Spinach Paratha Flatbread (yeast-free)

Soft, flavorful spinach paratha is a delicious breakfast, snack or side! This North Indian-style flatbread is packed with spinach! You can also stuff it with a flavorful tofu filling. (nut-free with gluten-free and soy-free options). This post was originally published on may 18,2015.

Parathas are this quintessential Indian flatbreads that are unleavened ie don’t usually have yeast or baking powder. They’re easily available all over India and differ based on the region. North Indian Parathas are different than the South Indian Parathas.

You also see parathas from other countries — like Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Fiji — that have adapted them from Indian cuisine. Some places use whole wheat flour, some places use all-purpose flour, there are also many type of parathas, plain, stuffed, flaky, lacha and other variations. North Indian parathas usually use 100% whole wheat flour.

These Spinach flatbreads are made with 100%whole wheat flour called Indian atta, and have 4-5 gm protein per flatbread and 3-4 gm fiber!

In India, the wheat for paratha and roti is a bit different from the wheat you find elsewhere. It is closer to a white wheat, and it gives you really soft flatbreads. They also grind this flour a little bit more finely compared to the whole grain flour in the US. The whole wheat flour in the US comes from harder wheat and is more coarsely ground, so when you make roti flatbreads or paratha flatbreads with that, the flatbreads tend to be a little stiffer and not as soft. If you can get your hands on Indian roti flour, chapati flour, or Indian 100% whole wheat flour — called atta flour — use that.

You can also add various fillings to parathas, like an aloo paratha, which is a potato-stuffed flatbread. Gobi paratha is spiced cauliflower stuffed in a flatbread, and there are many more. In India, we ate parathas for breakfast or brunch or served them as a side with curries and dals. Stuffed parathas are usually the parathas of choice at breakfast, and we’d serve them with some Indian pickles or some yogurt or raita(spiced yogurt dip). The recipe below includes a raita recipe in the notes section.

This spinach paratha is hearty and delicious. There is protein from the whole wheat flour and in the non-dairy yogurt, if you’re making a raita dip. To up the protein even more, you can use higher protein fillings, such as tofu, or add some hemp seeds and so on.

For today’s spinach paratha, I am taking the flour and adding pureed spinach into the flour as the wet ingredient to make these vibrant, green parathas. They are nutritious, delicious, and easy. You can stuff them or make plain parathas and serve these as is or with some chutney, Indian pickles, or yogurt. This recipe works with frozen spinach or fresh spinach. If you’re using fresh spinach, you will have to blanch it before you blend it.

Why You’ll Love Spinach Parathas

• soft, flavorful flatbread, no yeast required
• easy to make and packed with veggies and spices
• versatile! Use the flavorful, protein-rich tofu filling, choose your own favorite filling, or make them plain.
• naturally nut-free with easy soy-free and gluten-free options

Ingredients

• spinach – Use fresh or frozen to give these spinach parathas a vibrant, green color. If you are using fresh, you will need to blanch and drain it before blending.
• whole wheat flour – American whole wheat flour is a bit more coarse and comes from a different type of wheat. For the softest parathas, use Indian roti flour, chapati flour, or Indian 100% whole wheat flour, called atta flour. You can use American whole wheat flour, if needed. See recipe notes for gluten-free option
• carom seeds – To flavor the dough. You can use cumin seeds instead, if you prefer.
• tofu – For the optional filling. Use firm or extra firm and press before using.
• ground spices – To season the tofu filling. We are using garam masala, coriander, cayenne, fenugreek leaves, and garlic powder. You can use black pepper or paprika in place of the cayenne, if you prefer.

How to Make Spinach Paratha

If using fresh spinach, heat a saucepan over medium-high heat with 3 cups of water. Once boiling, add the spinach and blanch for about 2 minutes, or until it turns bright green. Drain, and then add that to a blender. If using frozen spinach, add it directly to a blender. Add 1/2 cup of water and blend until somewhat smooth.

In a bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, salt, and carom seeds. Pour in the spinach purée.

Rinse out the blender with 2 tablespoons of water and add that to the flour mixture. Mix and press the mixture until it starts to come together as a dough. You don’t want to add too much water, as the spinach holds a lot of moisture, so press and keep mixing for about a minute.

Oil your hands and knead the dough, squeezing it to press it together. If it is still dry, add 1 tablespoon of water. Even it out, adding more flour, if it is sticky.

Brush the dough with a little oil, cover with a kitchen towel, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. Resting the dough allows the flour to rehydrate well and softens the dough, making softer flatbreads.

If you’re using the stuffing, prepare it while the dough rests. Press the tofu, if you haven’t already, for 15 minutes, then crumble it into a bowl. Add all the stuffing ingredients and mix in. Add a little bit of flour, if the tofu is making the filling too wet, then set aside. You can skip the stuffing or use other stuffings of choice in your spinach paratha, as well.

After at least 30 minutes, remove the kitchen towel, oil your hands, and knead the dough for about 30 seconds to smooth it out. If using Indian atta, the dough will have softened on its own while resting. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal portions, roll them into balls, and set them aside.

Take a dough ball, press it into some flour, and flatten it. Roll it out with a rolling pin until it is about 6” in size. If making plain parathas, you can roll it out even more into almost a thick roti.

If you want to make a lachha paratha, brush oil on the rolled out flatbread, then fold it accordion-style, roll it into a cinnamon-roll shape, then flatten, sprinkle on more flour, and roll out again. This creates nice, flaky layers in the spinach paratha. You can also make flaky spinach paratha by brushing oil on one side of the rolled out flatbread, folding it into a square or bringing the edges together like a dumpling, then rolling it out again.

For stuffed parathas, place stuffing in the middle of the rolled our flatbread. Bring the edges together in a dumpling fashion, folding over until all of the edges are in the center.

Stick these edges down, then remove excess dough from the top. Sprinkle on some flour, press it down, and use your hands to spread out this paratha a little bit instead of rolling it out. This prevents tearing.

Flip it over, sprinkle some more flour, and roll it out with light pressure until the spinach paratha is 1–2 mm thick and 6–7” in size. Repeat for all parathas. Avoid using too much flour during this process, because that can cause them to turn out dry. Use just enough flour to prevent them from sticking to your work surface and the rolling pin.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cooking over higher heat allows them to spend less time on the skillet, so they will remain soft and not crispy. Once hot, place a paratha on the skillet. Cook for about 30 seconds or until it starts to get a little bubbly. Flip it, and cook the other side, as well.

Brush oil on the top side, using a spoon or spatula to spread the oil and press the spinach paratha onto the skillet, depending on how you like your paratha. Pressing with a spoon creates golden brown spots, while a spatula provides even pressure and more even browning. Flip after another 30 seconds to 1 minute, oil the other side, then, after cooking that side for 30 seconds or so, flip again and cook for another 15–30 seconds. Remove from the skillet and repeat for all parathas.

Place cooked parathas on a kitchen towel or paper towel to prevent condensation from making them sticky. Once all of the parathas are cooked, fold them into the kitchen towel until ready to serve. Serve them hot with vegan butter, non-dairy yogurt, raita (recipe in notes), and/or Indian pickles.

What to Serve with Spinach Paratha

You can eat these for breakfast on their own or with some vegan butter, non-dairy yogurt, or raita.

As a side dish, dip spinach paratha into curries of choice, like, butter chicken, or vegetable bhuna, handi lentils dal.