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Hi Bold Bakers!
Perfectly flaky and crispy samosas, stuffed with savory and spicy veggies, are a filling snack, easy to transport, and always a crowd-pleaser! Plus, you won’t have to worry about accommodating anyone’s diet — these Homemade Samosas are vegan.
Samosas are often deep-fried, but if deep-frying at home intimidates you, you can still enjoy these homemade samosas! Instead of frying, these are easily baked.
Everything in this recipe is made from scratch, including the dough. It was taught to me by my dear friend, who happens to be our culinary assistant here, Ami. Her mum taught her how to make authentic samosas, a popular treat in India, and I’m so happy Ami shared this recipe with me because they are incredible!
What Are Samosas?
Samosas are a hugely popular food in India, the Middle East, and Asian countries, and it’s not hard to understand why. What’s better than a crispy pastry filled with spices, herbs, potatoes, and other mouthwatering ingredients?! Sometimes samosas are filled with minced meat, but we’re keeping this recipe vegan.
What You Need To Make Baked Samosas
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Small pan
How To Make Samosas
Learning how to fold the dough for the samosas is a bit of a learning curve, so don’t get discouraged! By the end, your samosas will look as perfect as though you ordered them from takeout. Here’s how you make them (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C).
- To make the dough, combine flour, ajwain, and salt in a bowl. Drizzle in the vegetable oil and rub with your fingers until combined.
- Sprinkle in 6 tablespoons of water and knead into a stiff dough. If the dough feels too dry or doesn’t come together, add another tablespoon of water. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the filling. Place the diced cooked potatoes, peas, ground coriander, garam masala, salt, and lemon juice in a bowl.
- In a small pan, heat one tablespoon of oil and add the cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add the ginger and green chili. Cook for about 30 seconds.
- Pour the ginger mixture onto the potatoes and mix all the ingredients together.
- Divide the dough into 7 equal pieces. Roll each piece into one 1/8-inch thick circle (roughly 6″ x 6″) and cut the circle in half.
- Take one of the half circles and moisten the cut edge (the flat, not curved side) with a touch of water. Bring the two ends of the edge together and press to form a cone.
- Fill the cone with 1 or 2 tablespoons of filling, making sure to leave some dough for sealing at the top.
- Moisten the open end of the dough with a little water and press to seal it together. Repeat with the remaining half-circles of dough, placing each assembled samosas on your prepped baking sheet.
- Brush the samosas with oil and place in the oven, bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown, flipping halfway through.
Gemma’s Pro Tips For Making Authentic Samosas From Scratch
- For fried samosas: Heat 2 inches of oil in a pan to 375°F (190°C) and gently drop 2-3 samosas at a time into the oil. Fry, turning once until evenly browned. Remove and let drain on paper towels.
- Ajwain and amchur can be found online or in Indian markets. They help give these their distinctive taste, but if you can’t find these spices, you can omit them — the samosas will still be delicious!
- Don’t overwork your dough; you only need to bring it together. Overworking will make the samosas too hard. You also want to make sure you don’t add too much water; a stiff dough will give you a crispy final product.
- Don’t use flour while rolling your dough out — if the dough is sticky, use a little oil on your rolling pin.
How To Store Homemade Samosas
You can store leftover samosas for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. To reheat, preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C) and then cook for 15 minutes.
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Full (and printable) recipe below!
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Watch The Recipe Video!
Samosas Recipe from Scratch
Ingredients
Samosa Dough
- 2 cups (10oz/284g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons (2 ½ fl oz / 75ml) vegetable oil
- 6-7 tablespoons (3 fl oz/90ml - 3 ½ fl oz/98 ml) water
Samosa Filling
- 3 small (about 14oz/400g) potatoes, cooked, peeled and roughly mashed or diced.
- ½ cup (2 ½ oz/71g) frozen green peas, defrosted
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (½ floz/14ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 medium green chili pepper , stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
- oil for shallow frying if frying instead of baking
Instructions
To Make the Samosa Dough:
- In a bowl, combine flour, ajwain, and salt. Drizzle in the oil and rub with your fingers until combined.
- Sprinkle in 6 tablespoons of water and knead into a stiff dough. If needed, add another tablespoon of water teaspoon at a time. Cover the dough and let rest for 30 minutes.
To Make the Samosa Filling:
- In a bowl, mix together cooked potatoes, peas, ground coriander, garam masala, amchur, salt, and lemon juice.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a small pan and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the ginger and green chili and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Pour the ginger mixture onto the potatoes and thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.
- Divide the dough into 7 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/8-inch thick circle (roughly 6" x 6") and cut in half.
- Pick up one half-circle, moisten to cut edge with a touch of water, bring the two ends of the edge together and press to form a cone. (See pictures above)
- Fill the cone with 1 - 2 tablespoons of filling, leaving some dough for sealing at the top.
- Moisten the open end of the dough with a touch of water and press together to seal. Repeat with the remaining ½ circles of dough.
To Bake The Samosas:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Brush the samosas with oil and place in the oven, bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown, flipping halfway through.
To Shallow Fry the Samosas:
- Pour 2 inches of oil in a small heavy bottomed pan and heat to medium heat, roughly 350°F (180°C)
- Fry 2-3 samosas at a time for 3-4 minutes, flipping halfway through, until both sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Enjoy hot with some chutney! Store leftover samosas in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 15 minutes.
You made samosas ??!!! That’s awesome!! I am sure I’ll be trying this sometime or later. Just a request….. please try to make more Indian dishes 🙂
Hey Gemma
I’m an Indian and I’m quite sure that the samosas made with this recipe will b so authentic. I just wanted to tell you that carom seeds are called ajwain and not ajwan.
Roll each piece into a ” 1/8 inch circle”?? Do you mean 1/8″ thick? or into one 8″ circle? or both. A 1/8 inch circle cut in half is about a grain of rice…
Hi Gemma
I am from Pakistan. I just wanted to ask you that can you some day make delicious Pakistani foods like parathas
hi Gemma , i am from India. samosa here is very common every tea shop sells it. I am Keren . they are of types sweet ans savory. after church we have samosas and tea . i love , love samosas
This looks great! I see that you can omit the amchur and ajwain, but can you also omit or replace the garam masala, ground coriander seeds, or cumin seeds?
Hi Gemma, I always enjoy seeing your recipes, I want to try this recipe as soon as possible, but can I just fry it in the air fryer?? Thanks
Hi Gemma
This is Ashika from Fiji. I just love your recipes and videos. Thanks so much for the samosa recipe. I’ll definitely try it for Diwali ( hindu festival of lights) this year.
Hi Gemma do I have to put gram masla cumin seeds and coriander in these and I am allergic to mango so can I leave the mango powder out? also and can I make them in an air fryer or do I have to shallow fry them?
Hi Gemma..what do I serve the Samosas with? Also, what is the red stuff in the dish next to the plate of Samosas in the picture? If it is a sauce to go over them, will you please post that recipe also? Thanks so much!