Paneer Nachos
Oct 12, 2019, Updated Oct 20, 2019
Indian twist on Nachos! These paneer nachos are loaded with spiced paneer and topped with yogurt sauce, onion-tomato salsa, papdi and chutneys! Makes a great vegetarian appetizer.
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Paneer Nachos loaded with layers of tortilla chips, spicy marinated paneer, beans and topped with onion-tomato salsa, yogurt, cilantro chutney, sweet chutney and crispy papdi!
These nachos with Indian twist will be your new favorite way to enjoy nachos!
You guys! I am so so excited for today’s recipe.
I am always excited to share recipes with you guys but this one has me very excited.
Just because it’s so good! You know the feeling when something is in your head and it turns out even better in reality?
Yeah that happened with these Paneer Nachos!
These reloaded nachos are loaded with all Indian flavors- there’s spicy paneer, yogurt, chutneys, onion, tomatoes and papdi on top.
So flavorful in every bite!
I had paneer nachos at an Indian restaurant called Chauhan – Ale Masala House in Nashville a year ago. While I don’t clearly remember what all was in there and how it tasted, I remember loving the idea.
And that’s where the inspiration to make these paneer nachos came from.
I thought I will make these for Diwali and give it my own twist.
I had the idea in mind and it turned out so well so I am beyond excited for this!
These Spicy Paneer Nachos
✓ loaded with flavor
✓ would make a great snack for Diwali parties
✓ easy to make (with some prep in advance)
✓ makes a great vegetarian appetizer
There are several components to these Paneer Nachos. So it might look like a long list of ingredients but honestly with some prep work, you should be able to put this all together rather quickly!
Tortilla chips: use a brand that you like. I have used plain tortilla chips that I got from my local grocery store.
Paneer: of course the star of these nachos is the paneer. To make the paneer more flavorful, I marinate them with yogurt and spices and let it sit for few hours and then pan fry.
This marination gives them so much flavor.
Also remember if using store bought paneer, soak it in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes and then use in the recipe.
Refried beans: I have used canned refried beans here, I like the one from Trader Joe’s. You can use any that you like – homemade or store bought.
You can even black beans here in case you don’t have refried beans.
Cheese: of course a good cheese is must for nachos! I have used pepperjack cheese here. You can use the one you like.
You can also adjust the quantity of cheese to your liking. I haven’t used a ton of it.
Onion-Tomato salsa: this is just a super simple fresh salsa which I have used to top the nachos.
Yogurt: so this is actually a sweet yogurt sauce (slightly sweet) made with yogurt, salt, sugar and powdered mint.
Chutneys: the chutneys add so much flavor to these nachos. Cilantro chutney and sweet tamarind dates chutney is what I have used here.
Papdi: these add the final crunch to these nachos. For those who don’t know papdi are crispy crackers made with flour and deep fried.
All together, these flavors create a flavor explosion! You guys have to trust me on this.
Prep in Advance
So, if you are making these for your Diwali party, here’s what you can do in advance to make your life easier.
✓ Marinate the paneer overnight and keep it in the refrigerator. Next day, you have to only pan fry the paneer pieces.
✓ Make the chutneys in advance. You can make both at home or do what I did- make the cilantro chutney at home and buy tamarind date chutney from Indian store.
✓ Whisk the yogurt with salt, sugar and mint and keep it ready.
Once the prep work is done, next day you would pan fry the paneer. While the paneer is frying, grate the cheese.
Then arrange paneer, beans and cheese together and pop it in the oven. Meanwhile make the onion tomato salsa.
Take the plate out and top with salsa, yogurt, chutneys, papdi and you are done!
And these have to served immediately. So once everything is done, serve them immediately else the chips turn soggy and then it’s no fun.
Can you make these nachos vegan? I haven’t tried but you can try substituting paneer with tofu, plain yogurt with almond milk yogurt and vegan cheese in place of pepperjack cheese.
Hope you guys give these paneer nachos a try. I would love to know how they turned out!
Method
Make the paneer marinade first. Start by cutting the paneer into small cubes.
1- To a large bowl, add yogurt, tandoori masala, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, lime juice and salt.
2- Mix until everything is well combined.
3- Add the paneer cubes. Stir until all are well coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for minimum of 1 hour.
4- After an hour, take the paneer out of the refrigerator. Heat a skillet on high heat. Spray with a oil spray. Add paneer cubes to the pan in a single layer.
5- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on high medium heat until paneer is nicely browned. Remove pan from heat.
6- While the paneer is cooking, make the salsa. To a bowl, add chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Stir to combine and set aside.
7- Make the yogurt sauce by mixing together yogurt, salt, sugar and mint powder in a bowl. Set aside.
8- Meanwhile also heat the canned refried beans. I usually add little water while heating the beans in a pan.
Also grate the cheese. So now all components are ready, it’s time to assemble the nachos. Pre-heat oven to 400 F degrees.
9- Line a baking sheet with tortilla chips. Add refried beans all over the chips.
10- Top with paneer pieces. Make sure paneer is equally distributed throughout. You may slightly crush the paneer cubes, I like them as such.
Top with the grated cheese. You may use any cheese of choice, I like pepperjack here. You may also add as much cheese as you like.
11- Place the pan in a pre-heated 400 F degrees oven for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Remove pan from oven. Crush the papdi and add it all over the pan.
12- Then add the prepared onion-tomato salsa all over. Drizzle the yogurt sauce, cilantro chutney and sweet tamarind chutney on top.
Serve paneer nachos immediately!
If you’ve tried this Paneer Nachos Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Paneer Nachos
Ingredients
To Marinate Paneer
- 1/2 cup +2 tablespoons plain yogurt 150 grams
- 2.5 teaspoons tandoori masala
- 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 lime juice of
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 14 oz paneer 396 grams, cut into small cubes
Tomato Onion Salsa
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1/2 medium white onion chopped
- 1 jalapeño seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon mint powder
Everything else
- 10-12 oz tortilla chips bag
- 16 oz can refried beans
- 1.5 cups grated pepper jack cheese or add more to taste
- 12-15 papdi (puri)
- cilantro chutney
- tamarind dates chutney
Instructions
- Make the paneer marinade first. Start by cutting the paneer into small cubes.To a large bowl, add yogurt, tandoori masala, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, lime juice and salt. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Add the paneer cubes. Stir until all are well coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for minimum of 1 hour.
- After an hour, take the paneer out of the refrigerator. Heat a skillet on high heat. Spray with a oil spray. Add paneer cubes to the pan in a single layer.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on high medium heat until paneer is nicely browned. Remove pan from heat.
- While the paneer is cooking, make the salsa. To a bowl, add chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Make the yogurt sauce by mixing together yogurt, salt, sugar and mint powder in a bowl. Set aside.
- Meanwhile also heat the canned refried beans. I usually add little water while heating the beans in a pan.Also grate the cheese. So now all components are ready, it's time to assemble the nachos. Pre-heat oven to 400 F degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with tortilla chips. Add refried beans all over the chips.Top with paneer pieces. Make sure paneer is equally distributed throughout. You may slightly crush the paneer cubes, I like them as such.Top with the grated cheese. You may use any cheese of choice, I like pepperjack here. You may also add as much cheese as you like.
- Place the pan in a pre-heated 400 F degrees oven for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Remove pan from oven. Crush the papdi and add it all over the pan.Then add the prepared onion-tomato salsa all over. Drizzle the yogurt sauce, cilantro chutney and sweet tamarind chutney on top.
- Serve paneer nachos immediately!
Notes
- The nachos taste best when served immediately. You can do all the prep work in advance (see instructions and tips in post above) and then layer and bake the nachos before serving and then drizzle everything on top just before serving.
- If you love extra cheese in your nachos, you may use more of it.
- When using store bought paneer, soak it in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes and then use in the recipe. Makes the paneer soft.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Another hit recipe
Hi Manali,
I don’t have time to make papdi. I do have thin sev. Do you think that will go with this dish?
Or is it better to skip it altogether? Thank you,
Kanthi.
you can skip it, just some crunch on top is nice that’s why I added papdi and I didn’t make papdi at home, it was store bought 🙂
Are we talking about rice papdi or?
I have used regular flour papdi (store-bought)
We made this twice over the past month – as I doubled everything and only made one tray the first time due to a lot of other food. The second tray I was able to spend more time – Couple of changes I made :
I added some taco seasoning to the refried beans to give them their own kick
Used the Trader Joe’s Mexican Cheese blend
Topped with Pomengranate Arils
Both trays of nacho’s were delicious and enjoyed by everyone but definitely a hearty item if making a large tray invite your neighbors to share!
awesome!
I made this last night and it was delicious! Thank you Manali.
awesome!
Hi Manali,
what can we substitute tandoori masala with? I have garam masala, pav bhaji masala and chana masala. Thanks.
hmm you can try with garam masala or search for homemade tandoori masala and make your own
Looks Delicious.