This is the best Tandoori Paneer Tikka in the oven you'll ever make at home! Same restaurant style taste, but grilled in a home oven.
Making tandoori paneer tikka in the oven at home is serious business guys. And I've made sure this recipe is fool proof before I decided to share it here. Because you guys deserve only the best and nothing else!
Honestly, I was a little nervous because tandoori paneer tikka has quite the God like status in our house. We are picky about our tikkas and we don't like to mess around. They have to be light, the paneer has to be soft, each piece of tikka has to be flavored just right and marinated well and there should be char to lend that smokiness we love so much.
But obviously I don't have a full fledged tandoor at home, so I decided to try out hacks. One hack after another and I think I've finally settled on this one. Which IMHO makes the best tandoori paneer tikka in the oven. It's really as easy as this:
How to make Tandoori Paneer Tikka in the Oven at home?
Step 1: Marinate the paneer
Step 2: Skewer it
Step 3: Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet so that its slightly raised. Place the paneer tikka skewers on the baking sheet like this ???? You can check out these skewers, cooling rack and roasting pan if you don't already have one.
Step 4: Bake/ roast for the best restaurant style tandoori paneer tikka in the oven!
We are talking about a fiery red marinade for this paneer tikka but without any added color because we are against food coloring mostly. You don't need those chemicals unless you are making a red velvet lava cake (coming up!). But you do need Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder which has all the color but no heat.
Doesn't this look simple enough? But I want to make this super fool proof so that this becomes a no fail tandoori paneer tikka in the oven. Here are some potential questions you may need answers to:
What is paneer (cheese) made of? How do I make it at home?
Paneer is literally a two ingredient cheese. You just need some full fat milk and a souring agent like lemon juice or vinegar to curdle it. I have an easy peasy, step by step tutorial to make paneer at home.
What is Tandoori Paneer Tikka?
Just in case you aren't familiar with our favorite appetizer, tandoori paneer tikka is marinated skewers of paneer which are grilled in a super hot tandoor (or traditional clay oven). It's spicy, juicy, light and slightly smoky. Its like a vegetarian alternative to tandoori chicken, fish or prawn tikka if you've tried those.
Can I make Paneer Tikka in a microwave?
I'm sure you can but I've never tried it. I love the slow roasting that an oven gives, and the char on the paneer that a microwave will not be able to achieve. But both Sanjeev Kapoor and Tarla Dalal have recipes for a microwave paneer tikka that you can try.
What do you think of this new question-answer format? It just makes me feel like I'm really talking to you guys. Because every time I check out a food blog, I always have a few potential questions about a recipe and sometimes I can get them answered and sometimes not. And I don't like not knowing everything. Tell me what you think!
BTW this is super approved by Denver. I've made this a couple of times and the last time we had this for dinner, he actually insisted I put it on the blog. That's as big a thumbs up as any in my book.
More Indian Recipes:
- Tandoori Whole Baked Cauliflower
- Restaurant Style Butter Chicken Masala
- Creamy Matar Paneer Curry
- Restaurant Style Paneer Butter Masala
Watch Tandoori Paneer Tikka Recipe Video (Oven and Stove top)
This recipe was first published on Feb 15, 2017 and updated on 12 Nov, 2020 with a new step by step video and minor changes to the recipe
Tandoori Paneer Tikka in the Oven
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
For the Paneer Tikka
- 400 grams Paneer cut into 1 inch cubes (Cottage Cheese)
- 1 Onion cut into 1 inch cubes (medium sized)
- 1 Capsicum deseeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 Tomato deseeded and cut into cubes (optional)
- Chopped Coriander or Cilantro Lime juice for topping
For the Marinade
- ยผ cup Besan chickpea flour
- 3 tablespoons Mustard Oil
- ยฝ tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- ยฝ cup Hung Curd or Greek Yogurt
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder or Paprika
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala Powder available at Asian/Indian stores
- ยฝ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Roast the besan on a low flame for 2-3 minutes till it starts smelling nutty and turns a very light golden brown. Mix all the ingredients under marinade into a bowl and add paneer to it. Toss the paneer in the marinade till the cubes are coated well.
- To add that distinct smoky tandoori flavour, heat a piece of lump coal till red hot. Place it in a steel bowl and place the bowl over the paneer. Add a teaspoon of oil to the coal. As soon as you start seeing smoke, cover the paneer. After five minutes of smoking, remove the coal, and marinate the paneer for half an hour or up to two hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 220 C/ 430 F 10 minutes before ready to cook. Place a cooling rack over a roasting pan and set aside.
- Skewer paneer cubes alternating with onions, capsicum and tomato (if using). This should make about 3-4 skewers.
- Place the skewers on the cooling rack and bake for 15 minutes, turning once half way. After 15 minutes, switch on the broiler (or only the upper element of the oven) and broil for 2-3 minutes till the paneer has a slight char on the surface.
- Carefully remove the roasting pan with the skewers out of the oven (the paneer tends to become really soft so be careful) and place the skewers on your serving platter. Top with chopped coriander and squeeze lime juice on them. Serve immediately with sliced onions.
Video
Notes
- Make sure the paneer you are using is firm and not crumbly
- If substituting paprika with Kashmiri Chilli Powder, the colour may be slightly different but the flavour should be the same
- If the curds you are using are not thick enough, hang them in a muslin cloth for half an hour or so to remove whey and then use.ย
- It is important to use hung curd or thick yogurt as this marinade will stick to the paneer. If the curd is loose, the marinade will not stick on to the paneer.ย
- If you don't have an oven, you can grill it over a griddle pan as well. However, the taste and texture will not be the same as an oven or tandoor.ย ย
Sheeba Balu says
Tried your receipe and it turned awesome... Thank you! Keep delighting us!
Abhi says
Very easy and delicious. I use less mustard oil but still tastes and cooks great. Thank you!
Richa says
Thank you Abhi!
Naina says
Which rods we should switch on while making paneer tikka.. upper rod or lower or both.. Plz rpy thanks
Richa says
Hi Naina, for the first 15 minutes please switch on both the lower and upper element. Once 15 minutes are up, move the tray to the topmost rack and only switch on the upper element to get a little char on the paneer.
Shreedevi says
Made it today. It was a super hit. Thanks for the detailed steps and pics.
Richa says
So glad you liked it Shreedevi!
Pam says
Hey,
I tried this recipe. But my paneer tends to get a little dry after putting in the oven? What can I be doing wrong?
Richa says
It could be the paneer itself - if the paneer is not fresh and creamy, it can tend to dry out.
Prakash Kumar says
And Iโve made sure this recipe is fool proof before I decided to share it here.
fool should be full
Richa says
It's actually foolproof which means its tested and can't go wrong with it.
Prakash Kumar says
And Iโve made sure this recipe is fool proof before I decided to share it here.
Mobasir Hassan says
A really helpful recipe indeed. Can I use regular cooking oil instead of mustard oil? As my wife don't like that.
Richa says
Absolutely!
Minu says
Look yummy
Richa says
Thanks Minu!
Rumspringa says
Thank you so much for this great recipe! I will always follow this bake 15 and broil 2 method in the future. The paneer cooked and charred perfectly. Crisp and spicy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
I followed the steps exactly as mentioned with a just couple of variations in the marinade mix:
- Used black salt instead of regular salt
- Added half a teaspoon of ajwain seeds
- Added a teaspoon of lime juice to the marinade and gave it one final mix before tossing the paneer and veggies
I couldn't be happier with the results and my wife was very impressed. Thanks again!
Richa says
Thank you so much for sharing the changes you made. So glad both of you liked it!
Shaineen says
Thanks for a helpful recipe..and method..but what temperature should we keep it at in the oven
Thanks
Richa says
Hey Shaineen, this information is available in the recipe: 220 C/ 430 F
Shyamala says
Thanks. I tried it out and it came to perfection as per your title. Everyone enjoyed. I have tried few other dishes too earlier. They were also fabulous. Thanks again dear.
Richa says
Thanks Shyamala!
Sunita says
Can you marinate the paneer overnight? Does that effect the recipe at all?
Richa says
Marinating overnight should be okay
sajina says
hai..can v directly put it on th grill provided vth th oven or shud v use the baking tray nd rack itself
Richa says
Hey Sajina, you can put it directly on the grill. However, make sure the grill is well oiled so that the paneer doesn't stick to the grill
Farida says
I need to follow .
Recipe is easy to understand with pics.g
Good presentation.
Astha says
Tried this out. It was very tasty and tasted like the paneer tikka you get at Indian restaurants. It was too spicy for me though, I'll use less chilly powder next time.
Richa says
Glad you liked it Astha. The potency of chili powder can differ from house to house.