Schezwan Paneer Puff

The ultimate blend of enticing flavors and textures, this Indo-Chinese Schezwan Paneer puff is simple to make and a perfect appetizer recipe.

With a savory paneer filling wrapped in flaky and crispy pastry sheets and baked to golden perfection, these spicy paneer patties are super easy to put together and are a pure delight in every bite!

This recipe is perfect for office potlucks, game nights, gatherings, kids’ playdates, weekend pool parties, or picnics and can be prepared ahead of time. Make it a large batch when making for parties, as you will soon find them disappearing from the table!

Jump to:

• Why do I love this recipe?
• Ingredients required
• Step-by-step process
• Make ahead instruction
• Storage suggestions:
• Notes, pro-tips, and quick FAQs
• More recipes made with schezwan sauce
• Schezwan Paneer Puff
• Video

Puffs, also known as Puff patties, are very popular in Indian Bakeries.

Puffs are delicious Indian savory turnovers made with a puff pastry dough wrapped around delicious fillings.

The puffs come in mostly two shapes, rectangles or triangles. Of course, you can play around with many other different shapes.

The classic version of puff is made with potatoes and vegetables. But you will also find puffs made with egg, meat, and paneer et in Indian bakeries.

We love Veg puff. But we are also a fan of puffs made with paneer.

So today, I am sharing the Paneer puff recipe. This puff has a flaky outer layer and scrumptious paneer filling with Indo-Chinese flavors.

Paneer puffs are a perfect appetizer and can be easily made at home using store-bought or homemade puff pastry sheets.

This appetizer recipe is also a perfect snack at any time of the day and doesn’t need any occasion to enjoy them.

You can serve them as an accompaniment to the evening tea/ coffee or even pack them for your lunch. They taste delicious just as is or complement just perfectly with any dip of your choice.

You can make these puff pastries in the air fryer or the oven. When I need to make these puffs in bulk for a gathering, I use the oven.

However, when just preparing puffs for 3 of us, my Instant Pot air fryer works best. I don’t have to heat the oven and the house for just a few puffs.

Why do I love this recipe?

• A perfect crowd-pleaser appetizer
• can be made ahead of time.
• Packed with spicy flavors.
• These are easy to put together using store-bought puff pastry sheets and suitable for beginners
• No kneading, fermenting, or frying is required.
• These can be baked beforehand and reheated before serving
• It’s a perfect tea-time snack for evening and parties.
• It’s a great party snack and perfect finger food that can be enjoyed without plates and forks!
• Loved by the kids
• It’s a Versatile recipe and can be customized with any vegetables of your choice.

Ingredients required

• Puff pastry sheets: I use store-bought puff pastry sheets to make these paneer puffs. It’s easily available in grocery stores. My preferred brand is Pepperidge farm. I came to know from my blogger friend that puff pastry sheets are available in India too.
• Paneer: Paneer is fresh Indian cottage cheese. You can either make fresh paneer at home or can use store-bought ones.
• Vegetables: I have used bell pepper, onion, and carrots. They give taste, and texture and also form the base of the filling. Also adds a distinct flavor. You can use other vegetables of your choice too.
• Aromatics: Ginger and garlic. Make sure to use fresh.
• Sauce: We will need schezwan sauce, dark soy sauce, red chili sauce, and vinegar.
• Oil: For cooking the paneer stuffing. You may use any oil of your choice.
• Salt: Seasons this delicious appetizer.
• Milk: To seal the puffs. And also need to brush the tops of the pastry to get the perfect golden color.

Step-by-step process

For the filling

• Heat oil. Add ginger, garlic, and onion. Saute for about a minute.
• Then add carrots and bell peppers. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat.
• Now add salt, soy sauce, schezwan sauce, red chili sauce, vinegar, and paneer. Mix everything well and cook for about 3 minutes on medium to high flame.

• Switch off the flame and let the paneer stuffing cool down.

Assemble Schezwan Paneer puff

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F(210 degrees C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Carefully take out one sheet of puff pastry, open it and divide it into 6 equal parts.
• I like to use a pizza roll cutter to cut the pastry dough.
• Scoop in the 2 tablespoon of filling closer to one edge of the pastry sheet. Do not over-fill.
• Lightly brush the edges with milk.
• Fold over the pastry to seal by gently pinching it on the edges. Repeat the same process with the rest of the filling and puff pastry squares.

Bake in the oven

• Place all the prepared puffs on the prepared baking tray.
  • Note – Make sure to space the pastries at least 2-inch apart since they will expand as they bake. If the pastry sheet gets too soft, and sticky, refrigerate it for 15 minutes to firm up.
• Now brush the top of each puff with milk.

• Bake it in a preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up with flaky layers on the side and the top is golden brown. Every oven is different so baking time will vary slightly.

In the air-fryer

• Place 4 assembled puff pastries in the air fryer basket, brush the top with milk, and air fry at 350° F (180 degrees F) for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Schezwan Paneer puff is ready. Serve hot or warm with more schezwan sauce, green chutney, or ketchup.

Make ahead instruction

• You can make the stuffing 3 days ahead of time and refrigerate it.
• You can fill puffs and place them in the fridge for up to 2 days until baking.
• After baking, you can store puff at room temperature for 12 hours or refrigerate for 3 days.
• To warm it, pop it in a 350 deg F oven for 10-15 minutes. I don’t recommend reheating in the microwave as the puff will be soggy.

Storage suggestions:

Consume the baked puffs within a day.

You can store baked puffs for up to 3 days. Remove from the fridge and reheat in a preheated oven or air fryer. Do not put them in a microwave.

Notes, pro-tips, and quick FAQs

• You can double or halve this recipe as desired.
• For this recipe, I have used 1 pack of Pepperidge Farm Puff pastry sheets. You can also use pre-cut pastry dough.
• As every brand is different, thaw the pastry sheets from the freezer according to the package.
• Always use a cold puff pastry sheet.
• The pastry sheet should be pliable but cold. If it seems soft or sticky, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes before proceeding.
• Brushing the puff with milk just before baking gives you a lovely golden top on the pastries.
• Always fill in the pastry dough with a completely cool filling.
• Don’t over-fill the pastry sheet with stuffing.
• Make sure there is less moisture in the filling.
• Cut the veggies and paneer into very small pieces.
• If you don’t like Paneer or if it is not currently available, then it can be replaced with the same amount of Tofu, Soya chunks, cauliflowers, or boiled potatoes.
• You can re-freeze the unused puff pastry sheets. Wrap the leftover sheets in a plastic bag and freeze them for up to 2 months. When needed, thaw them and use them as directed.
• To take the flavors up a notch, add some cheese to your cold paneer filling.
• Add some mozzarella cheese to your paneer filling to bring some extra flavor and cheesiness to the delicious paneer puff appetizer.

More recipes made with schezwan sauce

• Schezwan Noodles
• Schezwan frankie
• Schezwan mathri

Warm regards,

Dhwani.