I had leftover lasuni palak (garlic spinach gravy) in the fridge and a cold ball of burrata from the week I made grilled peach burrata pesto sandwich. Palak paneer was the plan. Then I set the cheese in the green gravy instead of cubing paneer, and poured a hot garlic tadka over the top.
That bowl is this Palak Burrata. Bright homemade spinach curry, whole burrata nestled in at the table, cream running into the palak when you tear it. Restaurants sometimes call the same plate saag burrata. This version is from scratch, not a jarred sauce, and the cheese stays cold so it does not melt into soup.
If you already make palak paneer, you already know this gravy. The only new rule is timing. Let’s make it together.
What is palak burrata?
Palak is spinach. Burrata is a soft mozzarella pouch filled with cream and shredded mozzarella. Palak burrata is an Indian fusion curry: a smooth, garlicky spinach gravy with a whole ball of burrata on top instead of paneer cubes. Menus often list it as saag burrata. Same idea. Saag is a broader greens gravy. Here the green is spinach.
It is not a spinach salad and not an Italian pasta with wilted leaves. The palak is cooked, blended, and tempered like a North Indian curry. The Italian part is only the cheese, and it goes on last.
I cook this lasuni palak burrata with extra sliced garlic in the pan and again in the finishing tadka. The first tadka flavors the gravy. The second one hits the cold burrata so you hear it sizzle.
Palak burrata vs palak paneer vs saag burrata
- Palak paneer: the same spinach gravy, paneer cubes warmed in it. Weeknight. The cheese can take heat.
- Palak burrata: same gravy, whole burrata added at serve. The cream stays intact until you tear it.
- Saag burrata: restaurant name for this plate. Some versions use mixed greens or a jarred korma base. This recipe is homemade palak.
Use palak paneer when you want leftovers that reheat as one pot. Use palak burrata when you want the middle of the table to look like a dinner party. For palak and cheese in pasta form, make palak pesto paneer pasta.
Why you’ll love this
- Bright green palak from a 60-second blanch and an ice bath
- Homemade gravy, no jarred sauce
- Burrata stays creamy if you add it off the heat
- Naturally gluten-free and vegetarian
- Gravy can sit in the fridge; cheese goes on at serve
- Mild enough for kids if you keep the green chilli to one
Spinach brings iron to a vegetarian plate. Burrata adds protein and fat, so the bowl actually fills you up.
Test note: I blanched 1 pound of spinach for 60 seconds, then plunged it into ice water until the leaves felt cold, about 2 minutes. The puree stayed grass-green after a short simmer. The batch I skipped the ice bath on turned olive in the pan in under 5 minutes. Squeeze the spinach hard after the ice bath. Watery puree makes a thin curry that cannot hold the burrata.
How to keep the palak green and the burrata intact
Do not add turmeric to the blender. A pinch in the pan is fine for warmth. A teaspoon turns the gravy khaki before you taste it.
Simmer the blended palak only 3 to 4 minutes after the tempering. Longer cooking is how restaurant palak goes dull. If it looks tight, add a splash of the blanch water, not more cream yet.
Keep the burrata in the fridge until the plates are out. Drain it, pat the outside dry, and set it in the gravy in a serving bowl, not in a bubbling kadhai. The first time I nestled it into a simmering pan, the pouch split and the cream thinned the palak into soup. Cold cheese, hot tadka, then serve.
Perfect for
- A dinner-party thali with instant pot jeera rice and naan
- A richer spinach night when palak dal or spinach khichdi already covers the everyday bowl
- Using leftover lasuni palak: warm the gravy, add fresh burrata
- Date night, when you want one showpiece curry and a cucumber raita
Palak Burrata
Equipment
- Large pot for blanching
- Blender
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai
- Small tadka pan
Ingredients
For the palak
- 1 pound fresh spinach about 450 g, thick stems trimmed
- 2 green chillies use 1 for mild
- 1 inch ginger peeled
- 3 garlic cloves
- 8 cashews about 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup ice water or reserved blanch water as needed to blend
- 1 teaspoon salt for the blanch water
For the gravy
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 small onion sliced, optional
- 5 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 small tomato chopped, optional, skip for a greener gravy
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- pinch sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons fresh cream
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water as needed
For the finishing tadka
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 dried red chilli broken in half
- pinch Kashmiri chilli powder optional
To finish
- 2 balls burrata about 8 oz / 225 g total, drained and cold
- 1 tablespoon cream to swirl
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
Blanch the spinach
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Set a bowl of ice water next to the stove.
- Add the spinach. Press it under with a spoon. Cook 45 to 60 seconds until just wilted and still bright green.
- Lift the spinach into the ice water. Chill 2 minutes until cold. Squeeze hard in handfuls to remove water. Do not skip the squeeze.
Blend
- Blend the squeezed spinach with green chillies, ginger, 3 garlic cloves, cashews, and 1/4 cup ice water or blanch water until completely smooth. Add another splash only if the blender stalls. The puree should look thick and bright, not watery.
Cook the gravy
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Let them sizzle 20 seconds.
- Add sliced onion if using. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until soft. Add 5 sliced garlic cloves. Cook 30 to 45 seconds until the edges turn gold. Do not let the garlic brown hard or the palak will taste bitter.
- Add tomato if using. Cook 2 minutes until soft. Add turmeric, coriander, Kashmiri chilli, and a pinch of salt. Stir 20 seconds.
- Pour in the palak puree. Add 1/4 cup warm water. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes on medium-low, stirring. Taste for salt. Add the pinch of sugar if the greens taste sharp.
- Stir in garam masala and cream. Simmer 30 seconds. Turn off the heat. The gravy should coat a spoon and still look green. If it is too tight, loosen with a splash of water, not more cream.
Plate and tadka
- Spoon the palak into a warm, shallow serving bowl. Nestle the cold, drained burrata in the center. Do not stir it in.
- In a small tadka pan, heat 2 tablespoons ghee until hot. Add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 4 sliced garlic cloves, and the dried red chilli. Cook 20 to 30 seconds until the garlic is gold and the chilli darkens. Take the pan off the heat. Add a pinch of Kashmiri chilli if you want a red streak.
- Pour the tadka over the burrata and the palak around it. You should hear a short sizzle. Swirl a little cream and scatter cilantro. Serve immediately.
Notes
FAQs
Q1. Is palak burrata the same as saag burrata?
Mostly yes. Saag burrata is the name you see on restaurant menus. Palak means the gravy is spinach. Saag can mean spinach or mixed greens. This homemade palak burrata recipe is the spinach version of that plate.
Q2. Do I cook the burrata in the palak?
No. Add it at the end, in the serving bowl, then pour the hot tadka over. If you simmer burrata like paneer, the pouch splits and the cream turns the curry watery.
Q3. Can I use paneer instead of burrata?
Yes. Warm 200 to 250 g paneer cubes in the gravy for 2 to 3 minutes and you have palak paneer. Keep the same tadka. Use burrata when you want the tear-and-share finish.
Q4. How do I keep the palak bright green?
Blanch 45 to 60 seconds, ice bath until cold, squeeze hard, and simmer only 3 to 4 minutes. Skip turmeric in the blender. Do not cover the pan and walk away.
Q5. Can I make the gravy ahead?
Yes. Make the palak through the cream step, cool, and refrigerate up to 3 days. Warm it gently, loosen with a splash of water, then plate with fresh cold burrata and a new tadka.
Q6. Can I make this vegan?
Use oil for both the gravy and the tadka, and finish the palak with blended cashew cream. Skip the burrata, or use a vegan soft cheese. The dish is then lasuni palak with a garlic tadka, still good, just not the same cream burst.
Q7. How do I store leftovers?
Store the palak in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store leftover burrata separately and eat it within a day. Do not freeze assembled palak burrata. Reheat only the gravy, then add fresh cheese.
Tear it at the table
This palak burrata is weeknight gravy with a dinner-party finish. The spinach should still look green. The tadka should still smell like garlic when the bowl hits the table.
If you try it, tell me: did you leave the burrata whole, or tear it open before you sat down?
Made this? Share a photo and tag @petitepaprika on Instagram. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
