Which is Healthier Tofu or Paneer | Is tofu healthier than paneer? (2024)

Soft, creamy, mushy and delicious, both paneer and tofu can amp up the taste of any bland meal with their delightful taste and texture. While, paneer has been predominantly used in Indian cuisine to add soul to curries, parathas, pakodas and what not, tofu has been a quintessence of Oriental cuisines like Chinese, Thai and Japanese.

Interestingly, both paneer and tofu are a great source of protein. However, with an increasing inclination towards healthy eating, tofu has paved its way, claiming to be a much healthier alternative than paneer (cottage cheese). With around 37% of vegetarians, India has been predominantly a vegetarian nation, wherein the consumption of plant based proteins has been more than animal protein.

However, deciding what’s better tofu or paneer can be a bit tricky, but if you have been a weight watcher or a fitness enthusiast or want to switch to a protein rich diet, then here’s all you need to know about the differences between paneer and tofu, before you add these to your favourite foods.

Cottage cheese also known as paneer is loaded with the goodness of healthy fats and milk proteins, which makes paneer a great source of nutrition for healthy bones, teeth and skin. Made with milk or fresh cream or processed cream, paneer being a dairy product naturally contains milk fats, proteins and is also high in lactose content, which may affect your digestive system, if you suffer from lactose intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome. Apart from that, the presence of processed cream used in making paneer can add more calories and fats to your diet. Thus, if you are looking for taste over calories, then paneer can be a good choice.

Made with soybean milk, tofu is prepared by curdling the soy milk and is believed to be a low-calorie substitute to regular cottage cheese. This vegan delight is great for weight watchers and the creaminess, taste and texture makes it a treat for people trying to shed some weight. What’s more, tofu is not only rich in proteins, but at the same time it is a good source of calcium, which helps in strengthening overall health and immunity. However, unlike paneer people with lactose intolerance can indulge in tofu without feeling any discomfort. Here’s what makes tofu better than paneer, read on...

Both paneer and tofu are packed with healthy fats, protein and other health enriching nutrients. In fact, 100 grams of tofu contains 76 calories, whereas 100grams of paneer may contain as good as 260 calories.

What's more, soy milk is rich in healthy carbs, essential amino acids, vitamin B1 and low in fats, which makes it a healthier alternative for weight watchers, diabetics and fitness enthusiasts. Here are a few more reasons why going for low-calorie tofu is a great idea, if you are planning to shed some weight.

While tofu has 0 cholesterol, paneer prepared from processed cream or full fat milk may contain approx 90mg of cholesterol in every 100grams of paneer. This makes tofu a better choice, if you are looking to go for a low cholesterol diet.

Both tofu and paneer are rich in proteins. On an average 100 grams of paneer has 18.3 grams of protein, whereas 100grams of tofu may contain only 6.9 grams of protein. However, the presence of milk fats may end up adding more calories than proteins, if you go for paneer. Thus, if you are planning to lose some weight tofu is a much better option.

Paneer is a good source of milk fats, but does not contain vitamin B1 and essential amino acids, whereas soy milk is rich in both and is also low in calories. Apart from that, tofu is rich in selenium, manganese and dietary fibers.

Soy milk is a good source of nutrients and the same can be obtained from tofu. The presence of iron in tofu makes it a great source of nutrition for people suffering from anemia and low hemoglobin levels.

If you are looking to cut down on calories, then tofu is undeniably a much healthier alternative, but if you are looking for taste and texture, paneer turns out to be a better choice. However, in terms of nutrients, tofu stands out to be a much healthier alternative as compared to fat-rich paneer.