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Samosa Recipe – Learn to make perfect crispy, flaky & delicious samosas at home with this easy video & step by step recipe post. Samosa is a potato stuffed deep fried Snack very popular in India, Middle East & Asian countries. They originated from the middle east and was brought to India by the Merchants. Today Samosa is one of the most eaten snack in the South Asian Countries.
We all love to dip those crunchy, crispy samosas in a bowl of super flavorsome Mint Chutney, Coriander Chutney or Tamarind Chutney & enjoy.
About Samosa
What is Samosa? Samosa is a deep fried pastry with a spiced filling usually made with potatoes, spices and herbs. Sometimes these are also made with minced meat (keema). Samosa is one of the most commonly eaten snack across India. They are hugely popular and are loved by everyone.
You will find samosas everywhere, as a street food, party snack, restaurants and even in cafes. They are very special during Holi, the Indian festival of colors & also during the month of Ramadan and are eaten as a Iftar snack.
Contents hide
1 About Samosa
3 How to Make Samosa (Stepwise Photos)
4 Faqs
5 Recipe Card
6 Watch Samosa Video
We usually avoid eating fried snacks in cafes and restaurants for health reasons. Years ago I learnt making samosas as my kids would keep asking for them. Making them at home is super easy if you learn the steps correctly especially making the crust.
In this post I share the Samosa Recipe with potato stuffing, you can also make keema samosa using this Keema recipe for the stuffing. This Punjabi samosa recipe is roughly adapted from the Punjabi Chef Harpal Singh.
For more similar snacks, you may like to check
Falafel
Spring rolls
Bread rolls
Pakora
Sandwiches
Pro Tips for Crispy & Flaky Samosas
A perfect samosa should be crispy & flaky with almost no bubbles or blisters on them.
- Flour to oil/ghee ratio is very important to make a flaky samosa crust. Too little oil may lead to hard crust and too much oil can break it. So use the right amount.
- It is essential to incorporate oil into the flour well, until it resembles breadcrumbs. This makes for the flakiest samosa crust.
- The texture of samosa dough has to be slightly stiff yet pliable & not too soft like roti/naan dough. So use water only as needed. Too much moisture in the dough will make lots of tiny air pockets in the crust and will prevent the samosas from turning crispy.
- Rest & knead the dough – This dough does not require kneading when it is made. But it needs resting. After the resting, knead it well for 3 to 4 mins. It should not turn smooth but has to be tight and stiff. So do not overwork here.
- Roll the dough to a disc of medium thickness. It should not be too thick or too thin. Check the video for the thickness. Thin layers will tear the samosas while frying. Too thick will not cook the crust well.
- Most important Tip – Frying: The key to the best flaky samosa is to fry them in moderately hot oil, on a low flame & for longer time (very important). Later you increase the heat and fry them on a medium heat until crisp. Since the pastry has enough fats, it won’t soak up oil with this method. This is the secret behind authentic Indian samosa that you get in standard Indian restaurants.
- They should not be cooked in very hot oil or on high heat. Very hot oil will cause bubbles on the crust and frying at high temperature won’t cook the samosa dough from inside. You want to cook them on a low flame until the dough is well cooked from inside.
How to Make Samosa (Stepwise Photos)
Preparation
1. Peel, halve and boil 500 grams (3 to 4 medium) potatoes in a pot of water, until fork tender (not mushy). Or pressure cook unpeeled and halved potatoes for 2 to 3 whistles on a medium flame or in the instant pot for 5 mins, placed over a trivet with 1 cup water. Peel them after cooling.
Tip: You can also pressure cook them whole following these timings – small potatoes – 5 mins, medium size – 7 mins and large – 10 mins.
2. Cool the potatoes and crumble them. Set aside.
Make Samosa Dough
3. To a mixing bowl add
2 cups all-purpose flour (organic maida)
¾ teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup oil or ghee (4 tablespoons)
4. Mix everything very well. Rub the flour in between your palms to incorporate the oil well for 3 to 4 minutes. After this step the flour should resemble breadcrumbs. Press down a handful of this flour in your palm, it should form or hold the shape. It should not crumble meaning oil is well incorporated. Check video.
5. Add 4 tablespoons water and begin to form a dough ball adding more water as needed. I added about 4+ 2 tablespoons water in total.
6. Dough has to be firm, stiff and not sticky. Cover and rest for 25 to 30 mins.
Make Potato Stuffing
7. Heat 1 tablespoon oil or ghee in a pan. Next add ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds.
8. When the seeds begin to splutter, add 1 tablespoon minced ginger and 1 to 2 chopped green chilies. Saute for 30 to 60 seconds. Then add a pinch of hing. Optional – You can also add some chopped cashews and roast until golden.
9. Add the spice powders –
- ¾ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon amchur powder (dried mango powder) or chaat masala (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon fennel powder (optional, saunf powder)
Saute for 30 seconds and then add green peas. Saute for 1 to 2 mins. Then add potatoes.
10. Saute the entire potato masala for 2 to 3 mins until potatoes blend well with spice powders. Add ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves. Taste test this and adjust salt if needed.
Set aside to cool. If you have not used amchur or chaat masala, then add lemon juice at this stage.
Make Samosa
11. After 25 to 30 mins, knead the dough for another 3 to 4 mins. The dough has to be stiff yet and not soft. Divide the dough to 5 equal parts.
12. Oil the counter or the rolling board. Place the ball.
13. Roll it to a oval shaped even layer. Mine was 8.5 inches long and 6.5 inches wide. It has to be slightly thick and not too thin.
14. Cut it in the center to make 2 parts.
15. The roti shrinks back little due to the nature of all-purpose flour so I prefer to roll it gently again. If you feel the edges are too thick then roll a bit.
16. Apply water with your finger over the straight edge.
17. Join the edges to make a cone shape like you see in the picture. Stick the edges well. Stick the edge from inside the cone as well to secure. Check video. If you have a trouble sticking, make a paste of 2 tbsps flour and little water. Smear little paste to stick the edges.
18. Fill the cone with potato masala. Press down a bit with a tiny spoon.
19. Apply water on the edge.
20. Stick the edges to seal well. On one of the sides, make a pleat as shown in the image. I have shown an alternate but similar method in the video do take a look at it.
21. Bring the pleat to a side and stick it up. Make sure your samosa is sealed well. Pinch and Press down on the edges very well to seal them.
22. This will give you a perfectly standing samosa. Place them on a tray and cover to prevent drying. Just make 5 to 6 samosas first and then fry them. Make the rest of the samosas while you fry the first batch. This way the samosas will not dry up.
Fry Samosa
23. Heat a pan with oil for deep frying. The oil should be moderately hot and not very hot. When it is just getting hot, add a small portion of dough to the oil. It has to rise slowly & the oil must not be bubbling or sizzling a lot. You should see only tiny bubbles. This is the right temperature. (The dough should not come up immediately and turn golden.)
24. Gently slide as many samosas as you can to the oil (I fry 5 at one time). Fry them on a low flame, undisturbed for about 10 to 12 mins. When the crust becomes firm, increase the flame to medium. Turn them to the other side and fry until crispy and golden.
Helpful note: After you add them to the hot oil, you will see very tiny bubbles rising slowly, meaning the temperature is right. You should not be hearing any sizzling noise as it does with other fried snacks.
25. Don’t rush. They will take a lot of time to fry golden. Be patient and fry until golden & crisp. (check video). When the samosas turn golden, remove them to a steel colander or wire rack. For the next batch, reduce the heat completely to bring down the temperature and add them.
Serve samosa with mint chutney, Sweet tamarind chutney or tomato sauce.
Faqs
Why did my samosas turn hard?
Not adding enough oil to the flour will make a hard crust.
Why did they turn oily?
Adding more water than needed while making the dough will make soft dough resulting in oily crust.
Can I use spring roll sheets for the crust?
Yes you can use spring roll sheets or puff pastry sheets to make the samosa.
Why does the crust have too many blisters and bubbles ?
Frying them in very hot oil or too much moisture in the dough can make plenty of bubbles or blisters on the crust.
How to bake Samosas?
Yes samosas can be baked. But fried samosas taste the best. I have tried baking these after brushing them generously with oil at 340 to 360 F/ 170 to 180 C in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 mins. The results were okay but not as good as the fried ones.
If you are keen to bake them then use ready store bought frozen puff pastry sheets. Roll each sheet to a square. Cut each sheet to 4 to 5 roundels with the help of a round cutter. Then cut each one to half. Then use them as mentioned in the recipe below.
Can I use whole wheat flour / atta?
Yes you can. But for best results I would suggest all-purpose flour. Samosas made with wheat flour have a nutty flavor and are dense. Using 50/50, wheat flour and all-purpose flour will yield better results.
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Recipe Card
Samosa Recipe, How To Make Punjabi Samosa
Punjabi samosa are crisp fried Indian snack with a spicy potato peas filling. This recipe will give you flaky & crisp samosa that are full of flavors. Serve these with green chutney or mint chutney. You can also air fry or bake these.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Prep Time30 minutes minutes
Cook Time25 minutes minutes
Total Time55 minutes minutes
Servings10 samosa
AuthorSwasthi
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
For Samosa Dough
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour (organic/ unbleached)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) oil or melted ghee
- 6 tablespoons (90 ml) water
- ¾ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For potato filling
- 4 medium (500 grams) potatoes
- ½ cup green peas (boiled or frozen)
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced or paste
- 1 to 2 green chilies chopped (optional)
- 1 pinch hing (asafoetida) (optional)
- 4 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or ½ tsp amchur or chaat masala)
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
Spices
- ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon fennel powder (optional)
To serve
- Mint Chutney (or make from separate recipe card below)
- Tamarind Chutney (or make from separate recipe card below)
Instructions
Boil Potatoes
Peel, halve and boil potatoes in a pot of water, until fork tender (not mushy). Or (pressure cook unpeeled potatoes for 5 whistles on a medium flame or in the instant pot for 8 mins, placed over a trivet. When the pressure drops, cool & peel them.)
Crumble the potatoes, don't mash them. Keep aside.
Make Samosa Dough (or use frozen puff pastry sheets)
Mix together flour, carom seeds, salt and oil in a mixing bowl.
Rub the flour well with your fingers or in between your palms for 3 to 4 mins to incorporate the oil. It should look like breadcrumbs and this is very important to make flaky samosa.
Take handful of flour and press down with your fingers. It must hold shape and not crumble. This is an indication that the oil is well incorporated. (check video or photos in the post)
Add water little by little and mix the flour to form a slightly stiff yet pliable dough. (Check pictures in the post). It should not be very soft like roti/naan dough. Cover and rest for 25 to 30 mins.
Make Potato Filling
Heat a pan with oil. Add cumin seeds.
When they begins to sizzle, add ginger & green chilies. Fry until ginger smells aromatic, for about 30 to 60 seconds.
Stir in the green peas and saute for 2 mins.
Add red chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder, chaat masala (optional) & fennel powder. Saute for 30 seconds.
Stir in the potatoes and sprinkle salt. Mix and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Mix in coriander leaves & set aside to cool.
Taste and add more salt if needed. If using lemon juice, add it now. Divide the mixture roughly to 10 portions.
How to Make Samosa
Knead the dough gently to smoothen a bit. Divide it to 5 portions and roll to balls. Cover the dough balls until the end, to prevent drying out.
Grease the rolling area and then flatten a ball. Drizzle a few drops of oil.
Begin to roll to a circle or oval shaped disc. (Around 8.5 inches long by 6.5 inches wide). It should be neither too thick nor too thin. (Watch video)
Using a knife cut it to two semicircles. The 2 parts make 2 samosas. If the edges are too thick, gently roll it to thin down.
Work on one part – apply water over the straight edge (towards the cut side). Join the edges to make a cone. Press down gently to seal the cone from inside as well. (Check video or photos above) (If you have trouble sticking them, make a paste of flour and water, smear that lightly & then stick)
Fill the cone with one portion of potato masala and press down with your finger to push it inside the cone. Smear water generously on both the other edges.
Bring the edges together and seal them by pinching off the edges together. If you prefer to make a standing samosa, make a pleat on one side. Bring back the pleat and seal it by pinching off the edges together. (Check video or photos above)
Make sure the samosa is sealed well. Cover them with a cloth to prevent drying.
Deep Fry
After you make 5 samosas, begin to heat the oil until medium hot.
Oil has to be medium hot and not very hot or cold. A piece of dough dropped in the oil should not sizzle or rise immediately. Instead you should see tiny bubbles in the oil & the dough should take a while to come up to the surface. This is the right temperature.
Gently add as many samosas as you can to the oil and fry them on a low flame, undisturbed for few minutes (about 10 to 12 mins).
When the crust becomes firm, increase the flame to medium. Turn them to the other side and fry until crispy and golden.
While the first batch of samosas fry, make the rest of them. Remove the golden fried samosas to a wired rack or a steel colander. Let the temperature of oil come down slightly before you fry the next batch.
Serve samosa with mint chutney, sweet tamarind chutney or tomato ketchup.
Bake Samosa in Oven
Preheat the oven at 180 C or 360 F for about 20 mins. Brush each samosa generously with oil all over and place them on a prepared tray. Bake these for about 35 to 40 mins.
In the Air Fryer
Spray your samosa with oil or brush with ghee. Preheat your air fryer for 7 mins at 360 F or 180 C if required.
Place the samosa in the air fryer basket or tray spacing them at least an inch apart from each other.
Air fry for 12 mins, turn them to the other side and air fry for another 5 to 6 mins, or a little longer until golden and crisp. (In non-preheated air fryer air fry at 370 F or 190 C for the same time)
Brush them with ghee or oil as required.
Notes
- This recipe makes 10 large samosas, the same size you get in authentic Indian restaurants. If you want, you may make 14 medium or 16 mini samosas. You just have to divide the dough and filling to more portions.
- Crushed spices: In punjabi samosas, usually crushed coriander seeds and fennel seeds are used in the stuffing. I have not used them here as my kids don’t like biting into the whole spices. You can use 1 tsp of coriander seeds & half tsp of fennel seeds crushed. Add them to the initial tempering along with cumin.
- Boiling potatoes: It is essential to keep the boiled potatoes fork tender and not mushy. Increase or reduce the pressure cook timing depending on the size of your potatoes.
- You may add 1 medium onion to the stuffing. But it is not at all needed. After tempering the spices you can add the fine chopped onions and saute until light brown.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
Watch Samosa Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
Nutrition Facts
Samosa Recipe, How To Make Punjabi Samosa
Amount Per Serving
Calories 222Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 320mg14%
Potassium 440mg13%
Carbohydrates 32g11%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 147IU3%
Vitamin C 18mg22%
Calcium 42mg4%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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© Swasthi’s Recipes
2 Instant Samosa Chutney (Tamarind Sauce & Green Sauce)
Restaurant style mint cilantro chutney is the perfect starter for your samosas. This instant tamarind chutney tastes as good as the traditional version (without the use of dates). These recipes make about 8 servings. Mint chutney recipe makes about 2 cups and tamarind chutney recipe makes about ½ cup.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Prep Time10 minutes minutes
Cook Time20 minutes minutes
Total Time30 minutes minutes
Servings8
AuthorSwasthi
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
To make Tamarind Sauce/chutney
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste (or 2 tsps. concentrate, more if required)
- ½ cup jaggery / brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon ground fennel
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon black salt (or sea salt only if needed, your tamarind paste may contain salt)
- ¾ cup water
To make Green Sauce/chutney
- 2 cups mint leaves (use only leaves, no stalks, sub with cilantro)
- 1 cup cilantro/ coriander leaves (include tender stalks, sub with mint)
- 2 cup yogurt / thick curd
- 1 teaspoon sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ⅓ inch ginger peeled
- 2 small garlic cloves peeled
- 1¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera powder)
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala (optional, for the authentic flavors)
Instructions
How to make Tamarind Samosa Chutney
Mix together cumin powder, garam masala, red chili powder and fennel in a small sauce pan. Toast them on a low heat for 30 to 60 seconds, until aromatic. Do not burn.
Add the jaggery, tamarind paste and pour water. Mix well and simmer until slightly thick, a sauce like consistency.
Stir in the ginger and black salt during the last 1 minute of cooking. It takes about 8 to 10 mins for the tamarind chutney to reach the right consistency.
Taste test and add more salt, tamarind, jaggery or any other spice as required to taste.
How to make Green Samosa Chutney
Blend together mint, cilantro, salt, ginger, garlic, green chilies, roasted cumin powder, sugar, salt and 2 to 3 tbsp cold yogurt to a smooth paste.
Whisk yogurt until smooth and stir in the blended paste. Stir in the chaat masala.
Taste test and adjust salt, chili and sprinkle lemon juice if required. Serve with kebabs, snacks & sandwiches.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of tamarind paste as every brand is different. Tamarind paste and concentrate are not same. Concentrate is stronger so start with lesser and adjust as needed.
- Black salt imparts a distinct flavor. You may add that if you have. If you have roasted cumin powder and homemade garam masala, you don’t need to toast the spices in the beginning.
- The nutritional values provided is only for tamarind chutney.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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