Garlic Paneer Recipe
Updated: August 26, 2022, By Swasthi
Garlic Paneer is a quick, delicious and easy Paneer appetizer made with Indian Cheese, garlic, red chilies and spices. This 15 mins paneer starter is going to be your new favorite & I am sure you will turn back to it time & again, just like the way we do. Garlic Paneer is super flavorful, spicy, hot and delicious enough to serve as a starter or side in your meal. Feel free to use it in your kathi rolls, wraps, burgers & sandwiches.
About Garlic Paneer
Indo-Chinese Garlic Paneer is an item you will find often on the restaurant menus. But that’s a completely different version where paneer is deep fried like it is done for Chili Paneer and Paneer Manchurian. It is later tossed in a sweet spicy and pungent garlicky sauce.
My version of Garlic Paneer is made healthier by simply tossing the paneer in a wok or pan. But let me tell you the sauce is going to tickle your taste buds & you may turn out to be obsessed with this homemade garlic sauce, like me.
This recipe is adapted from our family favorite – Garlic Chicken. I end up making so many dishes with this sauce like Garlic Mushrooms, Garlic prawns, Garlic Noodles and even Garlic rice.
Homemade Sauce
Homemade garlic sauce forms the base of this dish and it is made with fresh garlic, red chilies, salt, vinegar and sugar. We simply blend the ingredients in a spice grinder to a coarse paste and toss it in hot oil. Later paneer is tossed in this. How simple right?
Sometimes, I make a giant garlic paneer sandwich with French baguette. Simply use some hung curd/ strained yogurt to spread, place a lettuce, add garlic paneer, and load with some fresh onions, tomatoes & grated carrots. I have a similar sandwich recipe made with mushrooms – Mushroom Sandwich.
Garlic paneer is a dry dish but it still goes well as a side with Hakka Noodles, Fried rice or Egg Fried noodles. It can also be served simply as a side with any meal.
More Paneer recipes,
Paneer Sandwich
Paneer tikka
Easy Paneer 65
Paneer pakora
Photo Guide
How to Make Garlic Paneer (Stepwise Photos)
Prepare Sauce
1. Add 6 large garlic cloves, 5 to 6 deseeded dried red chilies (optionally soaked for 15 mins), 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vinegar (white or apple cider) to a blender jar. Make sure your garlic isn’t sprouted else your sauce is likely to taste bitter. To check slice each clove to 2 parts and check inside. If you do not like red chilli seeds, please deseed and use.
2. Add 2 tbsp. water and blend to a smooth or coarse paste to suit your liking.
Make Garlic Paneer
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. You can skip cumin and add a single small strand of mace as well. Add half cup finely chopped onions. You can skip onions and use spring onions.
4. Saute until lightly golden. You can also add capsicum if you want and saute for a while.
5. Add the ground paste.
6. Saute on a medium flame until the mixture begins to leave the sides of the pan or begins to release oil begins. There is not much oil used but still you can make out when the sauce is ready. It turns fragrant. But do not overcook, garlic turns bitter.
7. Taste test and adjust salt and vinegar. If you want you may add 1 teaspoon soya sauce. Add 1 ¼ cup diced paneer and toss gently to coat the mixture. If the sauce is too thick for you to coat the paneer, splash some water. (about a tablespoon only & not a lot).
8. Saute for just 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overcook. It just takes one to 2 minutes.
Garnish garlic paneer with chopped coriander leaves or celery.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Garlic Paneer Recipe (Quick Paneer Starter)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1¼ cup paneer cubed
- 6 large garlic cloves (refer notes)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar)
- 5 to 6 red chilies kashmiri (seeds removed or 1 teaspoon chilli powder or chilli flakes)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin or 1 small strand of mace (optional)
- ½ cup onions very fine chopped
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves or celery fine chopped for garnish
- 1 teaspoon soya sauce naturally brewed – optional
Instructions
How to make Garlic Paneer Appetizer
- Blend together garlic, chilies, sugar, salt and vinegar with 2 to 3 tbsp water to a smooth or coarse paste.
- Heat a pan with oil and add cumin seeds.
- When the cumin seeds sizzle, add onions & saute until golden. Regulate the heat to medium. Add the sauce and cook until it thickens and the oil separates.
- Reduce the flame completely and taste test the sauce. Adjust salt and if you want you may add soya sauce.
- Add paneer and gently mix well to coat the sauce. If it is too dry you may splash little water, about a tablespoon. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with coriander or celery.
- Serve garlic paneer hot as an appetizer, side or with fried rice, noodles. You can also stuff it in your wraps, kathi rolls, sandwiches etc.
Notes
- Make sure your garlic isn’t sprouted. Sprouted garlic makes your dish bitter. To make sure slice each garlic to 2 parts and check the centers.
- Paneer can be coated with corn flour batter and shallow fried or deep fried first then added to the garlic sauce. For this you will cook the sauce with little water until it is thick yet flowy but not dry as shown in the recipe.
- This dish may not be for you if you suffer from acidity.Â
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Awesome and very easy to make.
Beautiful, simple recipe. The mentioned proportions were very accurate, useful for a beginner cook like me. The sauce came out awesome. Only thing, the paneer was not well toasted and infused with the sauce flavors. Any tips for that would be appreciated.
Thank you. This recipe is meant to be a fast/quick recipe under 15 mins. So I have shown the cut-short method. If you want toasted paneer, toast it separately with little ghee and reserve aside. Saute the chili garlic paste and pour little water. Bring to a rolling boil and add the paneer. Let simmer for a few minutes, this way it will have a toasted flavor and also infuse the flavors.
Thank you very much for the tips
I just made this as I bought a block of paneer at Costco on sale and had no idea what to do with it. I googled and this recipe looked intriguing. I had all the ingredients in the house. I gave it a whirl. Delicious. I will definitely try it on a baguette with yogurt and Veges. Thankyou. Not for the weak as it is spicy but so flavorful
Thanks Anne! That’s a lovely review and so glad you like it.
DELICIOUS!! I work long hours and this recipes is just so easy to prepare with no compromise to the taste. Thank you so much!
Hello, I’d like to try your recipe tonight. But do I use ground cumin or cumin seeds? You mention different things in ingredient and method? Thanks very much.
Hi Katherine,
It is cumin seeds. I have not mentioned ground cumin in the recipe. If you don’t have seeds, you may use ground cumin. Add it before the ground paste. Hope you enjoy the dish
Would this be good to serve cold as nibbles at a party?
Yes it can be served cold.
it tasted so good!!!
It was very delicious ?.
Simple yet delicious recipe
This recipe is just sooo brilliant!!! A super quick starter for a evening snack/party starter!
Thanks a ton for this one!
For this recipe is very helpful.
Folloed the procedure as it is resulted very tasty quick starter
amazing
Thanks Jayashree
Where would I find the chilis used in this recipe? Are there alternatives if I can’t find those chilis?
Liz, You will find them in Indian or Asian stores. Use low heat red chilli powder or chilli flakes if you can’t find chilies
This was the first time I tried Paneer, and it was delicious. I made a smaller quantity since I was just cooking for myself. I also forgot to add the water, but it turned out alright. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you like it Nimra
Thank you
Point 8. “Pour that to the pan”
Its already in the pan , right? (both, the gravy and the paneer cubes). So where am I transferring ? Plz xplain 😀
Hi Jay,
Yes you are right. Thanks for pointing it. I will correct.
Thank you for this quick and easy recipe. It was a huge hit at my place!
Glad to know Lavanya
Thank you
Super easy and quick for a snack … totally loved it
Thank you so much!
Dear Swasti,
Always look through your recipes & today tried your garlic paneer. Was fantastic & it vanished in minutes. Thanks for a quick, easy & delicious recipe.
Hi Sushila
That’s great to know! Thank you!
🙂
dear swathi!
your recipes are awesome.I always look for your recipes when I am in need of help. Its ethnic as well as some of them have the taste of improvised experiments that you have successfully made. So for me Swathi is the best. congratilations!!!
Leela, Thank you so much! Glad you like the recipes.
🙂
dear swathi,