Palak paneer: the spinach is easy, the cream is 66 calories a bowl.
Palak paneer is paneer in a spinach gravy, and the gravy gets most of its richness from cream and oil. Use less of each, measure the paneer, and a bowl goes from 500 to 331 kcal.
- 331 kcal a serving, down from 500 for the classic, with 19 g protein, 33 g carbs and 16 g fat
- 3 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 25 g a serving
- 4 servings, weighed at 1,300 g when finished, from 10 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same palak paneer, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 4 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 500 | 331 | −169 |
| Protein g | 21 | 19 | −2 |
| Carbs g | 36 | 33 | −3 |
| Fat g | 33 | 16 | −17 |
| Saturated fat g | 13.7 | 6.9 | −6.8 |
Saturated fat comes from the same USDA entries; the recipe sheet itself shows calories, protein, carbs and fat. Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice.
Swap by swap.
Each change in turn, from the classic to the lighter version, and what it does to one serving.
1. Use lowfat half and half, not heavy cream
−66 kcal, −8 g fat, −4.7 g saturated fat a serving
The thinner cream still finishes the gravy: 66 kcal and 4.7 g of saturated fat less a bowl.
2. Use 15 g of oil, not 45 g
−66 kcal, −7 g fat, −1.0 g saturated fat a serving
The tempering needs a film of oil, not a pool. The extra 30 g was 66 kcal a bowl.
3. Measure 250 g of paneer, not 300 g
−37 kcal, −2 g protein, −3 g carbs, −2 g fat, −1.1 g saturated fat a serving
Paneer is rich, and a measured 250 g still gives every bowl its cubes. The other 50 g was 37 kcal a bowl.
More protein, if you need it.
Hitting a protein target is the hard part for most people. Each option is added to the lighter version on its own, with what it does to a serving of 19 g protein and 331 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Add 250 g of extra-firm tofu
+52 kcal, +6 g protein, +1 g carbs, +3 g fat, +0.6 g saturated fat a serving, making 25 g protein a serving
Cubed tofu soaks up the gravy beside the paneer and adds 6 g of protein a bowl for 52 kcal.
Use 400 g of paneer
+112 kcal, +6 g protein, +9 g carbs, +6 g fat, +3.4 g saturated fat a serving, making 25 g protein a serving
More paneer is the direct route: 6 g more protein a bowl for 112 kcal, which is why the amount is worth weighing.
Oil and fat: the type changes the fat, the amount changes the calories.
The three oils below are each 884 kcal per 100 g, and ghee is within a few calories of them. Swapping one for another moves the saturated fat, not the calories; using less is what saves them. Butter is lower per gram only because part of it is water.
| Fat, per tablespoon, 14 g | kcal | Fat g | Sat fat g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 124 | 14 | 1.9 |
| Canola oil | 124 | 14 | 1.0 |
| Avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 1.6 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 123 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Butter, salted | 100 | 11 | 7.2 |
The sample data
These are the amounts of the lighter version used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach, raw | 900 g | 207 | 26 | 33 | 4 |
| Paneer | 250 g | 748 | 40 | 56 | 39 |
| Onions, raw | 201 g | 80 | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| Tomatoes, red, raw | 200 g | 36 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Ginger root | 15 g | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Garlic | 15 g | 22 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Olive oil | 15 g | 133 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Half and half, lowfat | 60 g | 43 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Curry powder | 8 g | 26 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Cumin seed | 4 g | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Whole recipe | 1,668 g | 1,322 | 75 | 132 | 63 |
| Per serving (4) | 325 g | 331 | 19 | 33 | 16 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
Why this recipe
Palak paneer is a good recipe to build because the spinach looks heavy and logs light, while the paneer, the cream and the oil are where nearly all the calories sit. Weighing each of the three shows which one a bowl really depends on.
What to weigh
Weigh the spinach raw, before it wilts. It cooks down to a fraction of its volume, so the sample pot weighs 1,300 g from 1,668 g of ingredients and a bowl is 325 g.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food, choose Create a recipe and name it, then choose Add ingredient. Search "spinach raw" and pick the raw entry.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Switch the portion to grams and enter the weight on the scale. The sheet shows 207 kcal for the spinach, a very large pile for a small number.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the paneer, onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, oil, cream and spices, then enter 4 servings and the 1,300 g you weighed. One bowl comes to 331 kcal.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods, ready to log by the bowl or any weight.
Tips while you build it
- Blanch the spinach for a minute and plunge it into cold water. It stays green and blends smoother with less liquid.
- Cube the paneer and weigh it before it goes in the pan. A block is easy to over-pour, and it is the densest thing in the pot.
- A bowl is about 325 g. Log by weight when you are measuring.
Go further
- Making the restaurant version? Save a second recipe with 300 g of paneer, 90 g of heavy cream and 45 g of oil and log the one you served.
- Serving it with rice or naan? Log them as their own foods instead of editing the curry.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Palak paneer questions.
How many calories are in palak paneer?
It depends on the cream, the oil and the paneer. The sample comes to 331 kcal a bowl made lighter, with 19 g protein, 33 g carbs and 16 g fat, against 500 kcal with heavy cream, 45 g of oil and 300 g of paneer.
Is palak paneer high in protein?
The paneer carries most of it. The sample has 19 g a bowl, and the page shows two ways to add more.
Should I weigh the spinach raw or cooked?
Raw, because the library entry is raw. Weigh the finished pot once, to enter the finished weight.
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Keep going.
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