Aloo Palak is a comforting Indian potato-and-spinach curry made with tender potatoes cooked in a flavorful, spiced spinach gravy. This simple, wholesome dish comes together with everyday ingredients and makes an easy vegetarian meal for busy weeknights.
The word "aloo" means potato and "palak" means spinach in Hindi, so the name literally translates to potato spinach. While the ingredients are simple, the combination is incredibly satisfying. The earthy flavor of spinach, creamy potatoes, aromatic onions and garlic, and warm Indian spices come together to create a curry that is hearty without feeling heavy.
This is also one of those everyday Indian recipes that works beautifully as part of a larger meal or as a simple one-pot-style dinner served with roti or rice.
Aloo Palak is the kind of recipe I love having in my weeknight rotation. It doesn't need fancy ingredients or complicated techniques, but it still brings so much color and flavor to the table.
There is something especially comforting about a bowl of warm spinach curry with soft potatoes, a stack of roti, and a little yogurt on the side. It is simple Indian home cooking at its best—wholesome, flavorful, and meant to be shared around the family table.
Whether you're making it as an easy weeknight dinner or adding it to a larger Indian meal, I hope this Aloo Palak becomes one of those recipes you return to again and again.
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What Is Aloo Palak?
Aloo Palak is a popular North Indian-style vegetarian curry made with potatoes and spinach. I like to roast the potatoes for this recipe in the over or an air fryer. Then add in a spinach-based masala made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chilies, and Indian spices.
Unlike richer Indian curries that rely on cream, butter, or coconut milk, Aloo Palak gets most of its body and flavor from the spinach itself. This makes it a naturally lighter curry while still being comforting and flavorful.
There are several ways to make Aloo Palak depending on the region and household. Some versions use a smooth spinach puree, while others leave the spinach roughly chopped. Some cooks cook the potatoes separately and add them to the spinach at the end, while others cook everything together.
My version uses a vibrant spinach puree with tender roasted potatoes, giving you a smooth, flavorful gravy that coats every piece of potato.
What Does Aloo Palak Taste Like?
Aloo Palak has a beautiful balance of earthy, savory, mildly spicy, and aromatic flavors.
The spinach provides an earthy and slightly sweet base, while the potatoes add a soft, creamy texture and naturally mellow the spices. Ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, and green chilies add warmth and depth without overpowering the spinach.
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end brightens the entire curry and balances the richness of the potatoes.
If you enjoy Palak Paneer, think of Aloo Palak as its simpler, everyday cousin—with potatoes taking the place of paneer.
Is Aloo Palak Healthy?
Aloo Palak can be a nutritious addition to a balanced vegetarian meal. Spinach provides leafy greens, while potatoes add carbohydrates that make the curry filling and satisfying.
For a more complete meal, I like serving it with roti or rice along with a source of protein such as dal, yogurt, or beans.
Why You'll Love This Aloo Palak Recipe
There is something special about having a few reliable Indian vegetable recipes that you can make without a long list of ingredients. Aloo Palak is exactly that kind of recipe.
You’ll love this recipe because:
- It uses everyday ingredients. You likely already have most of the spices in your pantry.
- It is naturally vegetarian and vegan. No dairy is needed to make the curry creamy and flavorful.
- It is weeknight-friendly. Once your spinach puree is ready, the curry comes together quickly.
- It is family-friendly. You can easily adjust the chilies and spice level.
- It is meal-prep friendly. The flavors deepen as the curry sits, making leftovers especially delicious.
- It is versatile. Serve it with roti, naan, rice, or even as part of an Indian thali.
Ingredients You'll Need To Make Aloo Palak
Spinach Puree: Blanch the spinach and puree it to make a creamy, smooth base for the curry.
Onion- Tomato Puree: Peel and cut the onion into small cubes and add it to the blender. Next, wash and cut the tomato and add to the blender. Pulse until pureed. Set it aside.
Ginger-Garlic-Green Chili Paste: If you are using store-bought or prepped ginger-garlic paste, add 1 tablespoon. For preparing it, add 5 garlic cloves, ½ inch knob of ginger, and 1-2 green chilies, as per preference.
Avocado Oil and Ghee: We will be using both oil and ghee for the recipe.
Tempering Spices: Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, dried red chili, green cardamom pods, and asafetida.
Ground Spices: Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric, cumin-coriander powder, garam masala, and salt are added to the onion-tomato puree.
Cream: To finish the curry, we will add the cream, which is completely optional.
Kasuri Methi (Not in the Picture): Crush it between your palms and add it at the end. Kasuri methi adds a nice smoky flavor to the curry.
Step - By - Step Recipe
Prepare The Spinach Puree
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for about 2–3 minutes, just until the leaves wilt.
Immediately transfer the spinach to a bowl of ice water.
This process is called blanching and shocking. It stops the cooking process and helps the spinach retain its bright green color.
Drain well and blend the spinach into a smooth puree. Get my detailed recipe to blanch and puree the spinach here.
Prep The Potatoes
This may seem an extra step, but it can get ready on the side while the gravy is cooking. Trust me, the potatoes render a delicious flavor when added after air-frying them.
Cut the potatoes into wedges. Lightly coat it with oil and salt.
Preheat the air fryer for 2 minutes at 350F. Air fry the potatoes for 10-12 minutes at 350F.
Make The Curry
Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for a few seconds.
When the cumin becomes fragrant, add the prepared onion-tomato paste. Also add the ginger-garlic-green chili paste. Add turmeric, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, and salt. Mix well. Cover and let it cook on a low flame. Mix every couple of minutes to make sure the masala doesn't stick to the pot.
Cook until the gravy base becomes brown and oil separates.
This step is important because allowing the tomato-onion mixture to cook properly gives the curry much more depth of flavor.
Add the spinach puree. Stir everything together and simmer gently until the spinach gravy has thickened. This should take about a minute.
Avoid boiling the spinach aggressively for a long time. A gentle simmer is all you need. Now add the air-fried potatoes
Add crushed kasuri methi and finish with a drizzle of cream. Turn the stove off.
Taste and adjust the salt, spice, and consistency as needed.
Serving Suggestions
Aloo Palak is incredibly versatile and can be served with almost any Indian bread or rice.
I love to pair it
- With roti: Soft homemade roti is perfect for scooping up the spinach gravy and potatoes.
- With naan: Garlic naan or plain naan makes this feel like a restaurant-style meal at home.
- With rice: Serve it with steamed basmati rice or jeera rice for an easy, comforting dinner.
- As part of an Indian meal:
Pair Aloo Palak with dal, rice, roti, raita, pickle, and a simple salad for a wholesome Indian thali-style meal.
Expert Tips To Make The Perfect Aloo Palak
- Don't skip the ice bath. If you want a bright green spinach curry, blanching followed by an ice bath makes a noticeable difference.
- Cook the masala properly. Don't rush the onion and tomato mixture. This is where much of the curry's flavor develops.
- Cut the potatoes evenly. Similar-sized pieces cook at the same rate.
- Don't overcook the spinach. Once the spinach puree is added, a gentle simmer is enough.
- Adjust the consistency. Aloo Palak can be thick enough to scoop with roti or slightly thinner for serving with rice.
Recipe Variations
Aloo Palak Paneer
Add cubes of lightly pan-fried or soft paneer to turn this into a delicious Aloo Palak Paneer.
Aloo Palak with Peas
Add green peas along with the potatoes for extra sweetness, color, and texture.
Chunky Aloo Palak
Instead of pureeing all the spinach, roughly chop half of it and blend the other half. This gives the curry a more rustic texture.
Spicier Aloo Palak
Add an extra green chili or a pinch of cayenne if you prefer a spicy curry.
Aloo Palak Curry
These nutrional values are automatically generated. Use them for estimation only.
Equipment
- 1 Sauce Pan
- 1 Heavy Bottom Pot
- 1 Spatula
- Oven/ Airyer If you want to roast the potatoes.
Ingredients
For Potatoes
- 2 Golden Potatoes
- 1 Teaspoon Oil
- 1 Pinch Salt
For Spinach Puree
- 10 oz Spinach You'll need 10 oz spinach or 280 grams of spinach
- 4 Cups Water
- 2 Cups Water For Ice Bath
- 1-2 Tablespoons Water For blending spinach puree
For Onion Tomato Puree
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion
- 1 Medium Roma Tomato
For Ginger, Garlic and Green Chili Paste
- 4-5 cloves Garlic
- ½ inch Ginger
- 1 Thai Green Chili
To Make The Curry
- 1 Tablespoon Avocado Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Ghee
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Dried Red Chili
- 2 Green Cardamom Pods
- â…› Teaspoon Asafetida
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powdee
- ¼ Teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 Teaspoon Kasuri Methi
- 1-2 Teaspoons Heavy Cream Optional, you can skip it
Instructions
Blanch and Puree The Spinach
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for about 2–3 minutes, just until the leaves wilt.
- Immediately transfer the spinach to a bowl of ice water.
- This process is called blanching and shocking. It stops the cooking process and helps the spinach retain its bright green color.
- Drain well and blend the spinach into a smooth puree. Get my detailed recipe to blanch and puree the spinach here.
Prep The Aromatics
- Blend together 1 medium-sized onion and 1 medium-sized Roma tomato. Pulse until pureed.
- Add 4-5 cloves garlic, ½ inch knob of ginger, and 1 green chili. Add a little bit of oil , And pulse until you have a paste
Air Fry The Potatoes
- Cut the potatoes into wedges. Lightly coat it with oil and salt.
- Preheat the air fryer for 2 minutes at 350F. Air fry the potatoes for 10-12 minutes at 350F.
Make The Curry
- Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for a few seconds.
- When the cumin becomes fragrant, add the prepared onion-tomato paste. Also add the ginger-garlic-green chili paste. Add turmeric, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, and salt. Mix well. Cover and let it cook on a low flame. Mix every couple of minutes to make sure the masala doesn't stick to the pot.
- Cook until the gravy base becomes brown and oil separates.
- This step is important because allowing the tomato-onion mixture to cook properly gives the curry much more depth of flavor.
- Add the spinach puree. Stir everything together and simmer gently until the spinach gravy has thickened. This should take about a minute.
- Avoid boiling the spinach aggressively for a long time. A gentle simmer is all you need. Now add the air-fried potatoes
- Add crushed kasuri methi and finish with a drizzle of cream. Turn the stove off.
- Taste and adjust the salt, spice, and consistency as needed.
Nutrition
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