What’s better than some creamy dreamy Saag? Saag made in an INSTANT. Like, in an Instant Pot – or any (electronic) pressure cooker, really. Not sure what saag is? It’s kind of like the Indian version of creamed spinach – only, without cream. It’s typically made with ghee and so that’s what I’m using in this recipe. Greens + Ghee are all you need to = Saag. Okay… and some spices too of course.
Don’t have a pressure cooker? Here’s my recipe for making it using your slow cooker.
Get ready for a lesson in all things Saag. Yes, I’m going to school you in saag.
Here’s the deal with saag. “Saag” basically translates to pureed greens so you can make saag with whatever greens you have on hand: kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, etc. If you want to make an authentic Punjabi saag though, then you need “sarson” which just means “mustard greens.” I prefer to use equal parts spinach and mustard greens to make my saag BUT when I can’t find mustard greens, I’ll make a “palak saag,” which just means an all spinach saag (“palak” = spinach). The thing with an all spinach saag is that it comes out pretty thin, so I usually add a little potato starch at the end to thicken it up (see the notes on how to do this properly).
I know this is probably more than you cared to know about saag, but it’s a subject I’m pretty passionate about. If I’m being honest, I’m basically passionate about all things food related. If I’m being REALLY honest, I’m more passionate about EATING food than I am cooking. That’s probably the reason I’m in love with my Instant Pot – because I get to spend more time eating and less time cooking. (And NO, Instant Pot isn’t paying me to say that – though if I’m being SUPER honest… I wish they would ? )
Alright, I’ll stop with all the honesty. This saag isn’t great (LIE). Ah, I’m a terrible liar. Back to being honest: this saag is the best way to eat greens (TRUTH). ?
- 1 pound spinach, rinsed
- 1 pound mustard leaves, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons ghee (plus extra for serving)
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2-inch knob ginger, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- Press the "saute" button on the Instant Pot, then melt the ghee.
- Once the ghee melts, add the onion, ginger, garlic and spices to the pan and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add the spinach, stirring until it wilts and there's enough room to add the mustard greens.
- Press the "keep warm/cancel" button, then put on the lid and press the "poultry" button and let this pressure cook for 15 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot releases the pressure, add the contents to blender, blend to desired consistency, then pour it back into the Instant Pot on the "keep warm" setting until ready to serve.
- Serve with a spoonful of ghee on top.
Also, if you are making this using 2 pounds of spinach then I suggest adding a little potato starch at the end to thicken it up. Pour some of the blended saag into a bowl, add potato starch and mix until the starch dissolves. Then add this to the rest of the saag and mix well.
Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes? Try these:
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Instant Pot Carne Guisada
Instant Pot Habanero Chili
Instant Pot Dal Makhani
Goat Curry in a Hurry
Instant Pot Texas Beef Chili
Instant Pot Ground Lamb Curry
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Ashley, Thanks for this recipe. I love saag and your recipe looks easy compared to others I’ve seen. I just bought fresh mustard and spinach leaves from the organic farmers market and am about to make your recipe in my Instant Pot. I notice that no liquid is added before pressure cooking. That would mean that the only liquid is whatever water is left on the leaves after rinsing, the moisture in the leaves themselves, some that’s released by the onions and the 2 Tbsp of ghee. Can you confirm that there’s no need to add any more liquid before sealing and pressure cooking? Thanks.
Christine, that’s right! You don’t need any liquid
Please let me know how this turns out for you!
I didn’t add any liquid and it turned out great. In fact, so much liquid was released during cooking that I had to drain some of it out. I used mustard leaves and spinach leaves. It was delicious if a little too hot for my tastes even though I’m Indian. Next time I’ll eliminate or use a lot less cayenne powder. Made in the Instant Pot, the saag was so much easier and quicker to make than my old stove-top method. Thanks for the recipe, Ashley.
Delicious!!! Just missing makhi ki roti to go with this!! didn’t use the red chili powder, however,used more garam masala and it was delicious!!
Raseel, so glad you liked it!! You can make my Indian “pancake” to go along with the saag
It’s not makhi ki roti but I really like the two together!
One of my favorite dishes ever, and tragically, I’ve developed an allergy to red/green pepper, so I haven’t been able to eat it at a restaurant for over a decade. This is the first recipe that has a small enough amount of red pepper that I felt like I could just omit it, and I’m over the moon! Thank you! Hope you don’t mind if I share my slight adaptation (garam malasa without red pepper is available at my market, but somehow it didn’t make it home with me) on my mostly friends and family blog with directions for preparing and adding the paneer soon!
I love, love, love my Instant Pot and can’t wait to try your Instant Pot recipes! So excited!
Thanks, Dawn!!
I made this yesterday following the crock pot recipe. Simply can’t wait to make it again. I’ve tried to make saag paneer before and it’s never turned out creamy and delicious – until now. I added some paneer (store bought, too lazy to make my own this time) during the last hour in the crock pot. I gave about half the batch to a vegetarian friend and she also loved it. I thought it might be too spicy (not for me, but for my family and friends), but the flavors had really mellowed by the time we ate it today. I followed Ashley’s advice and made it on Day 1 and ate it on Day 2. I used 1 lb mustard greens and 1 lb baby spinach and used 2 serrano chilis. The saag with the Paleo Naan is outrageously good.
Jennifer, I’m so glad you liked the saag!! And how nice of you to share with a friend
Does anyone know the name for mustard greens in the UK? I am sure we don’t them here!
We get spinach, kale, spring greens etc but I have never seen mustard greens! Maybe I should a local indian supermarket??
Neil, it might be called kai choi? You can try an Indian or Asian market – or you can use a different type of green if needed. Let me know if you’re able to try the recipe!
You can actually grow your own from mustard seeds. Just put the seeds in some starter soil and use them as shoots or wait longer for the leaves! (As Asian or Indian market is also a good thing to try).
Thanks so much for this recipe. It is delicious and so easy. I really couldn’t believe how tasty it was. I made it with your rice flour chapatis and they were perfect together. Thanks!
Glad you liked it, Sophie!!
This saag is just delicious. I found that using frozen, chopped mustard greens and spinach worked great, and I’m well-pleased. This morning, I enjoyed leftover saag alongside aloo mirch (turmeric potatoes and peppers), an omelet, and chili-ed onions. Thanks, Ashley! I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
That’s so great to hear, Debra!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you
How many oz of frozen greens did you use please?
Z, each bag of frozen greens was 16 ounces. I used one bag of chopped spinach and one bag of mustard greens, so 32 ounces total. Hope that helps.
I love this recipe. This is the second time I’ve made it, and I think I’ll be making it weekly. Thanks so much for sharing!
Karin, so glad to hear that!!
How did the pot not overheat with no water in it???
The spinach releases liquid. If you add water, it will become too watery.
Thanks. I tried it with no water and it came up with the overheat display. I just added a touch of water and it turned out fine.
Excellent recipe although I had no ghee so used olive oil. Will try with ghee next time!
Oh wow, that hasn’t happened to me before but that’s really good to know. I’ll add that to the notes. Thanks, Neil!
Quick question: did you dry the greens after you washed them? I just made this last night and it was amazing, however our version turned out just a tiny bit watery (a very small nitpick as the taste was way better than expected). I think that could be easily fixed by just letting it sit opened with the “Keep Warm” button and allowing it to steam off and reduce just a little bit.
I’m Indian and grew up eating saag. This is the BEST saag I’ve ever had! It tastes so good I can’t believe I made it! My family loved it as well. It’s a wonderful way to get a healthy dose of vegetables and we will be eating this probably once a week. Thank you for all of the delicious recipes. I’m going to try your Butter Chicken next!
Wow, thanks Shashi!! I’m so happy that you and your fam loved the recipe!! Let me know what you think of the butter chicken – would love to hear your thoughts on that dish
Thank you for this great recipe! I made it tonight with mixed greens and added chickpeas (we’re not strictly paleo). Everyone loved it and it was so easy!
Nadia, that’s awesome! So glad everyone liked it
Can you add chickpeas to this? Canned?
yup!
Yum! We made this tonight and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe! I might blend in a can of coconut cream at the end next time. I like the idea of adding chick peas, too. One question – do you let the pressure release naturally, or do you do the quick release? Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked it!! I like those ideas too – let me know if you try them and how they turn out
I’m impatient so I usually do quick release lol, but you can do either.
This is amazingly delicious, but I should have read the comments first – I love heat in my food, but 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne was a little much for me! I will definitely be making this again, but I’ll probably start with 1/8 or 1/4 tsp. But otherwise the flavor is perfection! 5 stars!
Thanks, Traci! And yeah if you’re not used to heat then it can be spicy! Also, I feel like the pressure cooker makes food spicier than if you were to do it in a regular pot. If it’s too spicy to eat, maybe cut it with some coconut milk or more ghee/butter. Glad you liked the flavor though!
AMAZING! And easy!
I just made this in my stove top pressure cooker with half fresh kale and half frozen spinach (because that’s what I had) and did 15 minutes at low pressure with a little water added (per my pressure cooker ‘rules’).
It would be too spicy for our kids as is but my husband and I LOVE it!
Thank you so much!
So happy to hear you both love it!!
Perfect with a few tweaks: pass on the cayenne (too spicy), half the amount of turmeric if your not a huge fan of it, and double the garam masala (if you love the spices). Also, i couldn’t find mustard green so I used chard as a substitute. I’ve made it several times. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad to hear that! And thanks for sharing those tips
I so excited to try this recipe out! I’m interested in making this into a saag gosht though…any idea about when to add the meat, or how cook time would be affected?
Hi Catherine! I’d suggest first using the sauté setting to brown the meat, then pressure cook the meat until tender. I’d add the spinach (pre-blended) at the end and pressure cook again for a minute or two. Hope that helps
Maybe the next time I get my hands on some lamb or goat, I’ll make and share a recipe for saag gosht!
Worked really well. Another option to thicken saag-saag is to use a mix of yogurt and besan (chickpea flour). 2tbsp of yogurt and 2tsp of besan.
I’m so glad you liked it!
I’ve made this in my Instant Pot many times now and love it! At first when I followed the recipe exactly as written, it turned out too watery. I also saw in the comments that someone used frozen mustard greens and wanted to try that shortcut. Now I put two 12 oz. pkgs. of frozen mustard greens in the bottom of the pot, then pack in 1 lb. of baby spinach leaves and set the IP for 0 minutes on manual. When the IP beeps (right after coming to pressure), I quick release the steam and drain the greens in a colander, reserving only 1/4 c. of liquid. After sauteeing the aromatics and spices in ghee in the pot, I add the greens and reserved liquid back in, cooking it as described on the Poultry setting. When it is done, I use an immersion blender to blend it in the pot, taking care to leave some texture and not completely puree it.
Can I add chicken into this? If so, how would you recommend??
Rhoda, yes you can definitely add chicken to this! If you have my eBook, I suggest making my chicken tikka and adding it to this (you’ll love it!).
If I’ve just got frozen chopped spinach and fresh potatoes, how might I alter this recipe? Thx!
Make it the same way, but when it’s done and once you open the pot, just press the “saute” button to boil off any excess water. Let me know how it turns out for you! You can add the potatoes right into the pot, but I think they’d be even better if you saute/roast them in a separate pan with some spices and add them at the end.
I’m assuming you can make lamb or chicken with this too? Would the meat be put into the Instant cooker too or cooked separately? Thanks! I love all of your recipes!
Yes, definitely! I suggest cooking the meat separately and then stirring it into the saag at the end.
Hi! So excited about this recipe. Is there a good way to add chicken to it? I think I tried saag with chicken at a restaurant recently and have been dying to make it ever since. ?
Genevieve, you can add cooked chicken at the end – just mix it into the saag
If you have my eBook, make my chicken tikka and add that to it!
Can I find mustard leaves at walmart or costco?
My goodness, this has become my favorite recipe. I’ve always loved saag, but ordering it from restaurants is so iffy. This is absolutely amazing. My grocery store was out of mustard leaves last night, so I subbed kale and swiss chard (I had the chard). It was excellent – the kale is hardier and bitter so it’s a good sub for the mustard greens if you can’t find them. I made chicken saag, and all I did was to use the instapot to cook the chicken first, then after I used my emersion blender, I added the chicken and let it stay on warm for about 10 minutes. Sooo good!
I’m so glad to hear that, Christine! Thanks for the suggestion about substituting kale for mustard greens – that’ll help a lot of readers I’m sure
And love that you made this a chicken saag!
I consider this my go to recipe when I feel a cold coming on – with the ginger, turmeric, onion, garlic and greens it’s filled with immune boosting stuff. Seems to work well!
Great to hear that it helps! Our whole house has a cold now… this is inspiring me to make a batch
This sounds amazing! Turnips, spinach and mustard are my most favorite combination of greens. I can’t wait to try this out! Does this freeze well? I may have to make a double batch so I can try the paneer like one commenter did. That sounds just amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Hi Angela, yup this freezes well! And that combo of greens sounds delicious
Let me know what you think of this recipe when you make it!
Does it call for chicken or lamb? Could you add them? Would you use the same intant pot setting?
Thanks
I make chicken saag. I cook the chicken first, then add it after I blend the greens. I let it sit on warm for 10-15 minutes to mix the greens. Excellent
I don’t have any methi on hand, will the recipe backfire on me if I omit it? So excited to make this and the Dal Makhani. Fingers crossed these work b/c every indian dish I’ve attempted to make in the past on my own has backfired.
Hi Dipali! It’ll be fine even if you leave out the methi (methi just adds more flavor). I can’t wait to hear how these two recipes turn out for you!!
This came out awesome — thank you so much!! I left the methi out and it didn’t taste like anything was missing. I also enlisted the help of my 3.5 year daughter too. We are going to make another attempt at the dal on Sunday. Fingers crossed.
I’m so happy to hear that, Dipali! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m using kale instead of mustard leaves. Should I cut the stems off first? And are you supposed to cut or chop it before cooking it?
Hi Malorie, I’d remove the tough stems. You don’t have to chop the greens beforehand because you’ll be blending it all after it’s done cooking.
Ashley, you ROCK! I am so happy I found your site. I made your spinach saag last night, and it is so good! I couldn’t find mustard greens, so I used 2# of spinach and a Tbs of potato starch. I think I messed up on the potato starch addition, I.e. tempering it properly, because there are some chunks of Potato starch, but that’s okay – better luck next time. The flavor is so good, so comforting, and just the right amount of heat. I also made your butter chicken for the third time in 6 weeks. So amazing. I’ve been making it with chicken breasts and reducing the cook time to 11 minutes.
Thank you for having such a great resource for recipes, esp. for Instantpot online. You and your hubby, mom, dad and doggie are so precious!
Thank you!! I’m so glad you found my website too
Happy to hear that you like the saag and butter chicken!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is so easy and tasty; just incredible! My vegan husband and I love ordering Indian takeout, but I am so glad to have this wonderful recipe, where I can control the ingredients.
Palak Paneer is my favorite Indian dish, so I fry paneer in Brown Butter ghee and throw it on top for myself. But I have made this in a multitude of ways: with fresh greens, with frozen spinach, on the stovetop, and even vegan with tofu in the IP for my husband.
I am so excited to try your other recipes and your e-book! <3
Carlie, I’m so happy to hear that you like the dish! Can’t wait to hear what you think of my other recipes!
I usually make your saag from the slow cooker recipe but happened to look at this one (I make it so often, I almost have the recipe memorized, but not quite), and I noticed a VERY important ingredient is missing – the serrano peppers! Thanks for all your tasty recipes, I can always rely on you to have really great ones that I want to make again and again.
Thanks, Jolene! And lol I love that you noticed that! I left the serrano out on purpose – the pressure cooker can make food very spicy (have yet to figure out why…) If you like the heat, definitely add it in
I’m super excited to try this! I love my Instant pot!
Is there a way to add chicken to this recipe? Thanks!!
You can saute chicken before hand and once it’s cooked through, remove it with a slotted spoon and proceed to make the saag. Then add it back in before serving. Hope that helps!
I just love this recipe! It’s become a real favorite, and I use it with all kinds of greens. A weeknight go-to for me now is to do this with a pound bag of TJ’s organic spinach and one of the same of their organic broccoli. It’s amazing.
I do it with olive oil to sautee the aromatics, and a little Earth Balance to finish for plating as I don’t do ghee ( I’m a vegan. )
I’m hoping you’ll put up more veg recipes! Maybe even some vegan ones (hint hint.) While there are plenty of recipes out there from this part of the world, some vegan and some that I can tweak to make vegan, I always prefer to start with deliberately vegan ones – especially from chefs who know how to develop a recipe and already make other things I enjoy. I figure I’ve got a pretty good chance to find another one to love from someone who’s already doing something I really like.
: )
Bett, I’m so happy to hear that! I’ll work on more vegetarian recipes! My brother and I are really close and he’s a vegetarian – he’s always asking me to post more too! If you eat lentils/legumes, I have a few Indian recipes on the blog that are vegetarian and can be easily tweaked so that they’re vegan.
Does this require any liquid to be added? I thought that everything cooked IP required liquid. Thanks!
I don’t add liquid because otherwise the dish would be too watery. The greens naturally release water. Hope that helps!
If I wanted to add Paneer to this, would I do that at the end and just let it sit? Thanks!
Yes!
thank you for this healthy and tasty recipe, Ashley. I tried it yday and came out so well. I used spinach and mustard green
Radha, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you
Just got my instant pot a couple of weeks ago. Made this Saag, cause I love Saag! Made it once a long time ago and liked it well enough, but it was so labor intensive. This recipe is perfect! The spice level is just right for our tastes and it rivals any I’ve had in a restaurant (love to hit Indian buffets!) Gonna be eating a lot more Saag at home! Thanks much!
Judy, that’s awesome! I’m so glad you made it and liked it
Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out for you!
This recipe is the best I know of!! So easy and quick with the IP!! Perfect weekday dinner. I have made it a few times so far and my husband loves it.Thank you sooo much
Hi Deepshikha! Thanks so much for letting me know how much you and your hubby like the dish
I made this last night and it came out delicious (paired it with the paleo naan btw, loveeeeee!!!) The cayenne made it a bit too spicy for me, so I will adjust that moving forward. My mom and masi are SO proud that I’m finally starting to cook Indian food, and I’m so happy that I get to make healthy Indian food that doesn’t upset my stomach. Any place I can find the nutritional info. for this (or did I overlook it?) Thanks for the delicious recipe, Ashley!
Vandana, I’m so happy to hear that you liked the saag (and the naan!). Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out for you
I don’t have nutritional info on my website – I know there are calculators out there though. This may be a feature I add in the future as I get so many requests for it!
If you cannot easily find potato starch, here’s a simple hack. If you go to the “snack aisle” in your market and look for vegetable straws, they are almost entirely potato starch with a few veggies which would not hurt, either. A handful crushed or added whole to the mixture will a) dissolve and b) thicken the saag and c) add some nice flavor overtones.
BTW, the saag does get spicier with time. Yum!
Wow, that’s such a good idea! Thanks for sharing, Doug!
I just made for the fifth time! It is saved in my VIP pins in Pinterest as the Very Important Pins! I always make a half batch with all spinach for two. It’s perfect and enough for lunch the next day. Thank you!
Shawna, that’s awesome!! So happy you like the recipe so much