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Spicy Chole Paneer Tarts Recipe: Indian Chickpea & Paneer Tartlets

For the second day of this week’s Blogging Marathon, here’s a tasty one-bite appetizer that’s different from yesterday’s recipe though it uses the same star ingredients: chickpeas and paneer. I had a batch of shortcrust pastry I’d prepared for a class and wanted to use it, so I turned it into bite-sized tarts. I keep two pie crust recipes on hand—one for savory and one for sweet—and both yield a buttery, flaky, crisp crust.

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I always have a bag of cooked chickpeas in the freezer, so I used them for the filling. Chickpeas alone don’t bind well as a topping, so I added crumbled paneer to give the mixture body. To make the flavor bold and spicy I used classic Indian spices. The result is a delightful tart where every bite delivers contrasting textures: the crisp, flaky crust and the soft, spicy topping. These tarts are addictive—one won’t be enough at a party—so make plenty of tart shells and keep filling the serving plate as they disappear.

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Ingredients:
For the Topping:
Chickpeas – 1 cup
Crumbled paneer – 1 cup
Oil – 2 tbsp
Onion – 1, finely chopped
Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
Amchur (dry mango) powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp (adjust to taste)
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Salt – to taste
 
For the Pie Crust:
All-purpose flour (maida) – 1 1/4 cups
Cold butter – 100 g, cubed
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Ice cold water – 2 tsp (add a little more if needed)
 
Procedure:
For the Topping:
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin and coriander seeds.
When they start to sizzle, add the chopped onion and the powdered spices (garam masala, amchur, red chilli).
Sauté until the onion softens and begins to change color.
Add the cooked chickpeas and crumbled paneer, stirring to combine.
Sprinkle a little water and season with salt.
Cook briefly until the mixture comes together but is not watery—aim for a moist, scoopable filling.
Stir in chopped fresh coriander leaves, remove from heat and let the mixture cool.
 
The Tart Crust:
Combine the flour, cold butter, sugar and salt. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can also use a food processor or handheld blender for this step.
Add the ice-cold water and gently bring the dough together. It will remain slightly crumbly but should hold when pressed.
Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.
 
Baking the Crust:
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
Divide the chilled dough into small portions and roll each into a ball.
Press each ball into a tart tin or small tartlet mold to form a shallow cup.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the crusts are golden and crisp.
Allow the tarts to cool for about 5 minutes in the tin before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
 
Assembling the Tarts:
Arrange the cooled tart shells on a serving platter.
Spoon about a teaspoon (or more, depending on the shell size) of the cooled chickpea-paneer topping into each tart.
Serve immediately so the crust remains crisp. These are ideal warm or at room temperature.
 

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Spicy Chole Paneer Tarts

Ingredients

For The Topping

  • Chickpeas – 1 cup
  • Crumbled paneer – 1 cup
  • Oil – 2 tbsp
  • Onion – 1, finely chopped
  • Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
  • Amchur powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
  • Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Salt – to taste

For The Pie Crust

  • All-purpose flour (maida) – 1 1/4 cups
  • Cold butter – 100 g
  • Salt – 1/2 tsp
  • Sugar – 1/2 tsp
  • Ice cold water – 2 tsp

Instructions

For The Topping

  1. Heat oil and add cumin and coriander seeds until they sizzle.
  2. Add chopped onion and spices; sauté until the onion softens.
  3. Add chickpeas and crumbled paneer and mix well.
  4. Add a little water and salt, then cook until the mixture binds together.
  5. Stir in coriander leaves, remove from heat and let cool.

The Tart Crust

  1. Rub cold butter into the flour with sugar and salt until crumbly.
  2. Add ice water and bring the dough together; it may remain slightly crumbly.
  3. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Baking The Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
  2. Shape dough into small balls and press into tart tins to form cups.
  3. Bake 15–20 minutes until golden. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Arranging The Tarts

  1. Place tart shells on a serving plate.
  2. Spoon a small amount of the cooled topping into each shell.
  3. Serve immediately and enjoy.