Restaurant paneer tikka is marinated, skewered, and cooked in a tandoor — the charred, smoky result is genuinely extraordinary. It's also basted with oil or butter, which makes it calorie-dense. This baked version uses an oven or air fryer to get that charred, slightly crispy exterior without any added fat during cooking. The marinade — low-fat curd, spices, and a little gram flour — creates a coating that crisps up beautifully in the oven while keeping the paneer moist inside.
For weight loss, paneer tikka is a strong choice: 18g protein per serving from the paneer creates real satiety, and the low-fat curd marinade adds more protein without more fat. Low-fat paneer from toned milk has half the fat of full-fat paneer with the same protein. This is one of the most satisfying high-protein Indian snacks available, and it genuinely beats most commercial protein bars on both taste and nutrition.
Ingredients
How to Make It
Prepare the marinade: In a large bowl, combine all marinade ingredients — low-fat curd, besan, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, all the spices, and salt. Whisk until completely smooth.
Add the paneer cubes, capsicum chunks, and onion to the marinade. Toss gently to coat everything well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour — 2-3 hours is better, and overnight is excellent. The longer it marinates, the more flavour it develops.
Preheat oven to 220°C on fan/convection setting. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Thread the marinated paneer, capsicum, and onion alternately onto skewers (metal skewers work better — wood ones tend to burn). No skewers? Just spread the pieces out on the tray.
Place on the prepared tray. Don't oil the tray or the paneer — the marinade is sufficient. Bake at 220°C for 15-18 minutes.
After 15 minutes, switch the oven to grill/broil mode for the final 3-5 minutes to get the charred tikka-style exterior. Watch closely — it can burn quickly under the broiler.
For air fryer: Cook at 200°C for 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
Remove from the oven. Immediately sprinkle chat masala and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with mint-coriander chutney.
Nutrition per serving
* Approximate values per serving
Health Benefits
Baked paneer tikka delivers exceptional protein density for its calorie count — 18g protein per 180 calories is comparable to grilled chicken and far superior to most Indian snacks. This protein directly suppresses ghrelin (hunger hormone) and increases PYY (satiety hormone), making this one of the most effective appetite-control snacks available. The curd-based marinade provides probiotics that support gut microbiome changes associated with sustained weight loss. Capsicum adds Vitamin C that improves iron absorption and provides capsaicin that modestly increases metabolic rate. The complete absence of added oil during cooking keeps calories low while taste and satisfaction stay high.
Pro Tips
- →Don't rush the marinade. Overnight marination in the fridge is the closest you can get to restaurant-quality tikka at home. The curd enzymes tenderise the paneer slowly.
- →The besan in the marinade is the key to the crispy exterior — it creates a thin coating that crisps up in the oven instead of just charring or drying out.
- →Don't crowd the tray or the air fryer basket. Each piece needs space for hot air to circulate around it. Crowded tikka steams rather than bakes, and you lose all the char.
- →Low-fat paneer dries out faster than full-fat — pull it from the oven when the exterior is just starting to char, not when it's very dark.
Variations
- 1Replace paneer with equal-sized cubes of firm tofu for a lower-fat, lactose-free version with similar protein and additional isoflavones.
- 2Add mushrooms and broccoli florets to the skewers alongside paneer for a more vegetable-heavy, lower-calorie version.
- 3Malai-free style: Skip the curd and marinate only in lemon juice, spices, and ginger-garlic paste for 30 minutes — creates a drier, intensely spiced tikka.
