Dairy
Paneer
Paneer is a fresh South Asian cow’s-milk (or buffalo-milk) cheese made by acid-setting hot milk with lemon juice, vinegar, or cultured whey, then draining and pressing the curd into a firm, sliceable block. It is unsalted or lightly salted, mild and milky, and does not melt, so cubes hold their shape in simmered sauces. It is central to Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi cooking: cubed for palak paneer, mattar paneer, and tandoori; crumbled into stuffings; or fried until golden. Homemade and commercial blocks both rely on simple acid coagulation rather than rennet ageing.
Also known as: Paneer, Paneer, Paneer, Paneer
Track this ingredient
Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
History
Persian and Central Asian acid-set cheese practices blended with South Asian dairy cooking, supporting early paneer-like fresh cheeses.
Fresh pressed curd became established in North Indian kitchens for vegetarian main dishes under Mughal and regional cuisines.
Urban dairies and sweet shops sold pressed chhena and paneer for both savoury curries and milk sweets.
Packaged paneer entered Indian retail as refrigeration and dairy cooperatives expanded.
Diaspora demand made vacuum-packed cow-milk paneer common in European and North American supermarkets.
Premium and organic paneer lines grew alongside restaurant and meal-kit use of firm, high-yield blocks.