Homemade paneer instant pot is an easy dish to prepare without any special equipment. Fresh paneer is softer, crumblier, and has a much better flavor. Paneer is widely used in north Indian dishes like paneer butter masala, palak paneer, rasmalai, and rasagulla.
I have tried almost all brands of paneer from the store, the closest brand to homemade is haldirams Paneer.
What is paneer and how its tastes like?
When milk is boiled with citrus, it starts cuddling. The cuddled dairy chunks are filterd and made into paneer block. Paneer is milky, fresh, and very mild in taste. Paneer is firm in texture and taste is closer to cottage cheese.
Why to make paneer at home
Choice of milk: You can choose the milk of your choice like organic whole milk, or a2 milk.
Cost: Making paneer at home is cost-effective.
Bulk freezing: Dice paneer blocks into cubes, and freeze them in ziplocs. It stays fresh up to 6 months.
Ingredients needed for making paneer
You need just two ingredients for making homemade paneer instant pot, Milk and any kind of citrus.
Milk: Using full-fat whole milk gives better yield. A2 milk paneer weighs less in a few grams when compared to A1 milk as their fat percentage is different.
Citrus: Citrus like lemon, lime, vinegar, or yogurt can be used for cuddling the milk.
How to make homemade paneer instant pot
- Add milk and lime juice to the instant pot liner. Close the lid and venting sealed.
- Set the instant pot on porridge for 5 minutes. When the timer is off, Quick release. Can notice milk solids and whey separated.
- Set up the colander on an empty vessel and line the colander with a 2-layer muslin cloth or cheesecloth.
- Transfer the cuddled milk to the colander. Rinse milk solids under the water carefully until excess lime flavor is removed.
- Squeeze out the excess water by twisting the cloth and making a knot.
- Place the panner in cheesecloth on a colander or paneer press and give gentle pressure to form a shape like a square or circle.
- Place a heavy weight like mortar and pestle on top and let it set for at least 2-3 hours.
- Unwrap the cheesecloth and you will find a well-set paneer block.
How to store homemade paneer
Take a bowl of water with a lid, and fill it with water. Place the paneer block in it such that it is fully submerged in water. Store it in the refrigerator. The water in the bowl keeps the paneer fresh and moist for a longer time. Keep changing water daily to keep it fresh for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Dice paneer into cubes and transfer into ziploc. Paneer stays fresh in the freezer for 6 months. Thaw in hot water or a microwave. I usually add directly to the gravy, it gets soft from warm gravy. Remember overcooking paneer makes it rubbery and chewy.
More paneer recipes
INSTANT POT PANEER BUTTER MASALA โ HEALTHY VERSION
Homemade paneer instant pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups Milk
- 1/2 Lemon juice
Instructions
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PANEER INSTANT POT
- Add milk and lime juice to the instant pot liner. Close the lid and venting sealed.
- Set the instant pot on porridge for 5 minutes. When the timer is off, Quick release. Can notice milk solids and whey separated.
- Set up the colander on an empty vessel and line the colander with a 2-layer muslin cloth or cheesecloth.
- Transfer the cuddled milk to the colander. Rinse milk solids under the water carefully until excess lime flavor is removed.
- Squeeze out the excess water by twisting the cloth and making a knot.
- Place the panner in cheesecloth on a colander or paneer press and give gentle pressure to form a shape like a square or circle.
- Place a heavy weight like mortar and pestle on top and let it set for at least 2-3 hours.
- Unwrap the cheesecloth and you will find a well-set paneer block.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE PANEER
- Take a bowl of water with a lid, and fill it with water. Place the paneer block in it such that it is fully submerged in water. Store it in the refrigerator. The water in the bowl keeps the paneer fresh and moist for a longer time. Keep changing water daily to keep it fresh for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
- Dice paneer into cubes and transfer into ziploc. Paneer stays fresh in the freezer for 6 months. Thaw in hot water or a microwave. I usually add directly to the gravy, it gets soft from warm gravy. Remember overcooking paneer makes it rubbery and chewy.