How To Make Paneer
Ingredients
- 8 cupa milk, half gallon
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Method
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Mix lemon juice in half cup of hot water and put aside.
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Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.
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As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
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Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth, or muslin cloth. Wrap the curds in a muslin cloth, rinse under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
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To take out the excess water, press the wrapped paneer under a heavy pan for about 1 hour.
Recipe Notes
Tips:
If paneer will be used to make any dessert dish:
The most important part of making paneer for dessert is how much water to take out from the paneer.
To check if right amount of water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.
For making sweets, paneer can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
Paneer from half-gallon milk will make about 15 to 20 rasgullas.
I suggest 2% milk for rasgullas, ras malai, chamcham or any other dish in that category.
For sandaish, burfee or any other such dish use regular milk.
If paneer will be used for making main dishes:
Before Pressing the paneer knead it enough so paneer is not crumbly.
Press the paneer instead one hour, two hours making firmer.
Cut the paneer to desired shape. Paneer can be refrigerated for a few days or kept frozen for months.
Variations:
Add salt to the paneer, if you like with your choice of spices one or more, including black pepper, roasted cumin seed, chopped green chilies, chopped cilantro (Hara Dhania) or to your taste.
I live in Canada and recently bought paneer. However its not like a block. Its sorta mixed with a bit of left over curd from the preparation process – probably to increase shelf life (to get am image of what I’m saying google neilsen cottage cheese haha). I was wondering if I can drain it out and use it or use it directly in cooking paneer bhurji? Or are there some other useful recipes?
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve visited this
website before but after looking at many of the
posts I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m definitely happy I came across
it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back often!
ummmm just wondering. You do realize that not paneer it ricotta right? Just saying, its still yummy though.
Ma’am , can we use UHT milk for making Paneer or we use the full fat milk. Which option is better to use lemon juice or vinegar for making paneer.
Amit, full fat milk
Hello mam,
How to make Malai namkeen paneer?
I have been trying to add common salt to paneer by different methods but all in vain.
Please help.
Kamal, sorry I did not understand your question.
Thanks for the tips. I’ve just made paneer for first time and it tastes awesome. All bcoz of you. Thanks.
My wish of making panner by myself at home is completed and its all because of you Mam. Thanks for the recipe and I need to tell you that its very delicious.
Ankita, Thank you, I appreciate
very nice recipe i love it
I had got fresh paneer from india,had frozen it before keeping in the bag. On arriving home we refrigerated it. But then it started crumbling n was a total waste.
How do u freeze paneer to save it fr long term use n how to defrost it?
Bush, when I buy paneer here from Indian grocery store, I cut them in small pieces and freeze. when you are ready to use put in hot water for about 10 minutes and use,
We are in Kullu India now and have tried CURD which is really very runny lemony yogurt and love the flavor. The recipes I see here make hard cheese. How can I make the runny stuff? Just drain, don’t squeez?
Firts time I made paneer and all thanks to your lovely recipe. Thanks very much. Something that made me feel good.
Can i use lemon to broke milk and make paneer from it directly is it ok ?
Ankita, I don’t understand your question, because I use lemon to separate
Wow!! Nice way to prepare paneer
I too make paneer just like you but rinse the milk solids under water before putting a weight on it. I noticed that you didn’t do that. I am wondering if paneer sets better if you don’t wash the milk solids?
BTW- Great pictures and lovely blog.
mam it is very useful to make panner can I use this for a week or two to three days
babu, 2-3 days
Can I use fresh market paneer.
Deepti, the paneer we find in USA doesn’t work good for any sweet dish.
Love your recipes. Am both gluten and dairy free. Have tried a few of your recipes containing yogurt and have successfully substituted them with coconut milk. Have you attempted to make paneer with coconut milk?
Can I make rasugullah with frozen paneer
Maria, for rasgulls paneer needs to be fresh
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for gain muscle rapidly
Thank you for this video – very well done! and i made the paneer successfully. Can you please tell me what you mean by 2% milk?
Also i don’t think you mentioned what you did with the whey (unless i missed that). I hope you don’t throw it away! It is very nutritious and high in protein – i use it for soups or just drinking
Thank you Manjula
Regards Caroline
2% milk is also referred to as skimmed milk.
Thank you manjula, your cooking is great and inspiring.
Zaynab, Skimmed milk is different.
Yes there is quite a difference between skimmed and 2%.
2% milk is called semi-skimmed in the UK. Skimmed is 0% fat.
Hi,
Saw your rasgullas recipe. What happens if use whole milk?
Thanks.
Hi Manjula,
What kind of milk can I use if I live in the states? I believe you live in the United States too, right? Isn’t all milk here pasteurized? I just tried making the paneer and got a sliver amount and after reading your comments on youtube saw that it will not work with ultra pasteurized mik. I don’t know if mine is ultra pasteurized but it is pasteurized. What are my other options for making paneer? My husband LOVES paneer and I did have a lot of fun making it just now…just yielded hardly nothing for all of that milk. Please help! 😀 😀
Hey, just wanted to answer your question, as I don’t see any other replies. I live in Canada, so our milk is the same. I have made this recipe before with 3.25% milk, which is a lot fattier, and it worked perfectly. Maybe try that?
Ultra pasteurized milk is also known as “shelf stable” or UHT milk. It doesn’t require refrigeration before use. If you purchase milk from the fridge section of your grocery store you should be fine.
I’ve tried a few recipes for making paneer but this is the best. Works out beautifully. I’m British but lived for a long while in India traveling the country. The best paneer I had was in Rajasthan but your paneer, Manjula, is perfect 🙂
Hello Manjula Aunty,
Can I use white vinegar instead of lemon juice?
Kay,
you can use vinegar, I prefer lemon juice
Can you use lemon concentrate from a bottle?
Yes That will work
Manjulaji,
Could you tell me how to prepare fresh cream at home?
Kani
Di
I really like the way you explain…luv ur recipes.Just wanted to know that from 8 cups of whole milk how much amount of paneer would be obtained
Thnx
Thank you!
I’ve just tried the recipe once, and it worked fairly well, but it seemed that I produced an awful lot of whey, and relatively little curd. Do you have any suggestions about how to encourage more solidification? Perhaps adding more acid?
Thanks
Anne
Yeah, it does that, but the whey is great for so many things. Don’t see it as a bad thing, or pour the whey down the drain. Use it wherever a recipe calls for water. It works wonders. One of my wife’s favorites is to make bread and stuff it with the cheese. You want the whey to make that bread, for instance.
Hi I would like to make my Paneer with “soy milk” not the regular milk, for vegan. but my soy milk is not separate with adding lemon jounce then what should I do please help me with that, thanks a lot 🙂
That would make tofu, not paneer! You can make tofu/”soy paneer” with lemon juice as solidifier, but I think it is easier to use apple cider vinegar. The resulting “cheese” will not have the same properties as paneer made with milk, of course. Do a search for “home made tofu” and you will find a plethora of sites to help you!
hi…. i am about to make chum chum and i have made it b4 by following ur video and they came out a little flat… now my question is that can i add baking soda to paneer? or in the milk for making the paneer?
Roman,
No baking soda, kneed the paneer more
Hello ,
Can u please tell me “Paneer” should be best made out of which Milk?
I mean
1) Whole Milk
2) 2% Fat Milk
3) 1% Fat Milk
4) Half and Half Milk
Saakshi
Whole milk or 2% milk
can i use this paneer for making pizza or paneer curry ?
I made paneer this exact method, and it was excellent.
Howmuch paneer will get from one litre milk?
about 150 grams of paneer
can I make paneer from broken milk before the expiry date?
As i am planning to start the panner in small scale .Please help
the water is not completely separated from paneer, can i reboil it to separate the water completely.
please guide