Saag Aloo with Frozen Spinach Recipe (Vegetarian)
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Jump to RecipeThis saag aloo with frozen spinach recipe is warmly spiced, creamy, and perfect to serve along side a bowl of basmati rice or a large piece of garlic naan. Spinach and potato curry makes a easy one-pot meal.
This easy spinach and potato curry is one of our favorite easy weeknight meals! Ready in about 45 minutes, this simple plant-based Indian recipe makes a fantastic dinner.
Want more great vegetarian Indian recipes? Try our naan with sour cream, potato pea curry (aloo mattar), and our favorite tofu tikka masala.
This saag aloo with frozen spinach is one of our favorite easy weeknight meals. It’s cozy, comforting, and a great way to use up extra frozen spinach or greens you have in your freezer. This easy green potato curry is loaded with spices, vegetables, and finished with creamy coconut milk.
We absolutely love this dish with basmati rice and naan! It’s inexpensive and affordable, and makes enough servings to last us a few nights for dinner.
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s warm, earthy, and perfectly spiced.
- A great one-pot dinner idea you can make on the stovetop.
- Vegetarian, vegan, and totally plant-based.
- A great weeknight meal the whole family will love.
- Cooks of any skill level can successfully make this dish by following our step-by-step photos and directions below.
Make Saag Aloo Vegetarian for a Plant-Based Version
This vegetarian saag aloo with frozen spinach is a simple way to get extra veggies in your diet. I’m all about making recipes plant-based when I can. Vegetarian cooking does NOT have to be bland, boring, or flavorless… It’s quite the opposite when done right.
By building meals around vegetarian pantry staples and swapping in a few plant-based ingredients you can make better meals for you and your family.
Ingredients for Frozen Spinach Saag Aloo
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
Frozen spinach adds a wonderful color and flavor to this curry. You can use whole leaf, chopped or cut spinach – any variety you prefer. You could also use fresh spinach, or mix fresh and frozen for different textures.
I used yellow potatoes (as I like the way they cook in the curry), but you could use white or red potatoes instead. I also add onions and garlic for flavor.
The delicious spices make this recipe! I use Indian garam masala, ginger, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper.
And to make it creamy, I finish the dish with coconut milk and fresh lemon for flavor.
Additions and Substitutions
- You could also use fresh spinach, or mix fresh and frozen for different textures.
- Instead of coconut milk, you could use whole milk, or a creamy yogurt. Or blend cashews with water and make a cashew cream (1 cup water with 1 cup raw cashews).
- For a spicier saag aloo, you can add 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or hot sauce to taste.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a large pot, add diced potatoes with just enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, and cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a fork. Drain and set potatoes aside.
Step 2: In another pot (or the same pot, just cleaned out), add the coconut oil, onions, and garlic. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes until vegetables start to become translucent.
Step 3: Add the potatoes back to the pot. Sprinkle in the cumin seed, garam masala, cumin powder, ginger, turmeric, chili flakes, salt and black pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring well so the onion and garlic are coated in the spice.
Step 4: Add the frozen spinach, water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low then allow spinach to cook for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Add the coconut milk, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes until the saag is warmed all the way through.
Step 6: Squeeze the fresh lemon juice into the saag to finish the dish. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, pepper, or chili flakes as desired. Serve with basmati rice, garlic naan bread, and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
No, thawing the spinach is not necessary, as it will cook with the potatoes and spices for 30 minutes that will thaw it well.
Waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or red potatoes hold their shape best, but you can use russets if you don’t mind a softer texture.
Absolutely. Saag aloo tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld together. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Dietary Modifications
- This recipe is vegetarian and contains no meat.
- This recipe is also vegan, but if you aren’t vegan and wanted to add some ghee or paneer, you can also include that into the recipe.
More Frozen Spinach Recipes You’ll Love
- Cranberry Orzo Salad with Spinach and Feta Cheese
- Root Vegetable Hash with Eggs
- Caprese Spinach Salad
- Summer Berry Salad with Honey-Lemon Dressing
- White Bean Scramble Recipe
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Learn new ways to cook with seasonal produce! Our new book One Ingredient, Five Ways has delicious plant-based recipes for every season.
Saag Aloo with Frozen Spinach
Equipment
- Large Soup Pot
Ingredients
- 5 potatoes diced into small 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons ginger root minced
- 1 teaspoon black cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 32 ounces frozen spinach
- 2 cup water
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk full fat
- 2 lemons juiced
Instructions
- In a large pot, add diced potatoes with just enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, and cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a fork. Drain and set potatoes aside.
- In another pot (or the same pot, just cleaned out), add the coconut oil, onions, and garlic. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes until vegetables start to become translucent.
- Add the potatoes back to the pot. Sprinkle in the cumin seed, garam masala, cumin powder, ginger, turmeric, chili flakes, salt and black pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring well so the onion and garlic are coated in the spice.
- Add the frozen spinach, water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low then allow spinach to cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes until the saag is warmed all the way through.
- Squeeze the fresh lemon juice into the saag to finish the dish. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, pepper, or chili flakes as desired. Serve with basmati rice, garlic naan bread, and enjoy!
Notes
- You could also use fresh spinach, or mix fresh and frozen for different textures.
- Instead of coconut milk, you could use whole milk, or a creamy yogurt. Or blend cashews with water and make a cashew cream (1 cup water with 1 cup raw cashews).
- For a spicier saag aloo, you can add 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or hot sauce to taste.
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- This recipe is vegetarian and contains no meat.
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- This recipe is also vegan, but if you aren’t vegan and wanted to add some ghee or paneer, you can also include that into the recipe.
Nutrition
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5 potatoes? 1/2oz, 4oz, or 16oz potatoes?
Make this all the time, in fact I’m doing it now ! Fab recipe
This is new to me but good tasting
The name of this recipe was so foreign to me I just had to try it. It sounded wild and cool in a fun way. I always have plenty of rice at hand as well as potatoes onions and a variety of spices. The combination of all was amazing