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You are here: Home / 30 Minutes or Less / Paleo Instant Pot Saag (Whole30, Keto, Vegan Optional)

Paleo Instant Pot Saag (Whole30, Keto, Vegan Optional)

May 17, 2018 by Jean Choi 25 Comments

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Grab a copy of my new cookbook, Korean Paleo: 80 Bold-Flavored, Gluten- and Grain-Free Recipes!

Get a taste of your favorite Indian food at home with this easy and delicious Paleo Instant Pot Saag. It’s ready in under 30 minutes!

Paleo Instant Pot Saag Paneer

I’ve been craving Indian food a lot lately. I’ve recently made my Instant Pot Butter Chicken, and now I made this Instant Pot Saag to eat throughout the week. I think it’s because my husband’s not a huge fan of Indian food so we rarely try out Indian restaurants, and Indian isn’t ever a top choice for some reason when I dine out with friends. So naturally, I solve that problem by making it for myself at home and I’m 100% a-okay with that.

Paleo Instant Pot Saag Recipe

This Paleo Instant Pot Saag is probably the simplest version you’ll ever find. Instead of paneer and cream, coconut cream is used to thicken it, and I use frozen spinach to make it even easier. You don’t even need to thaw it before throwing it all in the Instant Pot to cook it all up.

Paleo Instant Pot Saag Paneer Paleo Instant Pot Saag Paneer

Great Way to Up Your Veggie Intake!

I love how this recipe makes it so easy and delicious to eat a ton of greens at once. I’ve been loading it up on cauliflower rice and chicken thighs and I just can’t get enough. It’s also Whole30 and keto friendly, and full of yummy and healthy fats to keep you satisfied. I usually eat some kind of protein for every meal, and I found that I don’t always need it with this hearty recipe, so it can also be a great vegan main dish if you use coconut oil instead of traditional ghee.

I used to think cooking Indian food would be difficult and time consuming, but now I’m realizing that that’s definitely not true especially if you have an Instant Pot. I’m hoping to have more similar recipes for you in the future so stay tuned and check back, or subscribe to my newsletter!

Paleo Instant Pot Saag Paneer Paleo Instant Pot Saag Paneer

Paleo Instant Pot Saag (Whole30, Keto, Vegan Optional)

Get a taste of your favorite Indian food at home with this easy and delicious Paleo Instant Pot Saag. It's ready in under 30 minutes!
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 124kcal
Author: Jean Choi

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil for vegan
  • 6 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 inch fresh ginger minced
  • 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper chopped (optional)
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 4 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp sea salt plus more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper optional
  • 1 14-oz can of coconut cream
  • 2 lbs frozen spinach 2 16-packs
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  • Heat the Instant Pot to "Saute" and add ghee.
  • Once the Instant Pot signals that it's "hot," add in garlic, ginger, serrano or jalapeño pepper, and onion. 
  • Stir cooking for 5 minutes until fragrant.
  • Add in the garam masala, cumin, turmeric, sea salt, cayenne (if using), and coconut cream, and stir together. 
  • Hit "cancel" to turn off the Instant Pot. 
  • Add in frozen spinach and stir. 
  • Close the lid, make sure the pressure valve is set to "Sealing," then set it to Manual on high pressure for 15 minutes. 
  • Quick pressure release once it beeps to a finish.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend everything together, or transfer to a regular blender to puree together. I like to leave mine a bit lumpy. 
  • Stir in apple cider vinegar. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
  • Serve over cooked chicken and/or cauliflower rice. 
Nutrition Facts
Paleo Instant Pot Saag (Whole30, Keto, Vegan Optional)
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 124 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 672mg29%
Potassium 458mg13%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 13375IU268%
Vitamin C 10.6mg13%
Calcium 163mg16%
Iron 3.1mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

What Great Grandma Ate / Jean Choi is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Regarding other affiliate links and affiliate relationships: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Thank you for your support and understanding.


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By Jean Choi | May 17, 2018

Comments

  1. Jules Shepard says

    May 18, 2018 at 10:08 am

    This looks so creamy and delicious!!

    Reply
  2. Irena Macri says

    May 21, 2018 at 11:41 am

    I love this! You make Indian cuisine look so delicious and easy to make. The Instant Pot makes it so much easier to step outside the box and try your hand at recreating dishes like this.

    Reply
  3. Tessa@tessadomesticdiva.com says

    May 21, 2018 at 1:10 pm

    5 stars
    all about that jalapeño addition!! Drool!! All we need is some Paleo naan and we’re set!

    Reply
  4. Cathy says

    May 22, 2018 at 8:13 am

    5 stars
    I’m still learning to utilize the versatility of my Instant Pot. I’ve also decided to try a keto diet for awhile, so this recipe is perfect! I must try it!

    Reply
  5. Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says

    May 22, 2018 at 10:22 am

    5 stars
    This sounds so good! I’ve never made Saag Paneer before, but I love it! Love that garam masala in it, one of my favorite spices. I think it’s awesome that you make it in the IP too!

    Reply
  6. Mary says

    May 23, 2018 at 4:10 pm

    What is coconut cream? Is that the coconut milk in a can? thanks

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      May 23, 2018 at 4:33 pm

      It’s the cream of the coconut so it’s thicker. You can find it at a natural grocers or an Asian market. This is what I use: https://amzn.to/2s4ZtSh

      Reply
  7. Melissa @Real Nutritious Living says

    May 24, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    This looks amazing. Love all the herbs and greens!

    Reply
  8. ChihYu says

    May 26, 2018 at 6:48 pm

    YUM ! Looks totally delicious. I love it !

    Reply
  9. cristina says

    May 28, 2018 at 11:01 am

    5 stars
    Oh I can’t wait to try this!!! So many Indian dishes I have missed. This looks so legit!

    Reply
  10. Tina says

    May 28, 2018 at 7:42 pm

    I looooooooooove saag! One of my fave Indian dishes – yum!

    Reply
  11. Erika says

    May 31, 2018 at 5:46 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this. I don’t have an instant pot, so I adjusted the recipe to work on the stove top. Very tasty!

    Reply
    • Milla says

      October 19, 2020 at 8:28 am

      Hi there! Could you share what you adjusted from this recipe to make this on a stove top? My Instant Pot literally just broke and I have all the ingredients in their proper measures to make this already. What a waste if I just throw out all that right now.

      How long did you cook this for on stove top?

      Reply
  12. Margot Liebenthal says

    July 9, 2018 at 2:46 pm

    4 stars
    Our summer garden is in full bloom, so I’d rather use a variety of fresh greens, as we have an abundance. I realize most vegetables, other than root, scarcely need to come to pressure or they are way overcooked for my taste. Might I stream these for a few seconds and still have it turn out?

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      July 9, 2018 at 3:40 pm

      I’ve never tried steaming for this recipe but you can try. Saag paneer is supposed to be a bit overcooked so the spinach yields a creamy texture that can be blended. Let me know how it turns out with the steaming method!

      Reply
  13. Carol says

    September 14, 2018 at 6:22 pm

    This was delicious but we did have a problem with the Instant Pot displaying “burn” halfway through cooking. We added 1 cup of chicken broth to the Instant Pot and then reset it to cook for 10 mins. at high pressure and it was fine. I was afraid it would make the dish too loose/soupy but after I immersion blended it, it was great! We have 2 pressure cookers and our larger one has had this problem a few times. Next time, we’ll try it in the smaller one and see if we need to add the broth. I’d love to see how it turns out with just the coconut milk! Thanks for the awesome recipe! 🙂

    Reply
  14. Anagha says

    November 29, 2018 at 9:46 pm

    Hello. Where is the paneer in the saag??

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      November 30, 2018 at 9:34 am

      Oops, so sorry! This is just a saag recipe. I corrected the title and the recipe to reflect that. Thank you so much for pointing this out!

      Reply
  15. Jennifer Brooks says

    July 8, 2019 at 2:21 pm

    5 stars
    this is crack. i cant stop eating it. this will be in permanent rotation. 🙂

    Reply
  16. Martha says

    September 18, 2019 at 9:03 am

    I would like to add chicken to this. Where in the steps would you recommend I add the raw chicken? (Saute before spices? After?) I may also need to adjust cook time. Thanks for your advice! I’m excited for this recipe!

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      September 27, 2019 at 5:22 pm

      You can add the chicken when you add the garlic and the vegetables. Makes sure it’s browned on all sides. I don’t think you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.

      Reply
  17. Aileen says

    September 20, 2019 at 11:01 am

    I also experienced the IP displaying the Burn signal while preheating. I added some water, which solved the issue, pressure cooked for 12 mins, and then set the IP to Sauté for a few minutes to cook off the excess liquid. It was delicious! I found the spices to be a bit overpowering (4 tsp of Garam masala is a lot..) so next time I’ll cut down on the spices a bit. Overall, a great recipe.

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      February 12, 2020 at 4:06 pm

      Yes, you are correct! I think 4 tsp was a typo. I re-tested the recipe and reduced it to 2 tsp.

      Reply
  18. Edna Heller says

    November 10, 2019 at 6:50 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent. Perfect recipe. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      November 11, 2019 at 11:12 am

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply

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Welcome!

I’m Jean and I’m a Nutritional Therapist (NTP) living in Southern California with my husband and 2 dog babies. On WGGA, you’ll find simple and easy gluten-, dairy-, and processed sugar-free recipes that focus on quality nutrients, and of course, never sacrifice on taste. I believe that the food you love should love you back, making you feel amazing inside and out. I apologize in advance for my inappropriate jokes and misunderstood sarcasm! More About Jean

Recipe Key

  • 3030 Min or Less
  • AIPAIP
  • EFEgg Free
  • LCLow Carb
  • NFNut Free
  • PPaleo
  • VVegan
  • W3Whole 30

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