My son Jay loved samosa and he loved my homemade samosas the best - even more so than the ones served at Indian restaurants. I perfected this recipe over years of making this popular Indian snack for him on repeat. In this post, I will break down the process for you step by step and share all my best secrets for making authentic Indian samosas with a crispy, flaky crust and a mouthwatering peas-potato filling. Video included!
Table of Contents
Authentic homemade Indian samosas
Whose mouth doesn't water at the thought of eating a samosa? Here's my recipe for an authentic Punjabi samosa: a chubby, triangular north Indian pastry or hand pie with a crisp, golden crust and a savory peas-potato filling. This is the perfect food to nosh on with family on a rainy day or to impress friends with at a larger gathering. One thing you can be sure of - there will be no leftovers!
Samosas have been my favorite savory snack for as long as I can remember. When I adopted my son, Jay, I quickly found out we were kindred souls; we both loved crispy, spicy, usually deep-fried foods, and samosa was our hands-down favorite (followed closely by vegetable pakora).
We'd order samosa when we ate out at an Indian restaurant and when we'd go to the Indian grocery store to stock up on essentials we'd make a beeline for the glass case near the checkout that held hot, crispy samosas. They were often a little too spicy for us but we couldn't resist them. Anytime I asked Jay what he wanted for breakfast, his answer was usually "aloo paratha please, mom!" For a snack, you guessed it, it was samosa.
A large part of the allure of a samosa is that delicious peas potato filling. But did you know that you can stuff a samosa with nearly anything you want to? Indian Muslims stuff it with mince meat or keema (try this vegan keema samosa). More modern restaurant versions have fillings that range from Indo-Chinese noodles to fish, chicken, pasta, scrambled eggs, paneer and chocolate. I use a delicious filling of seasoned chickpeas for my baked chickpea samosas.
As tasty as some of these sound, nothing can rival a classic samosa filling of creamy potatoes and sweet green peas spiced with cumin and green chili peppers. It's perfect with the flaky, crispy crust made with a dough of white flour and dotted with zesty carom seeds (ajwain). That's the recipe I have for you today.
Making samosa might appear intimidating at first, but learning how to make it is well worth the effort. A homemade samosa is so much tastier than a restaurant version, and it's not as greasy. I'll show you how to get the perfect results, from the crunchy crust to that gorgeous filling. Let's begin with a few important tips:
- Refrigerate the butter for the crust until you are ready to add it to the dough. Cut it into small cubes and use ice-cold water to mix the dough.
- Roll out the samosa dough to medium thickness. The filling can break through a very thin wrapper but a thick wrapper will create a doughy samosa.
- Cut the boiled potatoes into small pieces or crumble them. Any large pieces or sharp edges can tear the wrapper.
- Make sure there is no moisture in the filling.
- 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.
Be sure to check out the FAQs below for more tips on the correct consistency of the samosa wrapper dough, best temperature for frying samosa, storage and more. When you are ready, follow the steps in the recipe card below (or watch the video), prepare yourself for a small learning curve, and before long you will be making golden, delicious samosas you can be proud of!
Recipe card
Samosa recipe
Video
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
- ½ to ¾ cup water (you might need even more)*
For the peas potato stuffing:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral 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 cut into small pieces, or crumbled with your fingers.)
- 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:
- Peanut oil (or any neutral oil with a high smoke point. You need enough oil for the samosas to be completely 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 the flour looks grainy. This process is not unlike making a pie pastry.
- 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.
Notes
- Boil potatoes by placing them in a saucepan and covering with water by an inch. The potatoes should be completely immersed. Bring the water to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover the saucepan and cook 10-20 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender and a knife inserted in the center of a potato goes cleanly through.
- Size samosa according to your needs. Make smaller samosas for an appetizer or for children.
- Don't flour the surface when rolling, if possible. Use a little bit of oil instead to make sure the wrapper does not stick to the surface. If you find it really difficult use just a tiny bit of flour
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Watch how to make samosa
Samosa FAQs and troubleshooting
Use any waxy potato, including Yukon gold or red potatoes. Don't use a very starchy potato variety like russet.
Samosa dough should be smooth and pliable - easy to shape. Don't over-knead the dough. Once it comes together just knead for a few more seconds to smooth it out, then let it rest for 30 minutes. 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.
Maintain the temperature of the oil around 325 degrees Fahrenheit/165 degrees Celsius. The lower temperature will ensure that the samosa wrappers cook evenly without absorbing too much oil, and remain flaky and crispy for a long time after they are made. Adding samosas to oil that's overheated will brown the samosa quickly on the outside while the inside of the wrapper will remain uncooked.
It takes around 10 minutes to fry a single batch of 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.
Frying the samosas in oil that has not heated correctly will cause the samosa wrapper to absorb oil and become soggy. Also don't overcrowd the pan - add just a few samosas to the hot oil at a time, enough so you can comfortably move them around in the wok or fryer and flip them. Adding too many samosas to the oil at once will bring down the oil temperature, creating soggy samosas.
Brush the samosas with oil, place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and bake in a preheated 350-degree F/180-degree C oven for 40 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.
To air-fry, brush the samosa 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 so they air-fry evenly.
Baked samosas will taste amazing but the wrappers will not be as golden or crispy.
Serve samosas with a date tamarind chutney (like this one in my ragda pattice recipe) or a mint chutney. You can also dunk samosas in ketchup. Serve a hot cup of masala chai alongside.
You can also eat the samosa cradled in a soft roll like pav or tear it into pieces and smother it in chana masala, tomatoes and onions for a dish called samosa chaat.
Refrigerate homemade samosas for up to a week in an airtight container. Freeze them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to three months. You can also freeze the samosas before frying --to do that, assemble and flash-freeze them by placing them in the freezer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, store them in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw before frying. For samosas that were fried before freezing, reheat in a 350-degree Fahrenheit/180-degree Celsius oven until warmed through.
chantelle says
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 says
Hi, used dried ajwain. I've never found fresh ajwain seeds before--how interesting.
Vanessa Amador says
Delicious, I never knew I could make something so delicious without ever having cooked this exotic flavours!!!
Vaishali says
Awesome, so happy you loved it!
Rebecca says
This is my favorite samosa recipe, and I have tried many. Thank you for sharing it!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear Rebecca!
Larry says
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 says
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 says
coriander is the seed, cilantro is the leaves and stem.
Vaishali says
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 says
What sauce(s) would you recommend to use to dip these in?
Vaishali says
A mint or date-tamarind chutney! Search for the mint chutney on the blog!
Jason says
Could chickpea flour be used instead of the all purpose flour?
Vaishali says
You won't be able to form the wrapper with chickpea flour alone--it won't hold.
Jimmy says
Love your recipe much! Easy and simple to follow... Thank you much for post this amazing recipe!
Vaishali says
Awesome, happy you loved it!
Mana says
Tried making them for the first and they came out so well. Thanks, Vaishali!
Vaishali says
Hi Mana, so happy you made them!
SM says
Recipe made simple
Vaishali says
Thanks. 🙂
Seema says
Tried this delicious recipe. The family loved it.
Vaishali says
So happy to hear! 🙂
Kelly says
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! 🙂
Jasmine Swani says
Hi, can I substitute the all purpose flour with Gluten free all purpose flour for a GF recipe? I understand some of the ingredients will have to be GF as well.
Joshua Howard says
This recipe was my first successful samosa experience. The dough was perfect and the instructions were easy to follow. The samosas, of course, were FANTASTIC. Thank you for the share!
Maya says
These were so darn delicious. I skipped the peas because my little one doesn't like them, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. Flaky and delish, as you say. Thank you!
Mylin says
Is there a way to make the dough using a GF flour for the samosas ? Do you know of any GF flours that would work?
Vaishali says
Stay tuned, I am going to try one.
Tash says
Is it just 2 cups of flour,salt and 1 tbsp of oil?
Jennifer says
Can I assemble these one day and fry the next?
Vaishali says
Thanks for the heads up. You can use any oil with a high smoking point instead of peanut to make these nut free.
Krishna says
Heads up! The recipe says nut-free but I contains peanut oil!
Jain says
My wrapping will never be as beautiful as yours but the filling was absolutely, perfectly, wonderfully heavenly! I'll make these again and again -- and maybe some day they will look somewhat like samosas instead of a first grade art project.
Vaishali says
Awesome. Your wrappers will get better with practice. Thanks for the feedback.
Elizabeth says
Is there a specific oil you would recommend for frying these?
Vaishali says
Yes, peanut oil! It is traditionally used in Indian cooking and it is stable at high temperatures.
Jane says
Vaishali, these are by far the best samosas ever. I made these last night and they were gone in minutes-- we couldn't keep our hands off them. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Vaishali says
Jane, thanks for letting me know! So happy you loved them.
Sandy B says
HI Vaishali,
I Have been looking for the perfect samosa recipe and this is it! I have tried others but this is the true authentic flavor I remember having growing up in the West-Indian/Indian community in Queens, NY. Thanks for sharing. My husband and I ate the entire batch in one day!
Vaishali says
Hi Sandy, that's so wonderful to hear. So happy you enjoyed them. They don't last very long around here either! 😉
Ellen Lederman says
These look so good. I think it's okay to have some fried stuff as an occasional treat. But---I think I can't handle fried stuff any more because I have GERD. Every time I go to a South Indian restaurant with chaat type stuff, I always pay for it later. Do you think it's because it's fried? I can cook Indian at home with the same spices and not have a problem---but I don't fry it, so I think it's the only difference. Sunday's culprit was chole bhature,
I think as much as I love all Indian food, some restaurant food is really just an Indian version of fast food and every bit as fried/greasy. I think that's where the Indian paradox theory came in---that people think Indian food is healthy because there's a lot of vegetarians, but some of this stuff isn't---hence the epidemic in India of cardiac disease and diabetes. So your site is so helpful in enabling me to have Indian food---in a healthy way, at home.
Any thoughts? Do you eat out at Indian restaurants much?
I may see about deconstructing the samosa---serving it on something like a pappadum, which we broil in the toaster oven rather than fry.
Vaishali says
Hi Ellen, fried food can definitely cause reflux. You can try baking the samosas, using the recipe for Baked chickpea samosas, and you can also try making the cover part whole wheat --sub half the all purpose flour. It might also be fun to make this filling and stuff it into a paratha, kinda like a samosa paratha. 🙂 All the fun without the frying.
I tend not to eat out much any more, but when we do, we do often seek out Indian restaurants. I agree Indian restaurant food is really unhealthy, at least most of the time. I can't think of any restaurant food that would be low fat, because even the dals and vegetable sabzis are floating in oil, usually. Fat is an easy way to make food flavorful, I guess, although in most Indian homes you won't find people using so much oil, at least in this day and age. Ghee, especially, only gets used on special occasions. There are a large number of meat eaters in India too -- more than 60 percent of the population -- and the liberal consumption of milk by vegetarians is also a big contributor to heart disease and diabetes.
Janet says
No one asked me, but in my experience, most dishes in Indian restaurants include way more oil than I use at home, and watching some restaurant cooks on YouTube shows obscene use of oil in saucy dishes. I'm interested in what happens to the pappadum when you broil them. Do they get puffy or just end up as hot crunchy crackers. If the oil is at the right temp for frying, they will absorb practically none. Instead of baking samosas, I'd just eat the filling with some hot naan and not worry about going to all of the trouble of baking something that will just be a substitute for the real deal
Gaerd (Gail) Vickery says
OMG Vaishali !
You are WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL !!!! I have been looking for the Pea and Potato recipe for 25 years ! I had the exact some thing in Florida when I was working for the Patels as a manager. I looked and looked and looked and talked to friends from India and NEVER was able to get what I was looking for ! NOW I HAVE IT ! YOU ARE WONDERFUL, I love you for all you do for animals, health and your blog ! I am a Rescue Momma of 8, 4 footed Babies and would not trade my life or them for anything, they make my soul complete and my bank account empty ! I am in my 60's, still working, 7 days a week, with a husband on disability and LOVE MY LIFE ! Healthy eating is sooooo importante and you have the best recipes ! Helps I love to cook once in a while.... Peace, Love and Health to all you and yours !
Namrata says
Wow Gail !! That's so, so inspiring <3
Vaishali says
Hi Gail, you are so kind-- thank you!! 🙂 You are indeed amazing. Mom to eight rescues -- wow! I love that the blog gives me a chance to meet inspiring people like you.
Namrata says
Ok so I made a baked version with wheat flour. It turned out pretty well, though obviously not like fried version. But it was quite nice. While I did use some oil as the moyen in the dough, still it was a lot less oily than the fried version 🙂
Vaishali says
Hi Namrata, so glad you tried these. The whole wheat flour/baked version is certainly healthier, although you probably didn't get the flakiness. One thing to keep in mind is that these samosas hardly absorb any oil when deep fried, so long as you ensure you are at the right temperature. It's a great way to have the perfect samosa and eat it too. 🙂
Namrata says
Vaishali!! Even though I try to eat healthy most of the times, samosas are my weakness. Though I do eat the fried version outside, I don't deep fry at home. Can these be baked instead? I also don't use maida, so how do you think a baked wheat flour version would turn out? Thanks 🙂
geetha ramaiah says
Hi Vaishali,
Can I use Amchur instead of Anardhana powder?Thank you.
Vaishali says
Hi Geetha, yes, amchur would be fine.
Ruth Eisenbud says
Thank you so much for this gem. They look so good, I could almost taste them.
I love the traditional indian dishes, though fusion and improvisation dishes are good too.
It would be great if you could post other traditional Indian dishes, snacks, dals, rice dishes and main dishes. I would love to learn to make rasam or sambar from scratch.
I was at the home of an Indian friend recently... She made moong dal among several other dishes such as mirch, a spicy potato dish, and bindil. She used spices that were dried and garam masala prepared by her mother in law.... She lets me watch when she cooks, but by the time I get home and try to make the dishes, they just don't taste the same.... still edible, but not the same.
Traditional Indian dishes are so worth passing on....
Vaishali says
Hi Ruth, thank you! I do post traditional Indian recipes fairly often, and there are many rasam and sambar recipes made from scratch on the blog. You can search in the sidebar. I also have recipes for rasam powder and sambar powder on my DIY spice mixes page. Cheers.
Ruth Eisenbud says
Vaishali, Thanks for the references.... these recipes should keep me busy. Ruth