Homemade Paneer on a wooden board

How to make paneer

Name: How to make paneer
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Makes about 250g
Ingredients: 2.2 litres organic whole milk (look for unhomogenised, such as Duchy Originals); 4 tbsp lemon juice; ½ tsp fine sea salt

Janine Ratcliffe

Published: September 11, 2019 at 12:23 PM

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Makes about 250g

Easy

Total time: 30 mins

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Making this Indian cheese at home couldn’t be simpler. All you need is milk, lemon juice and a bit of time

Vegetarian

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Follow this recipe for how to make paneer, then check out some of our best paneer recipes, including mutter paneer, saag paneer and chilli paneer.

For more information, read our guide on what is paneer, including tips on where to buy this cheese if you don't have time to make your own.

To make your own paneer, you will need:

Ingredients

2.2 litres organic whole milk

(look for unhomogenised, such as Duchy Originals)
4 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp fine sea salt

Method

step 1

Heat the milk in your largest pan over a medium heat – keep stirring to avoid it catching. Line a large sieve with muslin (run it under a tap first so it’s damp and sticks to the sieve) and put the sieve over a large bowl.
step 2

Just before the milk begins to simmer (if you have an instant read thermometer or jam thermometer it should read just below 100C), add the lemon juice and continue to stir until the curds start to separate from the whey – this should only take 15-20 seconds. Take off the heat and leave to sit for 5 minutes, then carefully pour into the lined sieve. Leave to drain for 10 minutes then gather the muslin and squeeze out the excess liquid. Sprinkle the curds with ½ tsp salt and stir to distribute it.
step 3

Lift the muslin onto a plate and use your hands to form the cheese into a flat disc. Fold the muslin over the top then put a chopping board on top and weigh it down with some heavy tins. Leave for 1 hour after which you should have a solid block of paneer that can be cut into cubes. The paneer will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Check out our best veggie curries to use your homemade paneer...

Authors

Janine Ratcliffe in a short sleeved long dress sitting on a chair beneath palm trees on a balcony

Janine RatcliffeFood director

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