How many calories are in paneer?
100 g (3.5 oz) of full-fat paneer is about 290 kcal, with roughly 18 g of protein and 22 g of fat. A realistic home portion of four or five cubes is nearer 50 g, so about 145 kcal. The protein is the point; the fat is why the number is high.
Per portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 g (3.5 oz) full-fat paneer | ~290 kcal | 18 g | 2 g | 22 g |
| 50 g, four to five cubes | ~145 kcal | 9 g | 1 g | 11 g |
| 100 g low-fat (toned-milk) paneer | ~190 kcal | 19 g | 3 g | 11 g |
| 100 g grilled as tikka, 1 tsp oil and yoghurt marinade | ~340 kcal | 20 g | 4 g | 26 g |
| 100 g pan-fried in 1 tbsp oil | ~390 kcal | 18 g | 2 g | 32 g |
| Restaurant paneer butter masala, 150 g paneer plus gravy | 600–800 kcal | 28 g | 15–25 g | 45–60 g |
What changes the number
The milk it was made from. This is the largest single factor and it is invisible once the block is set. Paneer from whole buffalo milk can exceed 330 kcal per 100 g; from cow’s milk it is nearer 290; from toned or double-toned milk, 180–200. Protein stays roughly constant across all three, so the difference is almost pure fat.
Whether it was fried before it went in. Paneer absorbs less oil than potato, but a tablespoon used to brown a 100 g block still adds about 120 kcal, and much of it stays on the cubes.
The gravy, which usually wins. Cream, cashew paste, butter and ghee carry the restaurant versions. A single tablespoon of ghee is about 120 kcal and two tablespoons of cashew paste around 160. In a rich dish the paneer is often the minority of the calories on the plate.
Shop versus homemade. Homemade from a known milk is predictable. Packaged blocks vary, and “low-fat” on the front is a claim about the milk, not a regulated grade — the numbers on the back are the ones to read.
Where it fits in a deficit
Paneer earns its place in vegetarian eating. It is a complete protein, it is satiating, it holds its shape in cooking, and 100 g covers a meaningful share of a day’s protein target in one ingredient — which matters more than usual when you are eating less, because protein is the macronutrient to protect.
The honest trade-off is calories per gram of that protein. Full-fat paneer delivers about 6 g of protein per 100 kcal. Chicken breast gives about 20 g, Greek yoghurt about 10 g. Toned-milk paneer roughly doubles paneer’s own figure to around 10 g per 100 kcal, which is the single most effective change available if you eat it often.
None of this makes it a food to avoid. It makes it a food to weigh. Eyeballing cubes is where the error creeps in: the difference between a 50 g portion and a 120 g portion is about 200 kcal, and both look like “some paneer”. A plate built on potato or bread with paneer as the protein works; paneer as the bulk of a meal is expensive.
Paneer against tofu, per 100 kcal
| Per 100 kcal | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|
| Full-fat paneer | ~6 g | ~8 g |
| Toned-milk paneer | ~10 g | ~6 g |
| Firm tofu | ~11 g | ~6 g |
Firm tofu is about 145 kcal and 16 g of protein per 100 g, so per calorie it is roughly where low-fat paneer sits and well ahead of the full-fat block. For a fixed calorie budget tofu buys more protein; paneer brings B12, which no soy product reliably supplies, and it browns and holds together in ways tofu has to be pressed to manage. Calcium is often named as paneer’s other advantage, but most firm tofu is set with calcium sulphate and supplies it too — the coagulant in the ingredients is what decides that.
The practical answer is usually both, chosen by dish rather than by dogma. And if a recipe will be swimming in cream either way, the cheese is not what decides the total.
Figures are typical values and vary by variety, size and preparation. General information, not medical advice.