Palak Paratha - Spinach Layered Flatbread

Sep 18

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Want to get the kids to eat their greens or do you just want to eat more spinach in general? This **Palak Paratha or Spinach Layered Flatbread** is excellent for you! Only four ingredients are required, and this palak paratha is versatile to serve with plenty of dishes!

Whenever I’m sharing a recipe that has spinach, I always start out by saying that I don’t eat much spinach. However, there are some gems that make me want to enjoy lots of it! One of those recipes would be Palak Paneer, but now I’ve got a new bread recipe that really takes the cake!

My mom introduced me to Palak Paratha and I was instantly craving more of them! I also was really eager to try making them myself. While my mom is quite good at cooking, no offence to her, but I like to find ways to improve her recipes! With this palak paratha recipe, I’ll show you exactly how to get the softest and greenest spinach parathas that’ll be amazing to serve your family for any occasion!

If you want to explore Indian cooking more, then this easy spinach paratha recipe is the best way to get started as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get started on your exciting cooking adventure for free by signing up to my free email newsletter, plus you’ll receive all of my new recipes right to your inbox so you’ll never wonder what to cook for dinner again!

For a live demonstration of how to prepare this exciting spinach paratha recipe, then be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post to help solidify the concepts I’m describing here! If you haven’t already, I would love it if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel! Be sure to press the bell button so you’re notified when all of my video recipes go live to complement the written ones! Let’s get cooking!

What is a palak Paratha?

A typical triangular layered paratha is a soft, thin and flaky bread which is a staple in Indian households. Classic parathas are made with atta flour and can be served with your favourite main dishes, or even enjoyed on their own. Check out the bottom of this post for some serving suggestion ideas!

This spinach paratha recipe is similar to the classic paratha, where we’ll still be layering the dough with ghee and water and forming the breads into triangles. However, we’ve got spinach (the Indian word for spinach is “palak”) is thrown into the mix to add an incredibly unique green colour and to provide loads of additional vitamins!

What’s the difference between parathas and rotis?

While both breads are made with whole wheat atta flour and are flat, parathas and rotis are actually quite different! To begin, rotis are just roasted on the tava over a flame, puffed over a direct source of heat. The ghee or butter is then applied after the roti is done puffing. With parathas, they are cooked by spreading ghee on the raw dough while it is sizzling on the tava to make it golden brown and crispy on each side and then served hot and crispy.

Why You’ll Love this Spinach paratha recipe

Easy recipe: There aren’t too many steps to make this spinach paratha recipe. While you do need a bit of patience, this recipe will describe exactly how to make the parathas perfectly so you’ve got them hot, soft, and super delicious!
Great way to get in spinach: Need I say more? You honestly don’t taste the spinach at all here!
Colourful: My motto is that we eat with our eyes, and the bright green colour of the spinach parathas are just so appetizing! This palak paratha recipe will give you the tips you need to achieve to get that vibrant green colour we want.
Kid-friendly: As I mentioned, you don’t even taste spinach, but there’s a fair amount of spinach here. This is the perfect easy and delicious way for kids to get in their greens on a regular basis!

Health Benefits of Spinach

There’s a reason why spinach is called a superfood! Here are a few reasons why incorporating spinach into your diet will be beneficial to you:

High potassium can reduce blood sugar
Vitamin K assists in improving bone health
Low in calories
Anti-inflammatory properties can prevent osteoporosis, migraines, asthma, arthritis and headaches
High in vitamin A to assist with eye health
Antioxidants and vitamins A, C and K to help with skin health

Get more details about the health benefits of spinach here.

How do I keep the Spinach parathas soft?

For your final breads to be soft, then your dough must be soft. As you’re preparing each bread, making sure that the dough that is not being used is covered so that it stays smooth. Exposing the dough will make the bread dry out.

Also, once each paratha has been cooked, be sure to cover it with a paper towel or kitchen cloth so it stays warm and doesn’t dry out!

How to Make Vegan Palak Parathas?

The only ingredient in our Palak Paratha recipe that is not vegan is the ghee. If you need to have vegan parathas, simply substitute it with olive oil or coconut oil. My personal recommendation would be coconut oil because you’ll have a unique aroma and flavour, plus coconut oil is ideal for cooking at high smoke points.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED to make spinach parathas

Tava pan
Pot
KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Blender
Marble base with rolling pin (the marble base is a bonus!)
Mixing bowl
Spatula
Fish spatula

Ingredients for spinach paratha

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card. You can save the recipe for later, and scale the recipe based on how many parathas you want to make! All the individual ingredient quantities will automatically adjust for you so that you don’t have to do any calculations for ratios!

Atta flour: If you really can’t find atta flour, then you can use regular whole wheat flour. However, atta flour is the authentic choice here, and it will give you a different flavour from whole wheat, because the flour is milled very thin. Aashirvaad Whole Wheat Atta is my personal favourite brand.
Ghee: Needed to cook the parathas on the tawa pan and to brush in between the layers. You could also use butter, but for authenticity I would recommend ghee.
Spinach: I’m using baby spinach, which is also known as flat-leaf spinach. This is the perfect type of spinach to use for these parathas because it is not too bitter, and instead it is sweet, so that will give a better overall taste to the paratha.
Salt: Add salt to taste while kneading the dough to add flavour.
Water: As needed to give a smooth dough.

How to Make Palak Paratha

Making the spinach

Bring water to a rolling boil and in the meanwhile, rinse the spinach well. Add the spinach to the water and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl and then transfer the cooked spinach into the ice water bath to blanch the spinach.

Transfer the spinach to a food processor and about 1/2 Cup of the water from the ice water bath. Blend the spinach leaves on high until smooth. Add more water 2 Tbsp at a time if needed to achieve this consistency.

Preparing the Dough

In a large measuring bowl, add atta flour and 1/2 tsp of salt (if using). Mix well to combine. Pour in the spinach prepared from the previous step and start kneading until the dough comes together. Then, knead for 3-4 minutes, or until dough turns into a smooth ball.

Then, knead for 3-4 minutes, or until dough turns into a smooth ball.

Dust the dough with flour and let it rest for 10-15 minutes in a bowl or on your countertop. Cover with a moist kitchen cloth or paper towel.

Rolling out the Dough

Once the dough has rested, divide the dough into 6-8 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll the portion into a smooth ball. Gently flatten and roll the dough into a disk, about 4-5 inches wide.

Brush the surface with ghee. Dust lightly with atta flour and gently fold dough in half. Brush with ghee and lightly dust with atta flour. Roll the dough in half again, into a triangle and gently roll out the dough into a thin triangle.

Cooking the Paratha

Heat a tava pan on medium high heat. When the tava begins to lightly smoke, place the dough on the pan. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Using a fish spatula, flip the paratha and brush some ghee. Flip again and apply more ghee and cook until light brown patches appear.

Transfer prepared parathas onto a plate or bowl and cover as you cook the remaining parathas. Serve hot and enjoy!

Tips for Making Bright Green and tasty parathas

If you’re unsure about the cleanliness of your spinach, be sure to wash it thoroughly or else there will be some mud residue. When you purchase bagged baby spinach, it will be completely washed.
Be sure to season the dough with salt while kneading the dough for additional flavour of the spinach that we are adding to the paratha.
Preparing an ice water bath is key because it ensures that the leaves stay bright green. This will make your parathas have a bright green colour as well.
The least amount of spinach water into the blender so that you use as much regular water as possible into the dough. Add a tablespoon of water at a time into the blender to ensure you get a smooth liquid.
Ensure that you are kneading a soft dough. This will make the rolling process much easier and result in a softer bread overall!
Allow the dough the full time to rest. The kneading process makes the dough tight from the constant compression. The resting time not only allows you to roll and portion the dough easier, it ensures the dough has no cracks and is soft as ever.
If you don’t have a tava pan, a cast iron pan will do the job just fine!
You can use tongs to flip the parathas while cooking if you don’t have a fish spatula.
Dust the dough with flour while rolling and layering. The layering process adds ghee into several layers of the paratha and the flour helps to ensure the layers remain separate. As the paratha cooks, the steam released from the various layers make the paratha soft.
Be careful not to overcook the paratha on the hot tava pan. We are looking for a soft bread, and the crispiness of an overcooked bread will take that away. You want light brown spots, like those of a Dalmatian!

How to store extra parathas

If you are anything like me, I would make sure there is no unused dough! Paratha is just so good. But, in case you do have some, I would suggest wrapping up the dough in plastic wrap and placing it in the refrigerator. Make sure to use it within 2-3 days, the dough may turn dark the longer it stays in the fridge.
If using refrigerated dough, take the dough out of the fridge at least an hour before to allow it to come up to room temperature. This will make the dough pliable and make the kneading process easy.
Any cooked paratha, on the other hand can be wrapped in a moist kitchen towel and stored in a container. To reheat, simple place in the microwave/hot tawa/oven for 30 seconds to a minute to bring it back to life.

Serving suggestions for palak paratha

You can really have Palak Paratha whenever you’d like! You can have it for breakfast, using it as a wrap or side for Scrambled Eggs or Egg Bhurji.

For Dipping

Other Indian Bread Recipes

Watch How to Make palak Paratha Here:

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!

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Indian, breads

Indian

Yield: 6-8

Author: Anadi

Healthy Spinach Paratha Recipehttps://youtu.be/uODZTK7Ags8Learn how to make a healthy spinach paratha with this easy recipe! This spinach paratha recipe will show you how to prepare the spinach and how to make the dough for palak paratha. You will also learn how to cook with spinach paratha to make the paratha soft and warm.2023-09-18

Palak Paratha - Spinach Paratha

Want to get the kids to eat their greens or do you just want to eat more spinach in general? This Palak Paratha or Spinach Layered Flatbread is excellent for you! Only four ingredients are required, and this palak paratha is versatile to serve with plenty of dishes!

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinInactive time: 15 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Cook ModePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

8 oz atta flour
8 oz spinach
ghee as required for cooking
salt to taste
1/2 Cup water or as required

Instructions

For the spinach

Bring water to a rolling boil and in the meanwhile, rinse the spinach well. Add the spinach to the water and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl and then transfer the cooked spinach into the ice water bath to blanch the spinach.
Transfer the spinach to a food processor and about 1/2 Cup of the water from the ice water bath. Blend the spinach leaves on high until smooth. Add more water 2 Tbsp at a time if needed to achieve this consistency.

For the spinach parathas

In a large measuring bowl, add atta flour and 1/2 tsp of salt (if using). Mix well to combine.
Pour in the spinach prepared from the previous step and start kneading until the dough comes together. Then, knead for 3-4 minutes, or until dough turns into a smooth ball. Dust the dough with flour and let it rest for 10-15 minutes in a bowl or on your countertop. Cover with a moist kitchen cloth or paper towel.
Once the dough has rested, divide the dough into 6-8 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll the portion into a smooth ball. Gently flatten and roll the dough into a disk, about 4-5 inches wide. Brush the surface with ghee.
Dust lightly with atta flour and gently fold dough in half. Brush with ghee and lightly dust with atta flour. Roll the dough in half again, into a triangle and gently roll out the dough into a thin triangle.
Heat a tava pan on medium high heat. When the tava begins to lightly smoke, place the dough on the pan. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until bubbly and lightly browned.
Using a fish spatula, flip the paratha and brush some ghee. Flip again and apply more ghee and cook until light brown patches appear.
Transfer prepared parathas onto a plate or bowl and cover as you cook the remaining parathas. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

Dusting with flour helps keep the layer separate when rolling out the dough. The final product should be immensely soft yet crispy, do not worry, you will get the hang of it.