Paneer is cheese made from milk coagulated in acidic substances such as lemon juice. It is a South Asian delicacy with a range of uses, from cooking different types of sauce to making curry, Masala, and other Indian cuisine recipes. Paneer provides protein often used in vegetarian meals to supplement animal fats.
The ingredient provides a wide range of tastes depending on the recipe.
You can use it to prepare sweets, creamy recipes or simple stews, and even meatballs.
If you’re not a fan of coagulated milk cheese, there are alternatives to choose from.
Our 3 Substitutes for Paneer
Paneer cheese is made using mostly whole milk but is a healthy cheese option for people who have diabetes and trying to control their weight.
Its flavour is more on the mild side than other cheeses, with a distinct freshness to it.
Here are our top 3 substitutes for paneer:
1) Feta Cheese
Feta cheese is a variety of cheese enriched with calcium and phosphorous nutrients. It is excellent for supporting healthy bones and teeth. You can use Feta cheese to prepare different meals or eaten along with fruits and veggies.
As feta cheese ages, the taste gets tangier and creamier. Old feta cheese may even taste ‘peppery.’ Feta cheese is a white cheese variety that is popular in middle eastern appetizers. However, you can use it to replace paneer in recipes for stews, sweets, and creams.
A significant benefit of feta cheese is its long lifespan, so you don’t have to worry about it spoiling quickly.
Bake It
When baking with feta cheese, you can coat it with oil and melt it with vegetables (for pasta). You can melt the cheese in the batter for pastries to get a more even taste and ensure that it blends properly with your other ingredients.
2) Mozzarella Cheese
Mozzarella is a low-fat and sodium content cheese that contains healthy amounts of calcium and phosphorous.
Unlike paneer, mozzarella cheese is made from the milk of a water buffalo and is indigenous to Italian cuisine. It is a milky, mild-tasting soft cheese, so it will not be overwhelming like other cheeses.
Mozzarella has a very mild scent and soft texture, becoming sinewy as it ages. It is not advisable to keep fresh mozzarella cheese for long because it begins to spoil after a few weeks.
Know If It is Bad!
The most obvious sign of bad mozzarella cheese is that it grows mould. However, spoilt mozzarella has a foul smell and taste before the mould appears.
When the taste of mozzarella causes your cheeks or lips to sting, it means it’s time to throw away that cheese. You shouldn’t risk eating expired cheese even if you think it hasn’t gone bad.
3) Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a variety of soft cheese made from curdled pasteurized cow’s milk. It is a fresh cheese that does not need to age to become flavourful. Cottage cheese is similar to paneer in that way, which is why it works as an alternative.
When you supplement paneer with cottage cheese, it is necessary to hold back on the salt because cottage cheese is enriched with sodium.
There are different cottage cheese variants, with some even being lactose-free and sodium-free.
Cottage cheese has a mild creamy taste and is great for pastries, but it can also be sued to cook the sauce, meat, and other recipes that paneer works for.
How to Preserve Cottage Cheese
To prolong the lifespan of cottage cheese, you can keep it in a sealed container. Preventing air from entering the container creates a vacuum which prevents bacteria from acting on it and causing the cheese to start to spoil.
You can also refrigerate your cottage cheese while preserving it in an air-tight container. Flipping the container upside down once in a while helps retain the vacuum.
Other Substitutes for Paneer
For those who love a slightly richer cheese, here are a few more substitutes you might like better:
- Camembert – This cheese has a variety of flavours that make it easy to adapt to multiple diets.
- Ricotta Cheese – Before ricotta is used as a paneer alternative, you must drain it from its brine solution. Ricotta is a healthy dairy cheese option.
Summary
It is excellent to melt paneer in some of your dishes, like a soft cheese variety. However, there is a lot of cheese that holds similar qualities to paneer when used in dishes, such as feta cheese.