Tandoori mushroom tikka recipe with stovetop, oven & air fryer instructions. Mushroom tikka is an Indian appetizer made by marinating & grilling mushrooms with spices, herbs and yogurt. These grilled mushroom skewers are simply delicious, bursting with flavors & are easy to make. They go well as an appetizer, in roti rolls or as a side with plain rice & simple dal.
Indian tandoori appetizers are very popular for their unbeatable flavors and taste. We make grilled tandoori dishes with meat, paneer and even with vegetables. Mushroom tikka is one of them and is made much the same way as paneer tikka.
In India, tandoori tikkas are mostly made with a main ingredient combined with bell peppers and onions. Both of these enhance the flavors when grilled. I made it the same way as served in restaurants. If you do not want to use them you may simply replace bell peppers & onions with the same amount of mushrooms.
Traditional tikkas are always grilled in tandoor /clay oven. Since we don’t own it, these mushroom tikkas can be grilled in electric oven, stovetop griddle, barbeque/ charcoal grill or even in air fryer.
Preparation
1. To make the marinade gather all the spices. Please adjust the spice level to your taste. Here are the ingredients I used:
2 teaspoons kashmiri red chilli powder (1 teaspoon for moderate heat)
¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
1½ teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon chaat masala
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (I used ½ teaspoon each powder)
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
1½ to 2 tablespoons kasuri methi (crush it well in your palms)
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 small lemon (use only if needed)
2. For this recipe we need half cup hung curd / strained yogurt or greek yogurt. I didn’t have it so I added 1½ cups homemade yogurt to a muslin cloth/ cheese cloth. Squeezed off the whey, made a knot and hung it for 30 mins. I got about half cup hung curd. Add it to a mixing bowl.
3. Add all the above mentioned spice powders to the yogurt and mix together. Taste test and add more salt if needed. The consistency of the marinade should be thick otherwise it won’t bind to the tikkas. If it turns runny, then you may add some roasted besan or sattu. If the marinade is not sour, then squeeze in some lemon juice. I used only half of a small lemon.
4. Then add
1 small onion diced (75 grams) (layers separated)
bell peppers diced (150 grams)
250 grams mushrooms
5. Mix all of them well.
6. Add 1½ tablespoon oil. I forgot to add it to the marinade so added it here. Mustard oil gives a nice flavor. If you don’t have use any other oil of your choice. Mix well.
Making tandoori mushroom tikka
7. If using oven – Preheat your oven to 200 C or 400 F for at least 15 to 20 mins.
To grill on stovetop use a non-stick griddle/ tawa.
If your Air fryer needs preheating, preheat it to 200 C or 400 F or as per your manual.
8. Rinse skewers under running water. Thread the veggies starting with onions, bell peppers & mushrooms. Prepare a baking tray/ pan that is at least 1½ inches deep so your tikkas don’t stick to the pan. Place the skewers on the tray.
9. Set the leftover marinade aside. It will be used for brushing while grilling.
10. For mushroom tikka in the oven – Place the tray in the oven & grill for 10 mins.
For air fryer tandoori mushrooms – Air fry them for 8 mins at 200 C or 400 F.
To grill on stovetop, pour 1 tablespoon oil to a non stick griddle & heat it. Place the skewers and grill them on a high heat turning around until done.
11. Oven method – After 10 mins, brush them on top lightly with the marinade. Then turn the skewers to the other side & brush if needed. Grill them again for 6 to 7 minutes.
For air fryer tandoori mushroom tikka – After 8 mins, brush them on top lightly with the marinade. Turn the skewers to the other side. Air fry again for another 5 mins. Adjust the timing as needed depending on the size of mushrooms.
12. When done perfectly, the veggies will wilt and the marinade dries a bit. Lastly brush them with some softened butter or mustard oil.
13. To char them slightly, broil for 2 mins in oven. For air fryer tandoori mushroom tikka, air fry for another 1 to 2 mins. If making on griddle, place a grill rack on the stovetop and place the skewers over direct fire.
When they are grilled perfectly, you will begin to smell the grilled mushrooms and onions so good. Remove them at this stage and serve immediately.
More mushroom recipes,
Hot garlic mushrooms
Kadai mushroom
Mushroom masala
Tandoori mushroom tikka
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 250 grams mushrooms (I use button mushrooms)
- 1 small onion diced (75 grams) (layers separated)
- 1 cup bell peppers diced (150 grams)
for marinade
- ½ cup greek yogurt (thick curd/ strained yogurt)
- 1 ½ tablespoon oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (I used ½ teaspoon each, powder)
- 1½ to 2 teaspoons kashmiri red chilli powder (1 teaspoon for moderate heat)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1½ teaspoons coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons kasuri methi (crushed)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper crushed (powder)
- 1 small lemon (use only if needed)
For serving
- 1 to 2 tbsps butter or mustard oil
Instructions
Prepare marinade
- To a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients mentioned under marinade except lemon juice. Mix well.
- Taste test and add more salt and lemon juice. If the marinade tastes sour, skip lemon juice.
- Add the mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. Mix well.
- If using wooden skewers, rinse them under running water.
How to make
- Preheat air fryer or oven to 200 C or 400 F for atleast 15 mins. If using stovetop, heat a non-stick griddle with 1 tablespoon oil.
- Thread the veggies on to skewers – onion, bell pepper & mushrooms.
- Place the skewers on a prepared baking tray. Place them in the oven or air fryer or on a griddle.
- Oven – Grill them for 10 mins & then brush the skewers lightly with some marinade. Turn the skewers to the other side and brush if needed. Grill them again for 6 to 7 mins depending on the size of the mushrooms.
- Air fryer – Air fry for 8 mins, then brush them with little marinade. Turn the skewers to the other side and repeat brushing lightly. Air fry again for 5 mins. Adjust the timings based on the size of mushrooms.
- Stove top – Place the skewers and keep turning them to all the sides and cook on a high heat. Some of the marinade comes to the griddle, you can use a wooden spatula to bring it together. When the veggies wilt, place a wired rack on the stovetop and place the mushroom skewers over direct flame and grill until done.
- To char the tandoori mushrooms, brush some butter or mustard oil and place the skewers back in the oven. Broil or air fry for another 2 mins.
- When done perfectly, grilled mushroom tikka & onions will begin to smell so good. Brush with more butter or oil if needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- To make the stovetop tikkas on griddle, do not use cold veggies or yogurt directly from the refrigerator as they will let out lots of moisture in the griddle. Also cook them only on a high flame otherwise mushrooms will let out moisture.
- Adjust grill time as needed. It depends on the size of the mushrooms.
- Avoid grilling these directly on the stovetop fire. Grill them on the griddle/ pan first then place them on the direct fire just for a few minutes.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Hi Swasthi, I cooked these last night – very tasty – thank you.
I don’t always have chat masala on hand. Any worthy substitutes?
Hi Sandy,
Glad to know! There is no substitute for Chaat masala. You can actually skip it and use some lemon juice before serving. Thank you
I tried this recipe in air fryer and it turns out awesome. Please share more new recipes.
Glad to know Beena
Sure will share more.
🙂