Difference between Tofu and Paneer

Tofu and Paneer are two food products that share many features and look alike from outside. So, people often confuse these food products with each other. Let us see how they differ from each other and which one is the healthiest!

Tofu:

Tofu, which is also known as soy paneer or bean curd, is made from soy milk. It is made by coagulating the soy milk. It is a vegan product as it is a purely plant-based product. So it is mostly used by vegans or someone who wants to lose weight as it has fewer calories to add to your body, e.g. 100 grams of tofu offers 60-65 calories, whereas 100 grams of paneer offers 260 calories.

Tofu is a versatile food as it can be used in a variety of dishes. To prepare tofu, soymilk is coagulated and then pressed into solid blocks in order to make tofu. Tofu is less perishable than paneer and can be sold fresh or after processing and can be stored for a long period of time in a refrigerator. It is believed that Chinese people invented tofu around 2000 years ago.

Paneer:

Paneer, which is also known as Indian cheese or cottage cheese, is a dairy product that is made from the milk of cow, goat or buffalo. To make paneer, the milk is curdled using a sour ingredient such as lemon juice. It is a staple food in India that is creamy white in colour and sold fresh. It is used in many Indian dishes like sahi paneer, kadhai paneer, paneer tika, palak paneer etc.

Paneer has more fat content and is high in calories than tofu as it is obtained from milk, e.g. 100 gm of paneer contains 20 gm fat, whereas 100 gm of tofu contains 2.7 gm fat; 100 grams of paneer offers 260 calories, whereas 100 grams of tofu offers 60-65 calories. Paneer is highly perishable as it is made from fresh milk and sold fresh so it should be consumed within 3 to 4 days.

Based on the above information, some of the key differences between tofu and paneer are as follows:

Tofu	Paneer
It is believed to be originated in China around 2000 years ago.	It is believed to be originated in the Indian sub-continent.
It is a plant-based protein.	It is an animal-based protein.
It is made from soy milk.	It is made from the milk of animals like cow, buffalo, and goat.
It is low in calories than paneer.	It is high in calories than tofu.
It is sold fresh or processed.	It is always sold fresh.
It is slightly sour in taste.	It is slightly milky in taste.
It is rich in iron.	It is rich in calcium.
It has less fat content than paneer, e.g. 100 gm of tofu contains 2.7 gm fat.	It has more fat content than tofu, e.g. 100 gm of paneer contains 20 gm fat.
It has low protein content than paneer.	It has high protein content than tofu.
It has high carbohydrate content than paneer.	It has low carbohydrate content than tofu.
People who are allergic to soy product should not consume it.	People with lactose intolerance should avoid it.