coconut water so I just used more cashew water. I used a whole block of tofu 14oz. I did not have Kala Namak (just added more salt). I added a whole 14oz can of petite tomatoes, and used half a can of coconut milk (froze the other half). Seems it could be flexible and it was quite delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Bianca says
Glad you and your whole family liked it, Shannon! Curries (and stews) are great for using up leftovers and they really do allow a lot of adaptions. Thank you for your detailed feedback, I'm sure other readers will appreciate it in case they don't have all the ingredients at home. Have a great trip! :)
Amy says
This is so delicious! I have made it several time since finding it. I made it for my free range eating parents and my mom loved it and said it was the first time she had ever taken seconds on tofu! Thank you for sharing! One question though how do you get yours to stay such a beautiful green? When i add the tomato paste it gets quite dingy looking. Still taste great though so i am not complaining, just that green is so awesome.
Bianca says
Are you using tomato paste or tomato purée? I'd definitely recommend using tomato purée it's not as concentrated as paste and it won't add that much red color and flavor. But you can absolutely use less tomato purée as well if it adds too much redness. Lately, I've been skipping the tomato purée completely and used a fresh tomato instead. This works well too and keeps a beautiful green color :)
Thomas says
Tastes really good, thanks!
lisa says
How wonderful.... I'm sure my family and friends will love it. Thank you very much
Sarah says
Is there any alternative to the coconut milk? I assume the fat is important, but I've been trying to mostly eliminate saturated fat due to cancer. 🥴
Bianca says
Hi Sarah, another alternative would be to make your own cashew cream. I have been using the cashew cream instead of coconut milk lately (also this palak tofu) and it's an excellent alternative. But I don't know if the fat from the cashews is better suited for your diet. Cheers! :)