Paneer

5 from 9 votes

Homemade paneer cheese is one of the easiest cheeses to make. You only need 2 ingredients and a few basic supplies to make your own round of this simple, delicious cheese.

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Press Time3

Total Time3 10

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: servings

Calories: 112kcal

Author: Lauren Harris

Equipment

1 sieve
1 cheesecloth large enough to fit into the sieve
1 kitchen twine about 12 inches long

Ingredients

6 cups whole milk
2-3 tablespoons white vinegar (or lemon juice, see notes)

Instructions

Line your strainer with a layer or two of cheesecloth and set aside.
Add the milk to a saucepan and turn the heat onto medium. Allow the milk to come to a simmer. The milk should be very hot and starting to bubble around the edges, but not boiling.
6 cups whole milk
Turn the heat off and add two tablespoons of vinegar. Stir until the curds separate from the whey. The liquid part is they whey and should be a very light yellowish color once all the curds separate. The curds will be white and will look similar to cottage cheese at this point.
2-3 tablespoons white vinegar
If the liquid is still milky, slowly add the third tablespoon of vinegar until the desired results are reached.
Strain the mixture through the cheesecloth lined sieve. If you plan to keep the whey (liquid) for other uses, strain over a bowl, otherwise is can be discarded.
Rinse the curds with cold water to cool them and remove any residual vinegar.
Wrap the curds up tightly in the cheesecloth and squeeze tightly to remove as much liquid as possible. Tie the cheesecloth tightly closed with one end of the twine.
At this point you can hang the ball of curds over a bowl by tying it to a spoon and laying the spoon over the bowl. Or you can simply let it rest in a bowl. After 30 minutes, squeeze any remaining liquid out.
Transfer the ball to a cutting board. I prefer to untie the ball, but keep the cheesecloth twisted tight. Place a cast iron pan or baking sheet over the ball. Add canned goods or heavy bags of rice or beans to the pan or baking sheet to add weight. This process presses the cheese curds together to form a solid mass.
Leave untouched for 2-3 hours. It can stay out at room temperature or you can move it to the refrigerator.
Once the paneer is formed, remove the weights and cheesecloth.
You can now cut it and use it as desired, or store it in the refrigerator until needed. Paneer should be chilled prior to using.

Notes

This recipe makes approximately 8 ounces of paneer cheese.

Tips and Techniques

If the curds don’t separate with 2 tablespoons of vinegar, add the third slowly.
You can use any type of acid to separate the curds from the whey, but white vinegar imparts the least amount of flavor and color and works very well. Lemon juice is also commonly used. If neither of these are available, you can use a different vinegar, but may have slightly different results.
Store paneer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

** Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary.

Nutrition