Sambosa or samose are a deep fried snack. Most people love this spicy pastry with different fillings. typical samosa fillings are spicy potato ones, onion samosa, matar samosa for vegetarians. Non-vegetarians love minced meat or keema .Onion/ cabbage samosa, patti samosa is popular in south while nutty sweet samosas are popular in Mathura & Vrindavan. Mini samosas are also popular which have lentil and nuts as filling and stay longer. Another variation is Punjabi samosa with samosa patti sheet. These days fusion food like paneer samosa, Chinese samosa and cheese samosa are also popular.
With the advent of air fryers , traditional deep fried dishes have an option to be cooked in the airfryer. There are days when I like to get packet of frozen samosa from the store and make air fryer frozen samosa , however making them from scratch helps to control the quality of ingredients. For example not only you know the quantity of oil being added to the dough, you can ensure that you are not using palm oil in the pastry. Other snack recipes that can be prepared in the air fryer include air fryer papad, air fryer khari biscuits , air fryer kothimbir vadi,air fryer pakoras, & air fryer pani puri .
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Benefits of this recipe:
Initially we used to air fry frozen samosas ,though those samosas are better than the deep fried ones, however they still contain a lot of fat and plain flour (maida) . This homemade recipe is with simple pantry ingredients and we can substitite plain flour (maida) with whole wheat flour as well. We bake or air fry it with minimal oil.Hence low in calories but still good in taste.
Especially if you make samosa chaat,you will never know the difference. Easy to bake too.Also,you enjoy your snack without feeling so guilty.Baking is a great way to eat better.It also contains healthier ingredients.We use wholewheat flour too sometimes in the pastry.If you want to bake with wholemeal, ensure you use have plain flour and half wholemeal.However,that will not be as crisp as the normal samosas. For crisp samosas you can also use samosa patti to make patti samosa with Punjabi masala filling.
Make these in advance for any party.Bake them just before serving.You can store them raw for longer periods in deep freezer.This recipe for air fryer samosas is my guilt free comfort food that goes well with evening tea or coffee.
How to make air fryer samosas? (Video recipe)
Ingredients
Refer to recipe card for quantity.
For samosa pastry
- All-purpose flour
- Water to knead the flour
- oil for samosa dough
- oil for brushing
- caraway/ajwain seeds (optional)
- salt to taste
For Stuffing
- oil
- cumin seeds / jeera
- Potatoes (boiled in a pot or pressure cooker or instant pot )
- Peas
- ginger and chilli paste
- garam masala
- dry mango powder, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients with oil.
2. Mix until the floor starts coming together when pressed. Add water and knead into a semi hard dough
3. Mash the boiled potatoes, heat the oil, add spices with potatoes and peas. Keep the samosa filling aside.
4. Roll a piece of the dough ,cut into 2 pieces.
5. Make a cone out of the flattened dough / pastry
6. Fill the samosa pastry with stuffing and close from other end, using little water to moisten the edges
7.Get the samosas ready for baking / air frying
8.For baking in oven ,Place them on a baking sheet , bake in the oven
How to make samosa in air fryer?
- Place the samosas in air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry samosas in a pre-heated air fryer for 20-25 minutes at 180C. Brush oil over them after every 5-6 minutes for crispy texture.
Note: If you are mixing whole meal flour i.e. atta with plain flour i.e. maida, then the samosas will loose the crispness after a few hours.
Related recipes
Baked / Air fried Samosa recipe
Equipment
- oven in case not using an air fryer
- Air fryer/oven in case not using an traditional oven
- Kadai for traditional frying in case trying out the deep frying option
- potato masher
- Stand mixer for kneading (optional)
Ingredients
For samosa pastry
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup water a few more tablespoons if required
- ¼ cup oil for samosa dough
- 1 tablespoon oil for brushing
- 1 teaspoon caraway/ajwain seeds
- salt to taste
For Stuffing
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds jeera
- 1 teaspoon ginger and chilli paste
- 2 cup boiled veggies potato and green peas
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon dry mango powder optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For stuffing
- Heat oil in pan,add ginger/chillies
- Add the boiled veggies.
- Sauté for 5 minutes, add spices, salt and pepper
For Samosa pastry
- Mix the flour with salt,caraway seeds(ajwain) and oil
- Knead the dough with chilled water to get a semi hard dough.
- Add extra flour as needed to keep from sticking to hands and board
- Place the dough in a well-oiled vessel and cover with a cloth/plastic wrap for 15 minutes.
- Take a small portion of it and roll the dough into small round shape.
- Cut it in 2 equal halves, make a cone by sticking the edges with water
- Fill the stuffing and close the cone with water.Seal the edges with a fork
- Line up the samosa in a baking tray.
For oven baked samosa
- Bake the samosa in a pre-heated oven at 180 C (or 360 degrees F) for 15 minutes(fan-forced)
- Brush/Spray with oil and bake further for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown in color.
- Allow to cool on rack. Serve warm.
For air fryer samosa recipe
- Air fry the samosa in a pre-heated air fryer at 180 C (or 360 F) for 20-25 minutes
- Brush oil on the samosa every 5-6 minutes.
- Allow the cooked samosa to rest for few minutes on a paper kitchen towel or a wire rack.
For Deep fryer
- If you want to cook them by deep frying them, then heat oil in a kadai at low heat. Once its hot enough, cook the samosa in that oil
- If the oil is on medium/high heat, you will not get the perfec crisp outcome
Video
Notes
Tips for crispy samosa
- Do not add more water to the dough, it should be of semi hard consistency.
- Pastry / dough made of plain flour will result in more crispy recipe.
- If you replace part of dough with wholemeal flour i.e. atta,serve them immediately else they will loose their crispyness.
- The stuffing should not be wet as well.
- The time taken to cook a samosa with just plain flour is little less (2 minutes) than that has whole meal flour mixed.
- Use the Grill/Broiler option in the last 2 minutes in air fryer / oven.
Storage
Store the samosas in an air tight container in refrigerator. Heat before serving it with chutney.
Variations
You can use store bought sheets to make samosa. We have tried some of them , which include
- Refer to vegetable pasties recipe, you can use the traditional stuffing here and make these with shortcut pastry sheets
- Refer to the veg puffs recipes that we have made with puff pastry sheets.
- you can also use filo pastry to make filo pastry samosas.
Easy baked starter recipes?
Variations
You may use broccoli, carrots and peas in the filling if you want it healthier for kids. Donald Trump was served on of these at Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad..Although former combination of broccoli looks strange,it tastes great in a samosa. You can also add some peanuts to samosas.Make the mini samosas in air fryer using lentils for a longer shelf life instead of potatoes.
You can also make samosa chaat using these samose. Pour chana masala over the samosas. Top it with mint and tamarind or date chutney, sev, pomegranate seeds and yogurt( optional if vegan). You can also add chopped onions and lemon juice on top. Hungry as I list down the ingredients. Yummy!
FAQs
Can you air fry samosas ?
Yes, air frying is one of cooking methods you can use to make veggie samosas. Air frying samosa is easier than frying them or baking or them. In fact air fryer frozen samosas is one of the easiest snack that can be made when you have friends visiting.
Are the air fried samosas as tasty as deep fried ?
The stuffing remains the same,if you choose to make them with plain flour (maida) then you get more crispy pastry in comparison to with whole wheat flour.
How can I cook frozen samosas without using a deep fryer ?
The simple answer is using an oven or air fryer. If your microwave has convection mode then you can use that as well.
Is eating samosa as a snack healthier for children ?
Well, if you are preparing this at home and using a mix of whole wheat flour and baking or air frying the samosa, then it is definitely a good snack for the children.
How to fry samosas ?
The above recipe is for air fried / baked samosa, however you can even fry these samosas at low/medium heat. The oil should not be very hot.
How long to cook frozen samosa in air fryer ?
In a preheated air fryer, 20 minutes at 180C is good enough for the frozen samosas, you may brush oil in between. Additionally check the pack for instructions as well.
Conclusion: homemade air fryer samosas are the best thing for teatime. air-fried version helps you enjoy this great appetizer with a healthier twist. Pair it with mango chutney / tomato ketchup, green chutney or tamarind chutney for a delicious Indian snack.
Lakshmi says
Hi
A long time follower. Love your simple recipes.
The pastry is with whole wheat flour or all purpose flour for this samosa?
Description says wholewheat, recipe say all purpose flour. Pls confirm if which. Would love to try this?
bhavana bhatia says
Hi Lakshmi
Thank you for following us.
This recipe is with all purpose flour or maida as it turns our crispier.
However, If you want to bake with wholemeal, ensure you use have half plain flour and half wholemeal.I have also updated that in notes now.
Geeta says
Thanks will try it...baked is definitely a guilt free option and craving satisfied too....and with brocolli...my kid loves broccoli...
Sanchita dey says
Looks very delicious. Will try them in my air fryer sometime soon. Thank you.
bhavana bhatia says
Thank you Sanchita for your feedback.
Nila says
We want to try this using air fryer procedure. Wholemeal is same as whole wheat flour? Thx
bhavana bhatia says
Yes it is the same thing