Crispy Paneer Fingers are a popular Indian party appetizer or snack made from paneer (Indian cottage cheese) that’s cut into finger-sized strips, coated in a spiced batter, breaded, and then deep-fried or air-fried until golden and crispy.
As a vegetarian family, we love any dish made with paneer. Today, I’m excited to share a delicious crispy paneer finger appetizer that’s always a crowd-pleaser in our home. It's easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes.
I first tasted this appetizer at a restaurant in India and instantly fell in love with it. Naturally, I had to recreate it at home! You can prepare it either by deep-frying or air-frying for a lighter version.
Other paneer finger food ideas you may like: paneer popcorn, tandoori paneer tikka, and air fryer paneer.
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How to Make Crispy Paneer Fingers Recipe
Prepare bread crumbs and keep them aside.
In a bowl, mix maida, cornflour, red chili powder, black pepper powder, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
Add some water to make a paste just enough to coat the paneer pieces well.
Dip these fingers in the batter and then roll in breadcrumbs. Repeat this until paneer fingers are double-breaded. See Video* for reference.
Repeat this step for the rest of the paneer pieces.
Refrigerate coated paneer fingers for 15-20 minutes, so that the breadcrumbs stick well on the paneer.
When the oil is hot enough, deep fry the paneer fingers until golden brown on both sides. Remove and drain on a paper towel. You can also air fry them.
Serve crispy and spicy paneer fingers hot.
Serving Suggestions
Serve paneer fingers with tomato ketchup, sriracha mayo, or mint coriander chutney with a hot cup of masala chai for your evening snacks.
Tips & Variations
- You can also add other seasonings like Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), garlic powder, or onion powder.
- If you are vegan, replace paneer with pressed extra-firm tofu.
- Use either homemade or store-bought panko bread crumbs for this recipe.
- You can bread the paneer ahead of time and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, you can air fry or deep fry paneer fingers.
- You can use oats or cornflakes instead of breadcrumbs. In a blender, take ½ cup of quick or rolled oats, and pulse a few times to get coarsely ground oats.
- If you eat eggs, you can skip the flour mixture and dip paneer into the beaten egg mixture along with spices and then roll it into bread crumbs.
- To make Schezwan Paneer Fingers, just add 1.5 tablespoons of schezwan sauce to the flour mixture and follow the same steps.
More Indian Paneer Recipes
Crispy Paneer Fingers Recipe
Ingredients
for Crispy Paneer Fingers
- 100 grams paneer
- 1 cup bread crumbs (appx 5 breads) *Bread crumbs should be course.
- 4 tablespoons maida (all purpose flour)
- 2 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch)
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder can use fresh chopped garlic if you don’t have garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning
- salt to taste
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Prepare bread crumbs and keep them aside.
- In a bowl, mix maida, cornflour, red chili powder, black pepper powder, Italian seasoning, garlic powder & salt.
- Add some water to make a paste just enough to coat the paneer pieces well.
- Dip these fingers in the batter and then roll in breadcrumbs. Repeat this until paneer fingers are double-breaded.
- Repeat this step for the rest of the paneer pieces.
- Refrigerate coated paneer fingers for 15-20 minutes, so that breadcrumbs stick well on the paneer.
- When oil is hot enough, deep fry paneer fingers until golden brown on both sides. Remove & drain on a paper towel.
- Serve crispy & crunchy paneer fingers with tomato ketchup.
Notes
- You can also add other seasonings like Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), garlic powder or onion salt, etc.
- If you are vegan, replace paneer with tofu.
- Use either homemade or panko bread crumbs from the store for this recipe.
- You can bread the paneer ahead of time and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, you can air fry or deep fry paneer fingers.
- You can use oats or cornflakes instead of breadcrumbs. In a blender, take ½ cup of quick or rolled oats, and pulse a few times to get coarsely ground oats.
- If you eat eggs, you can skip the flour mixture and dip paneer into the beaten egg mixture along with spices and then roll into bread crumbs.
- To Make Schezwan Paneer Fingers, just add 1.5 tablespoons of Schezwan sauce to the flour mixture and follow the same steps.
Nutrition
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