Paneer tikka recipe

Paneer tikka recipe |paneer tikka on tawa

Paneer tikka is a popular snacks or appetizer made by marinating paneer cubes with tandoori masala. Learn to make paneer tikka recipe at home with step by steps instructions and a video.

Paneer tikka serving in a garnished plate, green chutney in background

Paneer Tikka is a vegetarian  dish from Indian cuisine which is very popular around the globe.

Paneer tikka is versatile, yummy and extremely easy to make at home. And the best part is you don't even need an Oven or tandoor. If you have been looking for such a paneer tikka recipe at home, you have come to the right place. Here I bring you the step by step guide on how to make paneer tikka at home on tawa, in Oven and tandoor.

Paneer also known as Indian cottage cheese is a milk based product. You can easily made it at home by curdling milk with vinegar. 

What is paneer Tikka

Paneer Tikka is a dish made by marinating cube of paneer in a spiced yoghurt based marination and then grilled or roast in a charcoal tandoor or oven till crisp golden.

Paneer tikka ingredients

1. Paneer : It is best to malai paneer for this recipe, they are soft. You can even use a homemade paneer also.

2. Yoghurt (curd) : Use hung curd to make the marination. 

3. Vegetables : Onion, capsicum and tomato are most common vegetables. Red and yellow bell peppers also are a good choice. Cut them in cube size.

4. Spice powder : Red chilli powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder are basic spice powder used in the marination.

5. Other ingredients : Ginger garlic paste, lemon juice chat masala and salt.

6. Oil : Mustard oil is generally used in restaurants. Olive oil or other vegetable oil can be used. 

7. Red chilly paste : A key ingredients for making paneer tikka looks red and glossy. Kashmir chilly paste is the most preferred choice. If not available use kashmiri chilly powder.

Serving suggestions

Paneer tikka is served with Cilantro mint sauce ( green chutney), onion slices and lemon wedges. Paneer tikka is a dry preparation and  work best as an appetizer or  starter.
Side dishes like green chutney, onion slices and a lemon wedges will go along with paneer tikka dry in a restaurant serving plate.

You can make a wrap or roll with this  paneer tikka to serve as paneer kathi roll. Use as pizza topping to make tandoori cottage cheese pizza.

Paneer tikka can be made at home using an Oven and on a tawa or pan . You can even make them over a BBQ grill.

Steps to make paneer tikka

Paneer tikka marination

It is very important to marinade the paneer first.  I personally recommend to follow a two step marination for the best paneer tikka recipe.

Cut the paneer and bell peppers into  1 inch long cube size pieces and keep aside. Similarly cut the onion into cube size.

Cubes of paneer for paneer Tikka

Cubes of bell peppers and onions for paneer Tikka

First marination 

Mix half of the red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper), chat masala and salt with the paneer cubes and keep aside for 15 minutes. Paneer cubes will absorb the flavours by this process.
First marinated paneer for paneer Tikka

Second marination 

Take a mixing bowl, add the yogurt(hung curd), cumin powder, Garam masala, red chilly paste ( or paprika) , ginger garlic paste, chat masala, salt , mustard oil and cooking oil.
Mix all the ingredients using a whisk to make a fine paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
These above paste mixture is called Tandoori masala, which is used to prepare different types of tandoori foods.

Tandoori masala for Paneer Tikka

Now mix the first marinated paneer cubes  and the vegetables with this second marination or tandoori masala and refrigerated for 1 hour or overnight.
Easy Tandoori masala Recipe

Cubes of paneer and vegetables with Tandoori masala for paneer Tikka

Paneer and vegetables mixed with Tandoori masala for Paneer Tikka

2. Cooking

Paneer tikka on Tawa

Take the marinated paneer cubes and remove excess marination from them.
Then line the paneer cubes with bell peppers and onion alternatively in wooden sticks.

Lining paneer in wooden stick for paneer Tikka recipe

Three wooden stick with paneer for paneer Tikka

Take a pan or tawa and grease with few drops of cooking oil and heat in medium flame fire for one minute. When the tawa become hot lower the flame to low.

Now place the paneer shewers on the pan and grill or roast on medium flame heat.
When the paneer become little bit charred, flip them to another side and futher roast them till the other side become charred.

Cook them by flipping occasionally from all sides for 7 - 8 minutes.

Cooking paneer on Tawa or non stick pan for paneer Tikka

The paneer will start to release water with the marination. So don't get panic at this  stage. Just slow the flame and cook untill all the marination become dry and we'll coated with the paneer.

Cooking paneer on Tawa for paneer Tikka

Cooked paneer tikka on Tawa for paneer Tikka

Switch off the flame and remove the paneer shewers from tawa and serve hot with green chutney.

Paneer tikka recipe video


How to make Paneer tikka in Oven 

Preheat the oven to 240 degree celcius for 15 minutes. If using wooden sticks then soaked them in water for 30 minutes before using.
Line the paneer with the onion and bell peppers alternatively in the sticks. 

Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and place the Shewers on it and bake for 15 minutes, turning half way once.  You can even place a rack on the baking tray and place the Shewers on it. 

When the paneer become crisp golden slight charred remove the roasting pan with the Shewersr out of the oven.
 Arranged them in a serving plate and serve hot along with  mint chutney,  onion slices and lemon wedges. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro leaves and chat masala over them before serving.

Paneer tikka in a garnished plate

Paneer tikka in tandoor

 Bring the marinated paneer out of the fridge and keep in room temperature.Take a iron Shewers and thread the paneer cubes with the bell peppers and onion alternatively one by one.

Cubes of paneer and vegetables lined in Shewer for Paneer Tikka recipe on charcoal grill or tandoor

Now put the Shewer inside the preheated tandoor or BBQ and cook for 7 - 8 minutes.

Cooking paneer inside charcoal grill or Tandoor for paneer Tikka

Cooking paneer tikka on charcoal Tandoor for paneer Tikka

 While cooking the  paneer, rotate the Shewers occasionally to cook them from all side evenly. When it get light golden and charred remove the Shewers from tandoor and keep aside for one minute.

The paneer tikka will release excess watery marination. Again put it inside the Tandoor for about half a minute to make hot. 

 Therefore remove the Shewers from tandoor and  carefully remove the paneer tikka with the vegetables  from the Shewers in a plate.
 Sprinkling some chopped Cilantro and chat masala on them and serve hot with green chutney. 

You can make it in BBQ as well by using the same steps.  We used the same marinated paneer for BBQ. 

Tips for making best paneer tikka
  • Marinate paneer in two steps 1st marination and 2nd marination
  • Use 1 st marination by mixing paneer with red chilli powder, chat masala and salt. Keep them marinated for 15 - 20 minutes then apply 2 nd marination with yoghurt.
  • Cut paneer and vegetables into even size shape so that they get cooked evenly from all sides.
  • Don't use gram flour or besan while cooking them in pan or tawa as it get burnt quickly and the resulting paneer become dark in colour.

Popular recipes
Paneer tikka without shewer

Alternatively you can roast them without lining or threading in Shewers or wooden sticks. Use any good non stick pan or heavy iron cast tawa to roast or grill them.
If using tawa then first heat it with some cooking oil for 1 or two minutes in high flame heat. Befor adding the marinated paneer with vegetables lower the flame to low.
When one side become charred flip to another side and continue. Cook them from all sides till become light brown and crisp.

  Paneer Seekh Kebab  can also be made using a pan or tawa.

Paneer tikka without curd

You can avoid to use curd in the marination to make paneer tikka as well. While making the second marination above,  avoid the curd and add half tablespoon of besan with other ingredients. In place of curd you can use fresh cream as well. Add some more lemon juice or vinegar in the marination. If the marination get quickly burnt while cooking then apply some more oil and then cook further.

Paneer Tikka is mainly served as an appetizer or snacks but can be used to prepare some  popular recipes like.. ...
  • Paneer Tikka masala
  • Tandoori cottage cheese pizza
  • Paneer chat
  • Paneer kathi roll
  • Paneer Frankie
Paneer releases more moisture while cooking and that makes the resulting paneer tikka less taste. So use two marination.

     Paneer tikka 

Serving paneer tikka with cilantro mint chutney for paneer tikka recipe

Cubes of paneer and vegetables are marinated in a spiced yoghurt based masala known as tandoori masala and thread in wooden sticks or iron Shewers alternatively. Then grilled or roasted over a pan or tawa or in a oven or charcoal Tandoor till crisp golden. Serve with cilantro mint chutney.

Prep time     cooking time    serving
10 min            10 min                    2
Author : Mobasir hassan

Ingredients 
  •  200 gm paneer ( cottage cheese)
  •  1/2 of each red ,yellow and green bell pepper
  • 1 medium size onion
  • 3 tablespoon Greek yogurt (hung curd).
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder ( cayenne)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder ( jeera powder)
  • 1/3 teaspoon Garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste 
  • 1/2 teaspoon chat masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon Lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon red chilly paste ( paprika)
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard oil ( optional)
  • 2 teaspoon cooking oil ( Olive oil)
  • 1 teaspoon clarified butter
  • Some chopped coriander leaves
  • Salt as per taste
How to make the recipe
  1. Cut the paneer and bell peppers into 1 inch cube size pieces.
  2. Similarly cut the onion into cube size.
  3. Apply half of the red chilli powder, chat masala and a small pinch of salt with the paneer pieces.
  4. Mix well and keep for 15 minutes to absorb the flavours.
  5. In a mixing bowl, add yoghurt, cumin powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, chat masala, lemon juice, red chilly paste, ginger garlic paste, salt, cooking oil and mustard oil.
  6. Whisk everything together to make a fine paste or masala known as tandoori masala.
  7. Now mix the marinated paneer cubes and vegetables with this masala and keep refrigerated for 2 hours or overnight.
Making paneer tikka
  1. Using oven : preheat the oven at 240°c for 15 minutes. And place a aluminum foil on the baking tray.
  2. If using wooden sticks then soak them in water for 30 minutes.
  3. Bring the marinated paneer from the fridge and thread in a Shewers or wooden stick.
  4. Thread paneer and vegetables cubes alternatively in the Shewers or sticks 
  5. Place the Shewers over the baking tray and apply some butter or oil over them and bake for 15 minutes or till crisp golden.

Paneer tikka on tawa

  1. Remove excess marination from the paneer pieces and vegetables and thread them alternatively in the wooden sticks.
  2. Heat a pan or tawa over gas stove in medium flame heat.
  3. Apply little oil and heat for one minute.
  4. Now lower the gas flame to low and place the paneer sticks on the pan or tawa.
  5. Grill them on slow flame for 1 minute and then flip them to another side and cook further till crisp golden.
  6. Similarly rotate the paneer sticks and cook them from all sides till crisp golden.
Paneer tikka in tandoor
  1. Take a thin size iron Shewers and thread the paneer and vegetables alternatively.
  2. Place the Shewers inside a preheated tandoor and cook for 7 - 8 minutes.
  3. Brush some butter over them and cook for 2 more minutes till they become crisp golden.
  4. Remove and serve topping with some coriander leaves and chat masala.
                        NUTRITIONAL VALUE
                         Serving size 1 piece
  • Calories :- 173
  • Carbohydrate :- 1 g | fats :- 13 g
  • Protein :- 11 g 
                        SERVING TIPS
Paneer Tikka is generally served as an appetizer or snacks with Cilantro mint sauce or green chutney along with slice onions and lemon wedges. It is also goes well as a side dish with rice and Dal. You can even have a butter Naan or tandoori garlic Naan with a paneer Tikka.

                       RECIPE NOTES
  • It is very important to use the first marination for paneer Tikka. Little bit of  salt and pepper help it  to taste better.  As while cooking paneer use to leave excess water with marination  and the final product become less tasty.
  • Don't over cook paneer otherwise it will become hard and chewy. Always serve paneer Tikka hot.
  • While cooking in Tandoor, don't cook it completely in a single run. First make it half done and remove from tandoor and rest aside .  Before serving, full done it and serve hot. In these way you make the paneer Tikka soft while serving.
  • While cooking in Oven if the paneer become dry and hard , use steam roast for 2 minutes. It will become soft.
  • Don't use gram flour or besan while Cooking on Tawa or non stick pan in the marination.  Gram flour quickly get burnt while cooking and it gives a dark colour to  your paneer Tikka .
  • While cooking in Tandoor use a kitchen towel to handle the Shewer.
  • If using a tawa to cook paneer Tikka, first grease with oil and heat in high flame for 2 minutes and then slow the flame. In these way it will become non stick to paneer Tikka
Popular paneer recipes you can make at home.....
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1 Comments
  • Steve smith
    Steve smith November 7, 2019 at 2:27 PM

    I had a great time preparing paneer butter masala that I found on your website. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I am excited to try paneer tikka recipe this time. Keep up the good work.

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