Paneer Tikka Recipe

4.78 from 97 votes

Paneer Tikka recipe is a popular restaurant-style Indian appetizer made with cubes of paneer marinated in a spiced yogurt mixture. The marinated paneer is skewered with vegetables and grilled until lightly charred and flavorful. This recipe can be made easily at home in an oven, on a stovetop skillet/tawa, or on a grill. Paneer tikka is a dry dish and is best served hot with mint chutney and lemon wedges.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Marinating Time2

Total Time2 30

Course: Appetizer, Snacks, Starters

Cuisine: North Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 316kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

200 to 250 grams paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
½ cup onions – diced
½ cup capsicum – diced, bell pepper - green, yellow or red

For Tikka Marination

200 grams hung curd or greek yogurt
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste or 1 tablespoon crushed ginger-garlic
2 teaspoons kashmiri chilli powder or sweet paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
1 teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
1 teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
1 teaspoon chaat masala
½ teaspoon black pepper powder – optional (ground black pepper)
1.5 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon mustard oil or any neutral tasting oil
½ teaspoon black salt – optional
salt as required
mustard oil for brushing, as needed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparation

Chop the paneer in square shaped cubes.
Dice the onions and capsicum in 1 or 1.5 inches square pieces.

Making Marination

In a large bowl, take the hung curd (greek yogurt) and whisk it lightly till it becomes smooth
Add ginger-garlic paste, all the spice powders, carom seeds, black salt, regular salt, lemon juice and mustard oil.
Mix very well. Check the taste and add more seasonings if required.
Add the veggies and paneer to the marinade. Slowly and gently mix them with the marinade.
Cover the bowl and marinate for at least 2 hours or more in the refrigerator.
After 2 hours thread the paneer and veggies alternately on bamboo skewers. Soak or rinse the bamboo skewers before threading.

Making Paneer Tikka

Preheat the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 230 or 240 degree celsius or 464 degrees Fahrenheit. Use only the top heating element.
Line a baking tray with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Arrange the paneer skewers on the tray. Brush some oil on the veggies and paneer cubes all over.
Place the tray on the top rack. Grill the paneer tikka first for 7 to 10 minutes at 230 or 240 degree celsius or or 464 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove and turn the skewers.
Place back on the top rack in the oven and continue to grill for 3 to 5 minutes more till the edges of the paneer are golden or slightly charred. Do not grill for a long time as then paneer cubes becomes hard.
Since temperatures vary from oven to oven do keep a check. You can reduce or increase the time as required. Total grilling time will be 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and then place the paneer cubes on a serving plate. Sprinkle some chaat masala and lemon juice.
Serve paneer tikka hot or warm.

Serving

Serve paneer tikka hot with mint chutney, lemon wedges, and sliced onions. It works well as a starter or snack.

Storage

Store leftover paneer tikka in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently on a skillet/tawa or in an oven to avoid drying out.

Video

Notes

Barbecue: You can even use the barbecue grill for making the paneer tikka.
Grilling in the oven: In the oven grill for 15 to 20 minutes at 230 or 240 degree celsius with only the top heating element on.
Marination time: I always suggest to to marinate the paneer cubes for 2 hours or more. You can also keep the marinated paneer overnight in the fridge. More marination, the better the flavors get infused in the paneer and veggies.
Vegetables: Add a mix of veggies like bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, baby corn, mushrooms, cauliflower, tomatoes, broccoli etc. For cauliflower blanch them before marinating.
Adding oil: While grilling the paneer cubes and veggies can become dry. Hence oil is added to the marination mixture. The paneer cubes and veggies are also brushed with some oil to avoid them from becoming dry.
Overcooking: Don't overcook the paneer as they then become rubbery, dry and hard. The paneer should be soft, well cooked and yet succulent.
Marinade: The extra marinade can be applied or brushed on the paneer tikka before grilling them. If you are making paneer tikka masala gravy, you can use the extra marinade in the gravy.
Vegan options: Use tofu, seitan or tempeh in place of paneer. Use a vegan yogurt like almond or cashew yogurt in place of dairy yogurt.

Nutrition