Indian Fusion Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza Recipe

This is going to be a super special pizza I’ll be sharing with you. Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza is one of my all-time favorites from Pizza Hut and Domino’s in India. Along with Chicken Tikka pizza, this was my go-to order! This Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza is inspired by the iconic Paneer Tikka Masala curry, and you can check out my recipe for that dish!

This Indian fusion pizza recipe features marinated cubes of paneer that are perfectly charred to a smoky perfection. This will be our main topping, along with cheese and vegetables. You can use any pizza dough of your choice, but I’ll be using my Quick Homemade Pizza Napoletana Dough here. To accompany this Indian-style pizza, we of course need the perfect sauce! This Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza will show you how to make an easy butter chicken sauce for pizza, based on my Authentic Makhani Sauce recipe! Finally, lots of Indian households don’t have ovens, so we’ll be making our pizza on a cast iron skillet or a non-stick skillet. If you do have an oven, I’ll be showing you how to finish the pizza in the oven or how to make the entire pizza in the oven if that’s what you feel like doing!

Make sure to watch the video so you get a visual representation of how the pizza is prepared from start to finish! The video will show how to make the dough, the paneer tikka, the sauce and how to cook the pizza on a cast iron or non-stick pan. With all the steps laid out, you’re definitely guaranteed success when making this special Indian fusion pizza recipe! Make sure to subscribe to me on YouTube if you’re not already so you always know when the corresponding video to all of my recipes go live! I love filming the recipes since I find watching the demonstration is a nice complement to the written recipe and you’re set up for success! Let’s get cooking!

Why Make Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza

• The paneer will cook directly over the pizza, so all you need to do is marinate!
• This pizza uses a fresh homemade pizza dough that’s ready in an hour
• You’ll have an explosion of flavors from the iconic paneer tikka masala curry right onto a pizza along with cheesy goodness!
• Kid-friendly and vegetarian-friendly!

Ingredients for Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza

Let’s go over the ingredients we’ll need to make the ultimate fusion Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza! For all measurements with the full ingredient list, make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD, so you can save this recipe for later! For the pizza dough, we will be using my Quick Homemade Pizza Napoletana Dough, so be sure to click on that recipe if you want more details on how to make your dough and storage tips and tricks! What’s great about this recipe is that you can easily scale all of the components based on how many pizzas you want to make! Just check the card and enter the number of pizzas you’re looking to make!

For the Pizza Dough

• 00 flour
• Quick rise yeast
• Salt
• Lukewarm water (60-70F) + ~200 g/mL lukewarm water (60-70F)

For the Paneer Tikka

• Paneer (store-bought or homemade!)
• Lemon or lime juice
• Plain yogurt
• Deggi mirch
• Turmeric
• Garam masala
• Ground coriander
• Kasoori methi
• Salt
• Onion
• Green or poblano pepper

For the Indian Makhani Sauce

• Unsalted butter
• Ground ginger
• Passata or tomato puree
• Tomato paste
• Deggi mirch
• Honey
• Kasoori methi/dried fenugreek leaves
• 10% cream/half and half cream
• Garam masala
• Salt to taste

For the Toppings

• Mozzarella cheese
• Provolone cheese

How to Make Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza

Here are the steps for how to make our Indian fusion Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see variations of the recipe if you have an oven and pizza equipment (such as a baking steel/stone and a pizza peel) and you want to make your pizza in the oven.

For the Pizza Dough

Add yeast and 1/4 Cup of lukewarm water to a bowl and whisk until water is bubbly. Mix until you see no granules of yeast floating on the water. If the yeast doesn't dissolve, the yeast is likely dead and you will have to start over with fresh yeast.

Add flour to the bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer and add all of the yeast-water mixture. Then, slowly add the rest of the lukewarm water while continuing to knead with the dough hook.

Knead until the dough comes together and you have a soft, pliable dough which is not sticky to touch. Add more flour/water as required to reach this consistency.

Stop the mixer and add the salt. Knead on low speed for 1 minute.

Then, transfer the dough to your countertop and continue kneading, stretch and fold the dough for 1-2 minutes or until the dough is soft and has no creases or lines.

Form the dough into a ball and set aside on the countertop/bowl (lined with olive oil) and let rest for 40-45 minutes or until the dough is at least 1.5x times the size.

Then, portion the dough into 2 equal parts and for each portion fold the dough onto itself to create a tight surface tension as you seal/pinch the folds. Be careful not to de-gas the dough too much. The portions should resemble a ball of fresh mozzarella. This is a great time to freeze any dough you are not planning to use right away.

Let the dough portions rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

For the Paneer Tikka

In a bowl add all the ingredients for the marinade except paneer and veggies. Whisk well and taste to adjust for seasoning.

Add the cubed paneer and quartered veggies to the marinade and gently toss well to combine. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the sauce.

For the No Cook Makhani Sauce

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the no-cook makhani sauce and mix well. Adjust with salt for seasoning.

For the Paneer Tikka Pan Pizza

Heat a non-stick/cast iron/stainless steel pan on medium to medium high heat.

In the meanwhile, dust your worktop with flour and take out one portion of the dough. De-gas as little as possible as you transfer it to your worktop.

Starting from the center, start stretching the dough outwards and use a circular motion on both of your hands to stretch the dough to roughly fit the diameter of your pan. Make sure to leave a raised lip at the edge of the dough for the crust.

Once hot, add a splash of olive oil and spread the oil around the pan. Carefully transfer the rolled out dough to the pan, you will have a few seconds to adjust any folds and move the dough to fit the diameter.

Let the dough cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the centre feels firm, and you are able to shake the pan to slide the pizza dough.

Turn the heat down to medium low.

Apply the sauce over the dough, followed by a layer of provolone, mozzarella and your marinated Paneer Tikka mix making sure to avoid dripping any excess marinade on the pizza.

Once you have assembled the pizza, check the colour of the crust underneath using a spatula.

Once you see a light brown crust, turn the heat all the way to low and cover the pan with a lid. The dough at the edges and the toppings will finish cooking with the steam within the pan.

Once the cheese is molten and the edges of the pizza feels firm, you are ready to serve.

Tips for the Best Paneer Tikka Pizza

• If the yeast doesn’t dissolve after mixing, the yeast is likely dead. You might need to start over with fresh dough.
• Let the dough rest in a warm place, free of wind drafts. If your kitchen is cold, you may place the dough near the oven as it preheats.
• Be careful not to de-gas the dough too much as you are folding the individual portions onto itself. If you work the dough too much, it will start to resist as you start to stretch the dough for the pizza.
• I recommend passata strained tomatoes for the pizza sauce because the tomatoes will cook as you cook the pizza
• Prep the ingredients while your pizza dough rises, then your dough will be ready to cook as your prep is complete!
• If you have a pan where the surface is larger than the area of your stove burner, make sure your dough doesn’t extend to where the heat isn’t hot enough as it is in the centre. You will get some burnt spots in the middle while the ends are undercooked or raw
• Shake the dough and you’ll know the dough is cooking if the dough shakes
• If you have the option, I would recommend using a cast iron pan over a non-stick pan as the heat retention will be better, which will produce a crispier crust.

Variations for Paneer Tikka Pizza in an Oven

To Finish the Pizza in the Oven

If you do have an oven, at this stage you can transfer the pizza to a baking sheet or if you have an oven safe pan, transfer the pan directly under the broiler and broil on high until the cheese has brown spots.

To Cook the Pizza in the Oven

1. Place one baking steel/stone on the second highest rack of the oven and another one at the bottom most rack. Preheat oven at 500 F for 1 hour.
2. Dust your countertop with flour and starting with one portion of dough at a time, add the dough ball over the flour. Starting from the centre of the dough, press down on the dough and create a rim around the side.
3. Continue pressing down the centre to stretch the dough. Then, hold the dough from the rim and rotate to let gravity stretch if further. You can also you use knuckles to stretch the dough, until the diameter is about 10 inches.
4. Set oven to Broil mode, let top steel/stone heat for 8-10 minutes.
5. Dust a wooden pizza peel with semolina and place the stretched dough on the peel.
6. Add 3-4 Tbsp of the no cook makhani sauce and spread until the edge of the pizza. Tear layers of the provolone and dot 2-3 slices around the pizza, followed by mozzarella and the marinated Paneer Tikka mix. Make sure to avoid dripping any excess marinade on the pizza.
7. In a swift push and pull motion, place the pizza on the top baking steel/stone.
8. Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes or until the crust has some char or brown spots and the cheese has molten.
9. Then transfer the pizza to the bottom steel/stone to finish off the crust of the pizza, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
10. Remove the pizza from the oven and brush the crust with olive oil. Serve hot and enjoy!