Palak Paratha | Spinach Paratha
Easy and healthy Palak Paratha recipe made with whole wheat flour and spices. A perfect Indian breakfast for kids and adults – packed with iron and ready in minutes.
This palak paratha is one of my family’s favourite breakfast meals. It is super easy to make and is a great way to include veggies in your child’s diet. If you have fussy kids who do not like to eat greens then this recipe will work like a charm.
Palak Paratha is an Indian flatbread which is made with unleavened dough. It is made with spinach, wholewheat flour and spices. You can serve them with chutney, pickle, curd or curry. You can use them as a wrap and wrap your favourite filling to make delicious spinach wraps.
Spinach is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. It contains vitamin A, C K1, folic acid, iron and calcium. It may reduce oxidative stress, promote eye health, fight cancer, and regulate blood pressure. Regular use of spinach is an excellent way to boost immunity.
More About Palak Paratha
It’s said that you eat with your eyes first. Palak paratha is a vibrant green colour paratha which makes it visually appealing.
There are 2 kinds of parathas made in Indian cuisine – with stuffing and plain. Palak paratha is plain non-stuffed paratha which is easy to prepare. So, if you are one of those who struggle with rolling stuffed parathas, then this recipe definitely comes to your rescue.
All you have to do is puree the spinach leaves, add to flour, mix it with spices and tadaaaa! You just made yourself a wholesome meal. The dough doesn’t require any resting time and can immediately be rolled into parathas.
They also go great in school or office tiffin box also are a great option for one day travel journey. My child loves to take these parathas to school along with mango pickle.
Step by Step Instructions
For detailed recipe, refer the recipe card below
Blanching Spinach
1. Wash spinach leaves very well under running water. This step is very important. You must make sure that you thoroughly was all the dirt from the leaves. Drain all the water and set aside.
2. Heat some water in a pan and add spinach leaves. I have also added some ginger, garlic and green chili to spinach for more flavour. It is optional but recommended. Let spinach boil in water for two minutes.
3. Now strain the spinach leaves and spread them on a large plate. Allow it to cool a bit before adding it to a blender jar.
4. Puree the leaves without adding water.
Knead the Dough
5. Take wholewheat flour in a large bowl. Add carom seeds (ajwain), red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, coriander powder, raw mango powder (amchoor), ghee/oil and salt.
6. Now add the prepared spinach puree and knead a soft smooth dough.
Tip: Do not add the entire puree in one go. Add little at a time so you do not end up with sticky flour and then eventually adding more flour to get a soft firm dough.
Roll The Paratha
7. Take a small medium size ball from the dough. Roll it into a small circle. Dust it with some flour if required. Spread some oil or ghee on the rolled dough.
8. If you want to make a square shaped paratha, fold the sides of the dough. Then fold the sides again to make a square shape.
9. Dust the dough with some flour and roll the dough to get medium size paratha. Do not roll it too thin like a roti. Paratha is slightly thicker than rotis.
Cook Palak Paratha
10. Place the prepared paratha on a hot tawa or skillet. Prefer using cast iron tawa and not non-stick.
11. Once you see the bubbles forming, flip the paratha and cook the other side for a few seconds.
12. Now spread 1 tsp ghee over the paratha and flip. Cook the ghee side. Press with spatula so that it gets cooked well. Similarly cook the other side.
13. Serve paratha hot with dallop of homemade butter, pickle or some curd. Enjoy 🙂
Pro Tips
- Instead of pureeing the spinach, you can also choose to add finely chopped spinach. But I prefer to puree because it gives a great taste and also it is a great way to feed spinach to fussy kids.
- It is always good to blanch spinach before pureeing to get rid of oxalic acid which hinders in calcium absorption.
- Always cook the paratha on high heat and never on medium or low heat. Paratha cooked on low heat tends to become dry and hard which doesn’t taste very nice.
- To make perfectly soft parathas make sure the dough is moist and soft. Dry dough will lead to dry parathas.
- You can choose to add other vegetables also like grated carrot, boiled and mashed peas etc.
Palak Paratha | Indian Spinach Flatbread
Ingredients
- 2 cups Wholewheat Flour
- 300 grams Spinach
- 1 or 2 Green Chilies optional
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Ajwain (Carom Seeds)
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
- 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder optional
- 1/4 tsp Amchoor (Raw Mango Powder)
- Ghee as required for cooking
- 2 tsp Ghee/Oil for the dough
Instructions
Blanching and Pureeing Spinach
- Wash spinach leaves very well under running water. Drain all the water and set aside.
- Heat some water in a pan and add spinach leaves. I have also added some ginger, garlic and green chili to spinach for more flavour. Let spinach boil for 2 minutes.
- Now strain the spinach leaves and spread them on a large plate. Allow it to cool a bit before adding it to a blender jar.
- Puree the leaves without adding water.
Knead the Dough
- Take wholewheat flour in a large bowl. Add carom seeds (ajwain), red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, raw mango powder (amchoor), ghee/oil and salt.
- Now add the prepared spinach puree and knead a soft smooth dough.
Roll the Paratha
- Take a small medium size ball from the dough. Roll it into a small circle. Dust it with some flour if required. Spread some oil or ghee on the rolled dough.
- If you want to make a square shaped paratha, fold the sides of the dough. Then fold the sides again to make a square shape.
- Dust the dough with some flour and roll the dough to get medium size paratha. Do not roll it too thin like a roti. Paratha are slightly thicker than rotis.
Cook Palak Paratha
- Place the prepared paratha on a hot tawa or skillet. Prefer using cast iron tawa and not non stick.
- Once you see the bubbles forming, flip the paratha and cook the other side for a few seconds.
- Now spread 1 tsp ghee over the paratha and flip. Cook the ghee side. Press with spatula so that it gets cooked well. Similarly cook the other side.
- Serve paratha hot with dallop of homemade butter, pickle or some curd.
Notes
- Instead of pureeing the spinach, you can also choose to add finely chopped spinach. But I prefer to puree because it gives a great taste and also it is a great way to feed spinach to fussy kids.
- It is always good to blanch spinach before pureeing to get rid of oxalic acid which hinders in calcium absorption.
- Always cook the paratha on high heat and never on medium or low heat. Paratha cooked on low heat tends to become dry and hard which doesn’t taste very nice.
- To make perfectly soft parathas make sure the dough is moist and soft. Dry dough will lead to dry parathas.
- You can choose to add other vegetables also like grated carrot, boiled and mashed peas etc.
- Do not add the entire puree in one go. Add little at a time so you do not end up with sticky flour and then eventually adding more flour to get a soft firm dough.
I hope you give this Palak Paratha a try! It’s a favorite in our home, and I’d love to hear how it turned out for you—feel free to leave a comment or share your experience! 🙂
