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Samosa, an Indian deep-fried pastry, traditionally contains either meat or vegetable filling. This is an easy samosa recipe with spiced potato filling, accompanied by detailed, step-by-step instructions on folding the samosas.
Samosa is a delicious and mouthwatering Indian food made with a savory filling. The fillings can be chicken, beef, potatoes (aloo in Hindi), or vegetable. It’s a popular pastry in India, sold by street food vendors. The filling is wrapped using samosa wrappers into triangle cone shapes, which are then deep-fried to golden perfection. Sometimes, they are made into a roll, just like spring rolls.
I love samosas, especially potato samosas at Indian buffet restaurants in the US! I usually load up my plate with them, sinking my teeth into thee crispy pastry. They’re just so delicious!
This simple and easy samosa recipe is tried and tested, just like my naan bread recipe, producing crispy potato samosas that you just can’t stop eating!
Samosa Filling
This homemade samosas filling is made of the following ingredients: potatoes (aloo), green peas, onions, and spices. The best filling has the perfect balance of flavor and texture. The potatoes and peas shouldn’t be too mushy or chunky. The aromatic spices should elevate the flavor without overpowering. The filling should never be too spicy.
Simply put, the filling is the soul of this samosa recipe, and it should have the right texture and a good balance of spicy and savory note.
Samosa Dough And Samosa Wrapper
Traditional samosa dough is made with maida flour, a type of flour available in India. You can use all-purpose flour as a substitute. Other ingredients of the dough include butter or ghee, salt, water, and carom seeds or ajwain.
I usually use frozen spring roll wrappers to save time. After deep-frying, you get crispy Indian samosas.
Ingredients
Below is the list of what goes inside these crispy pastries:
- potatoes – I recommend Russet potatoes for its light and fluffy and slightly chewy texture.
- small onion
- green peas
- curry powder
- chili powder
- spring roll wrappers – you can find frozen wrappers at Asian stores. There are two types: 4×4-inch (10×10-cm) or 8×8-inch (20×20-cm). You can use either of them, but I prefer the larger ones for wrapping samosas.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Potato samosas. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes or until they are completely cooked through. Drain and let them cool. Peel off the potato skin, then break and mash the potatoes using the back of a spoon.
Step 2: Samosa filling. Heat up a skillet and add the oil. Sauté the onion until aromatic before adding the potatoes and green peas, along with curry powder, chili powder, sugar, and salt. Cook for a few minutes. Remove from the skillet and let it cool.
Step 3: Wrapping samosas. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling and place it at the top center part of a piece of wrapper. Brush the outer edges of the wrapper with egg white, then fold and form the samosa into a triangle. Pinch the edges and all corners to make sure they are sealed tight and there is no leakage. Repeat the same until the filling is used up.
Step 4: Frying samosas. Deep-fry the samosas at 350°F (176°C) until they turn golden brown. Remove them from the oil using a strainer or slotted spoon, and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
To wrap samosas into a triangular shape using spring roll wrappers, begin by spooning a teaspoon of the filling and positioning it at the top center of a wrapper.
Next, brush the outer edges of the wrapper with egg white, then fold and form the shape into a triangle. Pinch the edges and all corners to ensure it’s sealed tightly and there is no leakage. Watch my video in the recipe card for reference.
Samosas are a healthy appetizer or party food, with only 94 calories! Even though they are deep-fried, you can ensure they are not soaked in oil by draining the excess oil on paper towels after deep-frying.
They are usually served with a healthy dipping sauce (green chutney) made of cilantro, mint, garlic, jalapeno, yogurt, and lime juice. For me, I love eating them as a plain appetizer without any dipping sauce. They are delicious without the extra calories.
What To Serve With This Recipe
For a complete Indian meal at home, I recommend the following recipes:
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Samosa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb (250g) potatoes, peeled
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1/4 small onion, diced
- 1/4 cup green peas, smashed
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt , to taste
- 1 egg white
- spring roll wrappers, cut into 3 equal-sized rectangle pieces
- oil , for deep-frying
Instructions
- Potato samosas. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes or until they are completely cooked through. Drain and let them cool. Peel off the potato skin, then break and mash the potatoes using the back of a spoon.
- Samosas filling. Heat up a skillet and add the oil. Sauté the onion until aromatic before adding the potatoes and green peas, along with curry powder, chili powder, sugar, and salt. Cook for a few minutes. Remove from the skillet and let it cool.
- Wrapping samosas. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling and place it at the top center part of a piece of wrapper. Brush the outer edges of the wrapper with egg white, then fold and form the samosa into a triangle. Pinch the edges and all corners to make sure they are sealed tight and there is no leakage. Repeat the same until the filling is used up.
- Frying samosas. Deep-fry the samosas at 350°F (176°C) until they turn golden brown. Remove them from the oil using a strainer or slotted spoon, and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- I recommend Russet potatoes for its light, fluffy, and slightly chewy texture.
- Buy 8×8-inch (20×20-cm) frozen spring roll wrappers.
- Thaw the wrappers to room temperature before working on the recipe.
- Cover the wrappers with a damp towels to prevent them from drying out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I use filo pastry in long strips, then fold triangles over and over
Yes, filo pastry works fine.
While this delicious potato filling is the most common, samosas can be filled with other things, including meat. The samosa was borrowed from Persia and the middle east where similar pastries–shaped as flat triangles instead of the appealing 3 dimensional Indian version–are known as sambusa. Fillings are interchangeable, and I like to fill mine with butter chicken.
Just made these as the weather took a turn for the worse,Excellent easy to do simple ingredients 10/10
Can you bake instead of frying?
Yes, roughly 400 degrees F for about 35-40 mins flipping half way through.
What is the best way to reheat leftovers—-if there are any?!!
Just microwave.
Spring Roll wrappers did not work for me! I suggest using Wonton wrappers instead. Also, added Cumin, Coriander and Ginger to add more flavor.
These were delicious! I have tried “Curry Wontons” before because I love them from the restaurants but have never figured out a good recipe! This was so close! Something about it had a sweetness, which may have been my wonton wrappers but they still were so good!
Would it be possible to make these ahead of time and refrigerate them, and then fry them later when I’m ready? Do you think the wrappers would get soggy?
I don’t recommend it. It’s best to make them on the same day.
Can you freeze them?
Place them flat in a resealable bag to avoid sticking. If you plan to freeze samosas you’re making, fry until cooked but still pale, then fry to golden before eating.
I can’t believe how delicious and easy these are! My whole family loved them. We tried baking them first as someone suggested but that did not work very well for us, so then we deep fried according to the recipe and they turned out perfect. Thank you for this easy recipe, we will make these many times!
Thanks.
The samosa we had in Tanganyika and they rolled the pastry so thin and crispy. i have never been able to make it that thin. We use 2 sheets if filo and roll triangle only3 times. To avoid the deep frier and trying to be healthier we bake them. They freeze very well.Worth a try