How to Make Paneer (Indian Cheese)

Reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward

Last Updated: July 10, 2023 Approved

Paneer is a type of unripened cheese popular in the Indian subcontinent. It is called for in manyIndian recipes and sometimes may not be available at your supermarket. Fortunately, it is easy to make and since it does not require the use of rennet, it is vegetarian.

Ingredients

1 L of 3.8% whole cow milk
3-4 tbsp of an acid; lemon juice is used in this example but you can substitute with lime juice, vinegar or leftover whey from a previous batch of paneer.

Steps

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Then turn off the heat. It should be about 80`C.Temp(176 f).
2
Add lemon juice or citric acid, 5 milliliters (0.17 fl oz) (one teaspoon) at a time. Stir the milk after each addition until the milk separates; the solid curds part from the green and watery whey.
- You’re looking for just the right amount of acid to cause the gently boiling milk to curdle. If milk does not start to curdle immediately, start by adding only one teaspoon of lemon juice at a time in a stepwise manner until the milk curdles. Do not add more lemon juice than necessary; otherwise the paneer will not be soft, as well as will taste sour and bitter.
- Stirring gently and continuously throughout this step will not only separate the solid whitish-colored curds from the greenish-colored liquid whey, but will also prevent the curds from sticking to the sides and bottom of the pan.
- You will know that the curdling process is finished once the curds have stopped precipitating from the greenish colored liquid whey.
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Then strain the mixture through a cheesecloth in a strainer. Rinse the curds with fresh water. You may wish to save some or all of the whey; it can be used to make your next batch of paneer, producing a slightly more tender cheese than lemon juice.
The more you squeeze, the firmer the resulting paneer shall be.
5
Shape the paneer, into a block and wrap it tightly with the cloth. By putting a cutting board or something heavy and flat on top of the paneer, you can force out more moisture, and shape it into a firmer block, suitable for slicing and frying. To get a more rectangular shape, tie a knot and place the cheesecloth bundle in a box without closing it. Place something heavy like a pile of books or a brick on the cheesecloth to press down and give the cheese the box's shape. The longer you press the cheese, the firmer it gets. Not all Indian dishes requires cheese to be made into solid blocks. Stuffed Paneer Naans for example require cheese to be loose.
- Cut and shape the paneer as desired, depending on the type of dish the paneer will added to. Paneer can be cut and shaped into large circular patties for sandwiches, small cubes for savory gravy or soups, or crumbles for garnishing salads.
This is optional, as the intention is to improve appearance and texture.

Community Q&A

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Question

What is the process of checking fat in milk?

Community Answer

It's normally printed on the milk carton or bottle. A fat content of 3.5% or greater is "full fat" or "whole" milk.

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What is the fixed temperature of the milk for making paneer?

Community Answer

In Step 1, it states the milk should be warmed to 80 degrees Celsius or 176 degrees Fahrenheit.

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What is cheese cloth?

Community Answer

It's cloth that is used as a filter to put your cheese in. Make sure that you use a lot of cloth, or else you'll have really leaky cheese.

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Tips

The more fat content in the milk, the better output. Paneer made from a high fat content milk will be tastier.

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Add salt or sugar to the milk before adding lime juice to get your desired taste.

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Paneer maker can be used to get the paneer cubes.

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Warnings

Keep stirring the milk while it's becoming hot to prevent it from getting burnt at the bottom.

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You may boil it longer while stirring it continuously if the curdle does not happen

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Zero fat or skim milk does not work out well with this method.

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Do not use old or spoiled milk to prepare the paneer

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