Shashlik Sauce (Shashlik Marinade)
Thick, creamy and packed with rustic flavors, this Shashlik sauce recipe is a game-changer. In just 5 minutes and a few Indian pantry staples, you'll be able to put this Shashlik marinade together, and use it to add flavor to your favorite proteins.
I recently used it to make my Paneer Shashlik and everyone absolutely raved about it!
I'm a big fan of batch-making marinades and sauces over the weekend. I find that it makes cooking SO much easier.
I always make a big jar of my tamarind date chutney and homemade garlic bread seasoning to use for my recipes that I make throughout the week, and it just simplifies things so much.
Quick Look: Shashlik Sauce
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 0 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 2.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Yogurt, lime juice, cumin powder, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, dried fenugreek leaves, ginger garlic paste, and oil.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl 🡢 whisk until smooth and well combined 🡢 use immediately as a marinade or refrigerate until ready to use.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Use as a marinade for paneer, tofu, chicken, or shrimp, then grill or cook your marinated protein for Shashlik.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- This Shashlik marinade is flavor-packed, gluten-free and vegan adaptable.
- You can also tweak and play around with the amount of spices and mix-ins to your liking to make it more suitable for your taste buds- just like I did with my instant Rasam powder.
Recipe Ingredients
Yogurt: The base for the sauce. Use homeset yogurt or Greek yogurt. I would recommend sticking to regular, full-fat variety here for that rich flavor and texture.
Dried fenugreek: For that earthy, smoky aroma.
Spices: I used a mix of red chili powder, turmeric, cumin powder and my homemade garam masala.
Lime juice: To round up all the flavors. Add some lime zest (or lemon zest) if you love that citrusy tang.
Ginger + garlic: The flavor builders. I used my homemade ginger garlic paste, but you can totally use the store-bought version too.
Oil: Any regular cooking oil will do. Use mustard oil if you love that restaurant-style smoky flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- To lend a rich, creamy flavor to the Shashlik marinade, add a spoonful of heavy cream into the mix.
- You can adjust the amounts of spices to your liking here. I love adding some extra red chili powder for that bright red color and a nice kick of heat.
- You can also add some chaat masala seasoning into the marinade to amp up its flavor.
- Add chopped green chilies into the mix to lend it a fiery kick.
How to Make Shashlik Sauce
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Whisk well with a wire whisk until you get a smooth mixture.
💭Top Tip
If you prefer a thicker marinade, strain the excess whey out of the yogurt through a clean muslin cloth, and then use it.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Love citrusy flavors? Use lemon infused olive oil instead of your regular cooking oil for this recipe.
- Sometimes, I also like to add some tomato paste or ketchup into it to lend it a bit of sweetness.
- If the sauce seems too pungent or spicy for your liking, some brown sugar can help cut through it and balance the flavors.
- You can also use roasted garlic instead of regular garlic here to deepen the flavor of the marinade.
How to Use Shashlik Sauce
Use the Shashlik sauce as a marinade for all your favorite proteins. I particularly love using it for paneer (cottage cheese), tofu, chicken and shrimp.
Simply add your protein of choice into the marinade and let it rest for 10-15 minutes, and you're ready to cook. I recently used it to make chicken Shashlik- tender grilled cubes of chicken skewered with diced bell peppers, tomatoes and onions, and served it with my Gujarati white Kadhi, a side of Jeera rice and my favorite Laccha Onions.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
You absolutely can! Simply swap the yogurt with coconut yogurt or soy yogurt and you're sorted.
Store the leftover Shashlik sauce in a clean, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This sauce is freezer-friendly too. Just use freezer-safe bags or containers, and you can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. Then, when you want to use it, simply thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
More Indian Side Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Shashlik sauce or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Shashlik Sauce (Shashlik Marinade)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk well with a wire whisk until you get a smooth mixture.
Notes
- Love citrusy flavors? Use lemon infused olive oil instead of your regular cooking oil for this recipe.
- Sometimes, I also like to add some tomato paste or ketchup into it to lend it a bit of sweetness.
- If the sauce seems too pungent or spicy for your liking, some brown sugar can help cut through it and balance the flavors.
- You can also use roasted garlic instead of regular garlic here to deepen the flavor of the marinade.
- If you prefer a thicker marinade, strain the excess whey out of the yogurt through a clean muslin cloth, and then use it.
