Spicy Paneer Bites with Mint Chutney Sauce
Crispy Paneer Nuggets! Spicy paneer bites with turmeric, cumin, and cayenne, served with mint chutney dipping sauce.
These paneer bites are so incredible — they are one of my favorite new appetizers. I had an extra block of paneer in my fridge a few weeks ago from a recipe that I never ended up making, and wanted to create a little snack for a few friends who were coming over later that day.
I had pan-frying on my brain after making my tofu nuggets and crispy tofu in red Thai curry, and I knew a similar technique would work on this paneer. Toss the paneer in potato starch and spices and pan-fry until crispy on all sides.
Served with a spicy yet cooling mint chutney dipping sauce, well, you’ve been warned. These are addictive.
See below for more details, or scroll down for the full recipe.
Things to Know Before Making These Paneer Bites
You need potato starch to make these bites nice and crispy. You can use other starches if you’d like, like arrowroot and even corn starch, but I find that potato starch has no aftertaste that sometimes happens with corn starch.
You can use any dipping sauce you’d like, but I really enjoy the mint dip. I prefer the creamy texture of this mint yogurt sauce but if you want a chunkier sauce, then you can finely chop the fresh herbs and jalapeno pepper before mixing with the yogurt.
You can find paneer in the premier cheese section of most grocery stores. You can also find it in international grocery stores.
How to Make These Paneer Bites
Cube the Paneer
Cube the paneer and toss with the olive oil, starch and the spices
Fry the Paneer
Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the paneer until crispy on all sides
Blend the chutney
Add 1/2 the yogurt and the remaining ingredients to a mini food prep or processor and blend until creamy. Mix with the remaining 1/2 cup of the yogurt until very creamy. Season to taste with salt.
Serve
Serve the paneer bites with the chutney.
How To Serve
I prefer to serve these paneer bites as an appetizer, but leftovers are also great on top of salad and in your favorite grain bowls.
You can use other spice blends if you’d like, or make them less spicy by omitting the cayenne pepper.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days. You can re-crisp in an air fryer (affiliate) or a skillet.
More Indian-Inspired Recipes
- Easy Slow Cooker Vegan Tikka Masala
- Slow Cooker Butter Chickpeas with Tofu
- Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Summer Vegetable Curry
- Slow Cooker Vegan Saag Paneer
If you try these spicy paneer bites, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers, and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
Spicy Paneer Bites with Mint Chutney Sauce
Ingredients
Crispy Paneer Cubes
- 1 8-10 ounce package paneer
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon potato starch
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mint Chutney Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup plain, thick yogurt, like full-fat Greek Yogurt, divided
- 1/8 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeno pepper or other green chili pepper, stem removed*
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Cube the paneer, then place in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, starch, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cayenne and salt. Set aside.
Make the chutney
- Place 1/4 cup of the yogurt, mint, cilantro, pepper, sugar, cumin and lemon juice in a or mini blender (affiliate), like a . Blend until creamy, then place into a small bowl and add the remaining 1/4 cup yogurt. Mix until well combined.
Make the cubes
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large skillet, like a cast iron skillet. Add the paneer and cook until crispy on all sides, turning every 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Remove and serve right away with the dipping sauce.