Make restaurant style Paneer Tikka at home with this easy step-by-step recipe. Cubes of paneer, onion and bell peppers are marinated with spices and yogurt and then roasted in the oven to perfection. The tikka is best enjoyed with spicy cilantro chutney or mint chutney with a generous squeeze of lemon juice on top.
Paneer tikka has to be one the most popular Indian vegetarian appetizers. From Indian restaurants to weddings and parties, it is one dish that’s always on the menu. Traditionally, paneer tikka is grilled in a tandoor, but when you make it at home, you can get the same taste by broiling in the oven too. Tandoor also gives the tikka that smoky flavor which you can also get at home by smoking the paneer marinade with charcoal (more on that below!).
I often make this recipe when hosting a Diwali party or a festive get together. Because everything enjoys it and it can also double down as a curry, you can actually also use the same tikka and add it to a curry to make paneer tikka masala. You can even use the same tikka to make paneer tikka naan pizza!
Paneer Tikka Marination
The marinade for paneer tikka is made with paneer (of course) which you can make at home or get one from grocery stores. Then, I like to add cubes of onions and bell peppers along with it. Some people also use tomatoes.
My marinade includes Greek yogurt, spices, mustard oil and fresh herbs. For the marinade, it is important to use thick yogurt. I use plain whole milk Greek yogurt since I always have it on hand, but you can use regular yogurt as well. If using regular yogurt, strain it using a cheesecloth and strainer to get rid of excess water and then use it in the recipe.
Mustard oil is a very important part of this marination, and I highly recommend not replacing it with any other oil. It gives the tikka that raw and authentic flavor, which is hard to replicate with other oils. You can use canola or avocado oil if you can’t find mustard oil at all.
Spices like chaat masala, coriander powder, chili powder, kasuri methi add depth of flavors to the marination. You can increase the quantity of the chili powder to make it spicier.
Herbs like cilantro and mint add freshness to the marinade, so be generous using them. I also like to squeeze in fresh lemon juice for that zesty kick.
Tips to prevent rubbery & dry paneer
- First, soak the paneer in warm water for 20 minutes (if the paneer is store-bought) and then use it in the recipe. There’s no need to do this step for homemade paneer.
- Do not overcook the paneer, paneer is a cheese and if you overcook it. It’s going to become hard. This applies to cooking in oven or stove-top.
- Adding oil in the marination helps with the dryness of the tikka.
Paneer Tikka Recipe (Oven + Stove-top Method)
Oven Method
Traditionally paneer tikka is grilled in tandoor for that authentic taste and flavor. But you can achieve similar results in the oven. The broiling in the oven gives it that charred look. But remember not to overcook the paneer.
Bake at 450 F degrees for 10 minutes and then turn on the broil. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes until paneer pieces look charred.
If you prefer even softer paneer- bake at 450 F degrees for 5 minutes and broil for 3 to 4 minutes.
Stove-top Method
A grill pan will work best but if you don’t have that a simple pan or tawa will also work. Spray the pan with an oil spray first and once the pan it hot, assemble all the paneer pieces with onion and peppers in a skewer and then place on the pan. Cook from both sides until the paneer is golden brown in color, turning every 1 minute or so.
For that charred look, once cooked, you can then roast the veggies over direct heat for just about 10 seconds, the paneer dries out quickly so don’t do this step for a long time.
Preparing the wooden skewers
Because we are cooking the tikka at a high temperature in the oven, it is important to prep the wooden skewers so that they don’t burn in the oven (skip this step for metal skewers). Soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes, making sure the skewers are fully submerged. Then take them out after 30 mins, dry them with a cloth and then use them in the recipe.
Let’s Make Paneer Tikka
- Make the marinade
You need thick yogurt for the marinade, I often use Greek yogurt, if you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can just put your regular yogurt in a cheesecloth and let it sit over a strainer in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you will have thick curd or what is also often called “hung curd”, and that’s perfect to be used in the recipe. Add all the ground spices after whisking the yogurt.
- Add the paneer and vegetables
I like adding some fresh herbs to the marinate along with mustard oil (non-negotiable) and lemon juice. Then add the paneer cubes along with onions and peppers.
- Arrange the tikka on skewers
Make sure the paneer and veggies are well coated with the marinade. Then place the bowl in the fridge for minimum of 2 hours. Then arrange the tikka on skewers and bake until cooked.
Getting Tandoori Flavor at Home
The paneer tikka in restaurants is cooked in a tandoor which gives it a smoky flavor. This step is optional, but if you wish you paneer tikka to have the same smoky flavor, here’s what you can do.
Marinate the paneer tikka with onions and peppers as usual. Then take the bowl with the marinated paneer out of the fridge and put a small steel bowl in the center of that big bowl. Heat a piece of charcoal over direct heat using tongs until it’s red hot (make sure to use the charcoal which is safe to use for food). Place that hot charcoal carefully in that small steel bowl, pour melted ghee on top of that charcoal. You will see fumes coming out of the charcoal, immediately cover the big bowl with a lid and let it stay like that for 10 minutes. The paneer cubes will absorb that smoky flavor. Then arrange them on skewers and bake as usual.
Your paneer tikka will now have that smoky flavor.
Paneer Tikka Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 1-2 tablespoons greek yogurt , 150 grams or use thick yogurt, I use plain whole milk yogurt
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil, 30 ml
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, or adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, crushed
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 small lemon, juice of
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
- 300 grams paneer, cut into big cubes, around 2 heaping cups of cubes paneer
- 1 large red onion, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 large bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes, I used mix of red and green peppers
cilantro mint chutney, to serve
onion slices, to serve
lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
- Whisk 150 grams Greek yogurt in a large bowl using a wire whisk until smooth. I have used plain whole milk Greek yogurt here, you can use regular whole milk yogurt just make sure to strain it for several hours until you have thick yogurt left and then use in the recipe.
- Then add all the ingredients for marinade to the yogurt- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 2 tablespoons mustard oil, 2 teaspoons coriander powder, 1 teaspoon chaat masala, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ¾ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (crushed) and ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste).Whisk to combine everything together.
- Add juice of 1 small lemon along with 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped) and 2 tablespoons mint (chopped). Mix well.
- Stir in 300 grams paneer (cut into 1-inch cubes), 1 large red onion (cut into 1-inch cubes) and 1 large bell pepper (cut into 1-inch cubes).
- Mix until all the paneer pieces and veggies are well coated with the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 4 hours. Overnight also works! Prepare your wooden skewers meanwhile(refer to the post on how to soak and prepared wooden skewers).
- After 2 hours, take the marinated paneer and veggies out of the refrigerator. Take a skewer and arrange paneer, onion and peppers on skewers, alternating with each other.Make all skewers similarly. Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 450 F degrees. Make sure you pre-heat the oven for good 15-20 minutes.
- Arrange all the prepared skewers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray the tikka with an oil spray. This is important so that the veggies don't dry out.
- Bake at 450 F degrees for 10 minutes and then turn on the broil. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes until paneer pieces look a little charred.Remove from oven, squeeze lemon juice, sprinkle chaat masala and serve with cilantro chutney.
Notes
- If you want softer paneer, bake at 450 F degrees for 5 minutes and then broil for 3 to 4 minutes. Don’t overcook the paneer else it will gets tough and chewy, and you want it soft.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
