A perfectly cooked samosa with a crispy, flaky crust that crunches as you bite into it, and a peas-potato filling that's savory, spicy and just right!
There's no better snack in the world than a crispy, flaky, DELICIOUS samosa! This Punjabi Samosa recipe is authentic and traditional and, to cut a long ode short, exactly as it was meant to be by the genius who invented this hand-held snack synonymous with Indian cuisine, restaurant appetizers and rainy days. And it's easier to make than you might think. Just follow the step by step recipe and video.
Samosa
Almost anyone in the world can recognize a samosa with its uniquely chubby, tri-cornered shape. And it's probably a rare person whose mouth wouldn't water at the thought of eating one. The potato and pea stuffed pastry pockets are most often identified with Indian cuisine, but versions of samosa exist across many global cuisines, including in the Horn of Africa (sambusa), in the Middle East (sambousek) and in central Asia (samsa).
In fact, samosas were introduced to India by Mughal invaders who arrived in the 16th century from central Asian nations like Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Unwelcome though the invaders were for the nearly three centuries they remained in northern India, Mughlai cuisine was so rich and so delicious that it was willingly and readily adopted and remains, to this day, firmly embedded within India's culinary tapestry. If you've eaten a biryani or a naan or a gulab jamun at a north Indian restaurant, you have eaten Mughlai food.
A samosa can be stuffed with nearly anything: Indian Muslims often stuff it with meat, and modern versions include stuffings that range from Indo-Chinese noodles to fish, pasta, scrambled eggs, paneer and chocolate. I've also shared with you on this blog a few of my own versions of samosa, including a vegan keema samosa, baked samosas with a chickpea filling, and easy samosa puff pastry squares.
As delicious as these are, nothing can beat the allure of the classic, deep fried and peas-potato stuffed Punjabi samosa. It's a gastronomic experience to sink your teeth into one and hear it crackle back at you.
Why you'll love this classic samosa
- It's one of the most delicious savory pastries in the world, and this recipe makes it easy to make it in your own kitchen. Achieving the perfect samosa is a labor of love, but with the tips and tricks I have for you, you will master this Indian classic in no time. (Be sure to read the expert tips below to clarify the process further.)
- It makes a great snack or appetizer. No one can resist a samosa and when you serve it to your family and friends you can rest assured they will love you all the more. 😉 You can size a samosa according to your needs--make it small for an appetizer or for small hands. Make it larger for a snack or a gathering of adults. Punjabi samosas are usually large.
- It is vegan-- or rather, it's easy to veganize. Indian cooks often use ghee as "moyen": the Punjabi term for the fat mixed into the flour to create a flaky texture for the samosa wrapper. Oil doesn't quite achieve the right consistency but I have the perfect vegan hack for you that gives spectacular results.
- It's everyone friendly. Everyone loves a good samosa, from kids to adults and everyone in between. It's easily the most requested snack in my home. It is nut-free and soy-free although it does have gluten.
Samosa ingredients
For the samosa wrapper:
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 tsp ajwain seeds (carom seeds)
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter (cold). This is the fat we will use for the "moyen" and it is the perfect replacement for ghee. Just be sure to follow the technique for rubbing the fat into the flour before you begin to knead it.
- 1 tsp salt
- Ice cold water
For the peas-potato filling:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 green chili peppers. You can use jalapeno, serrano or any green pepper of your choice. Deseed for less heat and use less or more according to your tolerance and preference for heat. You can use ½ to 1 teaspoon red chili powder if you don't have green chili peppers but the fresh chilis will give you the best flavor.
- 1-inch knob of ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder, optional). This adds a nice tang but you can leave it out if you don't have it.
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 ½ pounds boiled, peeled potatoes. You can use yellow or red potatoes here. I sometimes leave the skins on, and you can, but for a classic samosa peel the potatoes.
- 1 cup frozen green peas. If you use fresh peas cook them first until soft.
- Salt to taste
For frying:
- Vegetable oil. I use peanut oil when I deep-fry Indian foods, but you can use any vegetable oil suitable for deep-frying, including avocado oil and canola oil. Please don't use coconut oil to fry the samosas.
How to make samosa (step by step video and recipe)
Watch the video:
Make the samosa wrapper dough:
- Place all the ingredients except the water in a large mixing bowl.
- Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until it gets grainy. This process is not unlike making a pie pastry, although here you will use your fingers.
- Trickle in the water slowly and knead just until a stiff but pliable dough forms.
- Cover the ball of dough with a kitchen towel and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Make the peas potato filling:
- Heat oil and add to it the green chilies and ginger. Saute for about 30 seconds.
- Add the powdered spices: ground cumin, ground coriander, coarsely ground fennel, amchur if using, and turmeric. Mix.
- Add the boiled potatoes and mix well. Next add the green peas and stir them into the potatoes.
- Add salt to taste. Cover the potatoes and cook until warmed through, no more than 3-5 minutes.
- Mash the potatoes lightly with your ladle before turning off the heat. I like some large potato chunks in there but if you want you can mash it more, leaving just a few chunks of potatoes in for texture.
- Cool the peas potato filling to room temperature.
Assemble the samosas:
Roll out the dough
- Divide the dough into seven even portions. Roll each into a ball.
- Roll out one ball of dough into a circle around five inches in diameter. Then roll out the sides slightly longer to form an oval.
- Use a knife or pastry cutter to make a clean cut through the center of the oval, creating two semi-circles or half-moons. Set them aside on a plate and repeat the process for the remaining dough.
Stuff the samosas
- Brush the edges of the pastry with water. Then pick the two corners of the semicircle and bring them together, edges overlapping slightly, to form a cone. Press the seams together to ensure a tight seal (watch video to see how it's done). It's important to do this thoroughly because you don't want your samosas to open while you're frying them.
- Place two heaping teaspoons of filling in the cone, pressing it in lightly. Make sure you leave enough room at the top so you can seal the samosa.
- Now seal the top of the samosa by pressing the top seam together. For a classic shape, make a slight fold in the center as you press the seams together and fold the edge in so the samosa can "sit" when you put it down.
- Repeat with the 13 remaining wrappers.
Deep fry the samosas:
- Heat enough oil in a wok to immerse the samosas completely. If you have a deep fryer use that. Or use a cast iron pan.
- Once the oil has reached 325 degrees Fahrenheit/165 degrees Celsius carefully drop the samosas one by one in the oil. Don't overcrowd the pan. If you don't have a thermometer to check the oil temperature, just heat the oil until it shimmers and small bubbles form at the bottom of the wok. The oil should not smoke. When you drop the samosas into the oil they should bubble gently.
- Let the samosas fry, simmering gently in the oil, until they are evenly golden-brown. Don't let them get too dark and flip them occasionally to ensure they fry evenly. Avoid the temptation to increase the heat unless the oil gets too cold: maintain frying temperature at around 325 degrees for the best results. Frying at high temperatures will cause the samosa wrappers to brown quickly outside while remaining uncooked on the inside.
- Once the samosas are ready remove them to a colander or dish lined with paper towels.
- Serve hot!
Pro tips for the perfect samosa
- Making the dough:
- Always use all purpose flour (maida) for authentic samosas, and don't be tempted to swap out for whole wheat flour. You simply won't get the crispiness and flakiness you want.
- Make sure the vegan butter is as cold as possible and cut it into small cubes before adding it to the dough to ensure it disperses through the dough evenly.
- Use ice cold water to make the dough so the grains of butter do not melt.
- Don't overknead the dough. Once the dough comes together just knead for a few more seconds to smooth it out, then let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Don't overmoisten the dough. You want a stiff but pliable dough that you can shape easily.
- Shaping the samosas:
- If the dough resists when you try to roll out the samosa wrapper, let it rest for 30 seconds to a minute, then try again.
- Don't add more flour when rolling, if possible. Use a little bit of oil instead to make sure the wrapper does not stick to the surface when you roll it. If you find it really difficult to roll, use a tiny bit of flour.
- Roll out the samosa dough to medium thickness--in other words it should be neither too thick nor too thin. A very thin wrapper could break open in the oil and a thick wrapper will create a doughy samosa.
- Make sure you seal the samosa wrappers tightly.
- Don't overstuff the samosas. It might be tempting to get as much of that tasty filling in as possible but an overstuffed samosa will not seal properly.
- Frying the samosas:
- Always maintain the temperature of the oil around 325 degrees Fahrenheit/165 degrees Celsius. This will ensure that the samosa wrappers cook evenly and are flaky and crispy for a long time after they are made.
- Don't overcrowd the wok or pan when you fry the samosas. It might be tempting to hurry through the process so you can quickly eat the samosas, but overcrowding will bring the temperature of the oil down drastically and you will get soggy samosas.
- Frying a samosa takes a bit of patience as you are working with lower temperatures than you normally might for frying. It takes me around 10 minutes to fry a single batch. But it's worth taking the time so you can reward yourself with those perfect samosas! If the oil gets too hot or begins to smoke, as it might toward the end of cooking a batch, turn down the heat.
How to serve samosa
Restaurants serve samosas with a date tamarind chutney (like this one in my ragda pattice recipe) or a mint chutney.
In Bombay, and over the rest of India, samosas are a popular street food, and they are often served with ketchup for dipping. Sometimes they are also encased in a pav ( a soft roll), or torn into pieces and smothered in chana masala, chutney, tomatoes and onions for a samosa chaat. You can try any of these for differently delicious experiences.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: In my home samosas usually don't last long enough to go into the fridge. 🙂 However, you can refrigerate these for up to a week in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Freeze the samosas in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to three months. You can also freeze the samosas before you fry them--to do that, flash-freeze the samosas on a baking sheet and then place them in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw before frying.
- Reheat: Reheat in a 350-degree Fahrenheit/180-degree Celsius oven until warmed through.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bake samosa?
You can, and you'll get pretty yummy results, although the wrappers won't be as golden or flaky, of course. Brush the samosas with oil, place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.
Can I air-fry the samosas?
Yes, brush them with oil or cooking spray and pop them in at 350-degrees for 15-20 minutes. Move them around a couple of times in between.
Can I use a different filling?
You can! Potatoes and peas are a traditional filling, but you can stuff just about any filling of your choice in a samosa. Just make sure it's cooked and not soggy.
Is a samosa healthy?
A samosa has a rather healthy filling (peas and potatoes), but this is not exactly health food because it is deep fried. Just eat in moderation and don't feel guilty about enjoying one--or two!
Are samosas vegan?
Indian cooks often use ghee in the samosa wrapper dough, but the vegan butter I use instead works just as well and makes very crispy, flaky samosas. Samosas served in restaurants would most likely be vegan as restaurants try to be cost effective (and ghee is much more expensive than oil), although if you want to be certain just ask!
More Indian snack recipes you might like
Samosa recipe
A traditional Punjabi Samosa with a crispy, flaky wrapper spiced with ajwain seeds, and a delicious stuffing of potatoes and peas.
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Review Recipe
Servings: 14 samosas
Calories: 224kcal
Equipment
- Rolling pin
- Wok or cast iron pan for frying
Ingredients
For the samosa wrappers:
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ajwain seeds (carom seeds)
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter (very cold, cut into small cubes)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the peas potato stuffing:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 2 green chili peppers (minced. You can cut down the peppers to one and deseed if sensitive to heat. You can sub with ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne or any red chili powder but fresh green chilies will give the best flavor.)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground fennel (coarsely ground if possible)
- 1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder, optional)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1½ pounds potatoes (yellow or red, boiled until tender , peeled and coarsely chopped)
- 1 cup green peas (frozen, thaw before using. If using fresh peas, cook the peas until tender before using)
- Salt to taste
For deep frying the samosa:
- Vegetable oil (peanut oil, avocado oil, or any oil that can withstand high temperatures is fine. You need enough oil for the samosas to be compleely immersed while frying)
Instructions
Make the samosa wrapper dough
- Place all the ingredients except the water in a large mixing bowl.
- Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until it gets grainy. This process is not unlike making a pie pastry, although here you will use your fingers.
- Trickle in the water slowly and knead just until a stiff but pliable dough forms.
- Cover the ball of dough with a kitchen towel and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Make the peas potato filling:
- Heat oil and add to it the green chilies and ginger. Saute for about 30 seconds.
- Add the powdered spices: ground cumin, ground coriander, coarsely ground fennel, amchur, if using, and turmeric. Mix.
- Add the boiled potatoes and mix well. Next add the green peas and stir them into the potatoes.
- Add salt to taste. Cover the potatoes and cook until warmed through, no more than 3-5 minutes.
- Mash the potatoes lightly with your ladle before turning off the heat. I like some large potato chunks in there but if you want you can mash it more, leaving just a few chunks of potatoes in for texture.
- Cool the peas potato filling to room temperature.
Roll out the dough:
- Divide the dough into seven even portions. Roll each into a ball.
- Roll out one ball of dough into a circle around four to five inches in diameter. Then roll out the sides slightly longer to form an oval.
- Use a knife or pastry cutter to make a clean cut through the center of the oval, creating two semi-circles or half-moons. Set them aside on a plate and repeat the process for the remaining dough.
Stuff the samosa:
- Brush the edges of the pastry with water. Then pick the two corners of the semicircle and bring them together, edges overlapping slightly, to form a cone. Press the seams together to ensure a tight seal (watch video to see how it's done). It's important to do this thoroughly because you don't want your samosas to open while you're frying them.
- Place two heaping teaspoons of filling in the cone, pressing it in lightly. Make sure you leave enough room at the top so you can seal the samosa.
- Now seal the top of the samosa by pressing the top seam together. For a classic shape, make a slight fold in the center as you press the seams together and fold the edge in so the samosa can "sit" when you put it down.
- Repeat with the 13 remaining wrappers.
Deep fry the samosas:
- Heat enough oil in a wok to immerse the samosas completely. If you have a deep fryer use that. Or use a cast iron pan.
- Once the oil has reached 325 degrees Fahrenheit/165 degrees Celsius carefully drop the samosas one by one in the oil. Don't overcrowd the pan. If you don't have a thermometer to check the oil temperature, just heat the oil until it shimmers and small bubbles form at the bottom of the wok. The oil should not smoke. When you drop the samosas into the oil they should bubble gently.
- Let the samosas fry, simmering gently in the oil, until they are evenly golden-brown. Don't let them get too dark and flip them occasionally to ensure they fry evenly. Avoid the temptation to increase the heat unless the oil gets too cold: maintain frying temperature at around 325 degrees for the best results. Frying at high temperatures will cause the samosa wrappers to brown quickly outside while remaining uncooked on the inside.
- Once the samosas are ready remove them to a colander or dish lined with paper towels.
- Serve hot!
Video
Recipe notes
- Make sure the vegan butter is as cold as possible and cut it into small cubes before adding it to the dough to ensure it disperses through the dough evenly.
- Use ice cold water to make the dough so the grains of butter do not melt.
- Don't overknead the dough. Once the dough comes together just knead for a few more seconds to smooth it out, then let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Don't overmoisten the dough. You want a stiff but pliable dough that you can shape easily.
- If the dough resists when you try to roll out the samosa wrapper, let it rest for 30 seconds to a minute, then try again.
- Don't add more flour when rolling, if possible. Use a little bit of oil instead to make sure the wrapper does not stick to the surface when you roll it. If you find it really difficult to roll, use a tiny bit of flour.
- Roll out the samosa dough to medium thickness--in other words it should be neither too thick nor too thin. A very thin wrapper could break open in the oil and a thick wrapper will create a doughy samosa.
- Make sure you seal the samosa wrappers tightly.
- Don't overstuff the samosas. It might be tempting to get as much of that tasty filling in as possible but an overstuffed samosa will not seal properly.
- Always maintain the temperature of the oil around 325 degrees Fahrenheit/165 degrees Celsius. The low heat will ensure that the samosa wrappers cook evenly and are flaky and crispy for a long time after they are made.
- Don't overcrowd the wok or pan when you fry samosa. It might be tempting to hurry through the process so you can quickly eat the samosas, but overcrowding will bring the temperature of the oil down drastically and you will get soggy samosas.
- Frying a samosa takes a bit of patience as you are working with lower temperatures than you normally might for frying. It takes me around 10 minutes to fry a single batch. But it's worth taking the time so you can reward yourself with those perfect samosas! If the oil gets too hot or begins to smoke, as it might toward the end of cooking a batch, turn down the heat.
- Serve the samosas with a sweet tamarind chutney, mint chutney or just ketchup.
- Some recipes add garam masala to a samosa but as tempting as that might be to substitute the other spices with a single spice, please don't do it for the best results.
- A classic samosa filling doesn't have cilantro or coriander leaves but if you want to you can add a tablespoon of finely chopped coriander leaves.
Nutrition
Serving: 1samosa | Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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Michele Martin
Easy to follow recipe and the video also was a big help in showing how to fold and seal the dough. The dough came out perfectly, was easy to roll and fold. When fried it came out crispy and light. I used the ajwain seeds for the first time. They have a nice flavor, similar to oregano. The samosas were great. Leftovers were delicious the next day, too. Thanks for the recipe! It's a keeper.
chantelle
Hello. This is probably a silly question, but do I want fresh or dried Ajwain seeds? I find both options when I am searching.
Thank you for your assistance
Vaishali
Hi, used dried ajwain. I've never found fresh ajwain seeds before--how interesting.
Vanessa Amador
Delicious, I never knew I could make something so delicious without ever having cooked this exotic flavours!!!
Vaishali
Awesome, so happy you loved it!
Rebecca
This is my favorite samosa recipe, and I have tried many. Thank you for sharing it!
Vaishali
So happy to hear Rebecca!
Larry
In step 4 of making the filling you have this: “ the add the coriander leaves”. Do you mean cilantro because the recipe lists cilantro and not coriander leaves.
Also, 1 tsp of oil seems very low. I can’t even mix spices with that much.
We really like these and thanks for sharing.
Vaishali
Coriander leaves and cilantro are the same thing. I'll clarify. And you don't need a lot of oil to make the potato stuffing. You can always add more if you don't mind the oil, but 1 tsp should be more than enough for the stuffing.
amelia
coriander is the seed, cilantro is the leaves and stem.
Vaishali
Hi Amelia, let me clarify this for you. Cilantro goes by "coriander leaves" in many parts of the world, and coriander seed is the seed that coriander leaves or cilantro grows from. It's important to distinguish between the two.
Heather
What sauce(s) would you recommend to use to dip these in?
Vaishali
A date tamarind chutney, like this one: https://holycowvegan.net/bhel-bombay-and-bollywood/#wprm-recipe-container-15406
Jason
Could chickpea flour be used instead of the all purpose flour?
Vaishali
You won't be able to form the wrapper with chickpea flour alone--it won't hold.
Jimmy
Love your recipe much! Easy and simple to follow... Thank you much for post this amazing recipe!
Vaishali
Awesome, happy you loved it!
Mana
Tried making them for the first and they came out so well. Thanks, Vaishali!
Vaishali
Hi Mana, so happy you made them!
SM
Recipe made simple
Vaishali
Thanks. 🙂
Seema
Tried this delicious recipe. The family loved it.
Vaishali
So happy to hear! 🙂
Kelly
I don’t know if you happen to do updates so long after original post, but if so would it be possible to add more accurate measurement for the potato? Weight of medium potatoes falls anywhere between 140g & 220g, so total amount in recipe can be as little as .7kg or as much as 1.1kg.
Doing first attempt at the recipe tonight & excited! 🙂