Aloo Palak is an easy, wholesome recipe made with a few simple ingredients. This spinach and potato curry is easy to make and is ready in just 30 minutes. This recipe calls for frozen spinach, which makes it even easier to make, yet it still tastes delicious.
Love Indian and Pakistani recipes? Try this Palak Chicken, Keema Matar, and Mutton Karahi recipe.
This aloo palak sabzi (also known as saag aloo) is super delicious and so very easy too. It’s also pretty healthy, given that it’s vegetarian and has lots of spinach in it. Pair it with some rice, chapati, and chutney, and you’re all set to have a perfect, hearty meal.
You'll Love this Recipe
- Frozen Spinach: For this aloo palak sabzi, I take a shortcut by using frozen pre-chopped spinach. This cuts on the prep time, without sacrificing any flavor at all. There's no need for washing, blanching, and chopping fresh spinach here.
- Vegan and Gluten-Free: This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free. It's also a very nutritious meal paired with rice or roti and served with a fresh salad like this Indian Kachumber Salad.
- Basic Spices: You only need a few, simple spices for this recipe, and no whole spices are needed for this spinach curry.
- Fry the potatoes first: Most aloo palak recipes call for making a base of onions and tomatoes with spices. However, I like to stir-fry the potatoes in a base of onion, cumin seeds, and red chili flakes. This lets the potatoes get some color and absorb delicious flavors from the cumin and red chili flakes. And it really does make a big difference in the taste of the recipe.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Spinach: I use frozen spinach and highly recommend it. It makes the recipe process much easier, and faster. However, you can use fresh baby spinach or regular spinach as well. If using fresh spinach leaves, you will have to wash them. Then remove the stems, and chop the spinach leaves.
- Potatoes: I like to use russet potatoes for this recipe, however you can also use red or Yukon gold potatoes. Chop them into 1-inch cubes.
- Red chili flakes & cumin seeds: The potatoes are stir-fried in these two for a delicious flavor.
- Onion: You will need 1 medium-sized onion, chopped.
- Tomatoes: Instead of using chopped tomatoes, I like to run them through my chopper to blend them into a puree. This helps with avoiding tomato skins floating around in the spinach and potato curry.
- Ginger & Garlic: While using fresh is best, I have used jarred ginger and garlic paste frequently, and it makes no difference in this sabzi.
- Ground spices: You will need red chili powder (lal mirch), crushed cumin and coriander powder, salt, Kashmiri lal mirch powder (not spicy, just for color), garam masala powder and turmeric powder.
How to Make Aloo Palak Recipe
- Saute the onion: In a pot, heat the oil, and add the chopped onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden.
- Saute the potatoes: Add the cumin seed and red chili flakes. After about 30 seconds, add the chopped potatoes, and saute on medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes until golden brown and almost 60 percent cooked through.
- Now add the ginger garlic paste, mix, and cook for another minute or so.
- Add the spices, stirring the potatoes so they become evenly coated. Cook for 2-3 minutes with the spices.
- Now add the frozen spinach and crushed tomatoes. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes medium-high heat or until the potatoes are cooked and the spinach has wilted.
Helpful Tips
Chop the potatoes into even-sized cubes so they cook uniformly.
Sometimes, to amp up the flavor of this palak aloo, I add sukhi methi (dried fenugreek leaves), which adds a delicious savoriness to this recipe. Just sprinkle one teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves when the dish is finished cooking. Cover the pot for 5 minutes to steam.
To make this recipe even yummier, you can add a dollop of butter after the cooking is done.
Recipe FAQs
Saag refers to a variety of greens including mustard greens, fenugreek, and collards. On the other hand, Palak refers to just spinach.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve punjabi style Aloo Palak with roti, naan, or rice. It also goes wonderfully with paratha.
You can also pair it with some side dishes such as Kachumber Salad and Mint Raita.
If you want to make it part of a complete meal you can also add other Pakistani recipes such as chicken malai boti, chicken karahi, achari chicken, and aloo keema.
Some More Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Try
Aloo Palak (Spinach and Potato Curry)
Equipment
- Pot
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 1 small onion chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 500 grams potatoes washed, peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp lal mirch powder
- 2 teaspoons crushed coriander and cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 500 grams frozen spinach
- 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes 1-2 fresh tomatoes pureed in a blender
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot, and add the onions. Fry until light golden brown. Remove from pot, and set aside.
- To the same oil, add the cumin seeds and red chilli flakes. Saute for 30 seconds.
- Now add the chopped potatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes, until about half cooked and lightly golden brown.
- Now add the ginger garlic paste and the green chili paste. Mix and cook for about a minute.
- Add the fried onions, and mix well for a minute.
- Add the spices, and stir the potatoes so that they are coated in the spices and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add the spinach and crushed tomatoes. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until the spinach and potatoes are fully cooked.
I usually don’t add tomatoes. This is a first for me. It does add some sweetness.