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Punjabi · Indian

Palak paratha

Vegetarian

पालक पराठा · palak paratha

Bright green parathas made with a dough kneaded from blanched, puréed spinach, garlic, green chilli and cumin instead of water. Soft, gently spiced and popular with children.

Palak paratha is a Punjabi bread from India, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with whole-wheat flour and spinach. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
20 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
246

Ingredients

6 parathas

For the dough

For cooking

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Drop the spinach (opens in a new tab) into boiling water for 1 minute, then into cold water. Squeeze lightly and blend with the garlic (opens in a new tab) and green chilli (opens in a new tab) to a smooth purée.

  2. Step 2

    Mix the atta (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), ajwain (opens in a new tab) and salt, rub in the oil and knead with the spinach (opens in a new tab) purée into a soft dough, adding water only if it is too stiff. Cover and rest 20 minutes.

    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Divide into 6, roll each into an 18 cm round, brush with a little ghee (opens in a new tab), fold into a triangle and roll out again.

    Dough being rolled out with a rolling pin
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Lay a paratha on a hot tawa or heavy pan over medium-high heat. When small bubbles appear (about 30 seconds) flip it; after another 30 seconds brush the top with ghee (opens in a new tab), flip again and press the edges with a spatula (opens in a new tab) until golden-brown patches form. Brush and cook the second side the same way — 3 to 4 minutes per paratha in all.

    Cook at medium rather than high heat to keep the green colour.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Serve with yogurt (opens in a new tab) or a raita.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    North India, India · Commonly attributedA home-style paratha made throughout North India.More food from India
    Dish
    Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
    Cooking method
    Pan-fried, Blanched, Blended
    Taste
    earthy, garlicky, mild
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-fibre
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-fibre
    With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Everyday · Child-friendly · Portable / lunchbox
    Cook more with
    Whole-wheat flour · Spinach · Garlic · Green chilli · Cumin · Ajwain
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Boiling · Blanching · Wet grinding · Kneading

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee, yogurt
    • Contains: Wheatfrom whole-wheat flour
    • Contains: Glutenfrom whole-wheat flour

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    246 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 100 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 12%
    • Carbohydrate 58%
    • Fat 30%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy246 kcal247 kcal
    Protein7.8 g7.8 g
    Carbohydrate38 g38.2 g
    Net carbohydrate31.9 g32 g
    Sugars0.4 g0.4 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre6.2 g6.2 g
    Fat8.7 g8.7 g
    Saturated fat3.5 g3.5 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol13 mg13 mg
    Sodium320 mg321 mg
    Salt equivalent0.8 g0.8 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    382 mg
    Calcium
    56 mg
    Iron
    2.9 mg
    Magnesium
    96 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    199 µg
    Vitamin C
    12 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    87 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: yogurt.
    • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): ajwain.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Don't over-blanch — a minute keeps the spinach bright.

    Common mistakes

    • Adding the purée hot; let it cool so the dough doesn't turn gummy.

    Serve with

    • Lovely with boondi raita and a dry potato sabzi.

    Storage

    • Cooked parathas keep 2 days in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer, stacked with baking paper between them.

    Reheating

    • Reheat on a dry tawa over medium heat for about a minute a side until crisp and hot through.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    Structure

    For the dough

    Used in steps 1, 2

    Baker’s notes

    Customise in Bread & Bakery

    Timeline and readiness cues

    1. Mix and knead · about 45 min

      Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

    2. Rest · about 20 min

      Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

    3. Start to finish: about 1 h 5 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    The dough

    The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
    IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
    Whole-wheat flourFlour300 g100%
    WaterWater30 g10%
    Neutral vegetable oilFat14 g4.5%
    SaltSalt5 g1.5%
    CuminOther1 g0.4%
    AjwainOther1 g0.2%
    Total flour
    300 g
    Hydration
    10%
    With milk, eggs…
    10%
    Wholegrain
    100%

    Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

    • Stiff dough (under 55% hydration) — firm, easy to roll; typical of bagels, pretzels and many flatbreads.
    • Salt 1.5% — normal for bread.
    • 100% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.

    If something goes wrong

    • Pale crust

      Likely causes

      • Oven too cool
      • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
      • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

      What to do

      • Check the oven with a thermometer
      • Brush with egg wash or milk
      • Shorten the fermentation
    • Burnt bottom

      Likely causes

      • Tray too close to the heat
      • Dark tray absorbs more heat
      • Too much sugar in the dough

      What to do

      • Bake on the middle shelf
      • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
      • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
    • Tough or chewy flatbread

      Likely causes

      • Dough too stiff
      • Not rested
      • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

      What to do

      • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
      • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
      • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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