Paneer Naan Pizza is the best desi pizza you will ever have! Marinated paneer, vegetarian toppings, samosa, and cheese over garlic naan bread make this pizza ultra delicious! This vegetarian Indian-Italian fusion recipe is quick and easy to make. Plus, it's a crowd favorite!
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What is Paneer Naan Pizza
I have had Paneer Tikka Pizza in Bombay and loved it. For those who don't know, Paneer tikka is a popular Indian gravy dish made with paneer (Indian cottage cheese). Paneer tikka pizza is a desi fusion take on this gravy. You see, we Indians love to infuse Indian flavors in international dishes. We want the best of both worlds! Pizza is one dish that can have many variations. It's all about how creative you can get! I have made Dabeli Pizza and Bruschetta Pizza which have been huge HITS at parties!
We love Indian street food and paneer and samosa are integral to street food cuisine. That is why I thought of combining all these flavors to make a savory and spicy desi pizza. I call it "The Loaded Pizza" with some delicious vegetarian toppings. This recipe is truly one-of-a-kind. I call it fusion at its best! It's got paneer, and samosa and is served like a pizza! What more could one want?
BTW, if you check out the Indian street food scene, you will find tons of fusion recipes like these and they all are very popular.
Why make this
- Indian-Italian fusion recipe
- made with vegetarian pizza toppings (can easily be made vegan)
- minimal prep required (best for beginners)
- works best on busy weeknights
- crowd-pleaser
- kid-friendly dinner, in fact, can involve them to assemble the pizza
- loaded with flavors
- just one naan pizza is also very filling
Ingredients needed 🧾
Pizza base - I have used Deep's frozen garlic naan bread in this desi pizza recipe. Feel free to use any other variety of naan or pizza base.
Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) - You can use homemade paneer or store-bought one. Paneer can be found at any Indian grocery store. It looks similar to tofu but is made from milk.
Other vegetarian pizza toppings - I have also added bell peppers and onions (not in the pic above) along with fresh basil. Feel free to add more veggies.
Samosa - Use fresh or frozen samosas. I have used Deep's frozen samosas. Regular-sized or mini samosas will work.
Pizza sauce - The sauce is very easy to make at home but you can also use store-bought pizza sauce. Read the notes below to see how to make pizza sauce from scratch. I have used the ready one. If you want an Indian flavor, use makhani sauce.
Spices and flavoring - turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice.
Thick Yogurt or Greek yogurt and chickpea flour or besan are the main ingredients for marinating the paneer.
Cheese - If you think of pizza, you automatically think of mozzarella. I have used shredded mozzarella and mozzarella balls/pearls in this recipe. There is no such thing as too much cheese, especially during the holidays, right?
How to make it 🔪
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The recipe has three components - marinate the paneer, prepare the pizza sauce, and lastly assemble the pizza.
- To a bowl, add thick yogurt.
- Add chickpea flour/besan, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, lemon juice & salt. Mix it all together.
- Cut the paneer into small cubes and add them to this bowl.
- Add bell pepper cubes to the bowl.
- Add the onion slices. Lightly mix it and coat the veggie pieces with the marinade. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes. You can also place it in the fridge.
- If using frozen samosa, cook it as per the instructions on the packet. Then roughly chop or smash them.
For the pizza sauce, you can either make it from scratch, use a store-bought one, or even use makhani sauce.
- Thaw the garlic naan bread first. Then cook the naan in a tawa/skillet. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the cooked naan over it.
- Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the garlic naan bread.
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese and basil leaves over the naan.
- Add the marinated veggies over it. Spread evenly.
- Now evenly spread the broken samosa all over the garlic naan bread.
- Place mozzarella pearls over it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes or till the cheese melts. Then carefully take it out.
Serving suggestions 🍽
Sprinkle Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes over the desi naan pizza. Garnish with some chopped cilantro as well if you wish to. Cut and serve immediately. You can also serve it with tomato ketchup, mustard sauce, or hot sauce. Serve this at your child's birthday party, brunch, on a weeknight, when guests come over, on a game night, pizza night, or on Friday night! It's always a HIT with any crowd! It's a crispy, crunchy, and mouth-watering veggie pizza recipe that you can prepare without putting in much effort.
What to serve with pizza
Soups like Lentil Shorba, or Cucumber Cold Soup will pair well with this desi naan bread pizza. If you enjoy a good salad, serve it with this Japanese Cucumber Salad! Garlic Bread, Fries, or chips on the side are always a good idea - Parmesan Potato Fingers, Bread Crust Fries, or Bagel Chips.
Here are some non-alcoholic drinks that go with pizza - Masala Chai, Cucumber Lemonade, Rose Lemonade, and Cherry Lemon Iced Tea. If you are enjoying a fusion meal, why not take it up a notch and serve these delicious Chai Cheesecake Jars with it? Or maybe with Raspberry Hot Chocolate? After a heavy meal, cool off with Guava Ice Cream, Blueberry Masala Soda Popsicles, or Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream.
Top recipe tips 💭
There are many variations you can try. Skip the samosa or paneer. Feel free to add more vegetarian toppings of your liking like mushroom, or broccoli on your pizza. You can also skip the marination part and add paneer directly. Marination however adds a lot of flavor to the naan pizza. Instead of yogurt, you can also use sour cream or cream cheese. To give the pizza a barbeque flavor, grill the marinated paneer and veggies first and then add them to the pizza.
If you have some leftover paneer curry, you can use that instead! Then no need for marination. Bake the pizza on the middle rack, closer to the heating element. The heat from the bottom will produce a golden crust. If you don't want to use the oven, you can also make this paneer pizza on a skillet. Grease the skillet and place the naan on top. Cover and cook till the cheese melts.
Recipe FAQs 📖
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Recipe 📖
Paneer Naan Pizza Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
To marinate the paneer and veggies
- ½ cup thick yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chickpea flour/besan
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon chilly powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt
- 6 oz paneer
- ½ Bell Pepper
- 1 onion small
Other ingredients
- 6 samosa
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 6 garlic naan
- ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 15-20 basil leaves
- 4 oz Mozzarella pearls
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
To marinate the paneer and veggies
- To a bowl, add thick yogurt. Add chickpea flour/besan, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder, chilly powder, onion powder, garlic powder, garam masala, lemon juice & salt. Mix it all together.
- Cut the paneer into small cubes and add them to the bowl. Add bell pepper cubes to the bowl, followed by onion slices.
- Mix lightly and coat the veggie pieces with the marinade. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes. You can also place it in the fridge.
To assemble the pizza
- If using frozen samosa, cook it as per the instruction on the packet. Then roughly chop or smash them.
- For the pizza sauce, you can either make it from scratch, use a store-bought one, or even use makhani sauce.
- Thaw the garlic naan bread first. Then cook the naan in a tawa/skillet. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the cooked naan over it.
- Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the garlic naan bread. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese and basil leaves over the naan.
- Add the marinated veggies over it. Spread evenly. Now evenly spread the broken samosa all over the garlic naan bread.
- Place mozzarella pearls over it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes or till the cheese melts. Then carefully take it out.
- Sprinkle Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes over the desi naan pizza. Garnish with some chopped cilantro as well if you wish to. Cut and serve immediately.
kp says
This was so unique. I went ahead and made the makhani sauce to go with it. I used my own paneer and homemade naan. This was so unique and fun. I'm going to make a batch of the large batch of the sauce to can to use for this pizza.
What a winner of a recipe, thanks for sharing it.
Daisy Hansen says
This was absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us
Priya says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much. 🙂
NISHA says
Oh my my .Mouthwatering recipe.I am amazed at your culinary expertise.You are genius.👍👏🕉
Priya says
Thank you so much for your kind words. Do try the recipe. 🙂
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
OK... it took everything in me to not devour my screen! This looks and sounds spectacular!
Renee says
I'm drooling over this, as if I didn't love pizza enough. This has all my favorite flavors on it, yum!