These Vegan Potato Samosas are made with plenty of spices and fried to perfection. They are spicy and well-seasoned and great to have with chutney or hot sauce. Can be a snack or appetizer to your intimate Indian feast.
I used to get the best Potato Samosas from this flea market that used to be my house. The lady would make them fresh every morning and they would always be piping hot. And then I would drizzle hot sauce on top.
The combination of flaky pastry with the spiced potato mixture always had me wanting more.
What are Samosas? They are a deep-fried Indian pastry that is filled with vegetables, spices, and herbs. Sometimes they are filled with meat, as well, but most of the time they are vegan/vegetarian.
Now I don’t live by a flea market anymore, but I tried my best to recreate the experience and make my own at home. These were darn close and they gave me the happy feeling inside of eating good food. Check it out below!
Important note: This post contains affiliate links, but it does not affect my opinion of the products. I used all of these and love these products. You can read my full disclosure here.
Ingredients for Vegan Potato Samosas
- All-purpose Flour.
- Oil. I use a neutral oil for the dough. You can also use ghee, vegan margarine (melted), or vegan ghee
- Cumin seeds for the dough and cumin powder for the filling.
- Potatoes. You will need 4 russet potatoes for the filling.
- Green peas. Frozen or fresh peas can be used. There is no need to defrost, add it straight at the end. Don’t overlook or it will be mushy and not taste as good.
- Green chiles. Any diced green chili can be used. I used jalapeno. This is optional. If you don’t like spice, then remove the seeds or omit them completely.
- Hing. Hing is a natural umami enhancer. You can read about it here. You can get it online or use mushroom seasoning instead.
- Parsley
- red chili powder. This adds spice and is made of ground-up dried chilis. You can also use cayenne or red pepper flakes.
- Garam masala. This is a mixture of spices and will give you
How to fill them
Once you have rested your dough in the fridge, cut into four. Take each section and roll into an oval. Cut in half with a knife or pizza cutter.
To fill them, take one half of the oval and roll into a cone shape. Using a little bit of water. Seal the seams together, so nothing can come out. Spoon your filling in and make sure to press down. Gently, but firmly.
Dip your finger in water and run it inside the inside rim, then fold it together to create a traingle shape. Make sure there is no open seam because this will cause it to break open when frying.
Lay your filled samosas on a tray until you finish with all of them.
Can I bake them?
Yes! Baking them can still create a crispy and flakey Potato samosa. Just preheat the oven to 350°F and put the samosas on a tray lined with parchment or a reusable baking mat. Spray or brush with a little bit of oil (to help it crisp up).
They should be ready in 30-35 minutes. Just check on them and take them out when they are golden brown.
Serve with hot sauce, which I highly recommend, ketchup, or chutney. Or eat it plain. It is quite delicious on its own.
Other tips and tricks
- When incorporating the oil into the flour, mix well. Rub your hands into the flour and go to town. You don’t want clumps of flour. You want the oil to be equally distributed.
- Learn what type of dough you’re making. It should be stiff, not soft. Sort of like a pie dough of sorts. A soft dough won’t give you the flaky crust. So don’t add too much water. Just enough to bring it together. You also don’t want to overmix it because your dough will be too tough once fried. The balance in texture will make or break your dough.
- Roll your dough thin to ensure it cooks faster in the oil, but not too thin or it will rip when you add your filling.
- Fry your vegan potato samosas in batches. I usually go with 2-3 at a time. Any more and it will overcrowd the oil and the temperature will drop drastically.
- These can be stored in the freezer. Just fill it, wrap it in the dough, and place it on a tray. Freeze until solid and then transfer to a freezer-friendly bag or container. They will last 6 months. To reheat, place them on a tray at room temp until warmed and then fry or bake as normal.
- Cooked samosas can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container once cooled. Then just reheat in an oven or toaster oven until warmed through.
Want More?
Try Out Similar recipes below:
Potato Samosa
Materials
Dough
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 6 tbsp water
- 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 3/4 tsp salt
Filling
- 3 potatoes, peeled and large dice
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder or cayenne
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- salt to taste
- pinch of hing or mushroom seasoning
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
- oil for frying
Instructions
Dough
- Mix together the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the oil and mix with your hands or a spoon until there is no more big lumps. Add water and seeds and mix together.
- If the dough is too dry, add a little bit of water until a stiff dough. If you add too much water, compensate with adding more flour.
- Put the dough in a container or plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. During this time, you can work on the filling.
Filling
- In a pot with cold water, add the potatoes and turn the heat to medium. Let boil for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through, but not mushy.
- In a pan, add the oil and Sautee the onions. Once just turning to brown, add the garlic and peas. Sautee until garlic is aromatic.
- Add the ginger powder, cumin, red chili powder, garam masala, and hing. Sautee for a minute without burning.
- Mash the potatoes lightly with a potato masher or fork and add to the pan. Mix quickly to avoid burning.
- Turn off the heat and add the chopped parsley and salt. Taste to adjust seasoning.
- Set aside to cool as you roll out your dough.
Assembly
- Take the dough out of the fridge and on a lightly oiled surface, cut the dough into 5 pieces.
- Cover all pieces under a piece of cloth and work with one piece at a time to avoid it drying out.
- Using a rolling pin, roll into an oval shape of about 9" by 7". Cut into 2 and using your fingers, spread water along all the edges. Join the uncut edges together and pinch them together to connect them.
- Now you should have a cone shape. Fill the opening with the filling and push down. Pinch it close to seal the filling inside and then put on a tray. Repeat with all the dough until you are finished with 10 samosas.
- Heat oil in pot to 350°F. You want about 3-4" inches of oil to fry the samosas.
- Once oil is ready, drop 2-3 samosas in the oil and fry until a light golden brown. Drain on some paper towels and serve with chutney, chopped parsley, and some hot sauce.
I hope you try this recipe. If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below.
Pingback: Pani Puri - The Culinary Cloud
Pingback: Salt Baked Potatoes - The Culinary Cloud
Pingback: Vegan Fish Curry - The Culinary Cloud