This Air fryer Paneer Tikka recipe is going to be your ultimate favourite side dish. Paneer, peppers and onions are smothered in a homemade tandoori yogurt marinade and air fried to perfection! The perfect Vegetarian alternative to Chicken Tikka! Oven instructions included too!
Try pairing with Yeast free garlic naan and green cilantro chutney!
About my easy Paneer Tikka kebabs recipe
We love Paneer tikka at Indian restaurants and is always on our restaurant order. The recipe is so simple, that you can make this restaurant style paneer tikka at home itself.
Just toss the paneer, onion and peppers in a spicy tikka marinade and then thread on the skewers. Simply air fry. If you have time, leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Now If you are planning to cook in the oven, the good news is, you really don't need thread the skewer too.
And my shortcut in a hurry - If you want to skip the spices from the ingredients list, I've got you sorted. Use 3 table spoons store bought tikka masala paste instead. How convenient is that!
Why you’ll love this Paneer tikka recipe?
This easy Tandoori Paneer Tikka is fun, colorful, and delicious, taking about 15-20 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cook time in the air fryer.
Incredibly Versatile – Perfect as a starter/appetizer, side dish or delicious as a meal. Perfect dish for serving a crowd too!
Easy and Budget-friendly too. The majority of the ingredients – Paneer, Pepper, Onion, Yogurt, and Indian spices, that are easy to find locally at a reasonable cost.
Cook anyway you like! Make them in the Air fryer, Oven, or even on the Grill.
Dietary needs- Suitable for Vegetarian and Gluten-free diet.
Ingredients
This recipe is pretty simple and straightforward. Don’t be put away by a long list of Indian spices. Check out my tips for shortcuts too.
Paneer – also known as Indian cottage cheese. It is easily available to buy in grocery stores across the UK, in Costco, or in Asian Stores. Some of the popular ones are Everest Paneer Block Cheese, Shagun Paneer Cheese, Sugam Paneer, and Apetina Paneer Cheese. I would highly recommend buying the cheese block rather than diced paneer. You can also make Paneer at home, however, it is time-consuming!
Gram Flour - Also known as Besan or Chickpea flour for a tasty crispiness and helps the marinade to stick to paneer and veggies.
Onion – I prefer using Red Onion for Tandoori Tikka recipes. Although even White Onion works work.
Pepper - We are using colorful peppers - red, yellow and green. Did you know green peppers are called Capsicum in India?
Greek Yogurt – I like to use Greek Yogurt as its thick yogurt and you can skip the process of making hung curd and use in the recipe directly.
Spices – I use Turmeric, Red Chili Powder, Cumin powder, Coriander powder, Garam masala, Chaat masala and Kasuri methi for my tikka masala spice blend.
Ginger- Garlic – I use store bought Ginger Garlic Paste for convenience, easy to find at any Asian store near you. You can use fresh minced ginger and garlic too.
Oil – I use hot Sunflower Oil to add to the marinade. Traditionally Mustard oil is used, but I find it too strong in my tikka recipes.
Salt and Pepper to taste
How to make Air fryer Paneer Tikka?
This is an overview with step by step photos. Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below
Prepare the Paneer, Vegetables & Skewers. – Dice the Paneer to 2-2.5 cm cube. Cut the Onion and Peppers to a similar size.
Make the Tandoori Marinade – To a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the marinade and combine to make a smooth mixture. Heat the sunflower oil until hot and add it to the marinade, stir.
Marinate – Add the Paneer, Onion, and Bell Peppers into the marinade and mix them with hand. Cover with cling film and place the marinade in the fridge for atleast 30 minutes. If I have time, I would it over night - The flavours are so good.
Thread the Skewers – Arrange the Paneer, Onion, and Bell Peppers in alternate on the skewers. Prep the remaining skewers in a similar way.
Air fry – Preheat the air fryer at 180 C. Arrange the threaded paneer tikka skewers in the air fryer basket and air fry at 380 F / 180 C for 8-10 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining skewers too.
Sprinkle with chaat masala if you wish, just before serving.
How to make Paneer Tikka in the oven?
Until I started using my air fryer, I have always made paneer tikka in the oven. It's convenient for parties and large batches. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Arrange the paneer tikka skewers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place the tray in the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes or until the tikka is sizzling, and the paneer is crispy on the outside yet tender inside. Serve hot!
Tips to make my easy PANEER TIKKA
Always Soak the Paneer in Hot Water before use. Soaking will rehydrated the paneer until super soft and spongy. Try it and thank me later!
Soak the Wooden Skewers in cold water at least for 30 minutes. This is to ensure the skewers don’t burn while cooking. If you are using Stainless Steel Skewers like me , give this step a miss!
Marinate and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes to overnight. The longer resting time allows the paneer and vegetables to soak up all the flavors, really well.
In a rush, simply mix 3-4 Tablespoons of Tikka masala paste or your favorite storebought madras curry paste into the greek yogurt and gram flour mixture.
I like to use Air fryer when I make Paneer Tikka for my family. However when I am making for a party, I prefer using the Oven.
Variations of Paneer Tikka
Don’t have a Skewer, no worries! Try this Non Skewered version. Place the marinated Paneer and Vegetables in the air fryer basket or a baking dish and cook until golden.
Paneer Tikka Masala – Remove the prepared Paneer Tikka from the skewer and serve with a rich onion tomato based gravy. You can use my Paneer curry gravy recipe.
How to make a Super Easy Paneer Tikka recipe?
I like to use stir in Jamie Oliver Madras Curry paste or a Tikka Masala paste into the yogurt along with 2 tablespoon of chickpea flour and marinate the paneer and vegetables. Allow them to rest for 30 minutes or so and cook as per the instructions in the recipe card. This is a Quicker version of Paneer Tikka and delicious too.
What can I serve with Paneer Tikka kebabs?
I love serving these paneer tikka kebabs as an appetiser with sliced onions, lemon wedges and Coriander Mint Chutney.
They are also delicious with
Flatbread: Serve with naan bread or Yogurt flatbreads
Raita: With my easy cucumber raita or onion raita.
Rice: Serve with cumin rice, steamed basmati rice or for instant serving use ready to eat microwave-able rice from the packet. Simply heat in the microwave and its ready to serve in 2 minutes.
Poppadoms, Mango Chutney and Mint Sauce.
Leftovers and Storage
Store any leftover paneer tikka in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days.
To reheat, place it back in the air fryer and air fry at 150C for 4-5 minutes. Serve.
I don't recommend freezing the cooked paneer tikka for the texture. The flavors will still be delicious.
FAQ's
What is Paneer Tikka?
‘Paneer’ is Indian cottage Cheese and ‘Tikka’ is marinated and cooked.
It is a delicious protein rich Indian Vegetarian appetizer, where pieces of paneer, onion, peppers are marinated in yogurt and spices. It is then threaded on a skewer and cooked to perfection either in an Air fryer, Oven, Grill, Tandoor, or Barbecue.
Traditionally, tikka is always cooked in tandoor clay. I have simplified the cooking process and always make it in my oven or air fryer. They are so good!
This recipe is adaptable and versatile, so you can make it with Tofu for a Vegan Version. Use spices that are easily available.
More Indian Inspired Air fryer recipes
Paneer Tikka recipe below: Make in Air fryer/ Oven
Ingredients
- 500 g paneer
- 2 large Bell Peppers or Use a mix of Peppers 200g
- 1 large Red Onion 150g
Paneer tikka marinade
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt 180g
- 2 tablespoon chickpea flour
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1½ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ¾ teaspoon garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves kasuri methi
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ Lemon Juice
- 4 tablespoon sunflower oil
Instructions
- Prep the paneer and veggie: Cut the paneer to cubes - 2-2.5 cm. Soak in Hot water for at least 10 minutes. Drain. Dice the onion and peppers to a similar size.500 g paneer, 1 large Red Onion, 2 large Bell Peppers or Use a mix of Peppers
- Tandoori Yogurt marinade: Combine all the ingredients other than oil in a mixing bowl until smooth. Heat oil in a pan until really hot. Then add it to the yogurt marinade. Mix to combine.¾ cup Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoon chickpea flour, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, ½ teaspoon turmeric, 1½ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon chaat masala, ¾ teaspoon garam Masala, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 3 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ Lemon Juice, 4 tablespoon sunflower oil
- Thread the skewers, starting with peppers, onion, paneer and alternate. Repeat.If you don't have skewers, not to worry, simply add it to a baking tray or air fryer basket without overlapping.500 g paneer, 2 large Bell Peppers or Use a mix of Peppers, 1 large Red Onion
Air fryer Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F / 180°C. Arrange the paneer tikka skewers in the air fryer basket and air fry for 8-10 minutes until the paneer is still soft but the outer layer is crispy. You'll hear the sizzle as it cooks!
- Remove from air fryer basket and serve with garlic naan, lemon wedges and Green Chutney.
Oven Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Arrange the paneer tikka skewers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place the tray in the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes or until the tikka is sizzling, and the paneer is crispy on the outside yet tender inside. Serve hot!
Harry says
Authentic Panner Tikka. Simply amazing. Just loved it.
Aurora says
Authentic paneer tikka. Just loved it.
my kitchen says
I am drooling here,delicious tikka
Supriya says
Absolutely mouthwatering paneer tikkas Sandhya.
Home Cooked Oriya Food says
I love your paneer tikkas.
I made it for a barbecue party once and it was such a big hit. I have to try again..
Sandhya Hariharan says
Thank you Bharathy for such inspiring words...
My header pic is of my dessert - Chocolate Biscuit Pudding.
Bharathy says
Sandhya-Sandy?? :D...Cute!!
You have a LOVELY place here, girl!!..just love everything here!..the header!..the pictures..the recipes(so homely)...and the space is so well organised!..
Keep up your great work!..
Swarna says
Nice presentation and a delicious dish ..I am ur follower now...pls do visit my blog
Kitchen Flavours says
Chopping veggies ahead really minimize the time of cooking....panner tikka looks delish...
Anil P says
Paneer tikka - always a pleasure to sample. Surprisingly, paneer is one item that's been inconsistently prepared as a dish out here in Bombay.