In this article and recipe, I’m going to show you how to make homemade paneer or Indian cottage cheese at home. You will learn how to make soft paneer with milk. This is an easy method to make milk paneer at home. You will love this homemade paneer recipe and will start making this basic ingredient at home which is used in so many recipes, rather than buying it from the market as it will be healthier as it is purely made at home and free of any preservatives. I’ll also show you how you can store paneer. Just follow the video and step-by-step instructions with the photos below to make it at home easily.
Homemade paneer is used in various Indian dishes like Paneer bhurji, Paneer Tikka Masala, Dry paneer tikka, matar paneer, and Chilli Paneer. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days.
Also, check out other Homemade Recipes such as Homemade Curd/Dahi, Kadai Masala Powder Recipe, Peanut Butter, Homemade Protein Powder for Weight Loss, How to Make Ghee at Home, How to Make Malai at Home, and How to Make Rose Water Toner.
What is Paneer and How it is made
Paneer is a type of fresh cheese and is made from milk. You can use any type of milk to make paneer – Buffalo milk or cow milk but buffalo milk is used to make superior as it has more calcium and more fat which makes it more creamy and nutritious. Always use full-fat milk as it will give you more paneer. Skimmed milk has less fat so it will give you less amount of paneer.
What type of milk to use?
Paneer is made by curdling the milk. We can use any acidic agent to curdle the milk such as vinegar, lemon, or curd. During curdling, casein proteins get separated from the water into small clusters. This water is greenish in color and is called whey water. This whey water is also very nutritious and you can use it for baking, soaking lentils, cooking pasta, or freezing it for later use. We can now collect the curdled clusters and press them together to squeeze out excess water by using a cheesecloth and some weight.
Homemade Paneer Recipe Video
Ingredients to make soft Homemade Paneer Recipe
- 1 liter full cream milk
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 4 tbsp water
How to make Paneer (Step-by-Step Instructions)
1. Make a mixture by Mixing vinegar and water and keep it aside.
2. Pour 1 liter of full cream milk into a heavy-bottom pan. Bring it to a boil on a high flame.
3. Once it comes to a boil, turn the flame to low, keep adding the vinegar mixture, and keep stirring in between.
4. The milk curdles and you can see that greenish water separates from the paneer. Turn off the flame now and let it fully separate from the paneer.
5. Use a strainer over a pot and put a cotton cloth over the strainer.
6. Pour the curdled milk mixture through it to separate the water and paneer.
7. Wash the paneer 3-4 times with normal water.
8. Gather the ends of the cloth and squeeze out the excess water.
9. Place the paneer on a flat surface, like I used an inverted plate over here to give it a flat shape.
10. Place some weight (I used a rolling board) on top of the paneer and leave it for 1.5 hours to squeeze out any remaining water.
11. Remove the weight and the cloth. Your soft homemade paneer is ready to use.
12. You can cut it into cube-sized pieces.
Note- you can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar.
How to Store Paneer
- Store the pieces in an airtight container.
2. Place the paneer cubes in the container.
3. Fill it up with water, close the lid, and keep it in the refrigerator.
Recipe Card
Homemade Paneer Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 litre full cream milk
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- Mix 2 tbsp vinegar with 4 tbsp water and keep it aside.
- Pour 1 liter full cream milk in a heavy bottom pan. Bring it to boil on high flame.
- Once it comes to a boil, turn the flame to low, keep adding the vinegar mixture, and stir well.
- Turn off the flame. The milk curdles and greenish water separates from the curd. Let it sit for few minutes to fully separate from the curd.
- Put a strainer over a bowl and a cotton cloth over the strainer. Pour the curdled mixture into it.
- Wash it 3-4 times with normal water.
- Gather the ends of the cloth and squeeze out the excess water.
- Place on top of a flat surface such as over an inverted plate to shape it into a block or a round shape.
- Place a weight (such as a rolling board) on top of the paneer and leave it for 1.5 hours to squeeze out any remaining water.
- Remove the weight and the cloth. Your soft homemade paneer is ready to use. Make your favorite paneer recipe today with this soft homemade paneer.
