
Keto Tofu Palak
simmered tofu in spinach cream sauce
- Time
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
About this recipe
Palak tofu is the vegan answer to paneer—and it's actually lighter, cleaner, and keto-friendlier. The genius of this dish is that spinach cream needs fat to taste luxurious, and coconut does the heavy lifting here without adding starch. Fresh spinach is essential; frozen can work in a pinch but the flavor flattens. Blanching the spinach first (and squeezing it thoroughly) removes excess moisture and bitter compounds, giving you a glossy, refined sauce instead of watery green soup.
Many cooks skip the cauliflower florets thinking it's redundant with the spinach—but their mild sweetness and slight bite break up the richness and add textural variety. The nutmeg is the secret component; just a pinch transforms this from 'green curry' into proper North Indian palak. Don't go heavy-handed or it tastes medicinal.
The tofu here is crumbled rather than cubed, giving you more surface area to absorb the sauce and mimicking the texture of soft paneer. If you want chunks, cut the tofu into small cubes and press it for at least 20 minutes first. This keeps 7 days refrigerated and freezes beautifully—portion it out before freezing so you can reheat individual servings without waste.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4 servings.
Method
- 1Blanch spinach in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, squeeze dry, and blend smooth with 3 tbsp water.
- 2Heat coconut oil in a heavy pan, temper cumin seeds, add ginger-garlic paste and green chili; sauté 1 minute.
- 3Add crumbled tofu and diced cauliflower; cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently.
- 4Pour in spinach puree and vegetable broth; simmer for 12 minutes on medium heat.
- 5Stir in coconut cream, garam masala, and nutmeg; cook for 3 more minutes until sauce coats a spoon.
- 6Finish with lemon juice and salt. The dish should have a rich green hue.
- 7Serve hot alongside cauliflower rice or zucchini toast.



