Paneer protein per 100 g, and how it fits weight loss

Paneer nutrition, per serving and per 100 g

Serving: 50 g, about six small cubes. IFCT 2017 food code L003, "Paneer", the mean of 6 regions sampled. IFCT does not report glycaemic index, so this page prints none.

The verdict on paneer

How paneer fits a plan that loses fat and keeps muscle

Paneer is the vegetarian kitchen's most familiar protein, at 6.2 g of protein for every 100 kcal. It also carries a lot of fat, 12.4 g in a serving (50 g, about six small cubes), which is why a full paneer butter masala can hold more calories than people expect.

On a plan that keeps muscle, paneer earns its place in measured cubes: 50 g to 100 g in a bhurji, a tikka or a salad, beside vegetables and a measured roti. Pairing it with dal or curd at other meals spreads protein through the day, which is how muscle is best protected while you eat less.

Paneer in an Indian kitchen

Fresh paneer from the dairy or made at home from toned milk is softer and lighter than the dense blocks sold for frying. Cut it before you cook so you can count the cubes, and add it at the end of a sabzi rather than frying it golden first, which soaks up oil. A tawa with a brushing of oil, a pinch of salt, chilli and chaat masala gives a tikka finish in five minutes. Leftover whey from home-made paneer can go into atta dough or a dal.

Pair it, or swap it

Paneer bhurji with capsicum and onion, or grilled paneer tikka with a big salad, gives a high-protein meal without a cream gravy. Crumbled paneer inside a besan chilla doubles up two vegetarian proteins.

Worth knowing

Restaurant paneer dishes often add butter, cream and cashew paste. Low-fat paneer made from toned milk is lighter; IFCT's figure is for regular paneer, so read the packet for low-fat versions.

Paneer against similar foods