Conventional low-carb diets rely heavily on meat, which makes them unsuitable for vegetarians. However, this does not need to be the case. Everyone can follow a low-carb diet, even vegetarians and vegans
Keto Indian vegetarian recipes - Following a keto diet for vegetarians can be a task,however if you look around you will find a number of options. Keto Indian vegetarian recipes are always going to have less carbs than any other non vegetarian recipes, it's also ideal for those who want to get in shape or lead a healthy life style.
I’ve been getting a lot of queries on recipes for vegetarians and Indian vegetarians in particular. Most of them have come from my friends who have been following the keto diet for a while now, so, here are a few recipes for you all.
Keto paneer tikka is a part of the vegetarian diet and can help you lose weight fast. It is one of the easiest Keto Indian recipes if you are looking for low carb Indian vegetarian recipes. Paneer belongs to the category of foods that are high in fat, low in protein and sugar with very few carbs.
Jump to:
- Benefits of Paneer
- What is the different between paneer tikka and paneer tikka masala ?
- Keto Paneer tikka Ingredients
- Equipment
- Instructions for marination
- How to make keto paneer tikka in air fryer
- How to make Keto paneer tikka in oven
- Equipment
- Substitutions
- Variations
- Try more Indian cottage cheese recipes?
- Easy Keto Paneer Tikka recipe
- FAQs
Benefits of Paneer
- Good source of vitamin B12,selenium,magnesium
- Maintains blood sugar levels
- Good for heart and immune system
- Rich source of protein
- Builds better bones and teeth
What is the different between paneer tikka and paneer tikka masala ?
Former is the dry starter like the current recipe you are reading, however latter is the curry version. You can just transfer the cooked cottage cheese starter to the tomato & onion curry , and you get the curry. You may refer to the recipe here.
Keto Paneer tikka Ingredients
- Paneer / Cottage cheese cubed (Refer to our details post on making paneer at home )
- Capsicums/ bell peppers ½ red and ½ green diced
- Onion diced/few baby onions (Traditionally its used, but for Keto recipe, I have not used it)
For paneer tikka marination: - curd/ dahi/ yogurt
- Turmeric
- Red chilli powder
- Lemon juice
- Almond flour (traditionally chickpea flour is used)
- Salt as per taste
- Olive oil + extra oil for brushing
- Wooden skewers soaked in water
Equipment
- Fan forced oven / air fryer
- Skewers
- Whisk
Instructions for marination
Read the steps below for the Keto paneer tikka marination .
- Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl.
- Whisk to a smooth mixture and add the paneer pieces
- In a separate bowl add the veggies in the marination paste and refrigerate (min. 30 minutes or leave it overnight in the fridge)
Line up the marinated cottage cheese and veggies in wooden skewers.
How to make keto paneer tikka in air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer at 200 degree Celsius for 10 minutes
- Cook paneer tikka in airfryer for 7-8 minutes first at 200C and then 2-3 minutes using the grill option.(Brush with oil once in between)
- Optionally, you may grill it over the stove top for few seconds to get the charred look.
How to make Keto paneer tikka in oven
- Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius(Fan forced) for 10 minutes
- Cook them for 8-10 minutes first(fan forced mode) and 3-4 minutes using the top grill option.(Oven broiler option)
Serve it hot with mint chutney.
Equipment
You can bake the tikka in a fan-forced oven or an air fryer. You can re-heat the tikka on a tawa if eating left overs.
Substitutions
For a vegan tikka, use firm tofu instead of paneer. If cottage cheese is not available you can make a halloumi version for vegetarians. You will get similar results. For non vegetarian option, you can make chicken tikka. However, the timing of the cook will differ according to the ingredient used.
Variations
If you like mild spices, use the Kashmiri red chili powder while making marinade. This chili is pretty mild like paprika and also gives it a great color. Use a hotter variety if you like spicy. You can also put some black pepper if you like.
Try more Indian cottage cheese recipes?
What are some finger licking curry recipes?
Get the grilled keto cottage cheese recipe here
Easy Keto Paneer Tikka recipe
Equipment
- fan-forced oven
- skewers
- whisk
- Air fryer if not using oven
Ingredients
- 300 grams cottage cheese/paneer cubed , can be replaced with Tofu
- ½ capsicums/peppers Green/red capsicum
Instructions
Steps to marinate Keto cottage cheese tikka
- Mix all paneer tikka ingredients for marination and make a smooth batter.
- Dip cottage cheese paneer pieces & veggies in the marination paste and refrigerate overnight(min. 30 minutes)
- Line up the Paneer and veggies on the wooden skewers
Make the paneer tikka starter in oven
- Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius(Fan forced) for 10 minutes
- Cook them for 8-10 minutes first(fan forced mode) and 3-4 minutes using the top grill option.(Oven broiler option)
- Optionally, you may grill it over the stove top for few seconds to get the charred look.
Make the cheese paneer tikka in air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer at 200 degree Celsius for 10 minutes
- Cook paneer tikka in airfryer for 7-8 minutes first and then 2-3 minutes using the grill option.(Brush with oil once in between)
- Optionally, you may grill it over the stove top for few seconds to get the charred look.
- Serve grilled paneer tikka hot with mint chutney
Notes
You can make the paneer at home using the recipe given in a link or you can just buy it fresh from dairy or supermarket.
Refer to our details post on making paneer at home here You may use other veggies like broccoli and add a teaspoon garam masala or teaspoon chaat masala as per your taste.
Nutrition
FAQs
Yes, however you should over grill it as the grilled paneer will turn hard. Additionally avoid getting the paneer/cheese cubes coming in direct contact with the grill.
You can freeze any leftovers in a plastic box and reheat the frozen paneer tikka in the oven / air fryer.
Please share your inputs..