Plus, it’s a kid-friendly dinner that is easy-to-make, flavorsome, and perfect for everyone in the family!
Now, raise your hand if you LOVE paneer tikka! If that’s a yes, then meet this fusion recipe where paneer meets pizza in this delicious Paneer tikka pizza! I mean, why choose between two of your favorites when you can enjoy both in one bite? It was like love at first bite for my family. We devoured the whole pizza in one sitting. Now, making Paneer tikka pizza from scratch is an every other weekend affair in my house. We hardly ever order any pizza from outside as we have so much fun making it ourselves. My kids love to help around in the process, and it’s a fun family-time over the weekends.
Once you bake this pizza at home, there will be no turning back – it’s a complete GAME CHANGER. And one more BONUS thing about homemade pizza is that you get to control all the ingredients that go in this paneer tikka pizza recipe. What could be better? Plus, you will have great satisfaction that you made a delicious pizza from scratch.
PIZZA DOUGH – » Flour – I have used wheat flour in this recipe. If you’d like, you can use half of the wheat flour and half of the all-purpose flour too. To save time, you can use store-bought pizza dough instead of homemade. » Yeast – Look for Instant yeast. However, active dry yeast will work too but that needs to be activated. » Salt – to season the pizza base. » Sugar – It’s needed to activate the yeast. » Water- Use lukewarm water as it will allow the yeast to bloom. Yeat is heat sensitive. Water that’s too hot can kill the yeast. » Olive Oil – We will use olive oil throughout the recipe, as it will provide a nice flavor to our dough. » Paneer – the star ingredients. Use firm paneer cut into cubes. » Yogurt – use thick hung curd or Greek yogurt for marinade. Whisk until smooth. » Ginger and garlic paste – a must-have. » Herbs and seasonings – kasoori methi, degi mirch, salt, turmeric, and coriander powder. » Mustard oil – adds that extra unique flavor. » Lemon juice – for tanginess. You can use fresh lemon or store-bought will work great too. OTHER INGREDIENTS » Pizza sauce – I have used store-bought pizza sauce. » Grated cheese – Grated Mozzarella cheese is preferred by all. It melts well and is gooey and stretchy. If you like, you can use any other cheese with a good melting point. » Italian seasoning – for extra flavor. You can use any pizza spice mix or flavoring to add a kick to our Paneer tikka pizza. Combine yogurt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and lump-free. Add degi mirch, salt, coriander powder, turmeric, lemon juice, ginger, and garlic paste to the bowl. Now add mustard oil along with kasoori methi to the marinade.
Whisk it well until combined. Do the taste test. Adjust the seasonings if needed. Add paneer cubes to the marinade. Cover with a plastic wrap and marinade paneer for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
Attach the dough attachment to the stand mixer and give the dry ingredients a good mix for 5 seconds on low speed. Now pour in olive oil and start mixing the dough at low speed. Gradually add water to the dough.
PROOFING THE DOUGH IN THE INSTANT POT-
Grease the Instant Pot insert. Transfer the dough to the Instant Pot. Cover it with a glass lid. Turn the Instant pot on by pressing the ‘Yogurt’ button. Adjust the pressure to ‘Less.’ Set the timer to 20 minutes. While the dough is proofing, let’s grill our paneer. Transfer the marinated paneer to the insert of an airfryer. Spray the pieces with oil and bake them at 300 degrees F for 5-6 minutes, turning them halfway during cooking. Once all the cubes are cooked, set them aside.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. Transfer the dough onto a greased baking pan/tray and lightly stretch the dough outwards using your fingers tips. Grease your fingers tips with oil and keep pushing and working on the dough until it reaches the edges of the pan. The finished pizza dough will be 14″-16″ in diameter. If you find this hard, you can roll the dough and spread it onto the baking tray.
Let’s start layering up. I chose to layer my pizza with the pizza sauce first, followed by the fresh mozzarella cheese. PROTIP – Do not spread the sauce on the edges. Leave the edges bare with no sauce. Now layer the pizza with sliced onions, bell peppers, and grilled paneer cubes. Sprinkle Italian herb seasoning on top. Brush the edges with some olive oil. Now, bake the pizza in the preheated oven at 425 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until the cheese is all melted and the crust is golden brown. Once baked, remove the pizza from the oven. Cut into slices and serve hot.
The pizza that you see in this post is made with the traditional ingredients but feel free to experiment and add whatever toppings you crave to call this paneer tikka pizza your gourmet creation!
Can I make this paneer pizza vegan?
Most certainly! The pizza dough recipe itself is vegan. Simply, swap paneer for tofu bites and cheese with vegan cheese to make it completely vegan.
Can I par-bake my pizza crust?
Absolutely! Bake the pizza dough for 6-7 minutes, remove from oven and allow it to cool completely. After its cooled, wrap the cooked pizza base tightly in a plastic wrap. The cooked crust can be store in the freezer for a month. When ready to eat, allow the crust to thaw for 10-15 minutes at room temperature. Now, assemble and layer the pizza as mentioned in the recipe and bake as guided. Store the leftover pizza slices in the fridge for 2-3 days. The next day, reheat the pieces in a hot oven for the best results. It will make the crust crispy again. I prefer the skillet version. Heat a skillet on medium-low heat. Add a slice or two of paneer tikka pizza and warm it up in a hot skillet with the lid on until the cheese has melted and the crust is crispy. It’s deliciously yummy, and the flavor combination will surely make it your new family’s favorite. Should you make this Paneer tikka pizza, please leave me a comment below, and don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
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