Samosas

Craving some crispy, golden goodness? Look no further than these fried potato and pea samosas, seasoned to perfection with a savory curry blend. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you for trying this recipe!

Try your hand at making Indian food at home with a few more of my recipes: Butter chicken, garlic naan, and tomato chutney!

Homemade Samosas

Samosas are a staple in Indian cuisine for good reason. These delicious savory pastries are made with a vegetable or meat filling, spiced to perfection and tucked inside a buttery dough. From there, the samosas are shallow fried until they’re golden brown and crispy on the outside. YUM!

This specific recipe for samosas is made with a potato, pea, and curry filling. You are going to love every flavorful bite! Make them to accompany your next Indian-inspired meal. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients Needed

I know it looks like a lot, but the spices and seasonings in this samosa recipe are what make it so good! Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.

Dough:

All-Purpose Flour: The base of the samosa dough, providing structure and texture.
Thyme: A subtle herb adding a touch of earthy flavor.
Salt: Enhances all the flavors and balances the sweetness of the filling.
Ghee (Clarified Butter): Adds richness and flakiness to the dough.
Cold Water: Binds the dough together without making it tough.

Filling:

Russet Potatoes: The main filling ingredient, providing a creamy, hearty base.
Ghee: Adds richness and flavor to the sauteed vegetables.
Cumin Seeds: A warm, earthy spice.
Coriander Seeds: A citrusy, floral spice that complements the cumin.
Fennel Seeds: A sweet, licorice-like spice.
Ginger: Adds a kick of flavor to the samosa filling.
Green Chili: So the filling has a touch of heat and freshness.
Green Peas: Add pops of sweetness and texture to the filling.
Lemon Juice: Brightens the overall flavor a bit.
Turmeric: A warm, earthy spice that also adds a beautiful yellow color.
Garam Masala: A warming blend of spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.
Cilantro: Because you can never go wrong with fresh herbs. Especially for homemade samosas!
Salt: Enhances all the flavors. You only need a little bit.

Frying:

Oil: You will also need any high-heat oil like vegetable or peanut oil, used for shallow frying the samosas in.

How to Make Samosas

Homemade samosas take a bit of preparation and you need to keep a close eye on them as they cook, but it’s SO worth it! Here is every step to making this Indian staple at home, broken up into 3 parts:

Make the Dough

Dough Mixture: To a bowl, whisk together the flour, thyme, and salt. Add the ghee to the four mixture and mix well with your fingers until all the ghee has been incorporated. You should have a shaggy dough that can hold its shape when pressed together.
Adjust Consistency: Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, kneading the dough as you add it until you have a fairly stiff dough, it shouldn’t stick to your hands.
Rest: Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Make the Filling

Boil Potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 inch chunks then boil them until they are just fork tender, you don’t want them to be too soft and mushy.
Drain: Drain the boiled potatoes then roughly chop or crumble them, do not mash them. Set the potatoes aside.
Heat Ghee With Spices: Heat the ghee in a medium size pan over medium high heat, add in the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds and saute until they begin to sizzle.
Add Veggies: To the pan add in the ginger, green chilis, and peas. Saute everything for about 2 minutes.
Add in Remaining Ingredients: Lastly add in the lemon juice, turmeric, garam marsala, fennel powder, cilantro, salt to taste, and potatoes. Mix everything together well and saute for another 2 minutes.
Cool: Remove the filing from the pan and then set it aside to cool. Once the filling has cooled nearly to room temperature it is ready to assemble.

Assemble Samosas / Fry

Divide Dough: Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, form into balls, cover and let them rest about 10 minutes.
Roll Out: Roll each ball into flat disks, about 7 inches across. Press them between two pieces of parchment paper to roll flat.
Cover: Keep the flattened dough sections covered to avoid drying them out, work with one dough section at a time.
Create a Cone Shape: Cut the round in half, wet the flat edge of one half of the round and press the ends together to form a cone.
Fill and Seal: Fill the cone with about 2 tablespoons of the filling, gently pack it in. wet the inside edge of the open side and press it closed.
Repeat: Repeat with the other half of the round and then with the rest of the dough. This will yield 12 samosas.
Heat Oil: Heat 2 inches of oil in a large heavy bottom pan over medium heat, a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the oil should sizzle when the oil is hot enough.
Fry: Add enough samosas to the pan to leave some room between, you will need to work in batches. Fry the samosas for about 1 minute on each side, they should be golden and crispy but not develop dark brown spots.
Transfer to Plate: Remove the fried samosas from the pan, place them on a paper towel lined plate to allow any excess oil to be absorbed.
Enjoy: Once all the samosas are finished frying, serve them fresh with Mango Chutney or tamarind sauce.

4-photo collage of the dough and filling being prepared.

Tips and Variations

Ghee Substitute: If you don’t have ghee, you can use oil in it’s place in both the dough and the filling.
Using Ground Spices: You can use ground spices in place of the whole spices if you prefer.
Use Canned Chilies: Replace the fresh diced green chiles with canned diced green chiles if needed.

Closeup of a samosa that has been cut in half.

Storing Leftovers

Samosas are super easy to reheat and enjoy later! I like to use the air fryer to keep them nice and crispy.

In the Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheating: It’s best to reheat your samosas in an air fryer or oven to maintain the crispy exterior. To reheat in the oven, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-8 minutes. Air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-5 minutes.

More Delicious Recipes Inspired By Indian Cuisine

Dinner

Chicken Vindaloo

1 hr 20 mins

Side Dishes

Yellow Rice

20 mins

Dinner

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

6 hrs 15 mins

Dinner

Tandoori Chicken

2 hrs 50 mins

Samosas

Craving some crispy, golden goodness? Look no further than these fried potato and pea samosas, seasoned to perfection with a savory curry blend.

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword potato and pea samosas, samosa recipe, samosas

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 5

Servings samosas

Calories 162kcal

Author Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

Dough

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup ghee, clarified butter
8-12 tablespoons cold water

Filling

1 lb russet potatoes
1 tablespoon ghee, clarified butter
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 green chili, diced
1 cup green peas
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Instructions

Make the dough

To a bowl, whisk together the flour, thyme, and salt. Add the ghee to the four mixture and mix well with your fingers until all the ghee has been incorporated. You should have a shaggy dough that can hold its shape when pressed together.
Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, kneading the dough as you add it until you have a fairly stiff dough, it shouldn’t stick to your hands.
Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Make the filling

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 inch chunks then boil them until they are just fork tender, you don’t want them to be too soft and mushy.
Drain the boiled potatoes then roughly chop or crumble them, do not mash them. Set the potatoes aside.
Heat the ghee in a medium size pan over medium high heat, add in the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds and saute until they begin to sizzle.
To the pan add in the ginger, green chilis, and peas. Saute everything for about 2 minutes.
Lastly add in the lemon juice, turmeric, garam marsala, fennel powder, cilantro,salt to taste, and potatoes. Mix everything together well and saute for another 2 minutes.
Remove the filing from the pan and set it aside to cool. Once the filling has cooled nearly to room temperature it is ready to assemble.

Assemble samosas

Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, form into balls, cover and let them rest about 10 minutes.
Roll each ball into flat disks, about 7 inches across. Press them between two pieces of parchment paper to roll flat.
Keep the flattened dough sections covered to avoid drying them out, work with one dough section at a time.
Cut the round in half, wet the flat edge of one half of the round and press the ends together to form a cone.
Fill the cone with about 2 tablespoons of the filling, gently pack it in. wet the inside edge of the open side and press it closed.
Repeat with the other half of the round and then with the rest of the dough. This will yield 12 samosas.
Heat 2 inches of oil in a large heavy bottom pan over medium heat, a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the oil should sizzle when the oil is hot enough.
Add enough samosas to the pan to leave some room between, you will need to work in batches. Fry the samosas for about 1 minute on each side, they should be golden and crispy but not develop dark brown spots.
Remove the fried samosas from the pan, place them on a paper towel lined plate to allow any excess oil to be absorbed.
Once all the samosas are finished frying, serve them fresh with Mango Chutney or tamarind sauce