When it comes to deciphering the vegan credentials of food products, sometimes things can be rather difficult or confusing. When it comes to paneer, however, there is no need to deliberate or qualify, so let’s get straight to the point: paneer is not vegan. Why? Because it is a type of cheese that is made from cow’s milk (or sometimes buffalo’s milk). And given that milk acquired from any animal is not vegan, paneer is also not suitable for those following a plant-based diet.
Paneer is much-loved by vegetarians and many carnivores too but it is categorically off the vegan menu! Now that’s settled, vegans will know to avoid paneer and could opt instead for a vegetable dansak or a saag aloo rather than any dishes containing paneer next time they head for a curry. Indeed, the food of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries in the region is replete with excellent vegan options (certainly if they make sure ghee, or clarified butter, isn’t used) and so those on a plant-based diet should have no major problem when it comes to eating in the region.
What Is Paneer & What Is It Used For?
As mentioned, paneer is a type cheese. But unlike many types of cheese, it is not aged (or ripened) and this soft cheese is also rather different to many other kinds of cheese in that it doesn’t melt readily. It is this resistance to melting that makes paneer attractive as an ingredient in curries and similar dishes, including kebabs.
The word “paneer” is thought to have originated from the Old Iranian word for cheese: panir. Made by curdling milk (from cows or buffalo) with some kind of plant-based acid (usually lemon or lime juice) that helps it set, paneer is popular in the cuisines of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, among others. As well as being used in curries, paneer can also be deep fried in dough, served with vegetables (often spinach or peas) as a side dish, grilled simply as a kebab, or even sweetened.
Note that another ingredient that is commonly used in South Asian cuisine but that people might not realise isn’t vegan is ghee. As said, this is clarified butter that is also made from animal milk, and hence out of bounds for those on a plant-based diet. Ghee is fairly ubiquitous in this part of the world and its food, so definitely something vegans should be aware of, either when travelling or just eating out.
Best Vegan Alternatives to Paneer
Vegan cheese is getting better all the time and some of the the best vegan cheeses are actually rather tasty. But although paneer is a type of cheese, we wouldn’t recommend replacing it with chunks of Applewood Vegan Cheddar in your otherwise vegan-friendly tikka masala.
Instead, we would turn to some of the products that are more commonly used as vegan meat alternatives. Let’s run through our top recommendations for alternatives to paneer in curries and other dishes.
Tofu
Tofu, especially firm or extra-firm tofu, is arguably the best vegan-friendly alternative to paneer because it most closely resembles the cheese. Paneer doesn’t have a strong flavour and tends to soak up the flavours of the dish to which it’s been added (especially when such dishes are rich with spices). And, of course, tofu does exactly the same. Arguably more pertinent, though, is that the texture of tofu best resembles that of paneer and it has a similar mouthfeel.
Although tofu is not a traditional ingredient in Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi cuisine, as the food industry adapts to the growing number of vegans, many curry restaurants now offer curries and other dishes containing tofu as an alternative to paneer. When you are making your own curries, perhaps following a recipe that suggests using paneer, you can simply swap in tofu instead and you’re good to go (assuming the other ingredients are vegan).
Tempeh
Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, and it would also act as a reasonable vegan-friendly replacement for paneer. Some varieties of tempeh can have a tendency to disintegrate a little when cooked in curries or similar dishes, so it can be a good idea to flash fry or grill the slices/cubes before adding them to the main dish.
It is not common to find tempeh available in curries in restaurants, but it is not unheard of. In general, we would prefer to use firm tofu as a direct alternative to paneer, but if you are not striving for the closest replication, tempeh will certainly do the job, although it can have a more pungent flavour than may be required.
Seitan
Made from wheat gluten (so obviously no good to anyone who requires a gluten-free diet), seitan is a reasonable alternative to paneer, but it tends to be firmer, chewier and not as good when it comes to soaking up flavours.
Fake Meat
We’re talking here about vegan-friendly products that are designed to resemble meat, so things like (the vegan version of) Quorn or This Isn’t Chicken Plant Based Pieces. These are great in curries but are more of a replacement for chicken than paneer as the texture better resembles meat. These often soak up the flavours well (and better than something like seitan) and also tend to add a nice quantity of vegan protein too.
Good, Old-Fashioned Vegetables
Given that paneer is off the menu for vegans when it comes to curries, why not just pile a load of your favourite vegetables into the dish instead? As well as being unquestionably vegan, they are going to provide a lot more nutrients, and less fat and calories than paneer.
It’s a good idea to stick to vegetables that won’t completely disintegrate into the sauce (although such veg can be used to thicken the sauce if you want) and that have a bit of bulk and/or which readily soak up the spicy flavours. Our favourite vegetable additions to curries include potatoes, lentils, onions, chickpeas, spinach, peas, mushrooms and cauliflower.
Can I Make My Own Vegan Paneer?
The short answer is, yes, you can indeed create your own vegan-friendly paneer alternative. There are various recipes dotted around that suggest making a vegan paneer-type substance using cashew nuts or all manner of other options. The thing is, the cost (and effort) to benefit ratio doesn’t seem all that good to us.
You might end up producing a decent enough vegan alternative to paneer, but if you take into account the time spent and the cost of the ingredients, might you have been better simply purchasing a block of firm tofu? We think so, especially as such vegan versions of paneer are far from exact replicas of the normal” cheese. If tofu doesn’t take your fancy, why not just go for the vegetable option
Paneer Conclusions
As we have seen, paneer is cheese, made from cow or buffalo milk and hence it is not vegan. As we have also explained, there are numerous excellent vegan-friendly alternatives to paneer so curry-loving vegans need not miss out on their spicy hit of plant-based goodness.
If eating out at a curry restaurant, it’s always worth asking if they use ghee to cook with, and – if so – whether they would be okay using vegetable oil for your dishes. But when you are making your own curries, we’d usually opt for tofu as a very good alternative to paneer, so get stuck in.